Scandinavian trip in 2020

[nickburt]

One of the things I'm getting worried about is what the driving time per day will be.
We're trying to keep it to a maximum of 5 hours per day (out of a 10 or 12 hour day), but it's the average speed that I'm struggling with.
At the moment, I've based it on and average of 50 mph on motorways and bigger main roads, and dropped to 35 mph for everything else.

 

[Steve_Midlands_UK]

It might be a bit late but it’s worth a visit to the hydroelectric power plant at Vemork . Made famous by the heroes of the telemark / Ray Mears.

We did a similar trip a few years ago taking about 6 weeks.

Also when you get to Nord Kapp, look out for the walk that takes you away from the Visitors Center to the ‘real’ most northerly point marked by a cairn with a visitors book in a box.

 

[nickburt]

It might be a bit late but it’s worth a visit to the hydroelectric power plant at Vemork . Made famous by the heroes of the telemark / Ray Mears.

We did a similar trip a few years ago taking about 6 weeks.

Also when you get to Nord Kapp, look out for the walk that takes you away from the Visitors Center to the ‘real’ most northerly point marked by a cairn with a visitors book in a box.

Thanks for the suggestion - a bit off the route at the moment, but the route is constantly evolving at the moment.

I've just spent a few hours this afternoon working on the route North from Helsinki to Nordkapp to see if I can make it fit with some flights out from the UK.
Two of our group can't do the whole 4 weeks, but are joining us part way for the middle two weeks, so I've been juggling campsites and airports to make it work.
One of the bonus' that came out of this was a reduction in the North bound trip by a day, thereby gaining an extra day in the Fjords Southbound.

 

[Joey83]

When in/near Molde, you could check out the Atlantic Ocean Road and/or the Trollstigen road, I plan on doing that in 2020.

 

[nickburt]

When in/near Molde, you could check out the Atlantic Ocean Road and/or the Trollstigen road, I plan on doing that in 2020.

Yes, we will be driving the Atlantic Ocean Road.

 

[JeeperFIN]

Hi

Finnish map for wild camping ( green spots are surrounted by nature)
Map is made by campers, So access for most of the places is really easy.


Puskaparkit - Google My Maps

 

[nickburt]

Many thanks. That might help with a few locations.

 

[Laurensvh]

I got SW Norway planned end of May, i think i'm doing most of your route up to kristiansund, i drive from Belgium to Kiel (Cruise to Oslo :p ) then oslo - Otta - Kristiansund - Molden - Flam - Bergen - Odda (trolltunga) - Stavanger (Preikestolen) - Kristiansand (along the coastal route) - Hirthals (Denmark) - Hamburg - Belgium .

about 4500km 3 weeks time.. +- 3500 km driving (the rest are ferry).

Looking forward to it! Its my first Real TRIP!!!

:) :)

 

[Empe Overland]

Don't miss the SW of Norway lots to see there, Bergen, Røldal, Haukeliseter, Stavanger, Pulpit Rock, Kjerag. Then you must also visit Lofoten in the North is a must. Keep us updated and we could have a meet up when you eventually get here.

Hello, sorry to interrupt... We are planning a winter trip through Norway (Dec 2020/Jan 2021) with a visit in Lapland off course (Christmas trip with kids)

Are the areas like the Lofoten or SW Norway also accessible in these periods?

Thank you...

 

[Neil Q Smith]

Hello, sorry to interrupt... We are planning a winter trip through Norway (Dec 2020/Jan 2021) with a visit in Lapland off course (Christmas trip with kids)

Are the areas like the Lofoten or SW Norway also accessible in these periods?

Thank you...

Hei

Sounds like a great trip :)

To answer your question - it all depends on the weather.
In Norway, its totally 100% unpredictable.

Most of the winter season, SW Norway receives only a small amount of snow, compared to other more Central-Northern parts of Norway.
But that is not to say that you won't get 0.5-1m of snow overnight whilst on your trip - can quite possibly happen....

I will give you a few top tips, based on my many years of travles around Norway in winter.
You may have thought about them all already - if so, I apologise......

You really need to have the correct tyres on.
Regular / Summer tyres are totally useless in winter in Norway - you will slide like an Ice hockey puck....and end up in a ditch
You need winter composition & winter tread tyres, and if possible studded winter tyres.
Mud & Snow (M+S) tyres are not really suitable if there is ice on the road - it's the wrong tyre composition (and are NOT legally accepted as winter tyres in Norway, should an accident occur...)

