📓 Journals Scandinavian Road Trip

[geoffbland]

You're going to love driving the Norwegian coastline. Last year, we did a two week bike tour from Tromso to the tip of the Lofoten Islands, and this was in early September. Traffic is very light, and the cars didn't bother us one bit. We had buttons to push on the approach to the tunnels to let the drivers know there are cyclists in the tunnel. The road infrastructure is top notch! It's so beautiful, the hardest part is keeping your eyes on the road.

I thought about going up to Tromso but decided just to make it to Narvik due to time constraints. We start on the coastline bits tomorrow - can't wait. Agree about forcing yourself to watch the road when the landscape is so amazing.

 

[geoffbland]

Hey Geoff thanks for your pics and posts, it's great to follow along. Did you have any concern when planning your trip about the Emira being so low and having to deal with sharp angles (like hop on - off the ferry) or uneven tarmac? I mean it's a long way!

Thanks for the kind words. I always do a journal when I travel just to look back on in later years, so might as well post it here, I've enjoyed others accounts of their trips - the journal is also to bore the kids with. Although it is really nice to have my eldest along with me this time.
I did have a concern about scraping the nose yes - I hit it 3 times coming down the Stelvio pass in the summer. It makes a horrible noise but when inspected it's really not that bad. It's going to happen so I don't worry too much - the bumper is only plastic. I did add some SlipLo pads on for this trip though.

 

[geoffbland]

A busy day today, we tried to find a coffee shop in Aalborg for breakfast but found out that the town is mostly closed on Mondays so we drove on to Hirtshals for the ferry. In Hirtshals we find a fantastic pastry shop and have breakfast there - good coffee too. I resist the urge to order what looks like a 2 foot long chocolate eclair.

We visit the lighthouse in Hirtshals, 142 steps to the top, and admire the view over the Danish Straight.

After that we visit the Bunker Museum also in Hirtshals, remains of German fortifications from the Second World War.

Then it is on to the ferry across to Norway and Kristiansand on the Super Speed 1 (that’s the name of the ship not my driving style).

Finally the drive up to Oslo. Again it’s mostly motorway but there’s some amazing views before it gets dark as we near Oslo.

Driving in Oslo is a one-way street nightmare and not car-friendly at all - by design. But tomorrow we finally get off the motorways and onto the good driving roads.

The Emira still gets a lot of attention and it’s always positive. I’ve chatted to several Danish and Norwegians now about the trip - they always check what tyres I have and nod approvingly when they see I have “proper” tyres. I had long chat with one of the ferry loadmasters today who said he was from Narvik, he thinks I will be fine - he thinks even if it snows we’ll be OK unless it gets too deep but that’s very unlikely this time of year.

 

[Andrew25]

This video is to answer my "hop on the ferry" question!
Looking forward to the good roads!

 

[geoffbland]

Today was the first of two days with a lot of driving, going across the country and north from Oslo to Trondheim. Now in Trondheim we are about as far north as Iceland.

There is a motorway from Oslo to Trondheim but we went the scenic route, I think it is less distance but takes longer. This also takes us through the old town of Røros now a World Heritage Site.

The weather setting off was awful; rainy and foggy, this cleared up later in the day though it was still raining on and off for the entire day. The forecast for the next several days whilst we are up North is for more rain and cloud - unless something improves there’s little chance we’ll get to see the Northern Lights. But that just gives us an excuse to do this again some day.

We get off the motorway fairly soon outside of Oslo and head out on the scenic route - and the roads are fantastic. The weather is the only negative but there’s no standing water so it’s not too bad, Norwegian roads seem to be well made. On some of the higher roads we see a little snow beside the road from overnight but the roads are salted so there’s no issue - the only problem is keeping my eyes on the road rather than the beautiful scenery.

The roads are empty for the most part, we were often driving 30 minutes without seeing another car on our side of the road. I could post hours of great driving roads from the dash cam but don’t want to bore you, so here’s a small sample - also I expect the next few days will be even better (apologies the sound is muted as we had the music on loud).



About 4 hours later



7 hours driving in total, we arrived in Trondheim tired but it was a great day.

A traditional church we found on the way, we saw many like this.

We’re now seeing snow on the high ground but roads are still clear and fine.

Some of Røros.

Arrived in Trondheim and the Emira has never been so filthy.

 

[admu]

Thank you for sharing. You've inspired me to plan and do a road trip.

 

[geoffbland]

Thank you for sharing. You've inspired me to plan and do a road trip.

Fantastic - that's great to hear.

 

[geoffbland]

As we set out from Trondheim this morning I saw the first sign to Narvik, 900km. We completed the day with just 420km to go to Narvik.

We started the day in a great little coffee house and bakery - pastry shops are becoming a bit of a thing this holiday!

