......Ride to the Nordkapp......>>>>>>

Nordkapp Reflections and Advice.

2010-07-20T18:51:00.001+01:00

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"

2010-07-11T19:30:00.003+01:00

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

2010-07-10T19:32:00.001+01:00

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...

2010-07-09T18:24:00.002+01:00

....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

2010-07-08T18:00:00.000+01:00

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

2010-07-07T19:13:00.001+01:00

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!

2010-07-07T08:20:00.000+01:00

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

2010-07-06T20:15:00.000+01:00

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

2010-07-05T20:06:00.002+01:00

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

2010-07-04T18:26:00.002+01:00

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

2010-07-03T20:47:00.001+01:00

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

2010-07-03T08:30:00.000+01:00

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

2010-07-02T17:13:00.000+01:00

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

2010-07-01T19:07:00.002+01:00

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

2010-06-30T22:45:00.002+01:00

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.

Morning campers!

2010-06-30T06:57:00.002+01:00

Its a beautiful morning here in the area of Bardufoss and we are staying in a cabin on a kind of nature reserve. It is very nice albeit farily rustic. Last night we arrived here about 2030 and popped down to the local Spar - 10 mins away on a bike - and bought some supplies for breakfast. We also bought a large frozen pizza for dinner which we thought would be nice and easy to prepare. There is a kitchen but there is no oven or grill. So we fried it with a bit of fat from the salami!!! The bottom was black but we scrapped the top off and had a feast. That said, anything tastes good when your hungry.

This hut comprises two bedroom each with four bunk beds, a lounge, a small kitchen (no grill!), a loo and a shower room. Incredibly, the shower room also has his and her's sinks. How about that?!

Remembering a couple of points on travel, the tunnels are barely lit. They are narrow and dark and need respect. Car headlights seem quite bright due to the darkness and you can't see the road surface. Definitely worth slowing down. We have hardly seen any police cars but there are a lot of forward facing cameras. The E6 north of Mor i ana is single carriageway and mostly in great shape. There are however quite a few resurfacing operations as this is the season - can't lay tarmac in the winter. The surface can be bumpy particularly it seems and the approach to corners probably due to trucks braking and "moving" the tarmac so flying in a high speed on two wheels is probably not a good idea. I only had one major wobble.......!

The picture was from last night some 50 miles south of Bardufoss. We crossed a few bridges like that and saw so many great views but it wasn't practical to keep stopping a photographing them all. You'll have to come and see for yourself..........

The Road just ended....

2010-06-29T22:45:00.000+01:00

Unexpectedly, the E6 just stopped and we had to get a ferry for 30 mins. It ended up being a nice rest and actually we were very lucky as it was every hour and was sailing in 5 minutes. Tim took the opportunity to check the map and figure out exactly where we were. On the road, we kept passing the same cars and trucks as we kepted stopping to take photos. I sure they all think we are these mad English bikers who ride too fast. But the roads were really fantastic.

Eventually we made our destination for the night.....Bardufoss...were we rented a cabin. Sally arrived by plane and set off tomorrow as three.

Lunch by (yet another) fjord

2010-06-29T22:33:00.000+01:00

Found a great place for lunch. Under this building was attempted railway tunnel built by the Germans in 1943 using Russian POWs. It is now a kind of underground dinner area.

I aslo spotted a local - its true - they really exist and live in the woods.

Fuel station with garden

2010-06-29T22:27:00.000+01:00

The fuel station we missed in 2004 when desperate for fuel was just 2 km north when we turned south. Note the crazy roof with grass growing on it. The roads to the north of the Arctic Circle were brilliant and as the rain stopped we cracked on and did a few fast miles. The scenery was amazing and beyond description.

The Press follow us to the Circle

2010-06-29T22:21:00.000+01:00

As we were packing to leave Mor i ana, we were inteviewed by the media. Fantastic. We are going to be in the Mor i ana Times hee hee hee. A few miles later we were at the Arctic Circle and had a coffee at the visitor's centre. We also bought replacement tee shirts ( we bought the same ones in 2004.

A few miles later we reached the road junction were we joined the E6 in 2004 having crossed the mountains from Sweden and then turned south. At time we were desperate for fuel and guess what...2 km north was a fuel station.

