Member Since: 28 Feb 2011
Location: Den Haag
Posts: 317
Norway road trip - December 2016 - advice/tips wanted!
Hey guys. I am heading to Tromso, Norway in December. I booked a live-aboard snorkelling/diving trip 18 months ago (looking forward to getting in the water with Orcas!). I want to incorporate a road trip as the scenery looks amazing and I want to give my car a bit of a shakedown before a much larger trip planned in 2017. I know a lot of people have done this route and so I'm hoping I can learn from your collective experiences.
My current plan is to drive up to Hirtshals, Denmark then take the ferry to Bergen, Norway followed by a drive up the E6. From my limited research so far it seems the roads are fine provided you have winter tyres. What is the minimum time to allow for the drive?
On the return I would like to mix in some off-road and winter camping, does anyone have any experience or suggestions for this? Any recommendations for viewing the Northern Lights? Any recommendations for things to see/do - my girlfriend and myself are quite active/adventure orientated.
Overall I have 14 - 16 days for the trip with 3 days of that on-board the boat.
Finally are there any tips you can give me wrt the car - I will make sure all fluids are appropriately rated and door seals are lubricated, anything else?
Cheers, NickD3 SE with Hankook MT 275/65/R18, IID BT Tool, ProSpeed rock/tree sliders + compressor guard, RLD sump guard & winch tray + 13,000lb hidden winch, Gearbox guard, Frontrunner 80l aux tank with fuel gauge, V8 brake upgrade, Traxide USI-160 dual battery system, Frontrunner ladder, custom boot storage, Lazer LED driving lights, de-cat exhaust, Aftermarket Oro TPMS, i7 Mac Mini touch screen install (running Windows 10) mirrored on rear screens.
10th Aug 2016 1:57 pm
nickprice
Member Since: 28 Feb 2011
Location: Den Haag
Posts: 317
I didn't get any responses to this thread but thought I'd post a quick write-up of the trip I did at the start of the month.
I didn't do anything special to the car for this trip. I gave it a full service, put vasoline on the door seals (I would use silicone spray in future as it got on all our clothes!) and built a sleeping platform in the rear of the car. I removed two of the three seats to provide additional storage - this modification cost me less than 60 EUR in plywood.
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I do have a roof top tent but it is currently stored in the UK and would cost me time and money to collect for the sake of a few days use. I also wanted to see how easy/convenient it was to sleep in the back of the car.
The pictures below are just from my Instagram but I can add more pictures from my proper camera if people are interested.
DAY 1: We started by driving from Den Haag to Hirtsals in Northern Denmark. It's a long drive (over 1,000 km) but doable as the roads are fairly fast (only minor delays due to road works in Germany).
We then took the overnight ferry from Hirtsals to Bergen. This already knocked a decent amount of distance off the trip north.
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DAY 2/3: From Bergen we headed over to Hemsedal and did a days skiing. It's a nice resort but very quiet at this time of year as it is right at the start of the season. Snow coverage was good though. We brought with us a lot of food and drink (beer) so catered for ourselves.
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DAY 4: We headed from Hemsedal to Trondheim. This was our favourite drive of the trip. We headed over the E50, following a snow plough over the top of the pass.
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The scenery was amazing, together with the snow on the road being whipped up like a layer of fog (felt a bit like we were in a Kate Bush/Meat Loaf music video). We stayed in Trondheim and just went for food and drinks at a local brewery (90 EUR for a snack, 2 burgers and 3 pints).
DAY 5: We headed up the E6 in the direction of Tromso. The scenery was great and the roads good fun to drive. The roads were pretty much empty except for haulage - most of the vehicles we saw were probably lorries, they were normally very accommodating with overtaking.
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We pulled up after about 800km and camped for the night. It was about -5 deg celsius, but together with our thermals we didn't need anything other than a cheap 12v heated blanket and the duvet to keep us warm (we also had a cheap Ikea mattress in the back). I had heavy duty 4 season sleeping bags for the colder camping we had planned later, but these were not needed. My takeaway from this experience is that it is manageable but a pain the ass to empty the car and set this up, and a bit cramped for two of us. I would get my roof tent if I did this again.
DAY 6: The adventure begins... As we had done so much the previous day we only had a short blast up to Tromso, unfortunately about an hour south of Narvik the dashboard lit up. I pulled up and connected the IID Tool, it told me there was an issue with the front right ABS sensor. I called for a tow truck, knowing it would take a while then limped to a large bus stop. I pulled off the wheel and stripped back the trim hoping it was a broken ABS wire or similar.
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It was then that I noticed that the hub was a tad wobbly! The bearings had collapsed.
So I put the put the wheel back on and we waited 7 hours for the tow truck (there had been other accidents of a higher priority such as an elk collision!). We watched a movie and made dinner. The car has done over 150,000km so I put this problem down to wear and tear rather than anything to do with the conditions or my bad driving!