We really liked Trondheim. It was lovely although we only spent a short while there, so far our favourite city in Norway. If you get the chance to visit I would recommend it.

We travelled mainly along the main route the E6, there is a more scenic route along the coast but is part of the Norwegian Coastal route and takes weeks to complete - we don’t have the time at least on this trip. So we used the E6 but that was fine as it becomes a normal 2-way road shortly outside Trondheim. Again there was hardly any other traffic.

The forecast was for rain but for the most part it held off only starting late in the day. The morning was clear and dry.

We stopped in on the way at Stiklestad at the Saint Olaf centre, an important figure in Norwegian history, religion and Norwegian independence. He and his daughter were also important in the Kievan Rus in early Russian history.

Enough of the history lesson, what about the driving? The drive today alone made the whole trip worth it, the views were spectacular and the roads, fast, sweeping bends following the coast and the fjords. These dashcam videos don’t come anywhere close to doing the views any justice at all.









Welcome to Northern Norway.



Tomorrow we cross into the Arctic Circle.

 

[geoffbland]

A shorter days’ driving today, just 4 hours driving North up to the town of Bodø. The views are still spectacular.

An hour North of Mo I Rana and we cross into the Arctic.

Before we set off I finally take my Emira to a car wash; she’s getting so bad I’m starting to feel guilty and I think the new dirt is pushing the old dirt into places the grime doesn’t normally get to - the muck behind the door interiors is probably thick enough for some form of agriculture. I had been searching for Car Jet Washes or Hand Wash not wanting to use a car-wash machine (AutoMat here) with no success but found out they are called Self-Wash (Selvvask) places and they are actually quite decent. I get a superficial clean done as we have more driving to do and more is pointless. At least I feel a bit better about it. We hit another Selvvask when we arrived in Bodø to get the stuff I didn’t get before.

The weather is bad today, constant rain and for the first time standing water on the roads so we take it steady.

When we stop for breakfast, in the middle of nowhere, there’s a group of old men that take an immediate interest in the car. Again they check the tyres and nod their approval when they see we have winter tyres. We get talking, most of them work (or worked) at the local iron ore mine, although one was an ex-policeman. By the time we are able to make our excuses and leave, I learn more than I ever wanted to about the snow they get, the history of the area, speeding fines in Norway, their mate’s Porsche that has 750hp but is an “old one” and the electrical problems you have in a Norwegian mine using American heavy equipment. Honestly, it was kind of nice to meet some ‘salt-of-the-earth’ Norwegians like this but they sure can talk.

We get to Bodø early afternoon and visit the Aviation Museum here - it’s pretty good. They have a decent selection of planes; including a Mosquito, a Sabre and an F-16.

Apart from the weather the drive today was just as good, even less traffic than yesterday. The scenery is still spectacular but getting bleaker as it turns into tundra.

Tomorrow marks the half-way point of our journey when we will finally reach Narvik.



And we almost ruin Xmas...



How close were you before you spot them?

 

[virtualmacho]

Before we set off I finally take my Emira to a car wash; she’s getting so bad I’m starting to feel guilty and I think the new dirt is pushing the old dirt into places the grime doesn’t normally get to - the muck behind the door interiors is probably thick enough for some form of agriculture.

Any chance you took a picture worthy of the The Dirty Pictures Thread ?

 

[marc1adrien]

A shorter days’ driving today, just 4 hours driving North up to the town of Bodø. The views are still spectacular.

An hour North of Mo I Rana and we cross into the Arctic.

View attachment 72187

Before we set off I finally take my Emira to a car wash; she’s getting so bad I’m starting to feel guilty and I think the new dirt is pushing the old dirt into places the grime doesn’t normally get to - the muck behind the door interiors is probably thick enough for some form of agriculture. I had been searching for Car Jet Washes or Hand Wash not wanting to use a car-wash machine (AutoMat here) with no success but found out they are called Self-Wash (Selvvask) places and they are actually quite decent. I get a superficial clean done as we have more driving to do and more is pointless. At least I feel a bit better about it. We hit another Selvvask when we arrived in Bodø to get the stuff I didn’t get before.

The weather is bad today, constant rain and for the first time standing water on the roads so we take it steady.

When we stop for breakfast, in the middle of nowhere, there’s a group of old men that take an immediate interest in the car. Again they check the tyres and nod their approval when they see we have winter tyres. We get talking, most of them work (or worked) at the local iron ore mine, although one was an ex-policeman. By the time we are able to make our excuses and leave, I learn more than I ever wanted to about the snow they get, the history of the area, speeding fines in Norway, their mate’s Porsche that has 750hp but is an “old one” and the electrical problems you have in a Norwegian mine using American heavy equipment. Honestly, it was kind of nice to meet some ‘salt-of-the-earth’ Norwegians like this but they sure can talk.

