Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

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peejaysea
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:07 pm

Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by peejaysea » Sun Nov 06, 2016 5:21 pm

Hi

Just out of hospital post double TKR (total knee replacement) operations and currently in rehab! I now have some time to post some details about my late summer trip from the UK to Norway and back - over a four week period mid August -September. Unable to post photos presently as I have to sort and download (over 1200 taken!).

Gerty performed really well for her first time outing as my "camper" and we had a great time - seeing some fantastic sights and scenery and meeting some interesting characters along the way. Lots of ideas post trip to make her more "user friendly" - but I am really happy with her and I hope she enjoyed the trip as much as I did.

Cheers to Mick (jabbawocky) for sorting out my tool box and Jerry can holders prior to the trip start. :cheers:

So, Arctic Circle (bust), Nordkapp (bust), Norway (bust) and generally a great time :wink: More trip details and information plus photos to follow. Norway highly recommend and great for wild camping. TKR is not!!!

Paul
peejaysea
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by peejaysea » Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:20 pm

So here are some outline details regarding the trip. I won't go into too much detail as I hope "Gerty's tail" is going to be told in articles in Classic Land rover in the coming months :gold:

I went solo, planning to sleep in Gerty as much as possible, and having four weeks to complete the trip before having to go into hospital for the TKR ops, concentrating on getting to Nordkapp and doing Norway. Gerty is a 1965 109 (ex Kenyan Red Cross Ambulance) running a 2.25 petrol, Romadrive O/D and pretty much otherwise standard.

Gerty preparation consisted of a comprehensive service and check over by the team at Gumtree 4x4; storage box ordered from Mick and installed, installing some electrical outlets for phone / Sat Nav etc. and then a dry run, over to Belgium to Ypres; "down south" through the South Downs, Somerset (meeting up with the previous owners) and back to Warwickshire. Camping kit packed, clothing and Gerty spares packed; Boil in the Bag military rations collected, local shopping completed and we were ready for the off. I took loads of supplies with me to keep the expenses down as food shopping is pretty expensive in the Nordic countries - knowing that fuel was in the region of 1.60 GBP per Litre...... not to mention ten quid a pint of beer !!!

I managed to get booked on as a paying pax on a DFDS Freight Ferry from Immingham to Gothenberg - thus saving over 1800km driving through France, Belgium, Germany and Denmark. Booking was painless and the ferry trip, whilst basic, was comfortable and uneventful - if 30 hours or so.

Weather on arrival was nice so I hit the (empty) roads and headed north on the E45. (Don't be fooled by E roads - they are not all motorways!!)
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Overnight stop at Orsa and first night wild camping.
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At Orsa I then headed east on 296, 301, 50 (Bollnas, Soderhamn) to E4 and headed north again on the coast road towards Lulea. Weather was awful with heavy rain and thick fog thus I decided to push on through Sweden as quickly as possible as I couldn't see anything!

At Kalix I then followed the E10 to Overkalix and turned off - cross country - on 393, 939, 955 and 971 towards Kirkenes (via Jockfall, Kolari, Kittilia, Pokka and Inari) This was a FANTASTIC route and set of roads - wild, open, basically ZERO traffic, hundreds of miles of nothing but emptiness, trees, lakes and stunning scenery.
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Oh and the Arctic Circle, reindeer and Finland! Arctic Circle - BUST and first big tick on the list.
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Into Norway at Neiden and over to the Norwegian / Russian border at Grense Jacobslev.
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Again - a fantastic country road past Kirkenes and the setting at GJ was amazing.
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Back to Kirkenes and the E6 / 98 to Tana Bru, onto Ifjord, Lakslev and turning "north" to Nordkapp on E69. Bleak and barren open lands following the coast but stunning roads, limited traffic, many tunnels and loads of reindeer and motorcycles (biker heaven). Nordkapp was wild and very windy - a bit touristy for my liking - but the second tick on the list! Very happy with the way Gerty is performing and she is pretty comfortable to sleep in.
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Back down the E6 to Alta following this road all the way to Andselv before turning onto 86 to Gryllefjord (Torsken) to catch the ferry to Andenes on the Lofoten Islands. Five days down the Lofotens - absolutley fantastic roads and scenery and an absolute MUST. Great wild camping, stunning mountains, stunning beaches and really mixed weather! Gerty started to run a little rough towards the end of this week - not liking the damp weather.
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At the end of the Lofotens is A (Moskenes) where the ferry heads back to the mainland and Bodo. In Bodo I had Gerty have a quick health check at a local garage - points and plug gaps adjusted and back to her fit and fruitful self and running well again.
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From Bodo I headed south along the coast roads taking in many of the Norwegian National (Tourist) Routes - Helgelandskysten; Atlanterhavsvegen; Geiranger - Trollstigen; Gamel Strynefjellsvegen; Sognefjellet; many sights to take in with key highlights of WW2 memorials and museums, glaciers, fast flowing rivers, fantastic mountain vistas, Stave Churches, Viking sites, glaciers, fjords, hairpin passes - Trollsteigen being a real blast in the rain and mist!
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I stopped for a couple of nights in Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger to do the tourist thang I then headed back inland over to Telemark and the Hydro Plant at Rjukan (famous Heros of Telemark film and Heavy Water production)
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before heading to Oslo for the final few days prior to catching an overnight Senna Line ferry to Frederikshaven in Denmark. It was then a homeward slog through Denmark, Germany (stopping at old military bases where I had been stationed in the 80's & 90's whilst serving in the Army) and the lowlands before finally hitting my own bed for the first time in four weeks.
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A real blast. Super friendly people; fantastic roads, fantastic scenery with breathtaking views around pretty much every corner.
Over 1500 photos taken; over 9000 kms driven; average mpg of 20.1, average speed of 73 kmph; lots of coffee drunk and lots of money spent on fuel!!

