Norway Lights September 202#

[tinkerbell]

High everyone, I know I have asked before but lost all answers, hubby and I plus dog would love to see the lights, well maybe see them, but it seems a long way to go and have no idea of miles of nothing would be like, very different to usual holiday of driving around France, so bit concerned. Lots of advice would be good, routes, stops etc, maybe there is someone else out there who would like to travel there too for company and safety. Look forward to hearing from anyone with advice, thanks.

 

[Southdowners]

Firstly I wouldn’t worry about safety in Norway… it’s a very law abiding and friendly country - Norwegians leave their bikes unlocked, boats moored in the middle of nowhere, etc and can be assured they’ll still be there when they return.

With regard to the lights… you’ll have to go in the autumn/winter to see them. They are awe-inspiring and if you do decide to go you won’t be disappointed!

If you’re tight for time I’d suggest travelling up through Sweden until you get level with the Lofotens, then cross into Norway. Travel in Norway is slow involving many ferries, tunnels, challenging roads, so Sweden is your best and quickest option of getting north where you stand the best chance of seeing the lights.

Good luck!

 

[Riverbankannie]

You ideally need to be within the Artic Circle, for the moon to be in it’s smaller phase, a clear night and be away from street lights as well as the aurora conditions to be right. This means spending as many nights as possible as far North as you can get to give yourself the best chance. There are aurora apps you can get to help predict conditions.
DavidG58 had a good blog here

Nordic travel plans August / September 2017

Much against how I usually do things, I have decided to at least create a route with some timescale for our forthcoming epic trip to Scandanavia The planning has been brought about by the need to find Mum some decent accommodation for the duration, our local nursing home has been OK, but we...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

And if you put Norway into the search box above you will find lots of information.
David worked out he needed 5 - 6 weeks and it was 5000 miles. Cost of tolls and bridges need to be factored in and also tyres if you are likely to be there from late October. You need to check your insurance annual mileage too.

 

[Steve-N]

Hi,

There is a blog site called 'Indie Projects' featuring a couple from the Midlands called Theo and Bee . . They also have a YouTube channel.
Well worth watching, they traveled far and wide in Norway all the way up the to very northern point (arctic circle)
Aparently the Lofoten Islands is mind blowing scenery.
I have the same trip on my bucket list possibly in 2023/4, (when I will be retired) just hoping I don’t have to mortgage the house to pay for the diesel
As an aside anyone who drives a MH, PVC or Caravan to the far northern tip of Norway from the UK can apply for membership of an exclusive club called " The Blue Nose Society" !!

Food for thought

Steve

 

[DavidG58]

The biggest issue for us was lack of available time, the drive to the border with Norway which we did via the Chunnel with our dog is over 1500 miles, those 3000 miles at 250 / day which is more than we like to do on occasion, let alone every day for 12 days, took a huge chunk out of our 6 week window

We went looking for the lights and didn’t do southern Norway at all, entering through Sweden and crossing over via Lillehammer to the coast then north to the Lofotens

I won’t rewrite it here , Annie very kindly saved me hunting for my own thread

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[Foo Fighter]

We are heading for the far north starting early next month. Our ferry is booked out of Tallinn and into Helsinki and then we aim to see as much of each Scandi country as possible. If we get lucky we might see the Aurora. I was really fortunate to have seen many displays whilst serving HM on my Arctic Winter Training, but they're still magical!! We've got ourselves a toll pass sorted out for the roads and ferries in Norway. We just can't decide which way to travel back yet. The Øresund Bridge is special but bloomin pricey!!

 

[Figaro]

The Øresund Bridge is special but bloomin pricey!!

Isn't the alternative a ferry which is more than the cost of the bridge toll ?
Does registration for toll give a discount on the bridge ?

 

[Foo Fighter]

The prices are very similar. As for a discount on the bridge, I don't think we do as we're using Fremtind as our preferred supplier rather than Bropass. But if anyone can tell me differently then I'd be delighted to hear.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Afternoon, been living in Norway for 40 years and travelled a lot here, did the northern cape last year.

When are you looking at travelling and as mentioned above you need to be within certain area if possible. Winter months up north are rough and when we saw them last it was from Tromsø.
Guess my first thing would how long are you planning to take, without doubt Norway is a beautiful country to travel in. But many people drive through Sweden due to the fact that it's quicker and cheaper. You do miss out on some scenery.

Sweden is no longer a particularly safe country, unfortunately many issues there now and you can check on the FCO pages. Norway is safer but there are many how do we say new visitors who think its very nice and easy to cause a little trouble and not get caught.

Norway has a toll road system so register if you are coming and driving for a while, you will save 20-40% on toll roads and up to 50% on inland ferry and bridge crossings. Certain toll systems will cover all of the nordic countries for toll, ferries and bridges, there are a few and there have been some changes due to companies merging and buy outs. The Norwegian authorities have employed companies to collect from people who refuse to pay their bills, UK I think has 3 companies who follow up.

