twill Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hi we are thinking of Norway, for summer hols., 2 weeks leaving from Newcastle. I have seen the various camp site brochures , but has anyone first hand experience. ie what are the roads around the Fjiord areas like? Quality of sites look very good, how safe is wild camping, I believe it is accepted in certain areas. How much more expensive is fuel? We are thinking of going end June early July.... Any information would be very helpful, Many thanks :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 I think it might help if you narrow down the area you would intend visiting. Norway is about twice as long North to South as the whole of Britain, and there are hundreds of fjiords all up the West coast. It is very unlikely the roads, the trolls, or anything else, will be to similar standard throughout! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hi Twill; Funny old thing, we're off to Norway June/July as well. I'm not in a great position to give much advice as it will be our first visit as well but one thing that most people seem to agree on is to get that ferry booked as early as possible. If you're in the Caravan Club then you can get 10% off DFDS fares. They don't handle bookings themselves but you can get the discount code via their website then quote it when booking via DFDS online. There are 3 ports that DFDS visit in Norway, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen and the price is the same wherever you get off. We're going Newcastle > Haugesund and returning Bergen > Newcastle. A search on t'internet shows that fuel prices are only slightly dearer than UK but I have been told that it is wise to fill up whenever you can especially away from the major towns as fuel stations can be few and far between. With a similarly vested interest I'll be looking forward to any other information you get... pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icelander Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 too may tunnels now otherwise we liked it prepare to meet many Germans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 twill - 2007-12-23 8:43 AM Hi we are thinking of Norway, for summer hols., 2 weeks leaving from Newcastle. I have seen the various camp site brochures , but has anyone first hand experience. ie what are the roads around the Fjiord areas like? Quality of sites look very good, how safe is wild camping, I believe it is accepted in certain areas. How much more expensive is fuel? We are thinking of going end June early July.... Any information would be very helpful, Many thanks :-D Went there two years ago - lovely country to visit. As you only have two weeks I assume you will only tour the southern fjord area. All the sites we stayed on were a good standard. Wild campimng is now 'discouraged' in the south because it's quite busy. Roads are good, but often narrow. Don't expect to go very far each day. Fuel then was slighter cheaper than here but that may be different now (?) Alchohol very expensive - and nil tolerance for drink driving. Plenty of tunnels, most of which are well enough lit. It's an experience to go throught the longest tunnel in the world over there which is about 15 miles long - with laybys every 5 miles. Early June some of the higher passes are still closed with snow and some detours may be required. No Camping Gaz available then- we took propane. Weather was changeable so best to use a 'layer' system rather than heavy clothing. We arrived back in Bergen in a heat wave late June. Seem to recall food was a bit more expensive but that was probably in more remote areas up north. Frequent ferries across fjords, and they kept sailing up to about 11pm. Anything I've left out ? Just ask. Have a good trip. I'm sure you will want to go back for longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I've just noticed that Peejay is going as well - you lucky people !! As for fuel supplies - it depends where you are going. If you are going up north it's best to keep at least half a tank of fuel. We never had a problem and found fuel at least every 40 or 50 miles or so. Buy your fuel during the day as many more remote fuel stops- which are sometimes just a pump next to a shop - tend to close early evening. We used visa card for fuel and only'not accepted' once. (... and surprisingly that was a large Shell station). I wouldn't think you have trouble with fuel in the south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Just had another thought. All the ferries we went on required payment in cash - a man generally wanders along the queue selling the tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 malc d - 2008-01-01 9:34 PM Just had another thought. All the ferries we went on required payment in cash - a man generally wanders along the queue selling the tickets. That's a good point Malc - so I guess we will need dome local currency as I doubt they will take Euros? We hope to go in May and June but we will go via Dover and drive up and back due to the dog not being able to go on the longer ferries. No definite plan or time scale as yet due to other commitments but we will only need a week or two to set ourselves up to go and plan to be away for about six or seven weeks. I'm not bothered about sites or anything else as whilst we will start with a list of potential places to see, we will learn as we go and the