Magical Mystery DeTour

2010-06-29T07:02:00.000+01:00

The E6, which is the road which takes us all the way to the NK, is in parts narrow and twisty now. It also has gangs working on it relaying the tarmac asthey can only do this in the few short summer weeks. Mostly, you just ride between the workers but on one occasion, the yesterday the road was closed and we were sent over a nountain range. "No worries", the man said in Norwegian, "10 minutes, that's all". Perhaps I misunderstood. It was however, fantastic as we climbed up and we stopped near the top to take stock.

The snow was still there but I guess we weren't that high and still 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Tim figured the water looked get great so insisted we both drank some. (Mum - if I die, its poisoning from the dead deer floating up stream.)

The detour was great though as we saw wilder terrain and even more great roads. Whislt, passing time there we saw our first police car too. He was going our way and after another 30 minutes we caught him up and he kindly gave us an escort into Moriana.

Ironically in Moriana we pulled up at randon outside a hotel and both suddenly realised it was one we had stayed at in 2004 the last time we rode here. It was full so we had to stay elsewhere but all was sorted and we watched Brazil dazzle Chile in a pub. Well, we were in a pub and they were in a stadium but you know what I mean.

And finally, this shot was taken whilst stopped at yet another road works. What a backdrop!

Heading north from Trondheim

2010-06-28T15:06:00.000+01:00

The E6 has been one big building site and were it isn't, it is frustrating as even the single carriage ways have concrete dividers. But after about 100 miles, the road turns into a motorcyclist's dream. Fantastic. Not too much traffic and amazing scenery. Had a coffee after 120m or so and Tim marked it on his map

After that we went even faster - well why not?! Great roads and great views. Having lunch now. Earlier we past a place called Hell and not far from there was a business called "Rent a Wreck". No idea what that was about.

Ok, so we lost but

2010-06-27T20:21:00.000+01:00

..it was in pub called Dirty Nelly's and here is Tim and Nelly.

And he's me with a German supporter. We decided not to trash the place after England lost.

All good fun and we did enjoy the game. It was in a place called Dumb As but we rode on to Trondhiem and cover 425 miles today. Off for dinner and a beer. Cheers

Come on England

2010-06-27T15:03:00.000+01:00

We rode 300 miles before stopping at 1545 to find a place to watch England v Germany. We are now sitting in a pub called Dirty Nelly's in a place called "Dumb as". Come on - you couldn't make it up. Anyway, signing off to watch the game.

Come on England !!!

First Night

2010-06-27T15:00:00.001+01:00

Had a wonderful night at Jorgen's and Elizabeth's in Sandefiord south of Oslo. Didn't arrive until late so had dinner about 2300h.

They were wondeful hosts. Breakfast on the terrace at 0800 and then we said our farewells and was back on the road at 0900. (Elizabeth - Tim really enjoyed the horse - something new for sure!! Many thanks for your wonderful hospitality)
Crikey, its warm today!! On our way.

Big jet foil thing

2010-06-27T06:59:00.000+01:00

This "little" jet foil thing ferried us from Denmark to Norway. It was ram jam full of cars and trucks and yet did 36 knots. Amazing. The other shot is Tim texting home after our mad dash across Denmark to make this ferry. It was close.

Send off Event in Hull (out f time sync I know but....)

2010-06-27T06:50:00.000+01:00

Here's a couple of pics from our send off "do". The first one shows a couple of likely lads tucking in the spread which Sally had prepared. To be fair it was fantastic. And the second pic is Tim and I posing for the press with our bikes. I doubt that one will make the paper - look in the background on the left! Even when they are not with us they are making us laugh.....! Cheers boys.

Drama across Denmark

2010-06-26T16:47:00.000+01:00

We didn't know a little Transalp would go so fast! The ferry into Esjberg was later than expected and it looked tight to get to Hirtshal. We did a swift 40 miles then stopped for fuel. Heading north and by passing Aarhus (sorry friends in Aarhus - not time to call in ) we realised that we were not going to make it. Either we rode slower to save fuel and thereby avoid another stop or nailed it and risked running out of fuel. We did the latter and indeed found fuel lights flashing well short of Hirtshal. The problem was a strong head wind combined with working the little bikes so hard.

