Norway in may?

[peterjl]

Hi

 

Thinking about 2009 trips:- i have the last 3 weeks in may available but have to be home by 1st June,

 

Now in 3 weeks i would have to confine myself to Oslo/Bergen or perhaps a little further North but not too far.

 

Has anybody travelled then? if so

What is weather like

Is anything open?

 

Many thanks

 

Peter

[Guest Tracker]

We were in Norway mid June and the Nordkapp on 26th June this year.

 

Some of the heaviest drifts were within 100 miles or so of Bergen and it seemed to reduce the further North we went. Probably due to the higher altitude of the mountains in the centre of Norway and our preterence for coastal routes.

 

It was obvious from the volume of snow in places that some roads had not long been open to traffic and diversions would have been long in many cases.

 

However the Norwegians are very good at dealing with snow and I would be inclined to go in May if I had the chance, although if - sorry when, as we will go again - we go again we will go in June and July again because of the possible bonus of a warm (very at times) Sweden along the Baltic coast.

[malc d]

peterjl - 2008-10-29 7:20 PM

 

Hi

 

Thinking about 2009 trips:- i have the last 3 weeks in may available but have to be home by 1st June,

 

Now in 3 weeks i would have to confine myself to Oslo/Bergen or perhaps a little further North but not too far.

 

Has anybody travelled then? if so

What is weather like

Is anything open?

 

Many thanks

 

Peter

 

 

Hi Peter

 

A couple of years ago we went up through Sweden arriving at North Cape on May 31 st.

Then down Norway coast.

When we got to the fjord district in mid June some of the roads were only just open, in fact we had met a couple of vans on their way north who had been diverted many miles to go around the closed areas.

So if you do go in the Oslo / Bergen region check which roads are open before planning any moves or ' days' out '

 

I'm with Tracker on this - great place to go - and I would love to go again.

 

Good luck

:-|

 

 

 

[peterjl]

Many Thanks Malc & Tracker.

 

In the light of your comments i think i may postpone to following year when i should be able to go in June. Longer term i plan to go up to North Cape but i need to retire first! Still thats only a couple of years off.

 

So Its back to the drawing board for 2009. I like to go somewhere new but i am restricted by max time off of 3 weeks + a couple of days sooo visited Morrocco; Spain; Northern italy; Switzerland, Germany, Holland, France of course. - time to get maps out again!

 

Many Thanks

 

Peter

[terry1956]

Hi we did Norway last year around May time, i hated the place.

Why not do sweden and denmark, very nice people and great countries.

Not so expensive has Norway and far far nicer.

michael

[ryedaleman]

I have travelled extensively in Scandanavia in winter and summer with my job and often took my holidays there usually in May/June August, camping on a motorbike and lately with a van, In May Bergen can be very wet, and you will see snow in higher ground, but the roads are fine. When we went it was very hot, staying at Voss the temp hit 28C, the next day while travelling we came out a of a tunnel (Norwegians specialise in these) to find snow on the side of the road. Oslo (I dont recommend the campsite) is lovely and you are more likely to suffer from sun stroke than snow blindness in May. The only drawback with May is the mossies, though they are worse in Sweden at this time.

I'd suggest travelling through Denmark and Sweden upto the Olso area/Swedish border. The people are lovely, the scenery is unsurpassed and theres plenty to do.

[malc d]

terry1956 - 2008-10-31 10:53 AM

 

Hi we did Norway last year around May time, i hated the place.

Why not do sweden and denmark, very nice people and great countries.

Not so expensive has Norway and far far nicer.

michael

 

 

MIchael

I'd be interested to know which part of Norway you saw - and what you didn't like about it.

 

Cheers : Malc D

:-|

[Guest Tracker]

malc d - 2008-10-31 5:01 PM

 

terry1956 - 2008-10-31 10:53 AM

 

Hi we did Norway last year around May time, i hated the place.

Why not do sweden and denmark, very nice people and great countries.

Not so expensive has Norway and far far nicer.

michael

 

MIchael

I'd be interested to know which part of Norway you saw - and what you didn't like about it.

 

Cheers : Malc D

:-|

 

Me too - I think Norway is a fabulous country and to have their level of society I would pay their prices. The people are friendly and helpful and if it weren't so bloody cold in t'winter I would even consider living there.