I took photos and videos of what I had found which helped when the tow truck arrived. He was able to call ahead and get the garage in Narvik to start sourcing parts. Unfortunately being so far north these parts are not sitting on the shelf. We had a massive stroke of luck in that the garage was able to source a pair of hubs only an hour away that had been ordered by someone but never collected. I asked for both hubs to be replaced as a precaution. They were not able to source an ABS sensor. In fact there were none in the whole of Norway and even calls to private collectors who had their own stockpile of parts proved fruitless. Instead we ordered one to be shipped from the UK to Oslo and then up to Tromso. It would take 2 business days which is pretty amazing.
DAY 7: The two new hubs were fitted and we drove from Narvik to Tromso in limp mode (bumps were not fun).
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The total cost of the repair was just over 1,500 EUR. We now had 3 days live-aboard on a boat so I parked the car up at the harbour.
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DAY 8/9/10: The trip was to swim with Orcas in the fjord just north of Tromso. It was one of the most incredible experiences I've had. On the second day there were over 200 orcas and more than 30 humpbacks in the fjord.
DAY 11: I headed to the garage just outside Tromso and they prepared the car to fit the ABS sensor. On inspection it turned out that the damage was worse than first feared. The sensor wheel was badly damaged and had ground down the sensor itself. Apparently I would need a new CV joint and part of the drive shaft. There were none in Norway. There was no point in fitting a new sensor as it too would be destroyed. I did a bit of research online and concluded that at least I might be able to get the car back up on the suspension. We plumbed up the sensor and coiled it up being the inner arch trim to protect it. This meant that until the car was moving there was no ABS error recorded and we could play with the suspension height. In 'normal height' I then pulled the fuse in the engine bay (F26) which effectively locked it in 'normal height' and stopped it lowering. We looked at getting the parts needed shipped to Finland or Sweden but ultimately it was not practical. I therefore drove the rest of the trip with no ABS, traction control and no working speedo - this was about 4,000km. By driving carefully this was actually not too challenging but definitely made the driving more tiring due to the increased concentration required. We also missed a few turnings as we just slid past them .
The original plan had been to drive north to Alta and then off-road, down the Old Postal Road, the following day. The loss of time due to these problems, together with a poorly car, made this impractical. Instead we skipped straight across to our next stop in Hetta, Finland.
DAY 12: We went on a Huskie Safari with Hetta Huskies. It was really good fun and they have an excellent facility. I really recommend going with them if you find yourself up that way. I also got engaged to my girlfriend which was nice. Sorry, all pictures of the huskies are on my proper camera.
In the evening we drove down into Sweden to the Ice Hotel in Kiruna and had some cocktails in the Ice Bar at a much more reasonable rate than Norway!
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DAY 13: We drove down the coast of Sweden in the direction of Stockholm. Once you get about 400km south the roads clear up and the drive starts to be become pretty boring. The whole of the rest of the drive back was pretty dull to be honest, especially after we had been spoilt over the previous 10 days or so.
We camped again in the car, it was only -1 deg celius and was comfortable but my comments earlier still stand. I missed my roof tent.
DAY 14: We drove to Stockholm.
DAY 15: We drove to Copenhagen.
DAY 16: We drove home!
We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights in Norway, Finland and Sweden. With the best show in Finland (photos on my proper camera!).
Travelling in winter is great but bear in mind the limited daylight hours. Most of the travelling was in the dark and, although fun, it would be nice be have seen the spectacular scenery in brighter conditions. Maybe a summer trip is in order one day...
Lowest temperature we recorded was -20 deg celsius, and we missed -30 by a couple of days in Finland.
Conclusions:
Camping inside the car is not for me but does work as a last resort.
If planning again I would have taken a few days extra to do the trip (although I was out of leave), just to allow for any issues and to break up the driving a bit more (although it was actually fine apart from the last boring blitz home).
The IID Tool (or similar diagnostic tool) was invaluable to quickly diagnose problems and to clear faults to allow us to continue.
Studded tyres would have made much of the driving in Norway, Finland and northern Sweden much safer, but ultimately were impractical given my route profile.
Having a car allowed us to take food and drink (cheap beer), that saved us a fortune travelling through Norway (in particular). We didn't take a fridge even though there was space and just put milk and cheese in the cubby fridge. Beer cooled pretty quickly once outside!
Being able to control the FBH was a god send for easily getting the car started in the morning. I have a simple GSM remote but I've ordered the Altox unit from Beanie for the future to allow even greater control.
D3 SE with Hankook MT 275/65/R18, IID BT Tool, ProSpeed rock/tree sliders + compressor guard, RLD sump guard & winch tray + 13,000lb hidden winch, Gearbox guard, Frontrunner 80l aux tank with fuel gauge, V8 brake upgrade, Traxide USI-160 dual battery system, Frontrunner ladder, custom boot storage, Lazer LED driving lights, de-cat exhaust, Aftermarket Oro TPMS, i7 Mac Mini touch screen install (running Windows 10) mirrored on rear screens.
14th Dec 2016 2:12 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73134
Looks great, lots of bits I've done but in the summer.
Postal road looks good on the map, suitable for a lone car in summer? Might add it to my itinerary for next summer on way from Alta to Hetta.
