Nordkapp Reflections and Advice.

So you are thinking of going to the Nordkapp. Great. It’s a brilliant trip. When I was thinking of going, I tried to find some first hand information on what to expect but didn’t really have much luck on the “tinter web” so here’s a few thoughts on my experience to help you with your planning:


1. Don’t go without an engine. There were a lot of cyclists and frankly that looks like hard work to me, especially on the way home.

2. We didn’t experience any rescue services but I think fettling your kit to ensure reliability is a good move. Breaking down in the middle of nowhere would not be fun. RAC rescue or equivalent covers these countries so buy it!

3. The E6 through Norway is fantastic. There are however a lot of road works and due to the topography, you tend to get routed through the building site so take extra special care.

4. The roads we experienced through Norway are brilliant – challenging, loads of bends, great views etc. The roads through Finland were super dull but very quiet. Swedish roads were somewhere in between.

5. Some tunnels are modern. Some frankly are not. Beware of those. Don’t go screaming into dark tunnels. They have bends, poor lighting, bumping surfaces and are narrow.

6. Norwegian bend markers are different to UK’s but are consistent. Learn them early in your trip as you can rely on them later. Finnish signs seemed more hit and miss so take care. Bend markers in Sweden seemed to operate on the basis that at the speed limit, the bends aren’t an issue. Consequently some pretty tight bends were not marked. Take care.

7. The infamous issue of mosquitoes is sadly a reality. In Finland, we got savaged by them despite have repellent. We had no problem in Norway – maybe their mossies are friendlier. If you broke down or had a puncture in the Finnish north it would terrible. They surround you in seconds and seemed to be all starving. Personally, I would avoid the area in the heat of the summer and pick a different route next time.

8. Hotels or huts? Both are fine. Even in the peak season, places could be found even arriving in the evening. The huts are basic but fun although I am too soft to stay in one every night so mix it up with hotels. Hotel standards even at the lower price range are good. Be sure to have breakfast – it’s excellent and a million times better then your average UK cheapie hotel.

9. Speaking of money, don’t go to Norway if you are poor or if your credit card is max’d out. Its super expensive!! Actually, hotels aren't too bad but food and drink requires a second mortgage. Sweden, Denmark and Norway have their own individual kronor. Finland is euroland.

10. At the Nordkapp, there is a visitor’s centre with a café, shops, etc . Tee shirts were £20. Just 20 miles south they were £15. At the junction of the E6 and the road to Hammerfest about 60 miles south of the Nordkapp, they were £11. Do you get the idea? The Nordkapp is expensive.

11. Its £8 on the toll road in and another £8 out of the area per person. On top of that, it’s £26 per person to actually get onto the Nordkapp itself…..this doesn’t include a free tee shirt or a cup of tea.

12. Having paid all that, stay awhile and eat the sandwiches you made at breakfast as packing up! The weather is very changeable and if it’s bad when you get there, 30 minutes later it might be nice. Hang around a while and enjoy your sandwiches.

13. I have crossed the Arctic Circle in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The visitor’s centre on the E6 in Norway is the best. Don’t miss it.

14. Petrol is no problem but we tended to fill up regularly rather than wait until empty. Most are pay at the pump which is easy and fast. One chain however, (QF I think it was called) doesn’t take any credit cards and you have to be a member. Some are unmanned so practise early on using the pay at pumps which are in Norwegian but nevertheless easy.

15. In the summer its 24 hour day light. Remember to sleep. That sounds funny but it is weird how you can keep going. Take eye masks.

16. Some roads are pretty tight. Very big trucks use these roads. I suggest you treat them with the utmost respect and keep out of their way. Take care on the many blind bends on these narrow coastal roads. On right handers for example, forget your advanced biker training and keep tight to the right and adopt a reasonable speed. These truckers drive as if they are on a mission!

17. Reindeer spring out from everywhere. It’s no joke. Rudolf and his mates have no road sense and he has lots of mates. There are warning signs everywhere. Believe them. This is not like the health and safety mad culture in the UK. There really are suicidal reindeer out there!

18. And finally, remember to stop now and then. Enjoy. Chat to people. Savour the moment. You may not ever pass this way again.

"There's no place like home"

Nordkapp. Been there. Done it. Got the tee shirt!