Anyway, we filled up and and then absolutely nailed it for the last 30 miles and arrived at the port just in time. Actually we were 5 mins late for "last check in" but by luck the very big jet foil ferry was running late so we were ok. Phew! On board now on a 2 hr 15m crossing. Sea is a bit rough but not too bad.

Going to sit back and relax now. Heading for Kristiansand at about 20 knots with and ETA of 2015. Then 150 miles to Jorgen's house and a beer.

Heading out to Sea

2010-06-25T18:22:00.000+01:00

Made it to the Harwich ferry with 30 mins or so to spare. On board now and trying to stop sweating - its been a hot ride down here. Heading out to sea so will lose signal soon I guess so going to keep this short. Done about 240 miles today after leaving MKS at noon. Great send off from family and friends - a memorable day. Thanks to all you came to see us off. Time for a cup of tea now or maybe something stronger.
Cheers

Oh dear!

2010-06-25T08:44:00.000+01:00

Just checked 7 day weather forecast : rain everyday in the north of Norway. Day time temperatures vary from 7 to 12 degrees and rather chilly at night. But the good news is no snow forecasted ha ha! Remind again: why aren't we going to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco?

Fuelled, packed and ready to go!

2010-06-24T21:05:00.000+01:00

Finally, the hour is near. We set off in the morning. Tim is riding to mine for a last check through our gear tomorrow morning and then we are riding over to Miles Kingsport together (I think Tim wants to make sure I don't crash on the way to the start!). After coffee and cakes with friends, we will be heading for Harwich. Bring it on!!!

Friday is Day Zero

2010-06-21T16:09:00.000+01:00

Nearly time to go. We set off on Friday. We are setting off from Miles Kingsport on Witham in Hull at 12 noon and friends are welcome to join us at 1100 for a coffee and a bun. My wife is going to do some home cooking Alabama style. Fund raising has reach a staggering £10,000 so we are delighted with the many generous donations. Thanks to everyone - we are blown away with the support. Now all we have to do is ride there and back!!!

Getting ready - not long now

2010-06-12T17:01:00.000+01:00

Not long to go now. Bikes nearly ready. Might treat myself to some new thermals just in case.

Fund raiser in the KC Stadium

2010-06-09T22:35:00.000+01:00

What a great opportunity! Tim and I were invited to make a short presentation at the opening event of the Yorkshire Business Week held 7 June in the KC Stadium, the home of Hull City Football Club. With Tim's bike parked in the entrance area, when the time came to explain what our trip is all about, he wheeled my bike through the doors into the conference venue, parked it near the stage, and I gave a 10 minute talk on the trip and our fund raising event.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, it is for the LOVE U 2 appeal in aid of Dove House Hospice. See link to the left of the page.

I am guessing there was about 200 people in the room from the Hull business community and I sincerely hope our effort raises a few pounds either through our charity giving site or directly to Dove House. We both really enjoyed the morning and I would like to thank the organisers for fitting us in on what proved to be a very busy day. Thanks too to John Spencer who had prepared promotional stickers for our bikes which are now plastered all over the bodywork!!! Now at least we look like we know what we are doing!

Back from Australia

2010-05-30T13:25:00.000+01:00

And back to our preparations. But having just driven a hire car over 1500 miles in Australia, it is beginning to dawn on me how far the Nordkapp trip is going to be. It's not long now and getting quite excited but apprehensive too. Whilst in Australia, I drove the Great Alpine Road from the south coast to Wadonga. It is a sensational road passing the highest point at a ski resort on Mount Hotham. In a hotel lobby, I picked up a brochure promoting various routes through the mountains for motorcyclists. It is an excellent mini guide for touring and even gave a few safety tips as well as listing good cafes and biker-friendly places to stay. Included in the guide was a detour route off the main highway for riders travelling from Sydney to Philip Island ( the famous Australian racing circuit). Stunning roads in a real biker-friendly country. Might have to go back there some day!

The Challenges of Blogging and other news

2010-05-15T10:33:00.001+01:00

I am writing this in Bangkok on route to Australia for business. To access my blog, I have to log on and give a password etc etc. Rather challengingly, the instructions are all in Thai. Anyway, I guessed and made it into my blog so here I am. Bangkok is not providing me with any climate training for the Arctic - its 36 degrees here today. I think I will go and sit near the air conditioning vent - that might help.

