We would like to ride to/from Nordkapp/Norway next year.
We would like to ride either to it or from it, but not both (as its such a remote point).
Any experiences of how to get to or from that area with bikes.
Using any/all of ferries/trains/planes/hire cars to get to the UK?
Barry
Nordkapp - Norway
Re: Nordkapp - Norway
I was there on a motorbike a few years back and got talking to a German cyclist who had ridden from Oslo. He was about to put his bike and himself on a small aircraft that would fly him back to Oslo. No idea about current availability. An alternative that springs to mind is the Hurtigruten coastal ferry. There is a ship going both ways every day, and I think it takes about a week to get to Bergen, or a couple of days the other way to Kirkness, where there is an airport.
I was there end of August / early September, and the fjord ferries were already on the winter timetable. If you're not expecting this, you can be in for a long wait (several hours), or an even longer round trip. Don't ask how I know this
.
It's a great trip. Enjoy.
I was there end of August / early September, and the fjord ferries were already on the winter timetable. If you're not expecting this, you can be in for a long wait (several hours), or an even longer round trip. Don't ask how I know this
.It's a great trip. Enjoy.
Re: Nordkapp - Norway
We flew in a few years ago. IIRC, we flew into Hammerfest and cycled the rest into Nordkapp over 2 days. We then turned south and cycled to Greece.
Re: Nordkapp - Norway
I went a few years back: I cycled there (not all the way! I started at Bodø), and got the Hurtigruten boat back south. (I also used the Hurtigruten to get from Havøysund to Honningsvåg, which meant I could skip the undersea tunnel to the North Cape: cycling is allowed in that tunnel, but (by all accounts) not particularly pleasant.)
By land: you can take the train as far as Bodø; it's a very nice trip, imo. (And quite a lot quicker than the boat...). That route (the Nordlandsbanen) starts at Trondheim, which you can reach by train from Oslo or by plane or by (Hurtigruten) boat. Taking bikes on norwegian trains is straightforward.
By plane: Trondheim is an easy option (as above), and Tromsø is another big (by Norwegian standards...) airport, which I think has occasional direct flights from the UK. You can also fly into Bodø (though not direct from the UK), or to Alta. There are quite a few other small airports in northern norway, but I think using those would mean a couple of changes (and might involve small planes, where taking a bike is potentially problematic).
To get to Norway without flying (and without cycling all the way): there is the Holland-Norway Lines ferry from Emden, which goes to Kristiansand; or a couple of routes from northern Denmark, to Bergen/Stavanger. The former is, I think, more convenient to get to overland from the UK (ferry to the Netherlands, then a fairly easy train/cycle); the latter might put you in a better place to start the Norwegian bit of your ride -- obviously this depends on how much time you have/how far you want to ride.
In other words: there are plenty of options! The critical factor is how much time you want to spend cycling (and how much time you have available for the trip in total...)
By land: you can take the train as far as Bodø; it's a very nice trip, imo. (And quite a lot quicker than the boat...). That route (the Nordlandsbanen) starts at Trondheim, which you can reach by train from Oslo or by plane or by (Hurtigruten) boat. Taking bikes on norwegian trains is straightforward.
By plane: Trondheim is an easy option (as above), and Tromsø is another big (by Norwegian standards...) airport, which I think has occasional direct flights from the UK. You can also fly into Bodø (though not direct from the UK), or to Alta. There are quite a few other small airports in northern norway, but I think using those would mean a couple of changes (and might involve small planes, where taking a bike is potentially problematic).
To get to Norway without flying (and without cycling all the way): there is the Holland-Norway Lines ferry from Emden, which goes to Kristiansand; or a couple of routes from northern Denmark, to Bergen/Stavanger. The former is, I think, more convenient to get to overland from the UK (ferry to the Netherlands, then a fairly easy train/cycle); the latter might put you in a better place to start the Norwegian bit of your ride -- obviously this depends on how much time you have/how far you want to ride.
In other words: there are plenty of options! The critical factor is how much time you want to spend cycling (and how much time you have available for the trip in total...)
Re: Nordkapp - Norway
Thanks guys, will investigate all these.
Keep them comingplease
Keep them comingplease