66.33°N Arctic Circle

Hello everyone

We’re so excited so cross this invisible line and wanted to share it with you all today.

We’ve travelled a total of 5450 miles on our journey so far, and this evening arrived at the Arctic Circle 66.33°N!

 

 

 

The weather is glorious – blue skies, sunshine and thick snow around, although it’s not cold. The journey here has been beautiful, with shimmering lakes, reindeer and a lonesome moose.

We're staying here on the car park tonight with about 8 other campers and will continue north tomorrow to the Lofoten Islands. 

Will post again next week - love to all

Norway and the fjords

Hello everyone

Well the hike up Preikestolen was so worth it! We set off early in the hope of avoiding the crowds and climbed the 606m above the fjord; fortunately, the weather was fantastic – blue sky and warm. The climb itself offers beautiful views with a lake near the summit, and wasn’t as hard a hike as expected. The summit is a flat-topped rock with sheer drops on 3 sides jutting out over the fjord offering breath-taking views. Peter lay flat and peered over the edge – not something for the faint-hearted! We’d timed it well, passing large groups of people on our descent for a well-deserved (but expensive) ice cream back at the car park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overnight, we stayed at Jorpeland harbour on the motorhome camping area – 3 other vans here and 2 are British (from Nottingham and Cockermouth). A local man commented that English vans were not a common site there and wondered if we were all on tour together! 

We then headed north east over the Hardanger mountain plateau – a bleak-looking landscape of tiny huts half buried in thick snow, before descending into the valley. The waterfalls are impressive with all the melt water and the views of the fjord and mountains are beautiful. We visited a stavkirke (wooden stave church) at Torpo – one of about 30 in Norway – which was built in the 1200s.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re on a campsite at Vang i Valdres on the side of the Vangsmjosa lake for a couple of days to chill and catch up with the washing. Couldn’t wish for a prettier spot for a rest before heading north!

Will post again next week - love to all

Sweden, Stockholm and Oslo

Hello everyone

The Oresund Bridge (19km long) is quite a bridge, and would have offered stunning views if it weren’t for the rain and mist……

Sweden’s typical spring is wet so we drove in the rain up the coast to Gothenburg then cross country to Stockholm. We parked (and stayed over) at the King and Queen’s residence at Drottningholm Palace – a beautiful place with extensive gardens which are free to explore, where we strolled past King Carl XVI Gustav walking his dog one evening.



Stockholm has old city charm and is big enough just to wander around and enjoy the sights. Gamla Stan has an old town square with narrow ginnels running from it, the Royal Palace is huge (although they live over at Drottningholm) and the Parliament building sits on its own island.

From Stockholm we headed west to Norway and Oslo, arriving on their National Day, so some buildings were closed to the public, but plenty of locals were in their national dress. The Opera House is a striking building with a sloping roof which you are encouraged to walk on offering views of the harbour.

 Across on the other side of the city is Vigeland Sculpture Park which was impressive - main sculpture pictured.

Back on the road, we headed east to the fjords. Climbing through the hills via tunnels was bizarre – and from the top it was like entering Narnia! We’re walking up the well-known Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) tomorrow – a 4-5 hour hike, but the promised views should be worth it.

 

Will post again next week - love to all

Denmark and Copenhagen

Hello everyone

We spent the early part of this week along the Kiel Canal which connects the North and Baltic seas. We found a picturesque camping spot next to the chain ferry accross the canal and watched the huge container ships glide past before cycling along the canal to Rendsburg – Lancaster is only 812km from here!

Then Denmark… its been raining pretty much every day during our time here. Taking the scenic (and very windy) road between the Ringkobing Fjord and the North Sea, we headed up through Jutland towards Aalborg then south to Arhus, before eastwards to Funen Island. Then across the Store Baelt bridge onto Zealand.

The Viking ship museum at Roskilde was excellent – the preserved remains of 5 ships (oldest was built in 1042!) are on display, and the life-size replica of the longship which sailed to Ireland and back in 2006/7 was moored.

Copenhagen was great – only 18 minutes by train from our free camping spot overlooking a nature reserve. Best bits were the Marmokirken’s (marble church) beautiful dome, the excellent pre-history section of the National Museum, and the city views from the Round Tower. Probably life-size, the   Little Mermaid isn’t as impressive as expected.

The Eurovision band wagon was also in full flow ready for the finals this weekend. Next, the Oresund Bridge and Sweden

Will post again next week - love to all

Northern Germany

Hello everyone

We left Berlin with a heavy heart but lighter ‘van – the bikes had been stolen from the bike shed at the local train station – locked together so a real BOGOF steal and we were despondent (especially Peter as they were his Marin mountain and Carrera hybrid bikes – my cheapo safely back in England).

However, onwards and northwards towards Rostock where we picked up a pair of his ‘n‘ hers bikes and headed for Lubeck – a beautiful old town with a welcoming feel and the comfortable-looking sagging Holstentor. We were there on their bank holiday – all shops closed and a lunchtime march by the local workers union by the looks of it. Amongst this though, a band dressed as pirates with fishing nets dangling from their glockenspiels playing a rousing tune!

 

 

 

Then on to Hamburg – an industrial port with no real draw, apart from the Russian submarine museum which was fascinating. Those sailors must have been 5’ tall to stand upright in there.

Throughout the journey north, the landscape has become flatter with Dutch-looking buildings, the weather cooler and there’s less of a German-feel. We’re camped on the fish market harbour (no smell though!) where our GB plate is attracting quite a bit of interest parked amongst the German and Dutch vans!

Will post again next week - love to all



 

P.S. Gregg – Peter said “I’ve seen the future – it’s me, a lager, sand and boats” ……… NOT!!