By the way, after our chilly adventure on the last bank holiday, Tim has indeed bought a new jacket. Panniers arrived for our bikes from a German manufacturer and the guys at MKS set about fitting them. Seems that parts are missing so being air-freighted in. Glad we didn't leave that to the last minute. The lesson is - plan and act early as enough things to deal with will go wrong later anyway....ha ha ha

Arctic Training in May....in Yorkshire

2010-05-04T18:44:00.000+01:00

Don't you just love bank holiday weather?! We thought we'd have a nice ride out on bank holiday Monday but instead found ourselves having a training exercise for our trip. We set off on a chilly morning expecting it to get better during the day. But we ended up crossing the North York Moors in an icy hail storm with the temperature plummeting to just 3 degrees. Fortunately, as the weather is often unpredictable (particularly on bank holidays), we were in waterproofs and not leathers so it turned out that we in fact tested the gear we might be wearing to the Nordkapp. I think Tim might be treating himself to a new jacket!

On the same day, about 100 miles south of the Nordkapp, it was snowing! Oh dear! Perhaps we should be going to Africa.

Champagne & Flowers

2010-04-29T21:03:00.003+01:00

Champagne and Flowers

I booked the ferry crossing this week from Rotterdam to Hull with P&O ferries. The online system couldn’t cope with two passengers and two motorcycles so I had to actually speak to someone. That someone turned out to be a very nice lady who quickly established that we were two guys on a bike trip. She realised too that we probably needed twin beds in our cabin and I was happy to confirm that was correct. We discussed meals and rooms with or without windows, check in times and all the other details of the reservation. Finally, she said “Ok, I know you and Tim will be good friends especially after two weeks of rooming together on your bike trip but would I be right in assuming that you do not wish champagne and flowers to be left in the cabin?”

You don’t get that type of insightful service when you buy online!

Tax free donations

2010-04-24T09:40:00.001+01:00

Dear friends

Following the media interest, I have had some questions regarding the charity giving link. As very much an amateur blogger, I can't seem to enter a working link into the text of blog entries but you can find the link to the left of each blog page under "MY LINKS": donate to our supported charity. That link works!!

If you donate via that route, the charity can claim back the tax you have paid (you are donating out of your taxable income) which means of course we can raise more money for the charity courtesy of the Chancellor! This is for UK tax payers only but all others can use still the same link.

Many thanks for your generous support.

Ian

Media coverage

2010-04-23T13:18:00.000+01:00

The story has been published in the Hull Daily Mail and you can read the news at:

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Adventure-lives-s-good-cause/article-2058826-detail/article.html

Dove House Hospice

2010-04-17T20:05:00.001+01:00

Now we all know that Tim and I are going to really enjoy this trip no matter what happens. It could be freezing that far north; the weather might be bad; we might breakdown or get punctures; we may get lost. For certain, we will be shattered most of the time! But we will enjoy it whatever.

But it would be really good if we could help others and somehow mix pleasure with fund raising so here goes:

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/ride-to-the-nordkapp

Please donate via this web address or call in at MilesKing Sport on Witham in Hull. A link to charity giving page is also on the bottom left corner of the webpage. Alternatively, see the page on this blog relating to Dove House Hospice for more details on how to donate.

Thanks very much.

Ian and Tim

Ferries

2010-04-08T21:32:00.002+01:00

These are a necessary evil. I say that because at the end of the day, this is a motorcycle trip and I don't really want to spend hours on ferries. However, living in the UK really means getting a ferry and being close to Hull, P&O ferries have been our choice for past trips. It's a real shame though that there are no ferries to Norway from the UK. Hull to Rotterdam makes it a long trip to the Nordkapp so we have elected to use Harwich to Esbjerg. It's a long trip leaving at 1700 and arriving at 1230 the next day.

But checking the "small print", this ferry only sales every other day. It works for our outbound trip but the day selected for the return trip was the "wrong" day. Oh well, ride slower or ride faster? Let's check the prices first.

Incredibly it turns out that the inbound leg is TWICE as expensive as the outbound! That makes it for one rider and one bike a staggering GBP544 ! So after a couple of beers and chat, we have elected to use Harwich to Esbjerg for the outbound trip and Rotterdam to Hull for the return trip. This saves over GBP 200 per rider in ferry costs. It means more miles through Europe but avoids the long drag from Harwich to Hull on our way home. So we can chill out after +4000 miles on North Sea Ferries and cruise home in 30 minutes after disembarking. Its a no brainer.