[Ina]

malc d - 2008-10-31 5:01 PM

 

terry1956 - 2008-10-31 10:53 AM

 

Hi we did Norway last year around May time, i hated the place.

Why not do sweden and denmark, very nice people and great countries.

Not so expensive has Norway and far far nicer.

michael

 

MIchael

I'd be interested to know which part of Norway you saw - and what you didn't like about it.

 

Cheers : Malc D

:-|

 

I'd be interested too, as North Cape is one of the places on our 'to do' list.

 

Realistically, how long should we be looking at for travel there and back? I realise this is a bit like: how long is a piece of string, as it depends on things like stop-overs on the way, how far you want to travel in 1 day, etc.

 

Also, what it is like for campsites and is wild camping allowed, or not?

 

Any info on this gratefully received.

 

Ina.

[spospe]

Peter

 

Norway in May is OK in our experience, but sites are often not open in the north and in fact, many tourist attractions do not really get going until the main holiday season starts in July.

 

‘Wild’ camping is allowed by law, provided that you do not stop anywhere that specifically prohibits it and there are many dump points (mostly near to, or a part of, filling stations).

 

The main problem is keeping warm if the season is cold and your gas supply will not last long and a Norwegian 5kg cylinder will cost you about £70, plus another £15 for a regulator (refills are cheaper once you have bought the initial cylinder). The solutions to the heat problem are either to use sites with mains, or a diesel heater (our choice).

 

2008 saw a large snowfall around Easter, which caused problems for folk wishing to travel north as it very effectively blocked off many of the passes. This is unusual and normally you would not have any trouble.

 

I have been everywhere in Norway, its great, but do your research first.

 

Michael

 

[malc d]

Hymer584 - 2008-11-02 4:01 PM

 

malc d - 2008-10-31 5:01 PM

 

terry1956 - 2008-10-31 10:53 AM

 

Hi we did Norway last year around May time, i hated the place.

Why not do sweden and denmark, very nice people and great countries.

Not so expensive has Norway and far far nicer.

michael

 

MIchael

I'd be interested to know which part of Norway you saw - and what you didn't like about it.

 

Cheers : Malc D

:-|

 

I'd be interested too, as North Cape is one of the places on our 'to do' list.

 

Realistically, how long should we be looking at for travel there and back? I realise this is a bit like: how long is a piece of string, as it depends on things like stop-overs on the way, how far you want to travel in 1 day, etc.

 

Also, what it is like for campsites and is wild camping allowed, or not?

 

Any info on this gratefully received.

 

Ina.

 

 

 

We were lucky, with no time restriction, we went for two months. Up through centre of Sweden and back down the coast of Norway with a diversion on to the Lofoten Islands.

No problem finding sites and no problems finding wild sites until you get 'down south' into the fjord district between Bergen and Trondheim, where wild camping is now discouraged, presumably because it is so much busier.

To get to North Cape and back ( from Bergen ) I would think you need at least 5 or 6 weeks to make the most of it.

We came back with 800 photos and 3 hours of video so I can't wait to hear which bit 'Terry1956' didn't like !

 

 

:-) :-)

[Ina]

Thanks very much, Michael and Malc D, that's very useful info.

We are not restricted by time either, fortunately, only by an elderly cat!

 

From what I gather then, it would be better to set off around the end of May-ish, and plan to get to the Cape around the beginning/middle of July. Of course we would not want to rush up there, without seeing other areas on the way there - and back. It will need a lot of careful planning, no doubt, routes, sites, areas to visit etc.

It's something we have always promised ourselves, so we really hope to be able to do it, not next year, but possibly the year after.

[terry1956]

Hi, In answer, we started off by taking the road bridge from germany and then driving to Oslo, I know that there is a motorhome camping site near the port, but it was getting late so we went to a camp site.

The 1st thing I notice was all the signs about locking things up due to thiefs. But this is a gated camp site so whats going on. Well there are around 75% eastern block within Oslo and most of them lifed on this campsite all year round. Talk about a nightmare, we moved out the following day to the site near the port, much better.

Anyway Oslo was OK, saw the fort and the viking ships etc. My partner wished to see the northern lights and I wanted to do some fly fishing so we started out for trondheim, a long way. Well after a few days of traveling on single roads with over priced camp sites and not the best of food, we had enough when we got to trondheim and just could find no place to park at all, i HAVE NEVER SEEN so many yellow lines and no parking signs. From that point we headed for sweden and what a delight.

