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.

Today, we crossed into Finland! It was just a short 30-minute drive from our campsite to the border, and not far after that, we’d marked out a hike in Lapland. It was meant to be an easy loop around a lake, something gentle and scenic. But on the drive there, I spotted a trail leading up a mountain. I looked at the slope and saw people up there and thought, no way! Then I glanced at the frozen lake beside us and thought, actually… the view from up there would be amazing.

So next minute, we’re making wraps for lunch, filling up our water bottles, and hiking up a mountain! Okay, the plan was never really to go all the way to the top. Just high enough to get the views.

 The track wound through mountain birch trees, with patches of snow scattered around. There was even snow on parts of the track that we had to crunch our way through.

Halfway up, we stumbled across a hexagonal shelter hut with a firepit in the center, cooking tools, an axe for chopping wood, and a shovel for the snow. It was incredibly cosy, the kind of place you’d want to hunker down in during a storm.

We kept climbing and, after about 30 minutes, broke above the tree line. The view was spectacular with the frozen lake below and mountains stretching into the distance. We decided that was far enough. The temperature was dropping, and we weren’t equipped for any sudden changes in weather.

After the hike, the landscape changed. As we drove further into Finland, the terrain flattened out and the lakes multiplied. I don’t want to say it was boring… but it was boring. What stood out, though, was the amount of rubbish. Many of the scenic rest stops were sprawled with litter, a stark contrast to pristine Norway.

We also encountered many reindeer behaving badly. They hang out on the side of the road, and decide to wander in front of you without warning. They are neat to see though, with their fancy little antlers. We also kept spotting animals that looked like antler-less reindeer. Elk, maybe? Very cute, whatever they were.

We followed the Swedish border for much of the day. Technically, we could’ve crossed over just to say we went to Sweden, but didn’t see the point. It’s just an invisible line.

Eager to reach the Arctic Ocean, we pushed on and re-entered Norway. There, we found a quiet lakeside camp all to ourselves. It was perfect: calm water, no wind, no bugs, just peace. We set up the chairs and soaked it in, thinking how lucky we are to be here.

For dinner we had garlic bread and soup, and I was still patting myself on the back for finding such a great spot when the peace was shattered by a roar that sounded like a dirtbike on steroids. I looked out the window and saw a jet ski tearing across the lake at breakneck speed. I’d never seen one move so fast! But then it drove up on the land. An amphibious jet ski? I’d never heard of such a thing.

Curious, we stepped outside and were immediately hit by the smell of high-octane fuel. A few vans and a gazebo were set up nearby. We wandered over, marvelling as this amphibious creature darted across the lake, breaking the sound barrier. 

As we got closer we saw that it was a race team and they were out practicing on the lake. The creature we’d been seeing wasn’t a jet-ski at all. It was actually a stock-standard snow-mobile! Apparently, it can skim across the surface of the water at high speed, but if it stops, it sinks. We stood there, amazed, watching it fly across the lake. It was wild, loud, and completely unexpected.

They’d only just arrived around 7 p.m., so we figured they’d be going for a while. Although it was very cool, it was a bit loud for us, so we packed up and moved on, driving another 40 minutes to a quieter lakeside spot. This one had picnic tables, a toilet, and a few campervans, but the atmosphere was much more peaceful.

An exciting end to an already adventurous day.

This morning we took our time, soaking in the beauty of the mountains around us before setting off for a walk around 10:30am. The trail climbed steadily uphill for about an hour, winding mostly through pine forest. It was incredibly calm. Just us and the sounds of nature, with no one else in sight.

At the top, we came across a post box! It was just a hollow in a tree with a guestbook tucked inside. It felt like a geocache, except you didn’t have to hunt for it. I loved the idea. We added our names and saw we were the only ones from New Zealand. Most others had come from Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

On the way down, the path followed a rushing river, going crazy with snowmelt. Later we passed a gushing waterfall, also going crazy. This really is the perfect time of year to witness the sheer force of the water.

