Road trip up north - exploring Norway with a motorhome
The beauty of travelling with a motorhome is its great flexibility. You just live in the day and stop off wherever you like. The very spontaneous don't even set a route, but decide anew every day where they want to go. We were taken with the Norwegian coast - and we set off even though the weather forecast changed from the summer of the century to thick rain clouds just in time for our departure.
"You definitely have to smear all the door seals with mosquito repellent," affirmed my work colleague Kilian, who had already made several motorhome trips to Scandinavia, "otherwise the mosquitoes will eat you up."
"It rains at least once a day in Norway," others said. The weather often seems to cause problems in the Nordic countries. But we wanted to be flexible - and flexibility in this case also means having good rain gear.
Our itinerary
Whoever wants to travel long distances must consciously understand driving as part of the travel experience. Moving on big roads is only advisable if you need to make kilometres in a short time. Otherwise, it is better to opt for narrow back roads and just enjoy the scenery for hours. A good tip for travellers to Norway is the "Nasjonale Turistveger", i.e. the specially marked landscape routes.
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On our trip we got to know the different areas of Norway. In the interior, there are vast plateaus with national parks and lakelands. There you can enter an untouched wilderness, which has unfortunately become rare in our modern times.
The south coast exudes a sophisticated and relaxed flair. We found a surprising number of military positions from the Second World War there, reminiscent of the occupation by the German Wehrmacht. Many old and museum-like lighthouses are worth a visit. This can usually be combined with a short hike.
On the wild west coast we marvelled at thousands of small islands and of course the impressive fjord country. The "must visit" places were unbearably crowded, even though we deliberately did not travel during the peak travel season in July and August.
We only rarely faced the almost unbearable tourist crowds: once at Preikestolen and once when visiting the Geirangerfjords. Fortunately, there were plenty of lesser-known - and no less beautiful - places to head for.
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About travelling with a motorhome
Norway is definitely a motorhome country. Norwegians like to holiday "on the road" themselves. Accordingly, the country is well equipped for this type of tourism - similar to the USA and Canada.
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The traffic is very relaxed due to the mentality and speed limit. There are usually good parking facilities, even in the cities. The many fjords are crossed quickly and easily by ferry - it is hardly worth driving around them.
Thanks to Norway's "everyman's right", you can stay overnight at almost any nice rest area. Along many roads there are dumping facilities where you can empty your waste water and refill fresh water and drinking water.
So if you don't particularly value sanitary facilities and electricity, you don't need a campsite in Norway. You can save that money and invest it in tolls, petrol, shopping and restaurants: Everything is simply expensive as hell. One of the things we will remember about the city of Bergen is that we ate what was undoubtedly the best, but also the most expensive, plate of shellfish of our lives there.
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Contact with the locals and understanding
The people in Norway are quiet and reserved, but incredibly nice and helpful. We learned to appreciate this especially when we drove our motorhome too far into the sand at a rather lonely lake.
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After we had not moved the heavy part one centimetre despite using all our strength, we were very happy that the first passing car stopped immediately and offered us help. The lady could not tow us with her small car, but her neighbour promptly came by with a tractor.
They all stayed together until we were completely ready to drive again - even though it was Sunday and after 10 o'clock at night. They refused to take any money for their help. They said travelling in their country was expensive enough for us.
By the way, communication was no problem at all. It's really impressive how well all Scandinavians know English. Even the older generation who didn't grow up with the language.
The almost universal payment by credit card is another thing I envy the Norwegians for. Every parking ticket machine takes the credit card and communicates in English as a matter of course.
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The conclusion of our Norway road trip could not be better:
Again, the mosquitoes did not eat us. And that despite the fact that we didn't completely cover the door or ourselves with mosquito repellant. We can also dismiss the daily rain as a rumour. You only have to be prepared for big temperature fluctuations - in our case we ranged between 8 °C and 31 °C.
What remains of our holiday are a lot of unforgettable moments. Because every single region of the far north is unique and leaves different images in the mind (and on the hard drive).
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Beautiful circular walk right by the coast in the Kullaberg nature reserve, in northwest Schonen
The scenic circular walk along the coast near Risør takes us to the idyllic fishing and bathing lake Åmlandstjenn and to the lookout peak Fransåsen.
Circular hike over the Odderøya peninsula with magnificent views of the sea and interesting insights into military history
Beautiful circular hike along the Skåneleden along the rugged coast of Hovs Hallar with the best sea views.
Scenic hike high above the Jøssingfjord
Spectacular, but very popular among tourists, hike to a 600 m high, vertically sloping rocky outcrop
Beautiful hike through the mountain landscape of Ulriken with the best view of the town of Bergen below with its offshore coastal landscape.
The scenic hike leads to the summit of Molden above the Lustrafjord.
Hike to the famous Peer Gynt Hytta against the mountain backdrop of the Rondane National Park.
Leisurely round hike around Lake Sjusjøen
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