I found Norway to be boring, well overpriced, at one place they wanted £12 for a big mac. and not to clean. Sweden was just great, great people, loads to see, the vasa warship is a must see, a complete early 17th cen warship, stockhome is just a nice place to be, lower prices, better food, easy walking the place and we plan to go back.

Denmark was great for the fishing and a ticket for all trout holding waters inland and sea was just £10pa. Who needs Norway.

michael

[malc d]

terry1956 - 2008-11-02 6:19 PM

 

Hi, In answer, we started off by taking the road bridge from germany and then driving to Oslo, I know that there is a motorhome camping site near the port, but it was getting late so we went to a camp site.

The 1st thing I notice was all the signs about locking things up due to thiefs. But this is a gated camp site so whats going on. Well there are around 75% eastern block within Oslo and most of them lifed on this campsite all year round. Talk about a nightmare, we moved out the following day to the site near the port, much better.

Anyway Oslo was OK, saw the fort and the viking ships etc. My partner wished to see the northern lights and I wanted to do some fly fishing so we started out for trondheim, a long way. Well after a few days of traveling on single roads with over priced camp sites and not the best of food, we had enough when we got to trondheim and just could find no place to park at all, i HAVE NEVER SEEN so many yellow lines and no parking signs. From that point we headed for sweden and what a delight.

I found Norway to be boring, well overpriced, at one place they wanted £12 for a big mac. and not to clean. Sweden was just great, great people, loads to see, the vasa warship is a must see, a complete early 17th cen warship, stockhome is just a nice place to be, lower prices, better food, easy walking the place and we plan to go back.

Denmark was great for the fishing and a ticket for all trout holding waters inland and sea was just £10pa. Who needs Norway.

michael

 

 

Hi Michael

Thanks for taking the trouble to come back with your experiences.

It sounds to me as if you were a bit unfortunate in your choice of route.

I must say I wouldn't go to Norway to visit cities - for me the rural/ mountain scenery is Norways' attraction.

Oslo to Trondheim sounds about as interesting as London to Bristol, but I wouldn't write off the whole of Britain based on that route.

I've camped in Sweden and Denmark as well and I would agree that they are great places to visit, but I don't think they can match the Norwegian scenery.

Cheers

malc

:-|

[Guest Tracker]

We took about 6 weeks to cover the distance from the danish border up through Norway to Nordkapp and back down through Finland and Baltic Sweden. We could have done it in five weeks with less diversions to look at unplanned places but when we do it again (when not if!) we will aim for about the same and visit different places.

 

We only used two sites and only then for the laundrette and we had no problem getting and emptying water and waste.

 

All cities are difficult for Motorhomes and foreign ones can be particularly intimidating places for the uninitiated.

 

There are two parking areas in Trondheim but as with most places no signs to help you find them. We were lucky in that we stumbled across one by accident close to the Ringve Botanic gardens.

 

We don't eat Big Macs, but eating out is expensive but then if you are going to Norway you should be prepared and if you don't like it - don't go - or at least avoid buying expensive meals and drinks out - we did!

 

Norway is a clean and tidy country, as are all Scandinavian countries when compared to the UK, and we saw little evidence of any environmental abuse.

 

Sweden too is a lovely country whose people, we found, to be even more welcoming, helpful, friendly and laid back than the Norwegians.

 

Denmark is, in our view, just somewhere you have to pass through to get to the good bits. Perhaps that's a little unfair as there are some great towns and villages and the people were fine.

 

Can't say the same for the scenery though and if mountains, moorlands, forests, rivers and wild coast do it for you then you too will be disappointed by Denmark.

 

Hope that redresses the negativity experienced by Terry and whilst I fully respect his right to his own views I beg to differ.

 

As I keep saying - there is no right or wrong - just different.

[spospe]

Terry1956 must indeed have had an unusual experience during his trip to Norway because to the best of my knowledge, there is no road bridge from Germany and the Northern Lights are only reliably visible when it is dark!

 

We have been to Trondheim this year and it is true that the ‘Aire’ in the centre (near the waterfront) has disappeared, but we stayed out of town and got the bus in without any problem.

 

Terry1956’s site that dismayed him in Oslo was presumably Bogstad, which is close to the Holmenkollen ski-jump (well worth a visit in its own right). This site is expensive and it does have itinerant workers in residence, but we experienced no problems as the site staff maintains a 24-hour presence.