But what about the price difference? Twice as much to sail home from Denmark as to sail to Denmark? Ferry company please note - you never sell this concept to a Yorkshireman!!!

Bike trade-in and the Last Ride

2010-04-02T17:12:00.005+01:00

Its April. Not long to go. Traded in the VFR for a Transalp so getting prepared! I've added crash bars and an 12v socket for charging the phone.

I have also traded in the CB1000R for a Sprint so today I thought I go for one last ride on it. A few miles from home I cruised past a camera van (its Easter weekend so I guess the boys in blue will be vigilant). Half a mile past the van, I spotted what looked like a police bike in my mirrors so continued to cruise. He followed me in the heavy traffic about 10 cars back for 3 miles, then caught me up and followed me in my blind spot (directly behind me) for another three miles. In the next village he pulled me over. I felt fairly smug as I was certain I had done nothing wrong. He explained that he had pulled me over as the rear number plate light was too bright!! I kid you not.

He said that even in this bright daylight, it was dazzling him. He said he must give a ticket requiring me to sort it. I explained I was trading the bike in and from tomorrow it would not be my bike so he decided not to give me a ticket. Now I ask you, how can a number plate light on a one year old Honda be too bright?! He tried really hard to nick me for something. I guess its par for the course as bikers. We are just easy targets as by default we must be doing something wrong, right? But the worst he could find was a tiny neon numberplate light which was dangerously dazzling motorists in broad daylight! Oh, I am bad, real bad, ha ha

Which bike? Decision made. Honda Trans Alp

2010-03-11T19:22:00.000Z

Took delivery today. Its a cracking little bike. Its no road racer but I'm not planning to race to the Nordkapp. Its a torquey 700c twin with a good top speed, very comfortable, heated grips which work (very important), and great fun to ride. Afterall, I am going to ride a few miles on it so it has to fun and comfortable!

Which motorcycle to ride to the Nordkapp? Honda TransAlp?

2010-03-07T11:43:00.000Z

Well, I may have made a decision. Test rode the new Honda VFR 1200. It rides well and reminds me of my old Blackbird. However, I fancy something more sedate and laid back for this trip. The Nordkapp by motorcycle is a long way and I don't have much time. I think now my team mate (Tim Wade) and I will both be riding TransAlps. Test rode one yesterday and liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

2010-02-26T18:06:00.000Z

A Right Proper Ride

Ok, so I promised I would tell you a little about the Nordkapp or North Cape as it is sometimes called. It seems to me that as a biker, the NordKapp is a magical destination. It is in the Norwegian municipality of Finnmark and is the most northerly point you can reach by road in Europe. Now that’s pretty special.

At a latitude of 71 degrees, 21 minutes and 10 seconds it is a long way north. I intend to buy a tee shirt celebrating this latitude assuming I make it that far! I’ve read that they sell T shirts with 71 degrees as a logo. I want one! The Nordkapp itself is a cliff some 1000ft (ca 300m) high and of course in June when we are going, it will be bathed in sunlight 24 hours a day. Ok, I might be being optimistic as it could be overcast, raining or even snowing but you know what I mean. We will be well past the latitude where the “midnight sun” starts in the summer so it will be light 24 hours a day.

Actually the most northerly point is the neighbouring headland of Knivskjelloden which stretches a further 1500 meters north. However, it is not accessible by road and is an 18km walk from the Norkapp. Forget it. I am a biker not a walker!

A story about the Nordkapp which inspires me is that of Richard Chancellor. This English explorer rounded the North Cape in 1553 whilst trying to find a north east passage to the India and the Orient. Of course, he never found one but eventually somebody found the north west passage. I leave that for you to check out.

Now, trying to put it in perspective just how far this trip is, Hull is 52 degrees, 40 mins north. That’s 52 degrees north of the equator. Not sure where Hull is? Shame on you. Ok, London is 51 degrees 31 minutes north. Gibraltar is 36 degrees minutes north so 16 degrees away from Hull. But as I mentioned early, the Nordkapp is 71 degrees north which is 19 degrees north of Hull. Following me?

