Alesund & The Atlantic Road

The weather has been a bit strange to us for the last few days, it seems to rain all night and then give us sunny intervals during the day. We arrived at Alesund after having travelled from Geiranger and parked up at the Sea Life Centre just on the outskirts of town. We managed to pick up a Wifi hotspot 2 miles away across the water from the opposite shore which while slow allowed us to get some more info on the town and plan out the days ahead.

There isn't a great deal in Alesund, but we ascended the 418 steps to the mound that is in the middle of the town and took the long route around the city covering about 5 miles with a few de-tours. We wandered around the town centre but didn't really find much and the thick guide book "in and around Alesund" concentrated more on the 'around'!

Today we woke up to blue sky and bright sunshine and it has stayed like that all day, we rushed round Rema 1000 to get a few bits and pieces food wise and found some in-store baked bread for 75p - the cheapest we've seen in all Scandinavia. I've not tasted crusty bread for weeks and looking forward to some toast in the morning! There was also a ferry crossing which took 40 minutes and was like a mini 'Spirit of Britian' inside - usually we just sit in the van but we got out for a wander. Free Wifi too! 

The Atlantic road was actually a little bit of an anti-climax, I mean it was nice and everything but it looks better looking back (from the Sea as per the brochures!) at it then actually travelling along it. The end of which there is a 6km under sea tunnel which is unavoidable, had I known they charged an additional £4 for passengers I'd have got Sophie to hide in the toilet! However, when I checked the charges I was just glad they classified us under 6 metres - £9.50 rather than £45 for 6.01m!, that said there are no measuring devices at this toll so you could probably get away with it in a larger van. 

Tonight we are parked in Kristiansund en route to Trondheim and still debating on if we travel on up to Nordkapp or not. We nursed 530 miles out of the tank but despite filling up at the cheapest filling station we'd seen all day the bill still came to £116 @ £1.49/litre. Roll on Estonia - currently £1.05!


Alesund Overnight Location GPS: (62.46582, 6.10039) - Large carpark for the Aquarium Centre - Wifi possible with long range antenna across the water (3 hotspots).

Trollstigen

 

We try and only post a blog when we have something to share and it just so happens that there is plenty to share on the Norwegian leg of this trip!The journey from Geiranger where we spent the night last night to Alesund was excellent and Norway continues to deliver for its roads and the many vantage points built along the way. From the images in the guide these spots get very busy in peak season but we're lucky in as far as the main destination Trollstigen has been open just two weeks so far this year. A new visitor centre at the top of the pass is under construction and while the signs said open June 2011 by the state of works it looks set to overrun.

Officially the viewpoints were also out of bounds but since everyone else was hopping over the barriers so did we - we weren't going to come this far without seeing the view!  

We also recorded a short onboard video of the journey down the pass - no Colin Macrae Rally I'm afraid, the hairpins are full lock each way and we had a full toilet cassette which could make for a very messy ending!

Tonight we're Wild Parked in Alesund ready to explore the town tomorrow and do some walking. Fingers crossed for the weather!

Geiranger & Route 63

The Norwegian's know a thing or two about keeping roads clear! The Route 63 'tourist route' pass was dry as a bone despite 3-4 meter drifts at the side of the road. Our only slight disappointment so far on this trip is that Dalsnibba Pass was closed which is supposed to be a good view, however it costs 100NOK so we'll bank the difference and spend it somewhere else (probably the Norwegian Road Toll invoice when that comes through the post!).

The view over Geiranger has to be one of the best views so far, a shame we're going to have to mingle with some of the passengers on those cruise ships. 70 year old women with 'wrap around' sun glasses and the like, mutton dressed as lamb doesn't even come close to what we saw today!

Just for you Gordon, Sophie balanced precariously on another ledge!

Overnight Location GPS: (62.10361, 7.20285) - Parking overlooking ferry - no restrictions on overnight but only really suitable for upto 6m. Waste faclities at bus station on main road - Free.

Breheimsenteret Blue Glacier - Jostedal

Now we are reaching the midpoint in Norway, the scenery has become even more breathtaking. We willingly payed the 30NOK honesty box toll to get to the car park at the bottom of the  Breheimsenteret Glacier at Jostedal. While it was just a stones throw away from the car park, to access the Glacier required clambering over a good few rocks and I don't mind admitting I was on my arse a few times! As we approached the colours changed from a muddy white to a deep blue colour as you can see from the pictures.

