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Dion 23 Jan 2011 20:01

Sweden to the Arctic
 
Hi Me and my dad are planning a trip to get to the arctic in Sweden this June. We were thinking of getting up there as quickly as possible and then having a slower ride back for a look around we have two weeks and would welcome any tips on places to stay or things we really should see. Many thanks for any info.

Dion

Capo Sakke 23 Jan 2011 20:36

Are you sure about "Arctic Sweden" because there is no Arctic Sweden.
You should go Finland and Norway there you can found intresting places.

MAP

Whynot 23 Jan 2011 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capo Sakke (Post 320945)
You should go Finland and Norway there you can found intresting places.

I would have to agree with this.
The northern parts of Norway and Finland are quite spectacular

Dion 24 Jan 2011 16:52

Hi I should have said via Sweden, as there are no ferries from the UK to Norway now we were planning on going to Denmark then on to sweden. and heading north. This will be our first trip up there and with a limited time schedual would welcome any info

Whynot 24 Jan 2011 19:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion (Post 321085)
Hi I should have said via Sweden, as there are no ferries from the UK to Norway now we were planning on going to Denmark then on to sweden. and heading north. This will be our first trip up there and with a limited time schedual would welcome any info

You can get to Norway on a cargo ship, its cheaper than the ferry to denmark.
Boat goes twice a week Immingham - Brevik (Near Oslo)
DFDS Seaways' Brevik - Immingham freight ferry shipping route - DFDSSeaways.com/Freight

Camel 24 Jan 2011 21:23

:D

Nice find Whynot, have u used them before?

Whynot 24 Jan 2011 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camel (Post 321109)
:D

Nice find Whynot, have u used them before?

Yep, took that route last year.
pretty good all round, they keep you well fed.
Only thing is you have to be a bit flexible with the departure date and time, we ended up being called at 2am as they were packed up and ready to go early. We ended up leaving at 4ish instead of 5am.

Niklas 24 Jan 2011 22:02

The Arctic circle runs through Sweden.
However Norway and Finland have areas further north than Sweden.

For motorcyclists (and adventure car riders) the North Cape in Norway is a very famous place to visit.

I believe the Moto Guzzi Norge (the original one from before our grand grand parents were born) were named after the reliability this Moto Guzzi model proved on a trip from the Guzzi Factory to North Cap in Norway and back to the factory again.

Niklas

dmitrij 25 Jan 2011 21:27

Can I ask what the cost of the trip was last year?

seems like a great option

Whynot 25 Jan 2011 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmitrij (Post 321229)
Can I ask what the cost of the trip was last year?

seems like a great option

Hey,

Cost we paid last year each is

Motorbike - £55
Passenger - £170
Port tax - £4
Administration - £25

Obviously you will need to check to see if it has changed since.

Camel 26 Jan 2011 11:27

Quote:

pretty good all round, they keep you well fed.
Are meals included in the ticket price ????

What was the accommodation like in Norway and Sweeden, were camp sites widely spread, or did you hve to wild camp (If you camped at all that is). I understand hotels can be a bit pricy, secially I'm going for a 3 weeks trip.

Whynot 26 Jan 2011 20:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camel (Post 321290)
Are meals included in the ticket price ????

What was the accommodation like in Norway and Sweeden, were camp sites widely spread, or did you hve to wild camp (If you camped at all that is). I understand hotels can be a bit pricy, secially I'm going for a 3 weeks trip.

Yep, meals are included but don't expect anything fancy, you get the same food as the crew. But you can also have toast and hot drinks whenever you want.

Not too sure about Sweden, but Norway campsites are everywhere and all good quality facilities, toilets, showers, laundry, cooking, wifi etc.
Not too expensive and most have cabins as well if you need to get out of the rain.
We wild camped a bit in Finnish Lapland, as they are no campsites up there. Didn't get one hotel as the campsites were so good and if we didn't feel like sleeping in the tent we got a cabin.