We sailed home on the Rotterdam ferry and arrived in Hull about 0830 this morning. Perhaps there was a slight hint of a hangover after last night on the Pride of Rotterdam but now we just had a short ride home. Four lovely ladies from Dove House met us off the ferry which was nice especially as it was early on a Sunday morning. We took a few photos and then headed home. Tim came back to mine for a cuppa and we took one last "trip" photo!

What a two weeks! We thoroughly enjoyed it. We did some great roads, met some interesting people, and of course literally went to the top of Europe. If you are thinking of doing this trip, why are you just thinking about it? It's the ultimate road trip. We'll have great memories for ever.

Tim is planning to put his bike on display in the MKS showroom for a few days complete with 6 million dead bugs so you can pop in and see what 4529 miles does to a Transalp. Our little bikes performed perfectly and was indeed the perfect bike for the trip. The tyres still seem to have quite a bit of life left too which is a surprise.

Thanks to all the many people and organisations that have contributed to our fund raising for the Love U 2 appeal. It is much appreciated. As I said on this blog some months ago, I was always going to enjoy the trip anyway but I am very grateful for the donations 100% of which will go to the appeal. The charity giving website will of course stay open for a while yet just in case......

And now I am going to settle down and watch the World Cup final. In the next few days, I intend to due a final blog entry on tips for would be Nordkappers but for now, its Tim and I signing off. Cheers.

Verden to Rotterdam - one last day

Last night we had a good walk around Verden were I used to live. It has changed a lot and it took me a while to find my bearings. Eventually though ,we found the Hotel Holtje which I were I stayed quite a bit in 1986 and 1987. Fabulous hotel by the way and after Scandinavian prices, excellent value. In fact everything in Germany seemed inexpensive after Norway!!

We had dinner in the pedestrian zone and then had a beer in my old pub. It used to be called the Distiller and was THE place to go. Cool, typical German pub. What have they done to it?! I was shocked. It is now called Los Locos (the crazies in Spanish) and was genuinely rubbish. It felt like  the lowest of Benidorm except without Johnny Vegas. Fortunately the rest of Verden is still a lovely town and we found my old house and took some snaps.

It clearly has changed a lot as there is now a McDonald's (the nearest was 50km away when I lived there) and the headquarters of 1st Armoured Division of the British Force Germany is now a housing estate!! The pic below is the main shopping street in Verden. My kids will remember the horses!

In the morning it was baking hot again and heading north for the Iselmeer but stopped in Leer on the way for water and calories which for me meant apple pie and cream. Lovely. We pressed on and without Dutch / German maps and with a broken Sat Nav, we found the Iselmeer and stopped in the middle for a coffee. For those that don't know, it is a huge man made (Dutch-made) barrier many miles long to help keep the "low countries" from being underwater. We have stopped there many times at the monumnent and today was no exception. We thought of absent friends and drank a toast to our old friend Pete.

We dodged around the Amsterdam ring road and headed for Rotterdam and Europort. ( Note to self: Dutch road signs are rubbish so prepare well!) Arriving at Europort we headed straight for the little pub near the ferry terminal and had a beer. I asked a lady there to take our picture but after two attempts is was clear she was going to cut some off.....in both cases our legs and I didn't like to ask again! ha ha.

Anyway, checked in, though passport control, on to the ship and into our "premier" cabin. No slumming it for us - this is a gentlemens' tour! (On previous trip we have jammed four sweaty bikers into one cabin and made do but after the huts in Finland we think we have earned "premier class" ha ha.

In numbers, here roughly is the deal:
we rode 4517 miles between home and Rotterdam;
this took 15 days which is an average of 301.1 miles per day;
we each used about 570 litres of petrol;
the bikes used zero oil;
we ate 45,000 calories each;
we drank about 32 litres of beer each;
and Tim is still trying to work out how many gear changes we made!

Keep reading.....more later in the next few days. Thanks for following us - it's been a blast.

Heading for deck 12 now for yet another beer!

Into the German traffic...

....which frankly seemed odd after the north of Scandinavia where we might not see other vehicles for a while! We left Malmo this morning and crossed the bridge into Denmark then headed south for the ferry to Puttgarden in Germany. The pic below is us waiting for the ferry in about 45 deg heat (well it felt like it) and below that that is us warming up again by sunning ourselves on the deck. Mad dogs and Englishmen!!!