14th Dec 2016 2:22 pm
nickprice
Member Since: 28 Feb 2011
Location: Den Haag
Posts: 317
There's some videos on YouTube showing people riding it (on motorbikes) and it looks fine. It's also mentioned in a winter driving book as a good route. There's also an "exit point" halfway if it is proving too much. I figured that it was worth a go solo in the winter...D3 SE with Hankook MT 275/65/R18, IID BT Tool, ProSpeed rock/tree sliders + compressor guard, RLD sump guard & winch tray + 13,000lb hidden winch, Gearbox guard, Frontrunner 80l aux tank with fuel gauge, V8 brake upgrade, Traxide USI-160 dual battery system, Frontrunner ladder, custom boot storage, Lazer LED driving lights, de-cat exhaust, Aftermarket Oro TPMS, i7 Mac Mini touch screen install (running Windows 10) mirrored on rear screens.
14th Dec 2016 2:29 pm
Scottbrad
Member Since: 20 Dec 2014
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Posts: 230
That looks like a great trip even with the problems you had.
Massive congratulations on getting engaged as well, it's all downhill from here .Cheers Scott.
14th Dec 2016 2:43 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
That looks a great trip, more photos would be great DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
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14th Dec 2016 3:50 pm
Buckster
Member Since: 04 May 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 605
Amazing trip, pic of the harbour with the northern lights above looks 8)
Would love to see more pics of your adventure 2003 BMW M5- 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black
2013 RRS SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expo Rack, 4x Warn Spotlights, Warn 9.5 XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection, Full Easylift Suspension, LightForce HTX 230 Spot Lights, LR Light Guards, 18” Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, Brembos Calipers, ARB Fridge, Tuff trek awning.
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14th Dec 2016 4:26 pm
AIRBORNE MEDIC
Member Since: 21 Feb 2012
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 603
WOW that looks like a fantastic trip to do "Your mind is like a parachute! It will only function when open"!
Kenny
14th Dec 2016 4:49 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73134
Post road now officially on the itinerary for Road Trip 2017. Northcape(ish), down to Alta then do the Post Road on way to Hetta before heading south on the E45 through Sweden
It doesn't look too bad, any problems and it's just a decent hike back to the tarmac to summon the cavalry. Hopefully the dog that lives in the northern bit only likes chasing street-view cars!!
Click image to enlarge
14th Dec 2016 4:59 pm
Sudds
Member Since: 11 Dec 2011
Location: North Yorks/Cleveland border
Posts: 527
Looks a great trip, and some cracking pics.
14th Dec 2016 5:33 pm
mz mini
Member Since: 02 Jul 2014
Location: Sunny Devon
Posts: 1759
Great trip makes me want to have a go at it thanks for sharing with us Land Rover 90 - deceased
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14th Dec 2016 5:42 pm
Parmenian
Member Since: 28 Mar 2016
Location: St Peter Port
Posts: 129
Thanks for sharing. Looks amazing. Hopefully I can make some use of your information, too, as we had considered sleeping in the car for a planned trip to Iceland in April. Now, maybe we won't It'll be a long haul from St Malo up to Denmark, Faroes, Iceland and back to Guernsey again. £££££!
If you get a chance to share some Northern Light pictures, and anything else you fancy, that'd be fantastic.
Thanks again
14th Dec 2016 7:00 pm
Iguana
Member Since: 14 Oct 2013
Location: 'Sunny' Zomerset
Posts: 9424
Cracking write-up and pics, well done for getting through your problems
More pics please!!!!Iggy/Ieuan
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15th Dec 2016 8:10 am
nickprice
Member Since: 28 Feb 2011
Location: Den Haag
Posts: 317
Cheers guys, will post some more pics over the weekend.D3 SE with Hankook MT 275/65/R18, IID BT Tool, ProSpeed rock/tree sliders + compressor guard, RLD sump guard & winch tray + 13,000lb hidden winch, Gearbox guard, Frontrunner 80l aux tank with fuel gauge, V8 brake upgrade, Traxide USI-160 dual battery system, Frontrunner ladder, custom boot storage, Lazer LED driving lights, de-cat exhaust, Aftermarket Oro TPMS, i7 Mac Mini touch screen install (running Windows 10) mirrored on rear screens.
15th Dec 2016 8:47 am
mse
Member Since: 27 Jun 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 2707
Looks great
Quick question - who did you book the ferry with? we had looked at going from Copenhagen, but this might be the better route.Mike
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As we had done so much the previous day we only had a short blast up to Tromso, unfortunately about an hour south of Narvik the dashboard lit up. I pulled up and connected the IID Tool, it told me there was an issue with the front right ABS sensor. I called for a tow truck, knowing it would take a while then limped to a large bus stop. I pulled off the wheel and stripped back the trim hoping it was a broken ABS wire or similar.
.
that looks like a fantastic trip to do 
It'll be a long haul from St Malo up to Denmark, Faroes, Iceland and back to Guernsey again. £££££!
