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Norway 2023

June - July 2023
A 29-day adventure by Caroline Read more
  • 32footprints
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  • 29days
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  • TravelerNorway 2023
    44314
    Day 29

    CPH to LBK

    July 26, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    8km 🚗

    All the way to Copenhagen airport (CPH)...! 🛫

    Car safely returned and an excellent coffee at very efficient Copenhagen airport ☕

    Self-check baggage - no queuing, just print the luggage labels and scan 😊🥳😊🥳😊

    So I had time to shop for skincare 😆

    What a trip it has been over the last four weeks... 🇩🇰🇸🇪🇳🇴🚢🇳🇴🇸🇪🇩🇰

    Accommodation overnight:
    4 x 1 Hostel 🎒
    9 x 3 friends' homes 🥰
    9 x campsites (average £24@)⛺
    6 x wild camping spots 🌳

    Distance driven in Danske 🚗 = 3x the distance from Lands End to John o' Groat's....

    (For my non-UK friends, that's the whole length of the 🇬🇧 from the tip of Cornwall in the South to the top of Scotland in the North!)

    2035 km / 1264 miles Northward
    2279 km / 1416 miles Southward
    4314 km / 2680 miles TOTAL
    Cost in fuel around £350 💷

    Thankfully the threatened train / tube strikes for this week did not affect my journey back to The Shire from Stansted airport via London 🚇

    Got home around 4pm, local time, with thanks to Mrs G (my mum) for a lift from Long Buckby (LBK) station 🚘

    A salmon supper ahead with plenty of veggies cooked in my own kitchen - again with thanks to Mrs G for the shopping 🥕🥦

    It's been a blast and I'm so glad I was able to share it with friends. It meant a lot knowing you could see how my trip was going and very occasionally it helped me to find something visually interesting on a day when I was feeling a bit flat. 🥰

    The time away has done exactly what I hoped it would - allowed me some fresh perspective, the freedom to independently explore somewhere amazing and reconnect as well as make new connections - 🚗 🇳🇴 💖

    Here's to the next trip... 👣🗺️👣    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    1
    2213
    Day 28

    The Return to Denmark aka The Clean Up

    July 25, 2023 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    92km 🚗 & 🇸🇪 🚢 🇩🇰

    A practical domestic / auto day: Taking apart my car camping equipment and dropping it off in various places en route to Copenhagen 🇩🇰

    It felt a bit undercover as there were several places I "made a drop" as if trying to make it tricky to track me ... 🕵️‍♀️

    Not to mention negotiations with Danish petrol stations - you have to put your bank card in first and tell them how many liters you wish to purchase. If you end up purchasing less they refund the difference. This was not written anywhere and the party at the pump cycled through the information too quickly for my Google translate 🫣

    Ended up having to find a second petrol station as the first one was waiting on replacement parts for their car wash 🙄

    A drink on the rooftop bar was a great way to relax into the evening before joining other travelers for the hostel taco night: 2x Sweden, 1x France, 1x Germany and 2x Australia, 1x NZ. I was the oldest by a good 20yrs 😆    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    32
    Day 27

    UFO Monument & a Proper Swedish Beach

    July 24, 2023 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    204km 🚗

    It rained heavily most of the night at Liseberg Camping and only eased up for an hour or so this morning. 🌧️🌧️🌧️

    And then it just kept on raining, so I kept on driving! 🛣️🛣️🛣️

    Until I got to the area of Angelholme, only 30 minutes from my chosen FINAL campsite, with time to spare I figured maybe I'd visit a museum - turned out the one on the sign post was the train museum so I looked at the map and found UFO monument written there... 😇

    So that made life simpler. I parked the car and walked the last 20 minutes or so, realising the beach was not far away either. So I had a womble around an area where in 1946 a man experienced something out of this world 🛸 https://pollenkungen.com/

    Once I got my head around that, it was time to head back to the beach and what a beautiful 🇸🇪 beach it was with lots of shells, small ones, beautiful 🐚

    Then it was time to find the supermarket and head to the campsite where the real challenge began: repacking my rucksack and small suitcase. It was a battle but I am victorious! 💪

    The campsite is on farmland, peaceful and very thankfully no rain ⛅

    I'm parked up next to a couple from Denmark, in their 80s, with a tiny car , small pop up tent and bicycles 🤩

    Tuesday I'll take the ferry from Helsingborg 🇸🇪 to Helsingor 🇩🇰, calling in at the Red Cross to donate the IKEA mattress & duvet.