We made good time but there was so much holiday traffic that we didn't get on the next ferry and had to wait for the next. They are every 30 minutes so not too bad but it was baking hot and the vending machine at th terminal only took shrapnel. Fortunately a kind lady changed my 50 Danish note for me and bought some much needed water.

In fact, this was the theme for the day....drinking water. We both think this is the hottest conditions we have ever ridden in. It was unbelieveable and we had every unzipped possible (well almost). We even in the end gave up on wearing gloves which helped a little. We got to Hamburg and thought we had cracked the day and had one more push to Bremen. But oh no...worse was to come. The A1 autobahn is undergoing reconstruction between Hamburg and Bremen. The traffic was grim. We filtered a little but it was tricky due to our wide panniers. Eventually, we gave up and turned off the autobahn and headed across country for Verden am Aller.

I used to live here and figured it would be nice to go back as I hadn't since 1993. Amazingly though I bearly recognised anything. It has changed so much. Eventually I found the hotel which I stayed in when I first moved to Germany although even that had changed beyond recognition. We are going to have a walk aorund this evening and check the place out.

Incidentally, think of dinner, we had a lovely evening in Malmo last night with Arne and Dave. We were edging towards one beer to many when common sense prevailed but it was a gloriously warm evening and dinner was great. Afterwards I took Tim to the Bishops Arms pub for a pint of "Spitfire". That's him enjoying the one after "enough".

So one more day - one last push for Rotterdam. We have already done well over 4000 miles and did 320 miles today in a blast furnace! Time for a beer.

It's amazing what you stumbling across

We set off from Skovde heading inevitably south knowing we only had about 250 miles to do today. We decided to head off down minor roads and explore a little and perhaps even find some good roads. After a while, we were held up at road works and noticed an advert on the van in front of us for a Motorcycle museum. Perhaps the botanical gardens or the Viking burial ground was a stetch but Tim was definitely up for this.

It was a place called Falkoping and we found the museum by looking at a town info board. Ironically a few minutes later the van pulled in as it was in fact one of the owners of the place!

It is a fascinating hoard of bikes with the oldest dating back to 1904. Two of the four guys who own it were there and are pictured below with me, Lennart (right) and Goran. The were very hospitable and made us coffee and fed us sticky buns. The museum was on three floors and they had hundreds of old bikes. Lennart ( Magnusson) had been a speedway rider in his youth and there is quite a collection of speedway bikes. In the picture with Tim, he is showing him a photograph of him doing motorcross in 1954!

What a great day! They have a website at http://www.mcmuseet.se/

Reluctantly we left Falkoping and rode on. We decided to press on so that we could visit the ship musem in Malmo where there is a German WWII U-boat. I have driven past the U-boat a lot as I visit my company's HQ in Malmo but have never found time to visit. Unfortunately, we arrived at 1630 and the place had closed at 1600.  I will visit it one day!

Ok, so time for a beer in the main square before heading to our hotel. NB This is not a drink driving confession!

Going out to dinner in Malmo tonight and then tomorrow have a big day in terms of miles so repeat ten times " We will not go mad tonight...we will not go mad tonight....we will not go mad tonight......."

Cor blimey, it's warm

So glad I took my liners out of my trousers. It was hot today. We have only done about 250 miles as had quite a few stops. The road was a bit dull so we broke the journey up by stopping here and there. The first coffee stop was in place called Norberg. Nice enough and we met a couple of Swedish bikers one of whom had a very special VF750 from 1982. He and Tim are now best friends. Funny things about Norberg, it is a small place miles from anyway and was previously a mining town but all that has ended. Its top attraction is a reconstructed medival blast furnace. I couldn't persuade Tim to go and see it (or the library or the botantical gardens in the last town!). But Norberg had an info board for visitors which stated that it is was a nice place to live because of the accessibility of politicians (!) and because " it was conveniently located for communication with the rest of Sweden and indeed the world"....or whurled as Clarkson would say. Strange claim, don't you think?!

We rode on to Orebro which seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. Unfortunately, they were replacing most of the pavings in the central area so it looked like a building site but we found a nice restaurant and had  lunch on an older pavement! The outside cafe culture was good and there were plenty of course.

We found a spot to take a picture of the castle where you couldn't see the diggers and workmen and and here it is. Orebro on a lovely day.

