Latitude: 71.04

Wow, what a day. I’m not sure where to start, but we got off the tourist trail and have seen some of the most magnificent scenery yet. Norway is just stunning at every turn, and never stops surprising us.

We started the day driving along the edge of a fjord. How many places in the world can you do that? The road followed the shoreline, with mirror-like water on one side and snowy mountains rising on the other, with islands dotted in between. It was unbelievably scenic and put a smile on my face.

Later, we hiked along a canyon carved by centuries of rushing water. The river gushed with snowmelt, surging through the rocks in a choppy, chaotic way. Along the way, we met some Australians, the first antipodeans of our trip! They were super nice, and funnily enough, they’d done Alaska last year too. It felt like we were on a similar wavelength, chasing the edges of the map.

Most tourists head to Nordkapp, the northernmost point in mainland Europe accessible by road. But it’s a bit of a tourist trap: full of tour buses, souvenir shops, and an entry fee just to get to the viewpoint. It didn’t appeal to us.

So I did my usual “zoomie” thing on the map and found a little town called Mehamn, almost as far north, perched on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, and totally unknown to most people. Even the locals we’ve met haven’t heard of it.

The drive to Mehamn was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever done. It began winding alongside a fjord with smooth water reflecting small boats and rocks. Then the road climbed higher into the mountains, and the landscape changed again. We were transported to another world. Rocky terrain, smeared with snow that still covered the ground in early summer. Frozen lakes dotted the landscape, thawing into pale blue pools. At times, the snow beside the road was stacked higher than I am. It felt like we had driven onto another planet. Remote, silent, and vast.

I wondered why this route isn’t on the tourist map. Maybe they’re keeping it a secret. Maybe it’s better that way.

After around two hours of driving through this surreal landscape, we reached Mehamn, a quiet fishing village nestled beside the Barents Sea, in the far reaches of the Arctic. We found a beautiful spot to camp just north of the village, with sweeping views of the sea. It’s peaceful, remote, and stunning. I can’t believe we’ve made it this far. Over 71 degrees north! Last year at the Arctic ocean in Canada we were at 69 degrees, although it’s been a much easier drive to get here this year.

Tomorrow, we’re heading even further north to a lighthouse at the very edge of the world. This feels like the true north, not the tourist north.