Pining for the Fjords

[sasha@lazytrips]

Hi guys,

 

I have had a pretty mental thought and wanted to hear opinions.

 

Background:

 

My parents are thinking of organising a family holiday. They live in a different country, so we don't see each other too often, it is my dad's birthday at the same time, etc, etc. So they have devised a plan of going to check out a load of fjords on some sort of a package deal and invited me to join.

 

My initial thoughts:

 

I read through the itinerary which sounded something like this:

 

***

 

Day = 0

 

Do until day = 7

 

1. arrive in some random small Norwegian town.

2. look at a fjord.

3. drive 200 miles on a minibus through some mountains.

 

Set day = day + 1

 

GOTO 1

 

Loop

 

***

 

This to me sounded incredibly boring. Despite all my attempts to try and get them to go to somewhere vaguely warm and/or more varied, they seem set on Norway.

 

I then had an idea:

 

What if I go there in my zed?! Now the issue here is that it is a 1500-mile trip each way + going round Norway when I get there. Sounds kinda scary and will no doubt take a while to get there. Anybody done this or some similarly mental trip before? My thinking is that I DO NOT want to go if it means spending a week sitting on a bumpy bus, but the prospect of mountains, fjords and all that as a drive holiday sounds.... appealing.

 

Plus my Do-Luck rear and uprated brakes should be on by that point, so the car should be all up for a holiday.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

So gimme your thoughts/past experiences/advice.

[mattbowey]

i am sure there was a guy joined here recently who drove the car back to norway, or maybe denmark, think he said he works there, will try and find the linky for you

[mattbowey]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34778&hilit=denmark

 

if he still checks on here you may be able to pm him, he may give you an insight on the drive as far as denmark, and maybe even ferry crossings.

 

as for the holiday i think it would be better as a driving holiday but you might get very fed up after that many miles.

 

the itinery looks like code, sure you werent meant to open it with a diff program to the one you used.

[Stew]

Norway is stunning!

 

VERY expensive though. I've paid £9 for a 500ml beer. Not even a pint!

 

A few mates went across on bikes a few years ago. The pics looked great.

 

 

If you need any info I have a few friends that live in Norway and a few from Norway.

[martinmac]

It looks like there are some great roads there.

 

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/ ... ntic-road/

[sasha@lazytrips]

I wrote the code to express my *enthusiasm* about the holiday.

 

As for the driving. Other than time consumption, I don't mind. I love driving. I've done 21.5k miles since buying the car in September and feel like I haven't even been anywhere. By my quick calculations, I'd be able to get to Oslo in a day and then do the mountain dash the following day.

 

I used to think that there are ferries from north england/scotland over to Norway, but can't seem to find anything of the sort.

 

http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34778&hilit=denmark

 

if he still checks on here you may be able to pm him, he may give you an insight on the drive as far as denmark, and maybe even ferry crossings.

 

as for the holiday i think it would be better as a driving holiday but you might get very fed up after that many miles.

 

the itinery looks like code, sure you werent meant to open it with a diff program to the one you used.

[mattbowey]

ahh i see

 

sorry

[sasha@lazytrips]

Temptation!

 

It looks like there are some great roads there.

 

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/ ... ntic-road/

[jim]

 

I used to think that there are ferries from north england/scotland over to Norway, but can't seem to find anything of the sort.

 

 

There is a ferry service between Newcastle, Shetland and Bergen. The trip from Bergen to Oslo would make it worthwhile, I suspect.

 

Edit - sorry, I just checked and this service has been withdrawn.

[sasha@lazytrips]

Everywhere I've read claims that ferries from Scotland/Newcastle to Norway have stopped as the firms couldn't compete with low cost airlines

 

 

I used to think that there are ferries from north england/scotland over to Norway, but can't seem to find anything of the sort.

 

 

There is a ferry service between Newcastle, Shetland and Bergen. The trip from Bergen to Oslo would make it worthwhile, I suspect.

 

Edit - sorry, I just checked and this service has been withdrawn.

[andlid]

Would you drive all the way from England to Norway? Will take you a good while and you'll be passing plenty of countries in Europe along the way, I'd suggest you taking the boat across to Norway instead! Unless you like motorways! If you go the drive route give me a PM and I'll tell you what would be the best way to drive up there. Drove on my R6 from Ireland to Sweden (Varberg) so I know where to go ;-)

 

I'd DO it either way sounds cool man! If you need any good scope on roads in Norway let me know, mates from Sweden go there on their bikes regularly. DO NOT SPEED IN NORWAY! (You'll be sorry...)

Bring a good camera and lots of memory the scenery is truly amazing.. if you go by car I can give you some number for some party blondes on the way up through west coast of Sweden too.

[sasha@lazytrips]

I am indeed planning to drive there. As I said earlier, can't see any boats going to Norway and it'll probably take forever anyway. Was planning to go down to the tunnel, through france, belgium, holland, germany, denmark, sweden & then norway.

 

Once in Norway, cross all the way up to Alesund, go down along the fjords, etc to Bergen & Stavanger and onto Oslo.

 

Then back through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, (Luxembourg?), France and back through the hole in the ground into the engerland... hmmm....

 

What's the issue with speeding in Norway?