Anyway, we pressed on and stopped for a break at a lovely place called Karlsborg between two lakes which had a short stretch of water between them over which the main E20 ran. The bridge seemed to open every 20 minutes (see pic above) for all manner of boats to pass through so we sat and watched the world go by for an hour and eat huge ice creams which melted in the sun and dripped all over the inside of Tim's jacket which he was sitting on. Messy! 

Remembering it's the second semi final, we pulled out of town and headed south to our hotel in Skovde but on the way came across a motorcross track. We stayed and watched for a while and took this picture of the entrance. Cracking sign, isn't it?!

Off to watch the footie now as its 2015h and 15mins to kick off. Cheers.

Another great night in a Swedish pub. With 10 minutes to kick off, we walked into "Harry's bar", ordered beer and burgers, and then sat down in front of a giant "flat screen". And to top that off, at half time at the bar near us, the were four blonde girls ordering beer from a blonde barmaid. If Carlsberg did bars.....ha ha ha.

Walking back to the hotel, the town square was alive (at 2300h on a Wednesday night) with a band playing and half the town doing the jitterbug. They had all been to the same classes and all danced pretty much the same - extremely well. Amazing to watch for a while - so different to England!

Morning campers! Hi de hi!

STOP PRESS from Galve, Sweden

Its over a 100 deg F in Baltimore which is in celsius...er....a lot....and it's hot in England. We are well equipped for Arctic weather but would you Adam and Eve it, it's boiling here. So here's the latest: I am not only taking the lining out of my jacket but, for the first time ever, I am taking the lining out of my trousers! It doesn't get more exciting than that!!!

More news on the legs tonight!

Have fun whatever you are doing today and remember.....you could have been with us!!

Down the Baltic Coast

The day started off with a bit of maintenance and to prove it, here is a shot of Tim with the tool kit outside the hotel in Umea. We were tempted to get the maintenance guide out but we thought we could remember what George (MKS technician) had taught us, Anyway, we managed well over 300 miles today and the wheel didn't fall off.

So far, by the way, I think we have done 3352 since leaving home!!

On the way south, we saw a sign for the Skuleskagen National Park which is a world heritage site. The high land here is still rising 8mm a year and there are spectacular views...apparently. We thought if we entered from the north we could drive through it, see stuff, and exit in the south. Good plan but to no avail. The "road" through the park was a walking trail and the nearest "stuff "was 5km in. I don't do walking and certainly not in bike gear. We did a u turn and rode back along the gravel entrance trail which was fun at least on our little Transalps.

We had a quick coffee and chatted to some Swedish bikers hold told us about a trip to an island nearby but we had no time to check that out. We headed south and stopped in a super quiet holiday area. So quiet, nothing was open so I snapped a few pics and we rode back to the main road for a hot dog in the petrol station. Here we found a poster advertising the area which incorporated three pictures and incredibly, one of them was virtually the same as a pic I had taken 20 minutes earlier. It was a lovely spot and for a few quid, I will tell you where it is!! Ha ha

So we ate our hot dogs then hit the road to Galva. The road is the E4 which runs down to Stockholm and beyond. We rode along this road from Stockholm southwards a few years ago when we "did" the Baltic countries and came home this way.

We pressed on and reach Galva in time to find a hotel and catch the semi final of the world cup. In fact we fell really lucky. The Scandic hotel is fine; we have armchairs in front a huge screen; we have table service for steak and beer; apple pie is next ; and Holland just scored a stunning opener!  It's a good life!
 So good that I will down load one more pic for you - it's somebody's holiday home on a island. Not bad eh?!! Cheers

Mossies, rain, beach and sun

Woke up in our little hut in Finland near Pello, made coffee and then dashed to the bike and got going as quickly as possible. The mossies are terrible in these parts and we both got savaged by our little friends despite using repellent.

The picture shows our hut. Note that it was a semi! We only had half the hut and this was the delux version. Camping is such fun!

We headed off knowing that the Arctic Circle crossing was about 30 miles from here and figured we'd get breakfast there. We did....and mercifully, the cafe seemed to be mossie free so we had some respite!

We bought stickers for the bikes (of course) including ones that promoted the mosquitos. I kid you not! Apparently it's a big joke in these parts that the tourists are food for the mossies!

The picture is at the Finnish Arctic Circle Centre  and it has a white line runing right through the car park. We parked up still just to the north for a last few minutes in the Arctic. My natty headgear is an attempt to avoid getting bitten whilst posing! Tricky! Anyway, we carried on and crossed the border from Finland to Sweden and headed across country hoping to find more interesting roads.