    Then Copenhagen for a final night back at the Next House hostel before returning 🚗 and the flight home on Wednesday morning 🛫...    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    131
    Day 26

    Goodbye to Norway... Hello Sweden

    July 23, 2023 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    286km 🚗 & 🇳🇴🚢

    I was glad to have friends for company at breakfast this morning. Particularly as tonight I find myself in a huge campsite - in which I feel strangely anonymous ⛺

    It's the feeling of living in a city versus living in a village, with the heavy rain meaning an enforced rest which is no bad thing!😌

    The final ferry on Norwegian soil /water felt very significant today. I have lost track of how many ferries there have been, but you might guess that I will be adding them up in a final Footprint 👣

    Negotiating the roadworks in Gothenburg was too challenging for my inbuilt car navigation system. I might still be going around in small circles if I hadn't stopped and asked Google maps to get me to the campsite. This was due to the motorway exit being closed but the in car navigation didn't know that..
    🚧🥴🚧😮‍💨🚧

    It was a long day of driving, but that felt like a good plan to allow less hours of driving to finish this grand road trip adventure, a second night in Sweden on Monday then Denmark Tuesday 🤔

    (I'm also raising my own eyebrows at myself, as I use the dictate facility on my phone to write this entry. It makes it much quicker and easier, than 'typing it out' - hence the longer every entry today 🤨)    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    15
    Day 25

    Brevik & Tonsberg

    July 22, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    121 km 🚗

    After a very comfy night in a double bed, with my own bathroom (!!!) I had a very scenic couple of hours driving around and exploring on foot the village of Brevik, where my friendly host lived and taught at a primary school for 30yrs 🚸

    This meant moving between the houses, using footpaths that looked like garden paths at times, up and down steep hills, with wonderful views in all directions 🏠

    My less than 24hrs with Astri has shown me just how much more there is to see in the area of Porsgrunn - it's definitely going on the list for a return visit! 😄

    After another bowl of fresh raspberries with cream it was down to the coast for my final social stop of this trip: back to see Tone in Tonsberg - with just over 3,000km / nearly 2,000 miles on the Danske clock 🛣️🚗🏞️

    Along with another friend we dashed across to the Slottsfjells Museum, and had a bit of a whirlwind tour including the history of whaling in Norway, furniture from churches, national dress, as well as the Vikings ⚔️

    https://vestfoldmuseene.no/slottsfjellsmuseet/

    A very pleasant evening chatting over delicious salmon and potatoes. Followed by a rainy walk to the beach, speaking to Amelia and appreciating the rainbow - a perfect way to spend my final night in Norway 🇳🇴    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    1
    1
    Day 24

    Porcelain & Music

    July 21, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    146km 🚗

    This morning was sunny, sooo I had to prioritise having a repack of my belongings ahead of the last 5 nights of roadtrip - the weather looking distinctly showery over the next few days 🧳🎒

    But also a whole lot warmer - so I could pack away my winter clothes 🧣

    On my way to Porsgrunn I stopped at the very fine example of a stave church next to Notodden - at this point in my trip it felt too much to take in, but I'm very glad to have seen it ⛪
    https://www.heddalstavkirke.no/

    The scenery kept on giving me more wow moments, including the fruit growing area as I arrived in Telemark with orchards in all directions 🍒🍏

    I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon and evening with my friend of a friend's aunt. Arriving to taste delicious prawns and crab with salad and homemade bread 🦐🦀🦐

    The famous Porsgrunn Porcelain factory shop - was so big with so much variety. Just as well the museum has to wait till the morning 😵‍💫

    Fresh raspberries with cream and extra blackcurrants from the garden before heading through the streets to hear the Norwegian opera singer Emil Solli-Tangen perform. In a trio they performed many ballads, some opera and Frank Sinatra finishing with 'It's a Wonderful World' ...🥹🥹🥹

    https://www.visittelemark.no/porsgrunn/hva-skje…    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    1
    Day 23

    Meteorite Crater

    July 20, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    170km 🚗

    Sometimes having no plan is the best plan: had decided on a campsite for the night and smaller road 40 to get there more slowly 🗺️

    After an hour of beautiful winding roads I came to a huge sign on the road stating MeteorittPark. YES! 🌠

    https://www.visitnesbyen.no/no/meteorittparken-…

    45 minutes til the next guided tour, given by a geology student from Oslo university or a 9min video film and take yourself round the site... No question and it was definitely worth waiting for the guide - my little brain took in a whole lot of information it was GREAT 🤓🤓🤓

    Back on the road and brief stops after about 6 hairpin bends at an almighty dam 😊

    A delicious beef burger at the campsite and I was all set for a comfy night at a Trading Post not a chairlift place as I'd wrongly guessed: Skydsstasjon ⛷️    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    421122
    Day 22

    A Big Walk

    July 19, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    101 km 🚗

    Having done a 5 Mike walk in the morning - which is really not the same terrain profile as Daventry Country Park, (my regular walk at home). I was weary so a shorter but still visually dramatic day was called for 🏞️