 

Would you drive all the way from England to Norway? Will take you a good while and you'll be passing plenty of countries in Europe along the way, I'd suggest you taking the boat across to Norway instead! Unless you like motorways! If you go the drive route give me a PM and I'll tell you what would be the best way to drive up there. Drove on my R6 from Ireland to Sweden (Varberg) so I know where to go ;-)

 

I'd DO it either way sounds cool man! If you need any good scope on roads in Norway let me know, mates from Sweden go there on their bikes regularly. DO NOT SPEED IN NORWAY! (You'll be sorry...)

Bring a good camera and lots of memory the scenery is truly amazing.. if you go by car I can give you some number for some party blondes on the way up through west coast of Sweden too.

[choptop]

Norway is a stunnung country and would like to go back there some time.............................after I win the lottery

[sasha@lazytrips]

Norway is a stunnung country and would like to go back there some time.............................after I win the lottery

 

£1.60 per litre for unleaded. God knows how much they charge for the extra octanes

[jim]

Norway is a stunnung country and would like to go back there some time.............................after I win the lottery

 

£1.60 per litre for unleaded. God knows how much they charge for the extra octanes

 

We'll be paying that here soon. It's well over £1.20 per litre in many places already.

[andlid]

I am indeed planning to drive there. As I said earlier, can't see any boats going to Norway and it'll probably take forever anyway. Was planning to go down to the tunnel, through france, belgium, holland, germany, denmark, sweden & then norway.

I'm sure that I found a boat going from Newcastle.. mmm not sure would need too look at it again... would take 2-3 day for sure

 

Once in Norway, cross all the way up to Alesund, go down along the fjords, etc to Bergen & Stavanger and onto Oslo.

 

Then back through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, (Luxembourg?), France and back through the hole in the ground into the engerland... hmmm....

 

What's the issue with speeding in Norway?

http://www.roadmc.com/default.asp?pubid=14

 

Would you drive all the way from England to Norway? Will take you a good while and you'll be passing plenty of countries in Europe along the way, I'd suggest you taking the boat across to Norway instead! Unless you like motorways! If you go the drive route give me a PM and I'll tell you what would be the best way to drive up there. Drove on my R6 from Ireland to Sweden (Varberg) so I know where to go ;-)

 

I'd DO it either way sounds cool man! If you need any good scope on roads in Norway let me know, mates from Sweden go there on their bikes regularly. DO NOT SPEED IN NORWAY! (You'll be sorry...)

Bring a good camera and lots of memory the scenery is truly amazing.. if you go by car I can give you some number for some party blondes on the way up through west coast of Sweden too.

 

now how long are you planning for the actual trip? Took me 2.5 days to get from Ireland/Dublin to Sweden/Varberg... and I was doing WAY to long on the bike... had to stop every 125miles to fill petrol up and had some smallish incidents on the way but 2.5 days each way in travel to get to Varberg...you'd have a good bit longer to go, the bridge accross Denmark / Sweden is pretty cool though. Eh dont speed if you can help it in Sweden either they are pretty strict on the speeding issue, and as you read Norway are way worse. I'd stay somewhere in Denmark & Sweden for a day or two if I went, you going yourself in the car? (can get boring...)

[sasha@lazytrips]

My current thinking is stop in different places on the way there & on the way back, but bomb it down to the tunnel, through France & Germany and take it easy through the other bits.

 

Planning a one-night stop on the way there and one or two stops on the way back. But the way there is waaaaay longer as I'll have to go through the mountains up north.

 

I am indeed planning to drive there. As I said earlier, can't see any boats going to Norway and it'll probably take forever anyway. Was planning to go down to the tunnel, through france, belgium, holland, germany, denmark, sweden & then norway.

I'm sure that I found a boat going from Newcastle.. mmm not sure would need too look at it again... would take 2-3 day for sure

 

Once in Norway, cross all the way up to Alesund, go down along the fjords, etc to Bergen & Stavanger and onto Oslo.

 

Then back through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, (Luxembourg?), France and back through the hole in the ground into the engerland... hmmm....

 

What's the issue with speeding in Norway?

http://www.roadmc.com/default.asp?pubid=14

 

Would you drive all the way from England to Norway? Will take you a good while and you'll be passing plenty of countries in Europe along the way, I'd suggest you taking the boat across to Norway instead! Unless you like motorways! If you go the drive route give me a PM and I'll tell you what would be the best way to drive up there. Drove on my R6 from Ireland to Sweden (Varberg) so I know where to go ;-)

 

I'd DO it either way sounds cool man! If you need any good scope on roads in Norway let me know, mates from Sweden go there on their bikes regularly. DO NOT SPEED IN NORWAY! (You'll be sorry...)

Bring a good camera and lots of memory the scenery is truly amazing.. if you go by car I can give you some number for some party blondes on the way up through west coast of Sweden too.

 

now how long are you planning for the actual trip? Took me 2.5 days to get from Ireland/Dublin to Sweden/Varberg... and I was doing WAY to long on the bike... had to stop every 125miles to fill petrol up and had some smallish incidents on the way but 2.5 days each way in travel to get to Varberg...you'd have a good bit longer to go, the bridge accross Denmark / Sweden is pretty cool though. Eh dont speed if you can help it in Sweden either they are pretty strict on the speeding issue, and as you read Norway are way worse. I'd stay somewhere in Denmark & Sweden for a day or two if I went, you going yourself in the car? (can get boring...)

[andlid]

Post a google map route! It will cost a fortune in petrol lodging and hotel places but will be well worth it!