We stopped in Pitea for lunch and had a short walk around the town. We "lunched" in a nice restaurant enjoying "Pagan Feast" which ironically was Pasta Carbonara. Not sure the Italians would like being called pagans! It had rained hard for about two hours so we were pretty soggy and used the posh lunch stop as a chance to dry out.

We headed south on the E4 but it is pretty dull so we pulled off and went down to a seaside place and enjoyed icecream by the Baltic. The sun came out and all was good with the world. The pic below is Tim - post ice cream - enjoying the Baltic on a floating pier. I declined to enjoy due to sea sickness!!

It seemed a detour was called for so we left the main highway and hit out across country, to some extent following our noses. We fell lucky. Apart from it being a better road for biking, we rode past a little lake in the glorious sunshine with two stunning females in tiny bikinis standing at the side of the road.  (Sorry Sal - even a blind biker would have noticed them!) What they were doing, I have no idea but as we were well behind schedule, we pressed on. (Sorry Neil - didn't get a picture)

Aftter winding our way across country we found Umea and a decent hotel No mossies tonight. So far we have done 2995 miles from home and we still have a long way to go. Hope the tyres last!!!!

Onwards through Finland

Last night we stayed up and saw the midnight soon in Alta. In fact, Sally popped next door to an Esso garage which was selling hot dogs and  we had a midnight feast whilst watching the sun in the north. I took this pic from the car park behind our hotel in Alta. It was exactly midnight.

 Today, Sunday, we dropped Sal off at Alta airport (she is flying home) and then pointed our bikes southwards heading across country and leaving the fantastic E6 behind. What a road! Now we headed due south up the "93" in what was a nice ravine for a few miles. It soon reaches the top and we set off on what turned out to be the most boring road in Europe. Mile after mile of pretty much straight road edged by trees so zero scenery. If you doing the Nordkapp, don't do this route (Alta - Pello)

The highlight of the road was crossing the border to Finland from Norway. The last time we entered Finland with bikes we had to produce all paper work and the police even matched our log books with numbers on the bikes! This time - nothing. Didn't even see anybody. There were two "channels" to choose between depending on whether you had some something to declare. But neither were manned. Odd really! Bit of a disappointment really but made for some nice pictures anyway.

After a mile or two, the sky grew dark and there were rainstorms to the east and the west. We hoped we would ride between them but just as we reached a crossroads, the rain started. We stopped in a cafe and experienced Finnish catering in a petrol station. After Norway, it seemed much more basic and was certainly cheaper - Euros of course. Anyway, the price of a coffee and sandwich gave us shelter from the rain and luckily after 40 minutes it stopped so we pressed on. Even after the exciting of a junction, the road was still straight and boring.

We got  bit tired (too many miles and late nights) so we resolved to stop at the first cafe we came to it. It seemed ok and we had a coffee and a sticky bun. To freshen up we strolled down to the nearby river which was very nice. Reindeer were on the opposite bank and fish were jumping in the river. The boats are used for fishing. Apparently, you cast a line or two then row upstream against the strong current which means you will float downstream and then you use the engine to get back upstream - if you follow me. I am no fisherman but we had it all explained to us. It was then that I noticed the pump........and we had just had a coffee! I hope he boiled the water!

We finally reached Pello where we had decided to stay the night but for some strange reason related to the need to have strange adventures, we decided to head for a camp site. We rented a hut (delux with inside loo) and all seemed well until the mossies started biting. I think they sensed "new" blood and could even bite through socks. We withdrew to the camp's common "hut" and had beer and pizza. The operator gave us a thing to plug into a socket in the hut and said it would kill all the bugs in 20 mins. We'll see. I haven't got a picture yet of the hut or the site and I am sorry but I am not venturing back outside until I have to. THEY are out there waiting for us..........

Unexpected Hammerfest

Leaving Honningsvag this morning after another good night in the pub. Got chatting to a giant of man who had had a few vodkas and claimed to be the strongest man in town. I didn't doubt at all. However, he did show me a picture of his poodle and before the end of the football his wife was unhappy with him and dragged him home! Ha ha.

So this morning, we headed south and decided rather spontaneously to divert to Hammerfest and see the polar bear centre. It was worth it. See this picture with my helmet....big man-eating chaps these are!