main object is to fulfil both of our long time ambitions to both see the Northern Lights and to drive to the Nordkapp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Tracker - 2008-01-02 1:17 PM malc d - 2008-01-01 9:34 PM Just had another thought. All the ferries we went on required payment in cash - a man generally wanders along the queue selling the tickets. That's a good point Malc - so I guess we will need dome local currency as I doubt they will take Euros? We hope to go in May and June but we will go via Dover and drive up and back due to the dog not being able to go on the longer ferries. No definite plan or time scale as yet due to other commitments but we will only need a week or two to set ourselves up to go and plan to be away for about six or seven weeks. I'm not bothered about sites or anything else as whilst we will start with a list of potential places to see, we will learn as we go and the main object is to fulfil both of our long time ambitions to both see the Northern Lights and to drive to the Nordkapp. You're a lucky man Tracker ! You're in for a treat. I think you are probably too late for Northern Lights though - we were told they are best around February time - we didn't see them anyway. We went up through Sweden in mid May - arrived North Cape May 30th, then back down west coast, with a diversion to Lofoten Islands - and ended up at Bergen in early July. May / June is a good time for waterfalls because of the snow melt. Wild camping is easy up north but 'not encouraged' in the south. Ferries across the fjords in the south ran every 20 mins or so - we never waited long. Have a good trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 malc d - 2008-01-02 3:39 You're a lucky man Tracker ! You're in for a treat. I think you are probably too late for Northern Lights though - we were told they are best around February time - we didn't see them anyway. Not so much lucky Malc - more fortunate I reckon! I have been told that whilst the Aurora is without doubt best at the far North in mid winter, it can sometimes be seen in spring and early summer but is dependant on three things. The first is cloud cover which I guess will be a variable problem? The next is altitude (the higher you are the better the chance to see further North I guess?) The last is latitude. It seems that as the year progresses the lights can be better seen further South due to the angle of the sun? I was also told that March/April would be better for the Aurora but June/July better for climate and travelling - so we reckon May/June as a compromise. I have seen the Aurora from the North coast of Scotland in June on a clear night - albeit not very brightly - but still well worth seeing! I don't know how much of what I've been told is true but it does sorta make sense! Care to join us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Can't get there this year Tracker, but would like to go back there sometime. As far as the Norwegian climate is concerned I suggest you use the 'layer' system of clothing so you can adjust from day to day. At North Cape, while sitting with a line of vans facing out to sea waiting for the midnight sun we had : mist, horizontal rain, bright sunshine and a blizzard - all within an hour. Luckily the sun appeared just on midnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 malc d - 2008-01-02 5:22 PM Can't get there this year Tracker, but would like to go back there sometime. As far as the Norwegian climate is concerned I suggest you use the 'layer' system of clothing so you can adjust from day to day. At North Cape, while sitting with a line of vans facing out to sea waiting for the midnight sun we had : mist, horizontal rain, bright sunshine and a blizzard - all within an hour. Luckily the sun appeared just on midnight. Similar climate to Pembrokeshire then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Hi, did Norway this year, and I am sorry to say I did not like it at all.Oslo is so so and the viking ship house is a must if you like history, but Oslo itselve was a let down, The cost of fuel was not much more then the UK, the roads from Oslo are single line for the most part and narrow. Wild camping we did one night on the way to tromhelm along with a few van drivers. The camp site at Oslo was dity and being used by poles full time and had signs all over re breakins to motorhomes. After a week we turned for Sweden, much better, less expensive and a lot more to see and do. terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Terry 1956: Sorry to hear you didn't like Norway - but I do wonder which parts you visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 malc d - 2008-01-02 3:39 PM Snipped... Wild camping is easy up north but 'not encouraged' in the south. Hi again Malc and thanks for the info, could you elaborate a bit on 'not encouraged' and when you say 'in the south' do you think we'd be ok with a bit of wildcamping from Haugesund and up to Trondheim? We've only got 3 weeks so I think thats probably about as far north this time round for us, don't want to rush things. Another question before I go - I think they call the motorhome servicepoints 'bobils', does anyone know where you can get a good list of these on t'internet? Finally *-) Don't know if helps anyone but i've found a good list of LPG stations in Norway and Sweden for anyone with refillables..... http://www.gjelstenli.no/lpg/index-filer/LPGguidenEngelsk.htm pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hi Pete I think of Norway in three areas: The south is anywhere south of Trondheim. 