Parking on road and petrol stations and new parking area's is very good here, also in Denmark if you drive up. Park for night is also well updated here.

We mainly use Denmark to Norway ferry systems, Color line is into Kristiansand, Larvik and several other places up to Oslo. Many good offer outside the seasons at present. There is also a ferry from Holland to Kristiansand direct now, saves 1000km of driving and for our 10 meter RV and 2x passengers it was €700 one way, expensive we thought but depends what you want.

As mentioned it does get cold up north so there are some specific rules I can advise on if you need to know more.

 

[tinkerbell]

Thanks for information, I think we may have to think about it a bit more, it will take some sorting time out and it is not a holiday to rush. We have the time - also a large dog to take with us and not too sure about that. It would have been September we had thought of going. But a lot to look into.

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[Johnny Be Good]

We are heading for the far north starting early next month. Our ferry is booked out of Tallinn and into Helsinki and then we aim to see as much of each Scandi country as possible. If we get lucky we might see the Aurora. I was really fortunate to have seen many displays whilst serving HM on my Arctic Winter Training, but they're still magical!! We've got ourselves a toll pass sorted out for the roads and ferries in Norway. We just can't decide which way to travel back yet. The Øresund Bridge is special but bloomin pricey!!

HM forces was likewise, I stayed after leaving the military. If you log into the following https://www.tolls.eu/norway you can see where the toll roads are, the new one in Norway covers the bridges in Denmark as well.

Up north in Norway there are very few toll roads, the have increased a charge or duty on fuel so that they keep costs low. They need people in this region and so the Government try to encourage them with cheaper costs, at present many electrical companies supply the north with huge discounts

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Thanks for information, I think we may have to think about it a bit more, it will take some sorting time out and it is not a holiday to rush. We have the time - also a large dog to take with us and not too sure about that. It would have been September we had thought of going. But a lot to look into.

Your welcome, we actually left Kristiansand in April and took 6-7 weeks. There are a few places that I may also visit this year again as they were so spectacular, plan is up only to Tromsø. Just as a bit of info when we left last year we had the heating and electric blanket on until the last week before getting home. Dovrefjell and another mountain range stop was -16 degrees in May. But well worth it.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Just to add that from now on its 24 hours of day light up north for some months, take back the black outs and sip the coffee and look out. Attached a couple of photo's from the wife, in the afternoon and at 0300 hrs after a night out with friends in Hammerfest, there is no difference in the light.

Just outside Trondheim there is a place called Hell, for a laugh get a return ticket to hell from the train station. The word Freight department is slightly out but the word "Gods" is freight or cargo in Norwegian.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Just to add that from now on its 24 hours of day light up north for some months, take back the black outs and sip the coffee and look out. Attached a couple of photo's from the wife, in the afternoon and at 0300 hrs after a night out with friends in Hammerfest, there is no difference in the light.

Just outside Trondheim there is a place called Hell, for a laugh get a return ticket to hell from the train station. The word Freight department is slightly out but the word "Gods" is freight or cargo in Norwegian.

Thanks for the link as to where the tolls are. We aim to take around 8 weeks visiting, with the majority of the time in Norway. No firm plans apart from the Lofoten Isles and Nordcapp. The Mack brewery (again)in Tromsø if it's still the furthest northern brewery? And to see Andselv in daylight. As you're well aware there's not a lot of daytime in winter!! I'd love to show the wife the hidden submarine pens in Narvik and the mountain hangars at Bardufoss but I'm guessing that they're off limits to "civvies"

 

[Johnny Be Good]

The most northern brewery is in Hammerfest. Tromsø is actually the Paris of the north and well worth a few days.

Check this one out and watch it twice a day, be amazed.

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[Riverbankannie]

Sweden is no longer a particularly safe country, unfortunately many issues there now and you can check on the FCO pages.

Thanks for all your Norway information, but can I take issue with this statement about Sweden. I have lots of family living there and it is as safe as any European country. Whether I would want to drive North again through all those trees and with the mozzies, instead of the beautiful Norway coast another matter.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Thanks for all your Norway information, but can I take issue with this statement about Sweden. I have lots of family living there and it is as safe as any European country. Whether I would want to drive North again through all those trees and with the mozzies, instead of the beautiful Norway coast another matter.

Good morning, sorry for the delay.

After leaving the military I was employed as a security consultant, and basically up until I retired that's what I did, last 30 years mainly working for my own company. Unfortunately I learned very early on in my career that you can not longer trust what you see and read in MSM or information given by Governments.

Sweden has huge issues in many/certain area's and crime, riots etc are higher than what they want to show. They have let in many refugees and the integration programs have not worked as they should, police and security forces (off camera) will tell you that there are many no go area's. This and last year there were many riots, fires, destruction of property and business, very little shown on MSM. Drugs and violence is higher than what is shown, huge money to be made in this area. This is also flowing over to Norway and Denmark in smaller factions, due to many border crossings that physically can not be controlled.

