Riding in Scandinavia...

[Ant]

Who's done it and what should be expected?
Does anyone have any useful bits of information such as when is the best weather (ie I won't freeze my balls off) and where is good to see etc?

Here is a very very very preliminary idea of what my addled brain is thinking at the moment (hasily knocked together in Google, not in the slightest bit indicative of the places I want to see... just the gist of the loop and countries involved), not got a time planned other than "next year" sometime...
http://tinyurl.com/2nhqxm

I know jack shit about Scandinavia so be gentle in telling me I'm a loon for doing x,y and z

And remember kids... Drink is bad, it makes world maps on your wall look oh so appealing  

[stefrrr]

Send a message to Orson.   Wish I could join you. I've wanted to go to Finland since I was in college (the first time) and had a roommate from there.

[Orson]

Do a search on "Norway" in the Trip Report section and you should find my Norway trip report.

July statistically has the lowest amount of rainfall.

my top tip...buy a ferry schedule. There's a lotta ferrys in Norway and if you don't catch them just right, you might be waiting for a couple of hours  

bring loads of money...I bought a sandwich and a coke from a convenience store. Afterwards, I did the conversion rate...it came out to $28  

If you like yer beer, bring yer own...a can of beer goes for $10  

The speed limits are set ridiculously low. And they set speed traps with the gusto of Sheriffs in the southern U.S. Watch your speeds. I kept my bike in 4th gear a lot  

The Lofoten islands are a must see. Almost unworldly. In my opinion, I would pass on the Nordkapp unless you absolutely have to say you've been to the top of Europe. It turns into desolate arctic terrain north of the Lofotens.

Of course the fjords go without saying.

The Lofotens...

[Ant]

 In my opinion, I would pass on the Nordkapp unless you absolutely have to say you've been to the top of Europe. It turns into desolate arctic terrain north of the Lofotens.

Haha, damn - yeah you caught me, the only reason I put that point way up there was to be able to say I'd been to the most Northerly point  

I'd heard about the expense of the place, thats the only thing making me wonder... Can I afford to go on an expensive holiday? I can but should I

I'm not too fussed about the speed thing, while I do obviously like "spirited" riding I'm quite happy to pootle along and enjoy the scenery, especially when a speeding fine would bankrupt me  
Hmmmm, lots to think about... It's a good indication that I really do fancy the idea when I'm still thinking about it post-drink  

[Orson]

Haha, damn - yeah you caught me, the only reason I put that point way up there was to be able to say I'd been to the most Northerly point  

I didn't mean to say you shouldn't. The majority of bikes heading north are heading for the Nordkapp. It just wasn't worth it to me because:

A) It was another day and a half or two north of the Lofotens.
B) As I said, the terrain is kind of bleak and there's not much to see but water once you get there.
C) It wuz raining cats & dogs  

[Ant]

I didn't mean to say you shouldn't. The majority of bikes heading north are heading for the Nordkapp. It just wasn't worth it to me because:

A) It was another day and a half or two north of the Lofotens.
B) As I said, the terrain is kind of bleak and there's not much to see but water once you get there.
C) It wuz raining cats & dogs  

Ah right, I mistook the "desolate arctic terrain" to mean "impassable and difficult to ride through" in an icy kinda way. I'll leave it on the maybe pile
When it comes to some serious planning I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions for you!

How do you plan your trips into these places where you've never set foot before and (I'm assuming...) you don't necessarily know very much of the area? How do you decide which places to visit, which roads to take etc? I know nothing about those countries other than they're spectacularly beautiful so I don't know where to start. I guess tourist guides or something like that are a good starting point?

[Orson]

How do you plan your trips into these places where you've never set foot before and (I'm assuming...) you don't necessarily know very much of the area? How do you decide which places to visit, which roads to take etc? I know nothing about those countries other than they're spectacularly beautiful so I don't know where to start. I guess tourist guides or something like that are a good starting point?

plan?      