Overall - a trip of a lifetime and priceless memories.

(I can furnish additional route information / details, points of interest etc as required.... and additional photos if you want to see them!).

Regards
Paul
Ian
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed May 23, 2012 10:15 pm
Info: 1962 Dormobile "Zuma"
Location: Malibu, USA

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by Ian » Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:02 pm

Awesome trip and great pictures Paul! Thanks for posting!
Dormy
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Info: Sleeping on the job.....Zzzzzz
Location: Norfolk

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by Dormy » Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:44 am

^^^^ +1 !

Ian (+1 !)
Marque
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Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by Marque » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:41 pm

Many thanks indeed for sharing. :tiphat: May I wish you a swift & sure recovery.
Kindest regards
M
dudley
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Location: stamford

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by dudley » Wed Nov 09, 2016 7:49 pm

Hi,

What a fantastic trip.Your photographs are some of the
best I have seen.

It makes my trip around the Scottish Isles,and up the
west coast of Ireland in my carawagon look like a trip
to the shops.

You landrover did very well.

Regards

Phillip :tiphat:
1971 2a 109 diesel station wagon

1971 2a 109 petrol carawagon

And others
peejaysea
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by peejaysea » Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:11 pm

dudley wrote:Hi,

What a fantastic trip.Your photographs are some of the
best I have seen.

It makes my trip around the Scottish Isles,and up the
west coast of Ireland in my carawagon look like a trip
to the shops.

You landrover did very well.

Regards

Phillip :tiphat:
Thank you Phillip for your very kind comment on the photographs. Very much an amature with a reasonable camera in hand it has to be said. I am very happy with the way Gerty coped - considering she had been laid up for a good number of years prior to my ownership from last December.

Hmm - Scottish Isles ..... Now there's a thought!

Marque, Dormy and Ian - thanks for your comments / feedback too chaps. I had a great time and can't recommend Norway enough.

Cheers guys
Paul
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DrivingDutchman
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Location: Raunds, Northants

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by DrivingDutchman » Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:03 pm

What a bunch of great pictures. Brings me right back to my navy years going to Norway sailing through the fjords to Bergen.
Did you see any Northern lights?

I still want to make that trip some day... sigh...

Hope you recover soon...

Michiel
1969 109 sw dormobile Dora
1996 overland defender sw 110 Nellie
1962 109 sw safari diesel Hannie (sold)
1973 88 series 3 soft top in various bits on the drive...
peejaysea
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by peejaysea » Sun Nov 13, 2016 10:20 pm

DrivingDutchman wrote:What a bunch of great pictures. Brings me right back to my navy years going to Norway sailing through the fjords to Bergen.
Did you see any Northern lights?

I still want to make that trip some day... sigh...

Hope you recover soon...

Michiel
Hi Michiel

Thanks. Sorry to say that I did not get to see the Northern Lights. The only time I truly had a good possibility (in the Lofotens) and it was full cloud cover due to an earlier storm. Not really "the season" for them either. In fact it was a strange time to go (but the only time I had available to me) as it was just at the end if their "summer season" when most tourists had already left, schools were back, road quiet etc. some if the museums were already getting close to closing down for the season.

Still it gives me an opportunity to argue for a return trip :wink: Would also like to go whale watching which is apparently very good at the top of the Lofotens.

Thanks for your comments - still sifting through the hundreds of photos I took, so may add more later.

Recovery going well so far :cheers:
Paul
romanyrose
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Info: romanyrose

Re: Gerty Goes North - Arctic Circle, Nordkapp and Norway

Post by romanyrose » Wed Nov 16, 2016 7:03 pm

G,day matey. i to feel i should thank you for sharing the notes and pictures of your trip having found it fascinating to read, as for the pictures they kind of take ones breath away and yes i am envious :whistle: .

Regards your truck i think i have mentioned it before but it looks a fantastic bit of kit, have you shown any of your interior which is what i am interested in to get an idea of how you have laid things out to make your trip a comfortable one.

Reading article's of peoples travel's is something i really enjoy, even though it is beyond what i am incapable of doing i am satisfied that at least i can travel to some really nice places like Scotland or down south which is enough to at least keep me content so i can be at ease with nature.

Catch you later. R-Rose :tiphat: .
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