NORWAY NEVER DISAPPOINTS

 

Back in Oslo we collect GR3 and head back to our favorite campspot in Eidsvoll. We unpack and settle in for the night. The next morning, we catch the local train into Oslo and despite not being able to buy tickets from the machine are pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. We can buy tickets onboard, and the train zooms along at speeds of over 200kph. Very impressive! Before long we are in the city centre and whoops, clutz that I am I trip over. A nasty sprained ankle leaves my limping around town. So instead of walking we get on the hop-on hop-off bus and have fewer stops than normal. We see a lot of the sights from above and wander the Palace and the huge glass Opera House on the waterfront. Feeling a bit annoyed with myself, we catch the train back to GR3. The guard doesn’t come through, so we get home for free!

John decides a rest day is in order, so we enjoy the sunshine at our lovely spot, and it does the trick. I am now mobile again, so we hit the road. Our first stop is the pretty town of Hamma. John is looking for a few things for the truck and I spy an Ikea. Before long I am lost in the Ikea maze….  Needless to say we are now well stocked with bits and pieces. Essential things like a floor mat and comfy cushions! Then into town where we hunt down the camping area on the marina. Not free, but then it does supply power and water.  After exploring town in the morning, we head off again following the River Glommer. When we spy the Aukrusp Museum we stop. It is full of quirky art pieces, but is due to close shortly, so we don’t venture in, but can camp outside. We decide to move on to somewhere off the main road and end up at the bottom of the ski jump in Tolga.

Bright and early, we continue to the old copper mining town of Roros. The two main streets and slag heaps are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and we plan to explore them. We settle into the area set aside for campers and walk to town. By the end of the day, we have walked up and down all the streets admiring the lovely old weatherboard houses, toured the incredible museum full of working models of all the machinery used in the mines and driven out to an old mine for an underground tour.

Another late start (we are getting a bit too relaxed!) before heading off. Mainly driving today, cruising along motorways and bypassing the city of Trondheim as have visited this in the past. Much later we pull off the motorway to a small parking area beside the water. Slowly more motorhomes join us, all looking for a free spot too. The next day we head to the town of Steinkjer. We need to go online with Krug to get some electrical issues sorted. They will link online with our systems to check them out. It is a frustrating day and our issues are not resolved. So frustrating, but such is life on the road sometimes! We find a spot to camp beside the museum for the night.

 We have been moving very slowly, so it is time to get a move on and head off for a big driving day. There are two routes north. The Coastal Route or the Artic Route. Because it is a bit overcast, we choose the Artic Route. We see lots of reindeer and even one very large moose! He calmly steps over the guard rail, crosses the road and steps into the bush, right in front of us. And no, not a single photo do I take. I’m too busy enjoying the moment! After more than 500km we stop at the scruffy town of Rognan at the free camping on the waterfront. We head out to explore. There is a lovely old wooden church and a large marina full of interesting wooden hulled fishing boats. There is also a row of neglected boat building warehouses. Sadly, boat building has finished here now.

We continue our gorgeous drive to Bodo. The sun is beaming down today.  John has been researching ferries to the Lofoten Islands. He has been told that if we go to the outer islands first the ferries are free, so we have booked one there, but can’t get another ferry onto the next island. We decide to go to the wharf and ask. Well, everything is automated and the only person in sight is the guy loading the ferry to Lofoten. As we can fit onto this ferry, we decide to bite the bullet and pay. Of course they can take our money easily! It’s a magic 3-hour ferry ride with stunning views of the islands and lots of amazing, jagged peaks.

We drive off the ferry onto a magical world of cute fishing villages, red buildings reflected in the water and towering jagged peaks. The only downside is the narrow windy roads accompanied by lots of traffic, mainly motorhomes and rental cars.  Sections of the road are only one lane wide making it all very interesting! (read stressful!) Anyway, we snag a spot at a tiny camp area at the end of the road at a town called A, then head off on foot to explore.  We wake to another glorious day so continue our drive along the island stopping at the town of Reine, set picture postcard perfect beside the water and surrounded by more of those peaks. Here there is a huge area for us to park so we walk out to admire the view. We continue our drive, but by now the traffic has built up to epic proportions and there is very rarely a spot to stop our truck.  It will be photos taken hanging out the window! When we drove through here 20 years ago this place was magical, with very few tourists in sight. Sadly, it has been discovered! As we head into flatter landscapes the road widens a little and the traffic eases. Phew.  When we near the Artic Ocean we spy some lovely white sand beaches. Looks perfect for a dip if only the water was 10degreees warmer! So, it’s lunch only (No polar swims for John) But our lovely day is about to take a turn for the worse. There is a detour off the main road (a bridge is down) meaning ALL traffic (and there is lots) must go 30kms around a headland on a tiny narrow road. Less than halfway around an oncoming car doesn’t give us enough space and John is forced onto the shoulder. And here there is virtually no shoulder and beyond that a deep wet culvert full of sticky black mud. We slip sideways and down we go. John reverses but we are stuck. We cannot go forward because it just gets deeper and there is a power pole in the way. A helpful road patrolman rings for help and an hour later we are winched out. Not a spot of damage to GR3 but a lot of damage to John’s pride!  And of course, a big hole in our credit card! We carefully drive the last 20kms and I breathe a big sigh of relief when we get to the slightly wider main road. Finally, we reach the big town of Svolvoer and camp for the night right on the ferry wharf. A magic (free) spot with a row of motorhomes.

In the morning, we head to the place to get out electrical issues sorted, this time successfully. While John helps, I head off to walk over the nearby bridge to a tiny island. It is a high bridge, so the views are amazing. Later we drive GR3 over so John can see too, then we return to town, park GR3 and explore.  Before we leave town we stop at the lovely old wooden Lofoten Cathedral. Very pretty but it is locked up tight. Then we continue towards Tromso, stopping for the night down a track to a small lakeside parking spot. It is so chilly we stay inside and watch the space fill with other campers.

It’s an early start as we plan to reach Tromso today. Even though it is overcast the scenery is spectacular. Norway never disappoints in that regard. There are literally dozens of tunnels and bridges. Late afternoon we arrive and find an expensive carpark near the city centre. After a few hours exploring the waterfront full of old fishing buildings, walking the main street full of souvenir shops and admiring the old wooden churches we head back to GR3. There are motorhomes in a waterfront carpark so we check it out and yes we can overnight here, sure it will be pricey, but we can go out for dinner and then explore some more in the morning. So, we get to spend the night right in the heart of the city, and dinner is amazing!

We wake to a glorious morning. The whole city is sparkling, making a walk over the bridge the perfect way to start the day. I walk, but John drives. We have fed the parking machine more than enough money. He finds a spot behind the Cathedral, and we meet part way. Then a look at the Cathedral before an appointment with a Mercedes workshop for a routine check. Later that day it is time to head out, not further north as we have visited there before but south along the Coastal Route.  

Catch this next drive in our next story……