Why is the ice blue? Wikipedia states "Ice is blue for the same reason water is blue: it is a result of an overtone of an oxygen-hydrogen (O-H) bond stretch in water which absorbs light at the red end of the visible spectrum.".

We approached Route 55 from Luster to Lom which is one of the main tourist routes. We found that evening when we were talking to a lovely German couple that the route had only just been opened that afternoon at 2pm having been closed for the winter season. Seems we are pretty early for Norway, but as the German couple we spoke to were on their 15th trip to Norway told us now is the best time as it gets very busy in summer and the mosquito's away from the coastal regions are vicious.

No more english campers today, but plenty of UK registered classic cars on a rally. Looking at the prices, the cost of the "run" for one person is a grand more then we've spent in 51 days away! (more info here):

Sognefjord

 

The morning started near Balestrand as we ascended up to Vassenden via Highway 13 avoiding what would have been yet another ferry. The route is popular with walkers who walk the length of the 21km path and get a return bus back to Balestrand. The bus wasn't running yet as we're a bit early (May) and we soon saw why - a lot of the trail is still covered in snow and the wooden duck boards which are used on large sections are very slippery when wet, a shame because I think we would have attempted it otherwise.

The only other traffic we have seen have been Camper Vans and in several places the drifts were higher then the van but the roads remained clear and open. I sense the Norwegians were laughing at us over our snow in December 2010!

Yet again we're parked in the middle of nowhere with great Wifi access thanks to an art gallery nearby, we're parked with a great view of the lake wondering now we've traveled a couple of hundred miles further north how late it will be before it gets dark tonight!

Bergen

It seem's like Bergen has been one of those places we have been "heading for" for a long while and as such, our expectations have been building for it. The tourist information map, picked up in Olso, has been peeking at us from the door pocket in the cab for what seems like weeks on end and I guess we had high expectations from the start.

For a lot of people Bergen is the gateway to Norway since many Cruise ships dock here to unload their cargo of American tourists on the town! The weather played a large part in our visit - a mixture of rain showers (well, more like torrential downpours!) and a misty overcast. Wild camping, on the face of it, is quite a challenge. The whole of the town is 'zoned' which means resident parking permits and so forth. We did find one spot just outside of a zone near a playing field which made for a interesting nights sleep since it wasn't totally level! There is a 24 hour car park for motorhomes , but this charges £16/day which is more then we paid in Stockholm. There is some free parking, however, at the Marina on the right hand side as you enter from the top - but it looks as if this area is being redeveloped so this may not be here for long.

Bergen itself was pleasant enough, it was disappointing that a lot of the shops at Bryggen (a world heritage row of wooden houses dating back to the 1700's) was occupied by tourist tat and even the fish market was blighted with it. Prawn topped Bagel (HALF a bagel!) for £7 and 'Fish and Chips' for £14. I'm ashamed to admit it, but in the absence of a packed lunch we sneaked into McDonalnds for two cheeseburgers £2.20. Did you know that Norway is home to the most expensive Big Mac in the world? It was over £9 for a medium big mac meal! Suddenly that £7 bagel looked tempting...

No visit to Bergen would be complete without a visit to the top, you can actually walk down so if you don't mind doing so just get a single ticket. We're happy to be back amongst the Fjords and away from the crowds Wild Camping with only the wildlife for company. 

Kinsvik & Steinsdalfossen Waterfalls

 The weather has been variable the last few days, but the heatwave we had experienced couldn't have lasted - this is Norway after all! We've been on the trail of some of the best waterfalls having visited Kinsvik waterfalls walk and Steinsdalfossen in the last few days.

Kinsvik involved a hike up a rough terrain mountain which took you right up close to the waterfalls, the water flowed over the path in places and the woman in the Tourist Information office said we were too early, but we negotiated the terrain marked with red T's and markers strung from tree's fairly easily. Once at the top, the trek down the gravel track is rewarding - I'd not have wanted to do the trek up the mountain in reverse. You can park at the Power Station (passed the Heliport) or leave your car near the Go Karting center and walk down the road to the Power Station for part of the way.

Kinsvik itself provided lots of Wild Camping opportunities, as have the majority of the towns in Norway thus far. There is a ferry from here also, but around the corner a bridge is being built so these are no doubt set to be discontinued in 2013 when the bridge opens. 

Steinsdalfossen waterfall is impressive and it's great you can walk behind it (a bit like the Ingleton Waterfalls Walk if you've ever been on that one). Try and cover your eyes as you walk up to it though, the tourist tat shops spoil the landscape! I'm not sure how many I love XXX T-Shirts people go home with but they are everywhere!

