UK - Norway

[forestry]

Can anyone tell me if i need to take a copy of my V5 registration document to enter Norway, i seem to remember having to take one to Iceland last year.
The trouble is i dont pick up my new bike till 6 days before i go and know that the DVLA will not have my V5 to me in time.

TIA Niall

[Neil]

I just got back from Norway, I didn't need a copy, and i doubt you would, if in doubt take a photocopy of it. To be honest I did 8 countries and the only time i needed my passport was to enter England. Weird that.

[forestry]

Thanks Neil, any tips for Norway other than taking heaps of cash !

[Neil]

Prepare for rain... don't be fooled by blue skies... it'll rain even when the sun is burning your skin with blue skies above you. Also prepare for cold... I went stupidly with jeans and t-shirts and no thermal layers.

First day in Norway had me changing into waterproofs and out of them between each valley. By day 2 i just stayed in them even when the weather was lush.

The food isn't exactly great, especially as you head north. Supermarkets only seem to sell frankfurters as a source of protein, well that I could afford. You can easily spend £10 at mcdonald's (when you find one) where you'd be spending £2 in england... and it is by far the cheapest option out there...although to do it all again, I'd not bother. After 3 days with low protein intake you'll find yourself really knackered. I eventually had to start spending bigger money to give me some real energy, eating some fish.


I spent £30 on a Petzl head-torch before I left, I only used it once the whole trip and that was in Belgium. Norway, the sun goes round in circles and never sets (well it seems that way), consider taking a blindfold if you need darkness to sleep. Also consider staying in cabins over sleeping in a tent... if there's more than just 1 of you it pays to do that, cabins are quite inexpensive and generally come with cooking facilities and fridge, sofa, table etc. I opted for it 1 night to know what to expect for next years trip... cost about £30 for the night, but was cosy and nice to have real bed for a change and a real seat to sit on.


I hope that helps.

[MarkLG]

They don't check it on entry, but I always carry mine whenever I'm travelling abroad.
Take plenty of thermals and fleeces and decent waterproofs. You'll need them at some point, especially if you're heading north. Take plenty of cash or a card with you - 12 days riding cost me £1000!! That was doing things on the cheap - camping or sharing a cabin and cooking for ourselves. If you're planning on using hotels and eating in restaurants then it'll cost you a lot more.

[forestry]

Keep these tips coming, all much appreciated.

[Neil]

Being that the trip I just returned from was my first. I made a few grave mistakes; one was buying a Collins Road Atlas of Europe before leaving, as my means of navigating. I spent about 20-30 minutes going through all the maps available in my local WHSmiths and figured the Collins had the most detail over all the others. Let me give you a small tip: the title says ATLAS which meant: it's merely pretty pictures of where some roads are. In France, Belgium and Germany, it was utterly poo, and caused me to get more lost than if I didn't have the damned thing. In every city I visited, it was beyond useless. The roads in most of Scandinavia are fantastic, with very little motorways so navigating by my atlas was pretty straight forward. I also got into the routine of looking at the atlas and merely looking for names of places I wanted to head to (taking note) and ignore all the colourful lines that Collins had illustrated the maps with.


HOWEVER... whilst I was trapped in a valley for a few hours in Norway during a road closure (which is something that happens commonly and unannounced.. [word of warning]). I got chatting to a Swedish bloke in the traffic who started suggesting places I should go and visit. After initially pissing himself with laughter at my atlas.. he suggested that I got a bunch of Capellens Kart Maps of Norway (there's only 4), if I intended to visit the country again. They're expensive (~£10 ea) but they're like a OS Landranger map and has all the tolls and ferry roads highlighted so you know when to expect to get your wallet out... or in his case, take the scenic road. You can buy them over there in bookshops, expect about £14 though.

[MarkLG]

Michelin's map of the country is fairly large scale (1:1 000 000 I think), but it provides enough detail for most - it's also got quite a few campsites marked on it.
I gave up trying to use paper maps for bike touring years ago - satnav makes life a hell of a lot easier, especially if you're riding through cities.

[Neil]

I bet that's true, I'm in two minds about SatNavs and biking. One side of me totally detests the whole "technology is the way forward", totally steals that freedom of what biking is all about, being lost and finding your way out and the rewarding feeling once you've achieved it.

However, lost in Antwerp, with a shit map, unfriendly locals, and blistering heat made me just want to be back at home. I spent 2 hours trying to get out of that miserable city, and had a really nasty headache the rest of the day.

I guess a SatNav could be helpful at times, but also leads to too much temptation to rely on it all the time.

Don't think you'll need your satnav when in Norway however, road signs to wherever you're going are generally signposted from the ramp off the ferry (practically).

[geoffshing]

Hey Guys,
I did a dash up to the Circle last year and as everyone say's IT WAS expensive. I got hit for a tenner when ordering a to celebrate my arrival from the circle in Mo-I-Rana! However I took the TomTom ONE and found it the Mutts Nutts. Hey, if you want to get lost then turn it off and shove it in your pocket but at some stage when your cold, wet, tired and hungry (as you will be) and can't be bothered to be 'lost' anymore, hey presto! There's all your campsites, ATM's, petrol stations, hotels, routes, POI's, blah, blah, blah etc all at the touch of a button.
I'm all in favour of technology helping me out, if it weren't for technology we'd be riding horses not bikes! If I want dark ages, I'll put my Oakleys back on! LOL!

[M1tch]

all i ever had to show was my passport when i arrived at stavanger and again back in newcastle. took my v5 , but think it would only be needed if i had an accident.

I'll second that about sat nav, didnt use it a lot, but when i needed to find a campsite or a road in a particular direction then it was very useful. dont be afraid to ask local people directions though, very friendly and spoke better english than me.

i used a map to plan a rough route at home, but in the end just decided to go as far as i felt like each day, usually just browsing the map in the evening once the tent was set up and see what happened. i had one day of bad weather and just wanted to find somewhere to stop for the night.thats when sat nav becomes very useful.