In Norway we had the island shootings many years ago, this was a protest against the government and I think even here very little has changed, also last year riots on the streets of Oslo and other cities. It was leaked out some days and weeks later only after certain pressure from groups wanting to know if what they saw on other channels was correct.

I do put a darker picture on this but unfortunately things have changed over the past years, I saw somewhere in another thread that people don't even lock their bikes and in some cases doors, that was then, but not now. Due to the open borders policy gangs travel freely and theft and violence is much higher now that it was, Scandinavia is not the same place that I moved to 40 years ago. I won't go into any more detail although I could.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Thanks for all your Norway information, but can I take issue with this statement about Sweden. I have lots of family living there and it is as safe as any European country. Whether I would want to drive North again through all those trees and with the mozzies, instead of the beautiful Norway coast another matter.

A little addition to the mosquito statement, one reason why last year we went to Nordkapp early. I actually don't think we saw any, they probably have more sense that us coming out in the colder climate.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Good morning, sorry for the delay.

After leaving the military I was employed as a security consultant, and basically up until I retired that's what I did, last 30 years mainly working for my own company. Unfortunately I learned very early on in my career that you can not longer trust what you see and read in MSM or information given by Governments.

Sweden has huge issues in many/certain area's and crime, riots etc are higher than what they want to show. They have let in many refugees and the integration programs have not worked as they should, police and security forces (off camera) will tell you that there are many no go area's. This and last year there were many riots, fires, destruction of property and business, very little shown on MSM. Drugs and violence is higher than what is shown, huge money to be made in this area. This is also flowing over to Norway and Denmark in smaller factions, due to many border crossings that physically can not be controlled.

In Norway we had the island shootings many years ago, this was a protest against the government and I think even here very little has changed, also last year riots on the streets of Oslo and other cities. It was leaked out some days and weeks later only after certain pressure from groups wanting to know if what they saw on other channels was correct.

I do put a darker picture on this but unfortunately things have changed over the past years, I saw somewhere in another thread that people don't even lock their bikes and in some cases doors, that was then, but not now. Due to the open borders policy gangs travel freely and theft and violence is much higher now that it was, Scandinavia is not the same place that I moved to 40 years ago. I won't go into any more detail although I could.

No different to the UK then.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

On the MSM/ Govt side there is absolutely no difference, generally take everything the say or advise on with a pinch of salt.

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[paddymcc]

We have seen the aurora in S central Norway (Bergen latitude) in the past in late August. The days are getting shorter then which I guess improves your chances.
In fact I have seen spectacular displays in central Canada at a latitude equivalent to S England. The difference I suspect is the lack of light pollution.

 

[Orion]

The Øresund Bridge is special but bloomin pricey!!

There’s also the short and relatively inexpensive ferry journey from Helsingor, Denmark across the straight to Helsingborg, Sweden that we’ve used when going north and not wanting to spend too much time in southern Sweden. We also came back on the commercial DFDS Ro-Ro ferry from Gothenburg to Immingham that cut out a fair chunk of road miles after the Esbjerg to Harwich route had closed down.

 

[jollyrodger]

Did a trip September 2019 37 days in total. And 5841 miles
Dover /Dunkirk on up through Hemany crossed from Rostock to Trellbouge with TT lines
Up though Sweden, whoosh then into Finland crossing into Norway /Sweden for return.
Lots of driving but it was worth it for the showing of the lights we got.
Bonus was lots of fishing along the way catching our supper. What's not to like.



Follow me on my trip ‘INTO THE LIGHTS (Definitely)’ at https://www.polarsteps.com/OldGaffa/2417332-into-the-lights?s=0fb549d3-815f-4fd9-a0ce-33f3a55ba6b1

 

[jollyrodger]

This September in the planning another trip to Norway but Harwich to the Hook drive up to Emshaven and ferry direct to Kristiansan with

Holland Norway Lines - Holland Norway Lines

hollandnorwaylines.com

Something different and less driving

 

[Coolcats]

The most northern brewery is in Hammerfest. Tromsø is actually the Paris of the north and well worth a few days.

Check this one out and watch it twice a day, be amazed.

This is the Scottish version

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[Carpmart]

I’m fishing up in the very northern point of Norway in the first week of September 2022. Chasing massive Cod and Halibut. Even flying and taking boats to get to the fishing lodge, it feels like a real expedition, let alone driving a MH up there! Hoping that I may catch the start of the Northern lights.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

We have seen the aurora in S central Norway (Bergen latitude) in the past in late August. The days are getting shorter then which I guess improves your chances.
In fact I have seen spectacular displays in central Canada at a latitude equivalent to S England. The difference I suspect is the lack of light pollution.

Correct it can be seen further south but its very hit and miss, we had to travel up north to see it and still had to travel a little and that was mid winter. The magnetic Aura and of course lack of pollution is also helpful as you say.