Preikestolen

We boarded our first ferry to Tau from Stavanger nervously since the fee for vans over 6.01m went up 4x. We're 5.98m but that all depends if you take the towbar into consideration or not. So far we've managed it with bridge tolls and the ferry was no exception - you board, get out if you like or stay put and the ticket collector comes round and you say what your driving. I'd imagine you could get away with whatever size van as they don't appear to check so best to get out and pay in the lounge to avoid being challenged. In Norway, the panel van conversion is king!

Today we trekked up Preikestolen, I suspect the severity of this hike is kept hush hush by the Norwegian tourist board - let's just say we saw several soles of walking boots ripped off on the path and a few people turning back, but not us!

We set off at 9.30 and made it up to the top before 12.00 in time for a well deserved lunch. The views were breathtaking and while it may be clearer in summer the car park had a 500 car capacity and coach tours run from miles around so I can't imagine it would be enjoyable as the majority of the route is single file with few if any passing places.

Tonight we're a bit sore and resting before another ferry or two tomorrow as we make our way slowly to Bergen.
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Road to Stavanger

We're parked up for the night and for the first time in a couple of weeks there has been no wifi first time! I'm not going to move the van - I'm too tired - so am posting from my Blackberry so excuse the large pictures and unformatted posts!

The journey from Oslo has been slow going - we chose a cross country route as the south of Norway didn't seem as appealing and we'd like to get away from the coast for a while.

The roads are like driving in the Alps with hairpin bends and sheer drops and when we're not screaming up a hill we're free-wheeling down the other side of it to try and even out the MPG. I can't say it hasn't been worthwhile though - the views have been breathtaking.

It was Norwegian Day and we were treated to street parades in national dress on the route.

Stavanger was a bit disappointing and we've decided that we're going to concentrate on the countryside rather then the towns and that suits us just fine! We found a little place to bed down for the night and get the ferry in the morning to Tau.
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Oslo in a Motorhome

Our relationship with Oslo got off to a rocky start as the car park we had initially chosen between the Natural History museum and Munch Museum gave us an impromptu view of a different side of the city. In the evening and the following morning the car park had been taken over by about 25 VW T4 of various registrations housing immigrants and the park was taken over by gang masters giving their orders for the day. This probably heightened our awareness of the number of beggars and "looky looky" men and women selling squeakers, playing accordions and sporting limps and sticks which was a big detractor and something not witnessed in either Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Sculpture Park

We moved first thing in the morning to another car park at the Sculpture Park which not only was an excellent location, and free from any unsettling activity, but provided a great walk into the city down one of the main shopping strips. The carpark itself would be suitable for 6m vans or if you have an overhang you can throw it off the back in a couple of spots around the edge. No signs indicating no campers / overnight and charges are 16kr/hour 9-5 Mon-Fri, 9-3 Sat and free Sunday. GPS: N59.92862, E10.70363. There was in fact lots of 'Wild Camping' possibilities near the Castle and ferry terminals but this one suited us fine for the quietness and great access to the sculpture park to explore after a day in the city. Much of the city centre parking is time limited to 2 hours during daytime hours but a little further afield it is unlimited. Link to all municipal car parks in Oslo HERE with ours Highlighted (15min walk to centre).

Oslo itself ranks below Copenhagen so far on the three Scandinavian capital's we've visited. You would probably rank it #1 if you like Museum's and if you do this is one of the rare occasions where an 'Oslo Card' would be worthwhile, since there is at least 50. We did all of the main sights from the outside in just under a day and were again blessed with 20+ heat and last night we had our first rainstorm of the trip - not bad for 5 weeks in Scandinavia!

The sculpture park was excellent and we're not into sculptures, the fact that all the works were competed by one artists gives a compelling sense of unity and everything flows together - defiantly one not to miss. The american influence continues with queues at every TGI Friday's yet many local eateries remained empty.

A quick look at some of the restaurant prices confirmed we'll not be eating out and a supermarket we went into wanted £3.50 for a 33cl bottle of Carlsberg so we'll not be drinking either! If and when we need essentials we'll be looking for a 'Rema 1000' tipped to be the cheapest option here, since Netto is positioned much more mainstream like Tesco or Sainsburys.

Overall? Spend a day in Oslo, maybe two if you like Museums


Currently parked overlooking the city on Bygdøy watching some impressive clouds, our next move will be up to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump for a view looking down on the city. The weather looks to brighten up - so we'll leave you with some shots of the moody skies!