Snow is not so much the problem - it's the compacted ice on the roads that is the real danger.

In the towns and on the main roads, this is not so much a problem, as traffic and snowploughs do their job, and it's removed or quickly worn away.
But on mountain (interesting) / smaller roads, be totally prepared for compacted ice road surfaces, which may be up to a few cm thick

Suggest you also invest in at least 1 snow chain set for your wheels (preferable having 2 - one for each of your drive shaft wheels)
This will get you out of many potential dangers, if you suddely reach a bad section of road, or extreme weather.
Buy them before you leave - learn how to put them on, so that when its terrible weather outside and you need to use them, you are not suddenly looking for the instruction manual....(a common mistake...)

Take a snow shovel (small one / snowboarding size) - may be worth its weight in gold if you get stuck.

I also take a wood saw - there has been many occasions I have come across an iced-up tree / branch that has fallen over and blocked the road - cut a couple of branches and you can get around it

Fill at least 1 large bag course gritting sand - adds weight to car, which is good in these circumstances, and can be used to add traction if you get stuck.

Have a high quality tow rope - not a cheap one from petrol stations - if you need to be pulled out of a ditch, you need it not to break (quality is essentail here)

Have battery jump leads - cold weather drains batteries - a simple mistake of leaving lights on for a while, may prove annoying - be prepared to get a power jump from others

Top up your windscreen wash fluids - before and duing the trip - you don't want to run out whilst on the road - use the very low temperature mix type, or it may freeze on your windscreen when you use.

Top-up your coolant fluids, and make it coolant rich (rather than water rich) - read instructions on bottle and make a more concentrated mix for the trip to compensate for cold environments

I always have a spare set of windscreen wipers as well - they seem to commonly break / tear more easily when frozen all the time

Have a box of emergency chocholate bars, eergy bars, water bottles - If you get blocked due to weather, or have to sit in a road queue for 5 hours whilst a recovery truck moves an overturned truck, you will be thankful of this food & drink.

Lastly, I have a couple of wool (not synthetic) blankets in the back seats - may prove useful....



it's all common sense stuff...........but a lot of foreigners get totally caught out by the winter weather shifts in Norway.

Plan your trips, and have a few Plan B & C options in case weather or road closures change your plans for you.
Don't push yourself - and drive slower than usual - black ice loves fast / un-prepared drivers.....


I live in Sandnes, just south of Stavanger.
If you are passing through this way, feel free to contact

Take care and happy trip :)
Cheers
Neil :)

 

[Empe Overland]

Hello Neil,

Thank you so much for this information. It's worth gold....

We will take care of your advice for sure.

It is an adventurous tour, but this one needs a bit more preparation, even though we've been there already two times. Once in August, then in April. This was already a big difference, but deep winter is something else.

The difficulty to plan this trip, is were to sleep etc.. because you can't foresee how many km you can do in a day... My experience is you can have a plan A, and a plan B. Multiply plan B by two, and then you get plan C, the realistic one. But that was not in the winter ;-)
Hopefully, in every village we can ask some locations were to sleep etc...

Do you know maybe a good place to stay two days around Rovaniemi somewhere? We always try to avoid the tourist traps, if you know what I mean. Further on the journey, after Santa Claus, we want to do some dog sledge riding, whale safari, hot bad tub in the snow and some beautiful or impressive road driving (Lofoten?).

So I was thinking to drive from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (cartrain is impossible because the Santa Claus Express only takes cars up to 5.05 m . We drive a Hilux and a Dodge Ram, so too big...), then Tromso (for the whale safari? Mushing?), the Lofoten, The Atlantic Road, then Larvik back to Denmark.

If whe can find another place to do the mushing or the whale excursion, maybe we can skip Tromso, to gain some km's.

What do you think of it? Do we miss a good part?

I don't know the SW of Norway very well. Can you recommend something what we can reach with the cars?

If we can be of any help in one way or another, let me know.
Maybe you are in our region sometimes, or we will see you on the track in Spain (April), Marocco (Summer).


Interested to exchange our Instagram profiles? Ours is Empe_Overland.

Hope to meet you once.