'Midlands' is from Trondheim to the Arctic Circle The north is from Arctic Circle to North Cape. In the south we quite often saw signs in laybys or 'picnic spots' saying that camping was not allowed, but don't recall seeing any such signs north of Trondheim. I think it's just a question of numbers as there are so many more motorhomes around in the south. I'm not saying that wild camping is banned though as we did see a few vans on open land, well away from built up areas, who appeared to be wild camping. I would think that as long as you are well away from populated areas you won't be bothered by anyone. As you say, I suggest to don't plan to go too far in three weeks as it's not an area where fast progress is possible. I seem to recall that the word 'Bobil' is actually what the Norwegians call motorhomes. Enjoy your trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 malc d - 2008-01-03 10:17 AM Enjoy your trip We certainly intend to, thanks for all your help :-D pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 To wet your appetite here ( hopefully) is a major waterfall that is within easy reach of Bergen. It's about 12 kms north of Voss. There's a campsite right next to it. We stayed one night but couldn't sleep because of the noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omidknight Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Northern lights - only seen them once but will never forget them, as we were sorta lost on a horsetrack in the interior of Iceland, in our previous Landrover camper I think it was in August Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi Twill, I've just e-mailed you a file that may be useful. Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Cattwg - 2008-02-04 8:40 PM Hi Twill, I've just e-mailed you a file that may be useful. Regards Cattwg Is there anything in the file that might be of interest to others planning the same trip please John? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hi Malc DYour photo brings back memories of May 2004. You could not see the rocks on the Tvinde waterfall because of the quantity of water going over. The field at the bottom was also partly flooded.Spectacular. We only stayed two nights because of the noise. Would recommend the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip to anyone going. Part by railway, then boat and then coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hi, sorry for delay in getting back, we started our trip into Norway across the bridge from denmark and then headed for Oslo, OK Oslo was so so, a lot smaller then the idea we had of the place. The camp site just outside was full of romanians living there full time, and the place was not to good. we moved on the next day and headed for tromhelm, God what a boring place, from there went into sweden and started to enjoy the trip, worked out way down back into denmark and this time had them check how long the hymer was on the 1st bridge and the 2nd one wanted the weight, which I showed the person but as she could not understand what she was looking at and wanted us to pay the HGV price to cross, we waited until the police showed up, they took one look at the hymer plate and we went across at the correct price, a big £60 pounds less.No we just did not get on with norway, found the people great in sweden, and the bass fishing out of this world in denmark along with the beer.terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hi Twill, I wrote this as PM to Tracker and it occurred to me that it might be useful to you and possibly others on the Forum.Hi Tracker,------------------------------ I should have said that the file is the itinery that we made up before leaving for Scandinavia. In the event we did not follow it to the letter - but that was never the intention. So I cannot vouch for all the campsites and stopovers. However they all came from the Rough Guide, MMM Consultants, Camping Cheques and other reliable sources. I can recommend Stockholm - its a lovely city. We used the 'aire' organised by (I think) their equivalent of the MCC. It was not very pretty to say the least!!! But very convenient for the city. For Oslo we used the 'aire' at the Boat Yard/Marina. Coming from Bergen, its on the left - if you pass through the city's tollbooth, you've gone too far. We did twice!? Oslo's not very big but worth a day's wander. We used bikes in both cities. Getting into Nord Kapp was VERY expensive, from memory, £10 each way for the tunnel and £18 per person for entry into the Kapp itself. But we thought, as I guess most did, after X thousands of miles and it's a once only thing what the heck. Mind the £18 did include two overnight stops - in a not very pretty car park! Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Twill and Tracker, Have just found that the 'aire' at Oslo now has a website. www.bobilparkering.no I'm sure this must be the one mentioned in my notes - it has a map - very useful! When we were there, payment was by means of a parking ticket machine. Although the website states it opens 01/06 we arived two days off the end of May and were not turned away. Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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