When I get off the ferry...I buy a map  

actually, Norway was the first trip I bought a Lonely Planet guide book because I knew there were spectacular places and I didn't want to miss out on anything. I also read a lot from experienced travellers on Horizons Unlimited. That's where I learned about Highway 17 that goes along the coast.

As far as picking roads, I usually use the old fashioned method. Look for the squiggliest lines on the map.   Because of the rugged terrain, sometimes you have to go east, west and south just to go north. Alesund is a good base for the fjords. The Geraingerfjord is probably one of the more famous fjords.

[Migs]

As I recall...they are seriously anal about drinking & driving, even a few the night before can put you over

Mind you, you probably won't be able to afford any anyway - £8 a pint!  

[Ralf]

I was in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) for two weeks in '99 on a DR650. Great landscape and great roads in Norway, but, as others have pointed out, very expensive.

I would suggest focusing only on Norway, traveling only in July or August and camping or staying in (rather comfortable) cabins they have for rent at the camp sites. Buy all food (and any beer) at supermarkets (which is still expensive) and try and avoid eating out/bars if you don't want to go broke.

The weather can be volatile so bring the appropriate gear. Apparently, mosquitoes can be a problem in the summer, but I didn't experience this. The fjords are truly impressive and I found the glaciers great fun too.

 While in Norway I always thought this would be a great place to take the family (camping, hiking, etc.) ... if it weren't so expensive.

[Ant]

...
I would suggest focusing only on Norway, traveling only in July or August and camping or staying in (rather comfortable) cabins they have for rent at the camp sites. Buy all food (and any beer) at supermarkets (which is still expensive) and try and avoid eating out/bars if you don't want to go broke.
...

Why only Norway?
I'd probably be camping/cabining (is that a word? ) and I'd definitely be cooking for myself, I'm not much of an eat out person (too much of a skinflint)!

[Ralf]

Why only Norway?
I'd probably be camping/cabining (is that a word? ) and I'd definitely be cooking for myself, I'm not much of an eat out person (too much of a skinflint)!

... because Norway has by far the most impressive landscape and best roads for motorcyclists. Sweden is fairly flat compared to Norway (however, Copenhagen and Stockholm are indeed nice cities, if you're also looking to enjoy some city life). Also remember, Norway is very long so you can easily spend two weeks riding throughout the country.

BTW, if I recall correctly, the Nordkap is in fact not the most northerly point. It's actually a bit father east (but I can't remember the name).

[throttlemeister]

Ant, I am planning a trip to the Nordkapp myself (I went to the south, want to go to the north, the east and the west), going up through Sweden and down Norway. It could be an option to ride together.

[Ant]

Ant, I am planning a trip to the Nordkapp myself (I went to the south, want to go to the north, the east and the west), going up through Sweden and down Norway. It could be an option to ride together.

That could be good, when are you thinking of going and where would you be starting from?

[throttlemeister]

That could be good, when are you thinking of going and where would you be starting from?

I am thinking next year, starting from a little bitty town close to Rotterdam.

Then the year after I want to go as far west as I can in Ireland. Then I will have the far North, South and West covered in Europe.

Hopefully by then things have a little stabilized in the East, so I can go to Ukraine and Russia without having to fear of not coming back. (I don't like organised tours)

[hass]

I moved to Sweden 12 years ago so if anyone needs any information on riding in Sweden pm me and I'll be happy to answer questions. (I also know a little about Norway or Finland but not as much of course)

[Ant]

I moved to Sweden 12 years ago so if anyone needs any information on riding in Sweden pm me and I'll be happy to answer questions. (I also know a little about Norway or Finland but not as much of course)

Hi there! I'm sure I'll think of something closer to the time of my trip!  
My original plan wasn't to ride through Sweden but get the ferry across to Finland from Sweden and then ride up through Finland. Now I'm not sure sure I want to spend 10 hours on a ferry when I could just ride it instead.