Greetings from Belgium.
Pierre and Emma

 

[Joey83]

While Pulpit Rock is a great place to visit, look for less touristy spots if you want to avoid the crowds and still get a view.

 

[Empe Overland]

While Pulpit Rock is a great place to visit, look for less touristy spots if you want to avoid the crowds and still get a view.

That looks beautiful !

Can we get there with the car during end December? And how far is the hike from the car to Pulpit Rock (because we have 4 children and 2 60+) ?

 

[Joey83]

There is a parkinglot at the beginning at the trail and should take 3+ hours to get to the top, but I would not recommend visiting in December.

 

[Neil Q Smith]

There is a parkinglot at the beginning at the trail and should take 3+ hours to get to the top, but I would not recommend visiting in December.

Pulpit rock is only really accessable in summer for family trips
It would be a more serious trek in Winter - I have done it - Takes a lot longer, due to ice
Not the safest conditions...…...

 

[Neil Q Smith]

Hello Neil,

Thank you so much for this information. It's worth gold....

We will take care of your advice for sure.

It is an adventurous tour, but this one needs a bit more preparation, even though we've been there already two times. Once in August, then in April. This was already a big difference, but deep winter is something else.

The difficulty to plan this trip, is were to sleep etc.. because you can't foresee how many km you can do in a day... My experience is you can have a plan A, and a plan B. Multiply plan B by two, and then you get plan C, the realistic one. But that was not in the winter ;-)
Hopefully, in every village we can ask some locations were to sleep etc...

Do you know maybe a good place to stay two days around Rovaniemi somewhere? We always try to avoid the tourist traps, if you know what I mean. Further on the journey, after Santa Claus, we want to do some dog sledge riding, whale safari, hot bad tub in the snow and some beautiful or impressive road driving (Lofoten?).

So I was thinking to drive from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (cartrain is impossible because the Santa Claus Express only takes cars up to 5.05 m . We drive a Hilux and a Dodge Ram, so too big...), then Tromso (for the whale safari? Mushing?), the Lofoten, The Atlantic Road, then Larvik back to Denmark.

If whe can find another place to do the mushing or the whale excursion, maybe we can skip Tromso, to gain some km's.

What do you think of it? Do we miss a good part?

I don't know the SW of Norway very well. Can you recommend something what we can reach with the cars?

If we can be of any help in one way or another, let me know.
Maybe you are in our region sometimes, or we will see you on the track in Spain (April), Marocco (Summer).


Interested to exchange our Instagram profiles? Ours is Empe_Overland.

Hope to meet you once.

Greetings from Belgium.
Pierre and Emma


View attachment 130594

Thanks a lot for your reply
Glad my rantings were of some use :)

I haven't explored Northern Norway yet, so can't really advise for that part

I really liked your assessment of Plan B - I see you have been down the same "experience roadway"

Thanks for your offer to keep in touch - sounds good :)
I don't have an Instagram account or Facebook - sorry - too busy with life....

Good luck with your trip.

Take care
Cheers
Neil :)

 

[Empe Overland]

Thanks a lot for your reply
Glad my rantings were of some use :)

I haven't explored Northern Norway yet, so can't really advise for that part

I really liked your assessment of Plan B - I see you have been down the same "experience roadway"

Thanks for your offer to keep in touch - sounds good :)
I don't have an Instagram account or Facebook - sorry - too busy with life....

Good luck with your trip.

Take care
Cheers
Neil :)

Hello Neil,

So, at the end, COVID measures cancelled our trip last month, but now we officially booked a cabin from 28 december to 2 january in Lapland, Finland. Hope the COVID restrictions are less, and that we can take off.

We will drive with 3 overland vehicles to the spot.

I have a few questions left at the moment :
- We will have winter tyres and 2 sets of snowchains per vehicles. Are spikes really necessary or not? Problem is that we can't use the tyres anymore when we come home. Can the chaines replace a bit of the work of the spikes? If we need the spikes, we will, but the question is, can we avoid it?
- Our vehicles are not equipped with engine heaters. Is that ok? Can we protect the battery with a 220 charger and a 12 v heating blanket during the nights? Or is this 'too much'?
- How do you protect the sealings of the doors to prevent them from freezing during the night? Vaseline? We have remote starters in our cars, so he can start heating without we have to get inside. But i mean as a plan B. Foreseen temperature of -20°C.
- I think the highways will be clean, but the moment we will arrive in Finland, the road will be harder to drive. What is a realistic speed you can drive, or distance you can do in an hour?

