Hi,

Follow the link below and there you have a roadbook on pure gravelroads in Sweden. From Stockholm to Kiruna which is in the most northern part of Sweden. approx 2500km of gravelorads. I've been driving big parts of it and it is very nice. You don't have to find any campings you just stay in a hut somewhere where you find it.
http://soe.se/sverige/pannben/pannben.rar
That one is for printing it on paper.

Use this program to open the files above. It is a freeware developed by a friend of mine.
RBEditor - Roadbook editor

Here is a link to a zip-file with GPS files for this route.
http://forum.soe.se/attachment.php?a...3&d=1170102801
Just remove the end of the filename so that it ends with .zip.
Unzip and there you have files for your GPS.
Just ask if you need som help.

As I said, this is a long fantastic trip on gravel. You may just drive parts od it. But I would recommend the whole of it.
I'm gonna ride it with my friends this summer.

/Fredrik

Hi Fredrik

Don't suppose you have a file of this trip as a track on Google Earth, do you?

Thanks for taking the trouble to post the road book routes and reader software.

Alan

Hi Alan,

No sorry, no track in Google earth but I think I can arrange some overview maps for you if you are interested?
I'm are going take this trip in beginning of June. From Stockholm up to Övertorneå and then over to eastern Finland and then down to Helsinki( Finland part is not in roadbook format yet, only for GPS). Approxmiate length of trip will be about 4000km. Pure gravel

I rode north on the Arctic highway to the Lofotens, then back south along the coastal Route 17. Lots of ferrys on Route 17.

DO get a ferry schedule before you go. It will save you some time sitting and waiting for the next ferry

__________________
The motorcyclist encounters the road as the writer encounters the page.

Norway is without a doubt the most spectacular of these 3. But if I was coming to Scandinavia for the 1st time, I wouldnt miss Finland. Ive got some Italian friends who first came here some 10yrs ago, and keep coming back ever since. They do like Norway and Sweden as well, but they love it here.

If I had 3 weeks, id get a boat to Helsinki, then start off northeast into the lake district, the best time to do that would be mid-June to mid-August. Statistically speaking, that is... you´ll just never know, when the short summer will arrive each year! And do bring plenty of anti-mosquito stuff!! From the SE part of the country I´d head straight up into Kuusamo and into Lapland, then go Northcape, and from there start following the Norwegian coastline all the way down. Norway is VERY slow, even on the main roads, could take me 1,5-2 weeks just to do that.

Those who say Finland is boring, have probably done the main highways south/southwest, indeed they are just that (a bit like some parts of southern Sweden), but its a totally different story when you go more eastwards, into smaller roads, into the lake area, and futher up when theres more and more forested hills. Its NOT like Norway, but its simply wonderful in its own way, not to be missed.

Sweden has some similar attractions like Norway and Finland, and also of its own especially in the north, but the problem may be it lies between these two regions so going there is always a detour. Especially when the most beautiful fjords in Norway are in central/south part of the country. Thats why, for 3 weeks i´d skip Sweden, or trade Northcape for northern Sweden, theres nothing so special about the Cape. I´d need more than 3 weeks to see all these 3 countries, so eastern Finland and western Norway would be the 2 main attractions for me.

Those are the are one of the most beautiful in the world.
If you are fond of beauty, nature and taking pictures that period can never be enough.
If you don't spend much time anywhere which you like, don't feel lazy and time killer cen be enough.
To me, 3 weeks can never be enough.

__________________
"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

It seems so many people going to Norway this summer We also having same plan, actually a trip around Baltic sea. The problem is that living in Scandinavia doesn't make it too attractive comparing to some more exotic places in south. But this year we need to keep lower profile as usually. Your comments encouraged to forget my prejudices, thanks

See you guys on the road soon