We get to Bodø early afternoon and visit the Aviation Museum here - it’s pretty good. They have a decent selection of planes; including a Mosquito, a Sabre and an F-16.
View attachment 72189

Apart from the weather the drive today was just as good, even less traffic than yesterday. The scenery is still spectacular but getting bleaker as it turns into tundra.

View attachment 72188

Tomorrow marks the half-way point of our journey when we will finally reach Narvik.



And we almost ruin Xmas...



How close were you before you spot them?

My grandfather flew over there during Operation Tungsten, attacking the Tirpitz. I've always wanted to see it. I had assumed I'd do a cycling tour, but now I'm torn!

 

[Last ICE]

A shorter days’ driving today, just 4 hours driving North up to the town of Bodø. The views are still spectacular.

An hour North of Mo I Rana and we cross into the Arctic.

View attachment 72187

Before we set off I finally take my Emira to a car wash; she’s getting so bad I’m starting to feel guilty and I think the new dirt is pushing the old dirt into places the grime doesn’t normally get to - the muck behind the door interiors is probably thick enough for some form of agriculture. I had been searching for Car Jet Washes or Hand Wash not wanting to use a car-wash machine (AutoMat here) with no success but found out they are called Self-Wash (Selvvask) places and they are actually quite decent. I get a superficial clean done as we have more driving to do and more is pointless. At least I feel a bit better about it. We hit another Selvvask when we arrived in Bodø to get the stuff I didn’t get before.

The weather is bad today, constant rain and for the first time standing water on the roads so we take it steady.

When we stop for breakfast, in the middle of nowhere, there’s a group of old men that take an immediate interest in the car. Again they check the tyres and nod their approval when they see we have winter tyres. We get talking, most of them work (or worked) at the local iron ore mine, although one was an ex-policeman. By the time we are able to make our excuses and leave, I learn more than I ever wanted to about the snow they get, the history of the area, speeding fines in Norway, their mate’s Porsche that has 750hp but is an “old one” and the electrical problems you have in a Norwegian mine using American heavy equipment. Honestly, it was kind of nice to meet some ‘salt-of-the-earth’ Norwegians like this but they sure can talk.

We get to Bodø early afternoon and visit the Aviation Museum here - it’s pretty good. They have a decent selection of planes; including a Mosquito, a Sabre and an F-16.
View attachment 72189

Apart from the weather the drive today was just as good, even less traffic than yesterday. The scenery is still spectacular but getting bleaker as it turns into tundra.

View attachment 72188

Tomorrow marks the half-way point of our journey when we will finally reach Narvik.



And we almost ruin Xmas...



How close were you before you spot them?

Thanks for this Journal - it’s a vicarious escape.

 

[geoffbland]

My grandfather flew over there during Operation Tungsten, attacking the Tirpitz. I've always wanted to see it. I had assumed I'd do a cycling tour, but now I'm torn!

Wow - a brave man. There's a lot of museums here about WW2 and the airmen and sailors involved. The Norwegian Free Airforce were trained over your side of the pond too.

The Tirpitz was attacked about 200km north of Narvik, if you go that far you may as well go all the way to the North Cape. That's a long way to drive let alone cycle - but whichever you decide it'll be well worth it. I'm pretty sure I will be coming back again for my third trip in the future.

 

[geoffbland]

Any chance you took a picture worthy of the The Dirty Pictures Thread ?

Ah I didn't remember that - thanks for the reminder. Pretty sure my photo will be tough to beat

 

[Lego Man]

A shorter days’ driving today, just 4 hours driving North up to the town of Bodø. The views are still spectacular.

An hour North of Mo I Rana and we cross into the Arctic.

View attachment 72187

Before we set off I finally take my Emira to a car wash; she’s getting so bad I’m starting to feel guilty and I think the new dirt is pushing the old dirt into places the grime doesn’t normally get to - the muck behind the door interiors is probably thick enough for some form of agriculture. I had been searching for Car Jet Washes or Hand Wash not wanting to use a car-wash machine (AutoMat here) with no success but found out they are called Self-Wash (Selvvask) places and they are actually quite decent. I get a superficial clean done as we have more driving to do and more is pointless. At least I feel a bit better about it. We hit another Selvvask when we arrived in Bodø to get the stuff I didn’t get before.

The weather is bad today, constant rain and for the first time standing water on the roads so we take it steady.

When we stop for breakfast, in the middle of nowhere, there’s a group of old men that take an immediate interest in the car. Again they check the tyres and nod their approval when they see we have winter tyres. We get talking, most of them work (or worked) at the local iron ore mine, although one was an ex-policeman. By the time we are able to make our excuses and leave, I learn more than I ever wanted to about the snow they get, the history of the area, speeding fines in Norway, their mate’s Porsche that has 750hp but is an “old one” and the electrical problems you have in a Norwegian mine using American heavy equipment. Honestly, it was kind of nice to meet some ‘salt-of-the-earth’ Norwegians like this but they sure can talk.