At a coffee stop today, I got chatting to guy who had just missed hitting the cafe with his car! He explained that he had lost an eye recently and still had trouble judging distances.( You can't make this up!) His brain was damaged too and so he tried to do cross words every day to sharpen him up. He was very nice and very friendly but it just under-lined how you have to ride defensively all the time. Incidentally, the previous night in the Nord pub, we got chatting to a guy a shell suit. His English was good although some expressions were rather juicy - if you get my drift. He said he had learnt his English from Hull and Grimsby trawlermen who had called in here regularly in the 70's!

Hammerfest was a pretty cool town after Honningsvag and we strolled around until we found a place to watch the footie. We sat outside in the sunshine even though it was cold and I think the last few days caught up with us. I fell sound asleep for 30 minutes and I think Tim had a nap too.

It didn't help much as I still felt tired. Anyway, we wandered over to the pub which was opening especially for the Argentina v Germany game and as we were pretty much first there we had the pick of the seats - leather Chesterfields in front of the biggest TV you have ever seen! Fantastic. We ordered three pizzas but the chap assured us one was enough unless we hadn't eaten for a month! Boy, was he right. It was enormous and delicous. The three of us couldn't manage it all!! So we watched a great game, sitting in comfort, eating great pizza. (Didn't Germany play well?! Must be favourites now)

Look at the size of the pizza. Its about16 inches across and 0.5 inches thick! No need for dinner tonight!


The picture below is Hammerfest. Nice town. Claims to be the town (city?) which is the furthest north in the world. Quite a claim but presumably true. Certainly at 70 degrees north, its a long way up! The last picture is me outside the Nordkapp centre in Honningsvag posted because I like it! ha ha. Note the obligatory Nordkapp cap and another new friend in the backgound. Those guys are everywhere!. Right, time for a beer. Cheers

Midnight Sun

I am sure you can work out that at midnight the sun is to the north of the Cape. Here's a shot of that.

Last night we had a great time back in the Nord Pub in Honningsvag watching the Ghana play Uruguay. What a game and what a finale! The locals here are very friendly and it seems that can swill a few vodkas!

This morning we are tunring south and heading for Alta again. Its a lovely day with the sunshining but perhaps a little cool. So we have been to the Nordkapp, got the pictures, bought the tee shirts and hats, and now its time to tunr for home. Or maybe not. We have this idea that maybe we should head for the Cape of Good Hope.......it has to be done!
PS Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors - running total is over £11,000 now.

And Finally....the Nordkapp

Today's the big day. We make it to the North Cape! We decide to have a slow start to day as the weather is a bit grim and we hope it will fair up. We visit the Nordkapp Museum and buy a fw souvenirs - we got tee shirts, hats and yet more stickers!! And then around noon, head north for the final 25 miles.  It's quite a road: narrow and with very steep drops. Don't get it wrong and watch out for kamikazi deliver delivers and tour buses! This picture turned out to be the last road sign before we arrived. Just 13km to go! On arriving we discover its £26 each to get in to the final headland. (Bring plenty of money if you are coming to this part of the world!)

The weather over the last 20 miles was grim, in part I guess because we climbed quite high and were in the clouds. The cape was covered in mist and it was cold when we arrived so we had a cup of coffee and warmed up a bit. We were in no rush. Sally bumped into to somebody working there who she knew! A chap from the pub last night!! Ha ha. It was a funny moment.

After a while the sun came out and a tour bus departed - the way was clear and we had the Globe to ourselves. We go busy with our cameras!! We had made it and we went potty with the camera. Well why not? Not likely to come again and we need plenty of shots. For an hour or so the sun shone and we made the most of it. FANTASTIC!

After a while, we walked east along the headland and found grassy bank for a snooze. In fact we found the ultimate grassy bank: that is a 300 feet drop down to the sea. Quite a bank! We had a little snooze in the sunshine and pondered our location. Getting here had been a dream for quite a while and we had done it. In total it was about 2200 miles from home and we had enjoyed everyone of those miles. REALLY FANTASTIC.

We are heading back to the Nord Pub now to watch the football - I think its Brazil tonight and of course we are now "locals" in the only pub in town!

Cheers readers!!

