Wednesday 31st May 2017

Today we continued on E6 crossing high ground with magnificent views of snow covered scenery.

It feels a real privilege to be out here in a nice warm camper van passing through such wild and sparsely populated areas in such comfort!

We passed by some Sami settlements. This one had a church.

We came back down to sea level at the village of Olderfjord where the E69 branches off left up to the North Cape. We now turned south, still on the E6 down the west coast of the Porsangen Fjord. We saw lots of reindeer along the way, we also saw a British registered camper van going in the opposite direction! This was the first British registered vehicle, other than our own, we have seen for weeks! We stopped in the town of Lakselv to buy groceries and wine and then branched off the E6 and turned north on route 98. 

We stopped for the day on some waste ground on the east shore of the Porsangen Fjord. Here's the view out of our side door. Ann is as usual doing all the work!

Later on Ann took to reindeer stalking and managed to get this telephoto of one on the beach. This is the first time we have stopped north of the 70th parallel. Only one more degree of latitude to go before Europe runs out and the only land between us and the North Pole is the Svalbard Islands which are 537 miles (864 kilometres) north of mainland Norway! 

Today we traveled 111 miles (179 kilometres). We are at N70.08844 E25.21867

Tuesday 30th May 2017

It was very cold and extremely windy in the night. In the morning we serviced the van before leaving Oksfjordhamn and headed out again onto the E6. Before too long we encountered drifting snow on a not very high pass.

A little further on several vehicles were stuck trying to climb up a hill towards us. We waited behind this lorry until the road was vaguely clear and then were able to move on down the hill past the stuck vehicles - very scary stuff.

We moved on - now in a generally easterly direction - we saw plenty of reindeer along the way.

We stopped at Alta to visit the museum and prehistoric rock carvings.

These carvings were made between 7000 and 2000 years ago on the glacially eroded slabs on the fjord side. As the land rose up recovering from having been pushed down by the ice age ice cap the prehistoric people carved on the slabs which had most recently risen from the sea. Hence it has been possible to date the carvings.

The "tourist" part of the site has red pigment applied to the carvings to make them more easily visible. However if you go down to the far end of the site you can find carvings which are not adulterated by modern red pigment. Here we see two people brandishing huge moose headed clubs with another person between them carrying a long spear. There are representations of deer below the human figures and to the right of them.

After visiting the museum and rock carvings we stopped in Alta to buy groceries and take on LPG. This is likely to be the last LPG we can get for a very long way so we need to try to make it last somehow. We stopped for the day in a rest area on the E6 just beyond Alta. There is a really nice fjord view just up from our parking place.


To day we traveled 99 miles (159 kilometres). We are at N69.98916 E23.48614

Monday 29th May 2017

It was quite nice and sunny when we woke up this morning. We set off along the E6 which is now headed in a generally north east direction. As the day wore on the weather deteriorated and we had frequent and sometimes heavy snow showers. Ann saw a moose along the way.

We stopped for a cup of tea at this rest area which in better weather is probably a Sami souvenir shop. We met a German vanner here. He was heading to the North Cape.

It's a very strange day. After stopping at the town of Storslett to buy groceries we had only moved on a short way when we were in brilliant sunshine with great views of the Lyngen Alps.

We stopped for the day at the village of Oksfjordhamn. It is a small fishing port. There is an aire by the harbour. Here's the view from our parking place. The weather has been very variable while we have been here - always very windy, sometimes sunny sometimes hailing and sometimes snowing. It has really been too cold, windy and snowy to get out of the van today.

We traveled 104 miles (167 kilometres) today. We are at N69.90670 E21.32241

Sunday 28th May 2017

When we woke up we found two tents and lots of rafting gear just down towards the beach from us. We think they are Russians but as they hadn't got up by the time we left we never found out.

We continued north on the E6. We stopped at Bjerkvik to take on water and diesel and further along the way to photograph this interesting piece of public art.

We passed this enormous graffiti covered rock.

We stopped for the day at a rest area at Storfjord. There are frequent heavy showers and it's very windy and very cold. This must be a really beautiful place in good weather with views of the Lyngen Alps.

To day we traveled 119 miles (192 kilometres). We are at N69.27261 E19.93601

 

Saturday 27th May 2017

We more or less saw the midnight sun during the "night".

The weather was really beautiful this morning. Here's a ferry coming in from the Vesteralen Islands.

While we were waiting for the ferry to cross the Tysfjord a tour bus arrived at the terminal waiting for the other ferry, the one to Vesteralen. There was a mass exodus from the bus over to the terminal toilets - here's the loo queue. 