We get to Bodø early afternoon and visit the Aviation Museum here - it’s pretty good. They have a decent selection of planes; including a Mosquito, a Sabre and an F-16.
View attachment 72189

Apart from the weather the drive today was just as good, even less traffic than yesterday. The scenery is still spectacular but getting bleaker as it turns into tundra.

View attachment 72188

Tomorrow marks the half-way point of our journey when we will finally reach Narvik.



And we almost ruin Xmas...



How close were you before you spot them?

Looks quieter than when I was there, its an amazing drive

 

[geoffbland]

We set out this morning on the final north bound leg of our journey from Bodø to Narvik and as every story needs some drama…

We set out on the 300km journey and all is fine for the first 50km or so when suddenly the engine catches and loses power and the check engine light comes on and the car goes into reduced revs. I’d not been pushing it and this happens out of the blue. I pull over and stop the engine and restart it, the engine is running rough, missing a cylinder. Reading the codes I have a P0352 ignition coil failure. I try restarting the engine several times, stopping the car and letting it cool down several times but the problem persists.

I note the codes down and reset them but they just come back again (there’s some other codes reported but all to do with the coil problem and a misfiring cylinder 2). We’re in the middle of nowhere so we have to press on for Narvik on reduced revs. This makes for interesting driving but at least it gives us more time to enjoy the scenery I guess.



I called Lotus Assistance whilst on the car ferry just before Narvik, they are very helpful, they take my details and assure me that I can get a hire car for the rest of the trip and will repatriate the Lotus back to a dealer in the UK. They give me a number to call when I reach the hotel.

We limp into the hotel car park and unload everything. I then call the number I was given and it turns out to be Lotus Customer Support, they then realise that as I am in Europe that I need to call someone else for recovery and give me a third number. I call this and this turns out to be Landrover Assistance. They are very helpful and take all my details, saying they will arrange a replacement car and are sending someone out to look at the Lotus and recover it within 2 hours.

The Norwegian recovery guy phones 15 minutes later and he arrives 5 minutes after that. I show him the codes and start the engine so he can hear it's not running correctly and he agrees they can’t fix this and my Emira will need to be recovered. He calls to arrange this and I fill in the paperwork.

The hotel car park is underground and he can’t get his recovery trunk down there so I’ll have to drive out to it. I start the engine …. and ... and ... and it runs normally!!!

I reset the codes again - this time they don’t come back and the car is running fine again. I do a lap of the car park - no issues. Start and stop the car several times - it’s fine. Whilst the recovery guy waits I drive round the city for 20 minutes and there’s no problem; revving it, downshifting, engine braking, torque in high gears it's now all fine.

You seriously can't make this stuff up.

I ring Landrover Assistance back and we cancel the recovery and the replacement car, they say they’ll be ready to help again if the problem reoccurs. Assuming all is now good and I get back to the UK OK I will be taking the car into the dealership to check this out.

I should also thank the recovery guy from Autoberging Narvik, very helpful and sympathetic even if in the end they were not needed.

So here’s a picture of Narvik at night - after a very stressful day.

Despite the car issues and the weather which was terrible with constant rain - the views again are worth it all. I spent most of the drive stuck behind something without the power to overtake but that just meant more time to admire the landscape.

Tomorrow, my son Jack who’s been with me so far flies out back home and my girlfriend, Sarah, flies in. So you will need to excuse me tomorrow as there will be no post as I will be otherwise engaged…

 

[Andrew25]

Wow I was stressed just by reading this! Well done! Btw, can it be a temperature issue? I should not make guesses since I'm no expert, but it sounds like it got back working after you recovered the car inside for a while, which means having a warmer place.

 

[geoffbland]

Wow I was stressed just by reading this! Well done! Btw, can it be a temperature issue? I should not make guesses since I'm no expert, but it sounds like it got back working after you recovered the car inside for a while, which means having a warmer place.

As good a guess as any, it could be the cold (although for the Arctic the temperature was fairly mild as the weather is warm for the time of the year - 7 degrees, engine was running at 85c as it does normally), the rain, the muck, the long drive or just because...
The coil issue could also be several things; the coil pack itself - or the a problem with the ECU or even the spark plug. I guess it'll need stripping down and all to be checked

 

[virtualmacho]

Car could just have been tyred... four sure. Glad it recovered itself.

 

[scc.131.fe]

It's always great to hear stories of good roadside support, even when it was ultimately canceled. Thanks for sharing, I think it helps remove some fear that people have to just get out and drive!