Alta and north to the wilderness

Leaving Alta ths morning we immediately started to climb and soon found ourselves in the Arctic tundra. We are now passed the tree line, ie trees don't grow this far north. The remoteness is fabulous. What views! We follow the very quiet E6 through fabulous countryside and literally herds of reindeer. Incredibly, round a bend in the absolute middle of nowhere is a cop with a speed camera. Hard luck Sir - we were not  speeding as it happens but were enjoyin the view!

We arrived at a T junction and its left to the Nordkapp and right to the Russian border. Yes, we were tempted but decided to stick to plan A. A few miles later we reached a small town and stop for coffee about 50km from Honningsvag where we are staying the night. We have coffee and a snack but don't buy fuel thinking we have plenty. We aslo buy a few stickers for the bikes including the Sami flag - the indigenous poeple of these parts! The picture is us enjoying our handiwork after putting new stickers on our bikes!! Ha ha

Now it starts to get cold. We are riding next to the Arctic Sea and although its sunny , its perishing cold.  We stopped by the sea for a few minutes because Tim wanted to paddle in a "new" sea. Ugh?

The picture left, is the first sign we see for the Nordkapp. It was in Alta. Good confirmation that the road we are following, the E6, actually goes to the North Cape! Anyway, we are past the wild Tundra area and down to the sea shore now and on the final stretch.

The road twists onwards along the shore line and we are blown by very strong head winds and sideways gusts. Its pretty tricky riding but we take it steady. The tunnels are very tight and dark which add to the adventure ( and the danger frankly). Eventually we reach the toll point - about £8 each to get into the Nordkapp area. I am out of fuel! The warning light has been on for a while. It must have been the very strong head wind but I crawl into town and refuel.

We check in and then go and find something to eat in a little bistro down the street. Its 1600h and very chilly! Strolling around looking for a bar (inevitably) we find one called the Ice Bar. Sounds good. Actually it's a bar made out of ice and is a big warehouse held at minus 5 degrees. Well , we have to go in, right? They even served icy drinks and provided us with warm clothes. No really - they are not our matching ponchos.

Anyway, there is not much to do in Honningsvag - there is only one bar. Its called the Nord Pub and I am in it writing this. It is the home of the area's Liverpool FC supporters' club. Honest - you can't make this up! Too drunk now to see the midmight sun at the Nordkapp so perhaps it will be the midday sun tomorrow.

PS Rachel and Lyn - good morning. Arctic gear test going well. Found a stockist of fur lined, rubber motorcyclist boots in Alta. Shall I get you the number?

PPS Max (from Russia) - if you are reading this, we are in Honningsvag in the Nord Pub tonight and tomorrow (Friday) night  if you fancy a beer and will be at the "Globe" tomorrow around noon. Staying at the Hotel Rica. Cheers.

Ever Northwards to Alta

Its seems funny to be still heading north and away from home. Today we reach a milestone as I have done just 2000 miles since leaving home and we still have about 150 miles to the Cape. A great day today. Bit of drama with my camera so we started the day by buying a new one in Bardufoss. Then we headed north following the E6 again which incidentally is also called the Northern Lights Way. I doubt we will see any this time of year and certainly not tonight as it is grey, overcast, misty and raining as I write this. But all day long the weather has been great.

Tim finally zipped in his lining in but was a good 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Good effort. The sign in the other picture gives  a hint as to how far to go! We stopped a couple of times for coffee along the way and had a nice lunch (had take a second mortgage though - boy is this one pricey country!!) We saw our first wild deer today as three of the little dears (sorry) crossed the road. I would hate to hit one in a car never mind on a bike. Doesn't bear thinking about.

A lot of our route today was along huge fjords and the road wound round a bit. Again we did some tunnels which were poorly lit but a couple of more modern ones too. The road generally continued to be fantastic. Every biker should do this trip. The E6 has to be the ultimate road.


Late in the day, we came across the fjord where the German battleship Tirpitz was moored ( for two years) during WWII. There is a museum which is worth a look of your interested. The ship was attacked by the Royal Navy twice - once with midget submarines which did damage requiring 6 months repairs and then again by the fleet airarm which did another 6 months. It was final sank by the Lancaster bombers near Tromso. The actual fjord of the mini sub attack is pictured here. Amazing stuff.

The shot above is Tim and I enjoying  a "grassy bank" arctic style. Well, we are getting on and need a break now and then! We arrived Alta about 1930 and had dinner in the hotel as the weather has turned grim. Let's hope it clears for tomorrow.