    Only 7km up the road was Bessenheim Lodge next to a 3hr walk up into the national park with a waterfall and lake to be seen 💦

    It was perfectly overcast for me, having survived my coldest night down to 5 deg, I slept well in my coat and hat 🥶

    With a welcome coffee from my German neighbours I set off to explore on foot this wonderful place ☕

    It was boggy in places and windy, with threatening chords. and I met only 4 people during the whole time 🥾

    Having found a truly marvellous piece of stone... I turned a corner and there was the lake. Plus a good lunch spot with a view 🥪

    My legs knew about the clambering and my heart was full to experience such a place 💚

    Once back at the car I figured out my next camping spot - a mix of using an app Park4Night, Google maps and 'oooh, I like that name ' 💃

    Wonders will never cease after a failed attempt the night before I GOT MY WASHING DONE - including only a 30min use of the dryer 🥳🥳🥳    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    Day 21

    Royal Art & UK References

    July 18, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    182km 🚗

    Awoke to sunshine after such a rainy Monday🥳

    Upon a closer look at Google maps Glitterheim turned out to be a false promise, 30 kilometers of gravel road seemed a long way out of the way. So instead I located a campsite slightly nearer civilization in the same kind of area: Jotunheimen Caravan Camp ⛰️

    I stopped in Dombas for a breather and ended up buying a Norway umbrella from a man who was in the special forces, and spent time on Salisbury Plain in 1978 🌂

    Further along today I stopped for a bite to eat at a fuel station, the same one where I saw the tractor on the way north. Chatted with the woman at the petrol station and she told me her brother lives in Leamington Spa 🚜

    Around 3pm, having driven through the Dovrefjell National Park and along the edge of the Rondane NP it was time for a breather at the small town of Vaga. Known for its connection to Edward Munch 😱

    I had one of the BEST afternoons at an art gallery ever https://ullinsvin.no/ 🥰🥰🥰

     So unexpected to see an exhibition by Norway's Queen Sonja as well as a locally based photographer Orsolya Haarberg (been in National Geographic x4) https://fjellheimengalleri.no/ 💓💓💓

    Having started the day with a slate site,...... It's all too much - in a very good way! And that's without mentioning the amazing scenery 🏞️

    Plus, third UK reference - All Creatures Great & Small, a TV show from my childhood also much appreciated in Germany apparently. Had a lovely evening sharing a picnic table and travel stories with an adventurous family from near Hamburg 🥪

    I was very surprised to be discussing Tricky Woo's indulgences (spoiled Pekingese dog) whilst eating my supper tonight 😂    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    31211
    Day 20

    Leaving the Coast Behind

    July 17, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    277km 🚗

    A day of ups and downs 🤨

    Started and ended well, but some emotional moments in the middle 🫣

    Enjoyed my morning coffee with two cyclists who both happen to be from Innsbruck. Their stories of cycling 100 kilometers a day in all weathers and all the clever lightweight kit they carry: mindboggling 🚲 ... 🚲

    Having looked more closely at the next stage of this trip I realised I have 800km to cover in 5 days 🧐

     This will allow me to get to the Norwegian town of Porsgrunn in the Tellemark region by Friday. Where I have kindly been invited to stay with the aunt of a friend of a friend. She used to work at the famous porcelain factory that is in the town 🍽️🥣

    All of which means I need to pick up the rate of travel once again, so my beautiful dillydallying beside the coast has come to an end 😟

    Hence the emotional moment as I left the F17 coastal road, at Steinkjer (I've being pronouncing it as 'stinkier'....) Which has been on the signposts for 400km?!🛣️

    So somewhat reluctantly I rejoined the E6, the main N/S road. The same one that I took to Bodø, so I knew I'd recognise it but imagine my surprise, moments later, to find the same Toyota dealership I last saw on 6th July when I stopped by mistake - Harris the Yaris at home will not be forgotten! 🐞

    Considering this was a very wet day of driving there seem to be still plenty of pictures and quite a lot to say on the subject hmm 🗣️🗣️🗣️

    Stopping at a supermarket in a different country often provides examples of the local culture. I particularly liked the 'People's Adventures - the Musical', and the dog grooming posters 🎼 🐾

    Buying fruit yogurt or as turned out to be fruit rice pudding (😨) was another surprising moment today - it was delicious and nothing like school dinners!

    This is turning out to be a very long Footprint, suffice to say the rain was so heavy and my mood slightly lower so I filled up Danske and enjoyed my plated chicken kebab with salad and fries 🌧️🌧️🌧️

    Before heading back up the road to a campsite - nobody being sociable here as it is mostly very static caravans but Reno the manager did tell me all about his long COVID experience and how the previous owner of the campsite ran it for 58 years 😳

    I'm looking forward to some different roads as I head to Glitterheim on Tuesday 🪩    Read more

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