Obviously you're biased since you live there but whats your opinion on finding good roads to ride and then cheap accomodation in both Sweden and Finland. I have no particular reasons for picking one route over the other at the moment, I'm just getting a map and drawing a squiggly line!

[Ant]

Orson, a quick question if I may (I thought I'd post it in this thread rather than PM so anyone else who is interested can find the info)...

How far did you aim to travel each day when you were in Norway? I'm doing some preliminary route planning (so I know how much time I need to get off work) and I'm wondering what day distance I should be aiming for?
Hours in the saddle isn't a problem, I just don't know what
a.) The roads are like
b.) The speed limits are like (I sure won't be doing any speeding with fines as they are! )
c.) How long you spend arsing around waiting for ferrys etc
d.) How frequent towns with hotels/b&b/camp sites are

I will be following your advice and going through the Lofotens and then getting the ferry from Moskenes down to Bodo and then following road 17 down the coast.

I want to make sure that I'm not overly ambitious in how many miles I do, I'd like to enjoy the ride and smell the flowers so to speak and pull over for photos without worrying about time constraints. At the same time I don't want to arrive in a town at 3pm and have nothing to do all afternoon and can't push on because it is another 3 million miles to the next town. For cost reasons as well I want to keep the numbers of days down, time off work is time off work and accomodation/food is going to be expensive!

[Orson]

How far did you aim to travel each day when you were in Norway? I'm doing some preliminary route planning (so I know how much time I need to get off work) and I'm wondering what day distance I should be aiming for?
Hours in the saddle isn't a problem, I just don't know what
a.) The roads are like
b.) The speed limits are like (I sure won't be doing any speeding with fines as they are! )
c.) How long you spend arsing around waiting for ferrys etc
d.) How frequent towns with hotels/b&b/camp sites are

I will be following your advice and going through the Lofotens and then getting the ferry from Moskenes down to Bodo and then following road 17 down the coast.

Gosh

I'm the world's worst planner. I didn't even have a Norway map until I got off the ferry!  

I don't sweat the small stuff. If I run out of time, I just turn around and start heading south!   You have to remember, you're nearing the land of the midnight sun. At that time of the year, you'll have about 20 hours a day of daylight in southern Norway, so you can ride later than you usually would.

Lemme see if my memory still serves me. I'm no iron butt rider. I ride as I like, stop when I feel like it. I never book ahead so I never feel pressured to hurry.

I think I made it from Bergen to the Geirangerfjorden then over to Alessund in about 8 hours. That was a really nice day....beautiful fjords.  

The next day, I went from Alessund to about 100 km north of Steinkjer.

I think I made it from Steinkjer to Bode in one longish day, then the next day, I reached the tip of the Lofoten Islands.

So...4 relaxed days from Bergen to the tip of the Lofotens.

a) The roads are as good as those in the UK.

b) I think the speed limits out of town is 100 kph...but its those sneaky 60 kph zones where they try to nab you!

c) Ahh...those dang ferries! I made the mistake of not finding a ferry schedule booklet and ended up waiting an hour and a half at one ferry stop....so do try to find one a them dang booklets!

d) Accomodations are fairly frequent. Also, places labeled as "campgrounds" usually have cabins with beds and linen. Also, I went in June and had not too much trouble finding a room. If you go in July, you may face more competitions for rooms.

[Ant]

Cheers for that, I knew you weren't much of a planner. Neither am I to be honest, I quite like to take it as it comes. But because I'm doing it the way I am (North to South), if I short of time then it will be the fjiords that get missed which I obviously don't want to do! The only bookings I will be making are the crossings from Bergen to Newcastle and Stockholm to Turku. Other than that it is all going to be played by ear.

It's good to hear that accomodation is relatively frequent, that was one of my main concerns. It is all well and good looking at maps and finding squiggly lines but if there isn't anywhere to stay on those squiggles then it could be a pain in the arse

Thanks, no doubt will have more questions closer to the time despite you maintaining that you know nothing