Campsites varied from 80-200 NOK
Cabins more like 350-500 NOK

NearlyHomelessNick 27 Jan 2011 04:43

Good stuff from whynot
I went last year late july, also via Sweden to Finland and Norway. Fast track to the Nordkapp from Germany it took 3 days,
I found the journey through Sweden quite tedious, maybe if I allowed more time it would have been fun but I wanted more from Norway.
Once off the Nordkapp island I travelled down to the Lafoten Isles. If I was to go again I would spend more time there, every bend revealed scenery better than before, a truly stunning area regardless of weather.
Wild camped most of the time, the rest areas and lay-bys are well maintained and I never had any bad thoughts over hygiene. 1 night on a campsite for 80NOK, Cabin for 1 night at 120NOK but the best was a B&B run by a young couple of backpackers for 200NOK that was on one of the Lafoten Isles. There are bargains to be found but dont expect the ritz.
Fuel is no problem I relied on the satnav and never had a problem after remembering my PIN number. Most of the pumps are unmanned and work on Visa and PIN. Some of the toll bridges and tunnels are free for bikes just look for the right lane, but in all including the ferries I found the prices reasonable. With the ferries bad timing and it can fill quick, for one ferry I had to reverse the bike into a tiny gap but they didn't charge me so it was worth it, they then told me I should always ride to the front of the next free lane, from there your normally called forward first.
Food was quite steep but eating at service stations anywhere will be more expensive then hunting round, I had camping rations with me for most of it. toward the end my rations were running out so I looked in a supermarket, Hot Deli counter, free coffee for customers and decent prices for fresh
doh should have looked at those first.
Would I go again, yes without a doubt I would not bother with the Nordkapp, its nothing to write home about, but it’s a landmark you have to see, stunning but not worth a second trip. Take a satnav and keep an eye on the tourist sight marked on the POI, they're road marked as well by a four sided loop sign, some point out water falls (Voss) or valleys, most are worth the detour I found out about them too late and missed the stave cathedraldoh oh well next time I'll be wiser

Enjoy it,

RideSafe (and slow speeding fines are high and the coppers are sneaky)

a few pics here
Picasa Web Albums - Nick - Norway2010

Camel 27 Jan 2011 21:24

Cheers guys.
 
This is great info.

I was planning to go up via Norway and down via sweeden, I have 3 weeks which looks like enough time. not that it ever is :mchappy:.
I guess I'll change the route now.

From what I read so far, it looks like camp sites most of the time, and since I'm riding solo, I won't be wild camping, unlessI really have to.

I'll be taking some dry food packets thingie, which I tried in my travel last year and was fantastic, no need for any cooking gear, al you need is hot water and not even a plate.

Will probablyl do the Nordkapp as a tick in the box type thing while I'm there, but won't allow for more than a day there. which leaves some time to venture into Finland which was not on the plan, and by the looks of it, No much time in Sweden either unless I realy miss beautifull women :drool:.

I'll go now and do some researches now on Finland.

Thanks for the info. keep it coming. Oh, an if you have blogs from your previous trips Ill be interested to read em.

Bergrider 4 Feb 2011 20:45

Up there too !
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion (Post 320938)
Hi Me and my dad are planning a trip to get to the arctic in Sweden this June. We were thinking of getting up there as quickly as possible and then having a slower ride back for a look around we have two weeks and would welcome any tips on places to stay or things we really should see. Many thanks for any info.

Dion

Hello Dion, a great tread start !

Thanks for the great feedback all !..

I'm hoping to be heading to the Artic Circle loop ( Denmark - Sweden - Finnland - Norway -) coast roads except for the Finland crossing and done anti-clockwise . Start mid July, say 3 to 4 week loop. If anyones about it would be good to know / catch-up.

If anyone has GPS POI's or tracks this would also be appreciated !

Cheers and ride safe.
Bergrider.


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