Thank you Neil,
Pierre

 

[Joey83]

Hopefully you get a reply from Neil soon, I know he's not on here very often, I will try and let him know that you have some questions for him.

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi,

Maybe I can help you since I have recently also traveled to Skanidnavia more often in winter. A few tips from my experience:

As on any trip, the vehicle should of course be in good condition. This also includes a proper starter battery. If its getting really cold it could be advisable to remove the starter battery overnight and store it in a warm place, if possible (if the temperature falls below -30° Celsius). Sufficient radiator antifreeze should also be a matter of course. This can be easily checked with a refractometer. A check of all lighting equipment before the start of the journey makes absolute sense. Good vehicle maintenance also includes - unfortunately often neglected - the regular care of rubber seals, door hinges and locks and is even more important now in winter. You don't want to find yourself with locked or frozen doors in the morning.

Change fuelfilter before and do not board the ferry with a full fueltank just because it's cheaper here. Better to fill up north to get proper winter diesel. For example, in Norway, the cold resistance is different from south to north which I learned from good friends there who have a lot of experience in winter. So up on the advice of my friends I usually fill up around Lillehammer first when going to Norway.

Coolant heater or preheater is nice to have, but not a must. A diesel heater not only for preheating, but standing several hours at minus 20 degrees at the so called Kolonnekjøring (obligation to drive in column) to wait for the snowplow without being able to heat is just something "cool". Whereas I have also seen small well-heated huts at the waiting points. I use both 230V pre-heater and diesel heater for coolant pre-heating (is installed in such a way that it also controls the interior fan).

Especially on the snowy and especially in the intersection area heavily sanded roads for example in Sweden can be driven well with proper winter tires. Personally, I drive with studded tires. It's just more fun and especially if you are, for example, also on the Norwegian coast or, for example, on the Lofot islands you may have severe icy conditions. It often melts slightly during the day and then freezes again. This quite often results in large areas of ice on the roads and there it is simply safer and more relaxed to drive with studded tires. Snow chains mount/ release, mount/ release , moin/ release would annoy me there. Especially on the small fjord roads can be really critical. Particular caution is required on snow-covered small side roads. It's often impossible to tell where the edge of the road begins under the snow, and if you go over it only slightly, you're off into the ditch. Often, the only thing that helps here is the winch.

And in the north, watch out for reindeer, which often hang around along the road, especially in winter - black bags are posted at the roadside as a warning in areas where reindeer are on the move.

The weather conditions can change super fast. The locally available apps from the road authorities are extremely practical for daily route planning. This with regard to closures, condition reports, notices about the obligation to drive in convoys etc. For Norway, for example, this is the site of the local road traffic authority "Statens vegvesen", which provides information about closures and other traffic messages in the form of a map. In Sweden, there is the equivalent "trafikverkert" and in Finland the "traffic weather warnings" of the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Be prepared for spontaneous route changes and delays.

Go prepared, this includes at least blankets, extra (warm) clothing, food and certainly enough fuel in the vehicle. When planning your route, you should also take into account the shortened daylight hours. And at least before traveling to less populated areas, always obtain a reliable weather forecast in advance.

Many other things that we should have in the vehicle in winter are probably present in most overlanding rigs anyway. E.g. decent shovel, a camping stove for small meals or hot water for a tea, good sleeping bags, simple, high-calorie meals as emergency rations, firewood (attention pestst, do not import it into countries!), fire bowl and lighter, axe and saw, thermos flask (with hot tea), jumpstarting equipment, towing or recovery equipment and much more. A canister with windshield wiper water should also be on board. In the south where on the mainroads is still salted, you will need plenty of it. Spare wiper blades also make sense.

Keep in mind: Nearly all (communication) devices have in common that they run on batteries. These batteries are usually sensitive to cold and it is not uncommon, for example, for the battery of the cell phone to be empty in the morning after a cold winter night. For me it is a good idea to take it with you into a warm sleeping bag at night. This can also be helpful for other battery-powered equipment such a headlamp.

