Latitude: 67
Well, our plans have changed yet again. This is why we only have vague plans.
We had a really good night sleeping in the snow at the Arctic circle centre. With internet access and a warm indoor space to work, we spent the morning catching up on things, prepping my next vlog, and planning the route ahead.
At this stage we were still heading north, avoiding the Lofoten islands. But on further investigation, I realised there were a LOT of tunnels heading north. Some really big ones too. And there were only a couple of long tunnels leading to the Lofoton ferry at Bodo. So, we decided to go that way after all. Then I did my “zoomie map” trick and spotted a minor road with no tunnels! Of course, Google didn’t want to send us that way, so I picked out a few small towns along the route to force it to cooperate.
This route took us up and over the mountains, climbing right into the snow line. The road wound its way through a white landscape with snow still blanketing the ground. It felt like driving through a winter postcard, even though it was late spring. The views were breathtaking with endless layers of jagged peaks and frozen lakes and every turn revealed something new and beautiful.
So once again, my tunnel phobia is making our decisions (someone’s got to) and sending us on the most amazing routes. We stopped and had lunch at a beautiful viewpoint overlooking a small town. On our way down the other side, a warning flashed on our van’s dash. Our dipping bulb had blown. So when we arrived in Bodo, we found a Supercheap Auto equivalent and bought two (in case the other one blows).
We had no idea what time the ferry to Lofoten left, and we didn’t know how to find out. So we just rocked up to the ferry port at 4pm, just as they were loading the ferry. It couldn’t be this easy. Could it? We had no booking or anything. I asked the guy in the queue in front of us, and he didn’t have a booking either. He said they will take payment out of our ferry pass (which Mike did online a while back. It’s an automated system that reads your numberplate, then charges you. Works on toll roads too.)
They stopped loading the ferry at the guy in front of us, so we missed that one. But it didn’t matter, as there was another one at 6.45pm, and we were assured we’d get on board that one. Yay! So we had a couple of hours to spare. Mike tried to fit the headlights, but the guy had given us the wrong ones! So that sucked. But we had some dinner, played some chess, then it was time to board the ferry!
The ferry was flash and served sausages, so we ordered sausage and chips, which was really yummy. I’ll start my diet tomorrow. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful ride out of the harbour. The ferry crossing was a smooth 3 hours and 15 minutes, and no need for seasick tablets.
On arrival I was just so excited. It was 10pm, the sun still high in the sky, and the scenery was mind-blowing. Quaint little houses perched on the sea shore with mountains rising behind them. It was just what I expected of Lofoten!
We drove to the town of A, which is the southernmost town on the island, and only 8 minutes from the ferry. It was here we found all the other campervans parked up for the night, so we joined them.
We tried to do a hike around the lake, but it was a bit boggy, so we walked out to a scenic point, when the mountains plunged straight into the water. Then we walked into the village. This was where we saw the iconic red timber pole houses, reflecting perfectly in the water, mountains in the background. It was just stunning. And we were all alone, at midnight, taking in the beautiful views and the midnight sun which had dipped behind the mountains.