We were soon on board the ferry and heading off. Our van's on the front at the right.

We picked up two hitch hikers - an Australian man and a Belgian woman. We took them to the railway station at Narvik where they were going to catch a train to Stockholm! We stopped in Narvik to buy groceries and drinks and then moved on to this fabulous wild camping spot about 14 kilometres beyond Narvik on the E6. Here's the view from the side door of our van.

It's a popular spot with local vanners. Some Swedes dropped in for good measure.

I collected some driftwood and we lit a fire with the help of a Norwegian vanner who had some special fire lighting liquid.

What a brilliant place.

Today we traveled 64 miles (103 kilometres). Our position is N68.45125 E17.70670

Friday 26th May 2017

This morning we had showers and serviced the van before leaving Fauske. We came north on E6 through amazing scenery and many tunnels. Still lots of snow once you get up above sea level.

Up high the lakes are still fully or partially frozen.

Eventually we stopped at this marvelous fjord side wild camping spot which we found by chance down a side road near the village of Korsnes.

From where we are parked we can see two ferry routes operating - one allowing traffic on the E6 to cross the Tysfjord and the other going to and from the nearby Vesteralan Islands.

Really, really nice place. Long time to wait up to see the midnight sun though!

Today we traveled 106 miles (171 kilometres). We are at N68.24434 E16.06330

Thursday 25th May 2017

This morning we ventured inside the Arctic Circle Centre. Here Ann poses with a stuffed moose.

Actually they have a quite good array of stuffed local fauna. Here from left to right we have bear, wolverine, capercaillie, lynx, wolf, otter and another lynx.

They also have some effigies of trolls.

Anyway we left the horrendous tourist trap eventually and headed north up the E6. Having seen very large numbers of reindeer in places we couldn't stop we actually managed to photograph a couple of them today.

When we reached the town of Fauske we took on LPG and stopped for the day at the town aire. Here's the view from our parking place. It costs 150 NOK  a day to stay here but that includes electricity, water etc. We took a stroll round town - everywhere was closed. Eventually we worked out that it was a public holiday called Ascension Day.

There is a really nice cycle route along the fjord front here. We rode up and down on our bikes for a while. We saw a fishing person catch a very nice large halibut.

Today we traveled 63 miles (101 kilometres). We are at N67.25711 E15.38378

Wednesday 24th May 2014

When we woke up this morning we were surprised to find a Polish registered van parked a couple of metres from ours. There is a very large parking area here - this picture only shows a small part of it. I guess cultural differences about personal space might account for this!?

We continued north up the E6 seeing two more mooses and literally countless reindeer along the way.

We stopped at the town of Mosjoen to buy groceries and drinks as well as taking on fresh water. Here is the view as we crossed the Korgan Pass which can be missed if you take the new tunnel under the mountain.

We went through interminable road works - really very slow and bumpy in places!

Eventually after a very long and really quite hard journey we reached the Norwegian Arctic Circle Centre and parked for the day. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept of the Arctic Circle, it is the southernmost latitude at which the sun does not set on the longest day of the year and does not rise on the shortest day of the year.

The place is a horrendous tourist trap kitted out to sell all kinds of overpriced nick nacks but luckily it was closed when we arrived. Perhaps we'll have a look inside tomorrow - it will be open at 9.00.

We are at about 700 metres above sea level. There are big snow drifts all around. We watched Manchester United beat Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in the Europa League Final in Stockholm on a German TV channel called Sport 1. You can only pick up satellite TV at this latitude if there is a clear view to the south as the satellite is low down close to the horizon.

Today we traveled 155 miles (250 kilometres). We are at N66.55881 E15.37692

Tuesday 23rd May 2017

This morning we continued on route 17 then branched off east onto route 760 before turning north on E6. We saw two moose along the way. Crossing the border from Nord Trondelag into Nordland region we encountered this dramatic border sign.

Going north on the E6 we passed through some amazing country with snow covered hills, frozen lakes and miles and miles of forest.

We stopped for the day at this brilliant lakeside parking area at Store. This is as near to you get to a French aire in Norway. It costs 100 NOK per night to stay here. You put the money in an envelope and post it into the honesty box.

Here's the view through the side door of our van. This is an incredibly beautiful place. We turned on our TV and managed to pick up BBC World News to hear of the tragic events in Manchester.

Ann lit a fire - the first one we've had on this trip.

It's about 23.15 now and it's not really getting very dark at all.

Today we traveled 97 miles (156 kilometres). We are at N65.32479 E13.37692