Another way of looking at this is to consider that Gibraltar is 1837 miles from Hull by road and the Nordkapp by the route we are planning is 1942 miles.

Finally, if you feel compelled to know (although frankly there isn’t much more to know but I find more when I get there, I will let you know) you can check it out at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordkapp

And there you have it. It’s a “right proper” ride!

Carpe Diem

2010-02-20T16:49:00.000Z

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today!”

On the other hand, it is a big trip but I have put this off for long enough so this is the year!

Route Planning

There are no ferries running from on the UK to Norway. The two options are ferry to Rotterdam and ride all the way or ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark. Unfortunately, this latter option soaks up two days on each leg.

The most sensible route seems to be from Esbjerg to Hirtshal in northern Denmark, ferry to Kristiansand ( 2.5 hours) and then a direct route up the Norwegian coast. The return trip, which would be slightly shorter ,would be down the Swedish Baltic coast, ie west of the Baltic Sea, and down to Goteborg. From there we would get a ferry to Fredrickshaven ( 3 hours) and then arrive back in Esbjerg in time for the ferry to Harwich.

Tentative Itinerary

Day 1 Hull - ride to Harwich - ferry – Esbjerg – 1800h – over night – 1230 arrival

Day 2 Arrive Esbjerg 1230

– ride to Hirtshal in the north of Denmark. Coffee with friends in Aarhus

– 1800h sail to Kristiansand arrive 2030

Day 3 Set off from Kristiansand

Kristiansand – Norkapp is 1505 miles going up Norwegian coast

- Return trip via Swedish Baltic coast to Goteborg is 1422 miles

- Total is 2927 miles @ 9 days of riding is 325 miles per day

- Allows three days off for rest and contingency!! It might snow!

Day14 Arrive Goteborg

Day 15 Ferry to Fredrickshaven in DK - sails at 0900h – 3hrs.

- Ride to Esbjerg

- Overnight ferry to Harwich

Day 16 Harwich to Hull

Tentative timing

Leave from Hull Friday 25 June. Arrive back in Hull Saturday, 10 July. This is in effect two full weeks but leaves Sunday for recovery before returning to work. It is quite generous and in the main leg of Kristiansand to Nordkapp and then back to Goteborg, we would have 12 full days. This part of the trip is 2927 miles which in theory is 243 miles per day . However, I am assuming two days off and one contingency day. If we have the contingency day to spare we can use on the way home and spend a day in Olso.

Accommodation

For a small group, we could manage without reservations particular as huts on campsites are plentiful. I believe the huts are pretty basic but would do if we can’t find B&B. Reports are quite good. Huts are around £30 for a four man hut per night.

Ferries need to be pre-booked but the internal Scandinavian ferries are flexible if we change dates. Not sure about the Harwich ferry but if we were running late for whatever reason, we could probably change if we called ahead.

Other

Petrol stations are reasonably plentiful but open at odd hours, ie not early mornings and not in the evening. One report suggested carrying a jerry can.

Rotterdam option

This would add about 1500 miles in total. It is 735 miles from Goteborg to Europort which would two additional days in each direction. Given the 12 Scandinavian days in the itinerary, this would add four more but at least it incorporates a ferry to and from Hull. Nevertheless, it is a lot more miles!! That makes it 16 riding days with one day off averaging just under 300 miles per day. A real endurance test!

The Bike

I don't know what I will ride yet. Going to enjoy thinking about for a while yet!!!

The General Idea

2010-02-20T10:04:00.000Z

It has been on my mind for a few years to ride a motorbike to the Nordkapp. Now it's time to actually do it. Is it the ultimate ride in Europe? Possibly. I have ridden all over Europe and done a few trips in the USA. A few years ago, my friends and I rode up to the Arctic Circle and that set my mind rolling on the idea that going all the way to the "top" would be fun. But checking this idea out made me realise just how far it is - it's a long way!

Planning is progressing so more details on that later but for now here's the rough plan. Get bike. Pack. Set off from home (Walkington in East Yorksire). Ride, eat, sleep and ride some more. Get there (in June). Take lots of pictures. Have fun. Ride back. And share my experiences with anyone interested. I might even raise some money for charity but more of that later.

So this first blog entry is the official start. In the next entry, I'll tell you a little about the Nordkapp.