 

[terry1956]

Hi, in answer, to the question which bridge, well we did not take a ferry, we went from france into germany and then across the road bridge into sweden and then across the bottom into Norway.

We to don,t go traveling to see large cities, But it was used as point of route.

For me Denmark was a very interesting place, and has a viking longboat of its own. As to sweden, well I just loved the place, from the red painted houses to the views and the people.

One other reason for leaving Norway was we did not wish the two dogs to have anymore anti worming pills as it made them both very sick, and as it was coming up to the 10 day rule we pulled out,

plan to revisit both denmark and sweden again next year, but never Norway again.

anyway we all see things has we see them, and some people will love it there and some will not. But motorhoming is in my view the best way to see new things and places, and with luck enjoying what you see and do.

terry

[Rapido-lass]

I visited the Nordkapp last June, having refused to listen to all the negative views given about Norway and the Nordkapp. The only negative point is that it is expensive, but knowing that in advance you make sure that you take plenty of supplies so you don't have to rely on eating out.

 

However, this negative point is far far outweighed by the sheer beauty and diveristy of the landscape your journey will take you on. If you looked at my photos you would think they were of several different holidays all mixed up!

 

The Norweigens and Finish people are very friendly and all speak good English (unlike many English people themselves) Even the checkout girl in a small village store chatted away to us - our phrase book was redundant!

 

Alot of the time we didn't use sites, as the Scandinavian countries are geared up for motorhomes.

 

The only downside for me was that we were limited on the time - 2 weeks, but the way I see it, it was a taster of things to come! I will be back to visit Norway and Finland both on quick tours until I achieve priveledged pensioner status and can take my time!

 

If you are interested in the route we took and costings etc let me know.

[Ina]

Hi Rapido-lass

 

Thanks for your useful info. Yes, one thing we are aware of is the fact that things are very expensive in Norway, so it will definitely be a matter of making sure we have plenty of essentials in store! We've got a good payload, so weight (up to a point) should not be a problem. Might have to make a trip to France first to stock up on wine :-D

 

It would be really interesting and helpful to have a route and costings, we too would love to 'do' Nordkapp, although most likely not until 2010.

 

Any info gratefully received.

 

Ina.

[malc d]

For those on this thread who appreciate the scenery of Norway I would suggest that, if you've not been there before, you try to incorporate an excursion onto the Lofoten Islands.

The mountains there are different to the mainland and I thought had a quite 'mystical' quality.

I will now try to add a photo of Reine, on the islands, which, according to the Lonely Planet guide, has been voted " the most scenic place in Norway".

We had to photgraph it on a wet day, but if you can arrange to arrive when there's a lovely blue sky, all the better !

 

As far as expense goes, the only place I thought was a bit of a 'rip-off' was Nordkapp itself, as you pay a toll to go through a tunnel to the island and then again to 'enter' the last half mile.

(That last part of the trip cost us about £60 if I remember rightly).

As we mostly dined in we did not find it too expensive otherwise, but certainly more than U.K.

 

[spospe]

Specially for malc d, here is a photo of Reine with the sun shining, taken in May this year.

[malc d]

spospe - 2008-11-05 3:29 PM

 

Specially for malc d, here is a photo of Reine with the sun shining, taken in May this year.

 

 

Thanks for that Michael - great view !

 

I did find in Norway that although the weather was quite changeable when we were there, cloudy conditions often added a totally different atmosphere to a place.

( Very tempting to put more pics on - but I will restrain myself !)

Thanks again.

:-|

[Hopesy]

Just as a general enquiry what are the cost of things in Norway how much more expensive is it? Not specific items but generally? You know beer bread that sort of thing? How much would an average pub meal cost in tourist area?

[Guest Tracker]

We paid the equivalent of about £2.25 for a loaf of bread, about £1.50 for a litre of milk and about £140 a litre of diesel in June 2008. The UK price of diesel was about £1.30 ish I think - but we were away so I don't know.

[Ina]

Tracker - 2008-11-05 7:11 PM

 

and about £140 a litre of diesel in June 2008.

 

Wow!! Now that's what I really call VERY expensive :-(

 

Seriously, thanks for all the info so far, as well as those beautiful photos. As I have said earlier, we are hoping to go in 2010, and should have about 6 weeks to do it in, so a visit to the Lofoten Islands should be possible in that timescale.

 

Ina.