Oh, and keep in mind, please, that even in the far north many people drive to work every day in standard cars ;-) Nevertheless, a good preparation is important and then just travel relaxed!

Have fun & enjoy winterwonderland
Björn

 

[Neil Q Smith]

Hello Neil,

So, at the end, COVID measures cancelled our trip last month, but now we officially booked a cabin from 28 december to 2 january in Lapland, Finland. Hope the COVID restrictions are less, and that we can take off.

We will drive with 3 overland vehicles to the spot.

I have a few questions left at the moment :
- We will have winter tyres and 2 sets of snowchains per vehicles. Are spikes really necessary or not? Problem is that we can't use the tyres anymore when we come home. Can the chaines replace a bit of the work of the spikes? If we need the spikes, we will, but the question is, can we avoid it?
- Our vehicles are not equipped with engine heaters. Is that ok? Can we protect the battery with a 220 charger and a 12 v heating blanket during the nights? Or is this 'too much'?
- How do you protect the sealings of the doors to prevent them from freezing during the night? Vaseline? We have remote starters in our cars, so he can start heating without we have to get inside. But i mean as a plan B. Foreseen temperature of -20°C.
- I think the highways will be clean, but the moment we will arrive in Finland, the road will be harder to drive. What is a realistic speed you can drive, or distance you can do in an hour?

Thank you Neil,
Pierre

Hei Pierre

Good to hear from you again.
COVID is changing all our lives and plans....Pity

You are brave planning to travel......when there may be some travel restrictions in place

To answer your questions best I can:

If you have certified (Good Quality) winter tyres, then you should be ok, even if they are not studded.
Studded tyres are not mandatory (they are just preferred in areas where ice and snow are thick) - so forget these, if you cannot use when back home.
They need to have a lot of tread (not well used...and low tread)
It goes without saying, to drive slower, and remember the increased stopping distances when breaking (far too many forget this and shunt into each other when the front car breaks....)

Snow chains are great to have, if you don't have studded tyres.
2 sets per vehicle is perfect.
Just practice putting them on and off a number of times at home before you leave, so when you need to put them on in the dark, heavy snow and cold wind, you can do it fast and efficiently.

Engine heater is perfect, and you will probably need to use them in Lapland, but down here in South Norway we don't bother (not a harsh a winter, as up north....)
Take a battery charger and jump leads, but I think you will be ok if you use the cars on a daily basis.
Heating blanket is super........I don't think the locals up there will be using these, but by all means, take it if you have it, it may become essential if the weather turns really bad.

Actually, we don't do anything with our door seals down this part of 'south Norway - not that cold in winter.
Not sure what to suggest for this - Internet search / ask a Lapland OB member
But if you have remote starters for your cars (nice) then I think these seals will be warm enough to allow access once you climb in (after few minutes running)

You will probably find that the main roads will be regularly ploughed / scraped / snow-blown, but they probably won't clean the road down to the tarmac road surface.
Compacted snow and ice will be on most of these roads.
When i drive the mountain roads in this condition, I typical drop from the 80 speed limit, down to ca. 60, or 45-55 if you experience some sliding.
Slow down on curves and slopes (I just came off the road last weekend - stupid of me - in bend, little too fast, hit road ice, and 5 seconds later I was in the road-side ditch, 2m down from road....it can happen !!!)
Keep a good distance between vehicles - stopping distance is much higher - 2 tons of car on ice can be like an ice-hockey puck, and breaks don't always stop you....)

If you can, bring some recover straps / ropes / chains
You may just get a wheel in a "snow hole" and need a tow-out by your colleagues.
If you have a winch, all the better of course.

If you have an accident, which I really hope you don't, the road assistance service up here is usually very good, and they are used to recovering vehicles that have succumb to snow / ice.
I had to use my insurance to get Viking to bring out their tow-truck, to get me out of the ditch last weekend - it's normal for these guys, and they are well practiced.
Make sure you have good insurance cover which includes roadside assistance and recovery.
I suggest you call your insurance company, and make sure everything is covered - you may need a "green card" which is like an insurance "passport" for international travel (usually supplied free from insurance company, but may take 2-3 weeks to arrive)

I hope this was a little helpful...........
Sorry I could answer all our questions

Good Luck with the trip
Hope COVID has declined by that time and you are free to travel

Take care and stay safe
Cheers
Neil :)