We decided to spend another night at the same camp spot. It’s just too beautiful to leave, especially with the sunny day and finally warm enough to sit outside. We even did laundry using river water and had a shower, which basically involved getting slightly damp and calling it hygiene.

The rest of the day we simply relaxed, enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

After a peaceful night camping just outside the tunnel, we woke up and enjoyed the breathtaking mountain and lake views right outside our window. I even managed to finish editing next week’s video.

The morning’s adventure started with driving through the first tunnel. No sweat, since I could see daylight at the other end. But then came the real test: a narrow, twisting 1-kilometer tunnel that felt really claustrophobic. I wasn’t sure how we’d handle meeting another car inside and the thought sent a little shiver down my spine!

Once on the other side, we cruised down to Husøy, a tiny fishing village perched on an island. It wasn’t bustling, but the drive there was stunning. Rugged coastline, jagged mountains, and a peaceful vibe. Driving back through the tunnels was easier this time, now I knew it wasn’t going to trick me into being longer than I expected.

We then decided we’d seen all we wanted to on Senja island, so it was time to start heading towards the Arctic ocean. But to avoid the massive tunnels on the way north, we needed to head south first through Finland and a bit of Sweden.

The start of this leg was a hectic blur of busy highways, campervans and trucks, all behaving badly. But as soon as we veered off the main road, everything slowed down. We cruised through a tranquil valley framed by towering mountains, and a beautiful fjord. It was gorgeous.

We’d planned to keep driving for hours, but by 4 p.m. we found the perfect rest stop, tucked away from the busy road, surrounded by towering pines and snow-dotted mountains. We took a short, steep hike up the hill, wheezing in crisp pine air and glimpses of snowy peaks between the trees. A rushing river and distant waterfall added to the soundtrack of nature, washing away the day’s travel fatigue.

Tomorrow? Finland awaits, just for a little while, before we continue chasing the Arctic ocean.

We slept soundly at the ferry port, waking up refreshed and buzzing with anticipation for the crossing ahead. Overnight, a fresh queue had sprouted beside us, and by the time boarding began, there were three lines of eager travellers.

The ferry ride to Senja took about an hour and 40 minutes, and it was a scenic journey. As the ship rolled with the ocean swell, the rugged, snow-capped peaks of Senja came into view.

We arrived, and were blown away by how beautiful and calm this place is. And dare I say it… it’s much nicer than Lofoten! We drove through many tunnels today, and they didn’t bother me as much as I expected. The longest one was 2.2 kms, and this was the worst. It was windy and narrow, and no ventilation so it was also smelly.

We tried to track down some hikes using the AllTrails app, but it sent us on a wild goose chase to places with no clear paths. So we stopped at a secluded beach and had an afternoon nap instead.

Later, we drove on until we stumbled on a gorgeous spot overlooking a frozen lake, one of the most serene and beautiful spots I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to camp there.

Tonight, we’re camping just outside a tunnel, with a lake and mountains sprawled out before us. We’ll explore more tomorrow, before continuing our journey north.

As beautiful as the Lofoten islands are, we decided they are too busy for us. So we’re getting off! Today we drove to the ferry at Fiskebol (which I think translates to fish bowl) and caught the ferry to another lot of islands. We drove along these for most of the day, admiring the different scenery. It was less dramatic and more jagged hills, and sleepy little farms. But it was nice for a change.

The weather was cold and wet for most of the day, so we just kept on driving through the misty landscape. Late in the afternoon, we found a quiet, free camping spot next to a white sandy beach, and settled in for the night.

We want to go to Senja island, which is supposed to be as nice as the Lofoten islands, just less touristy. This involved catching another ferry. There’s just one catch. When I looked at the times for it, I noticed it only goes twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. So I decided we’d be better off driving the extra 30 minutes to the ferry terminal and camping there for the night.

So we packed up and moved on. When we arrived, we weren’t alone. A neat line of campervans had already beaten us to it, everyone else having the same idea. So here we are, parked up in the queue ready for the morning ferry. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we had blue skies, sunshine, everything perfect. Today? Cold. Wet. Grey. And neither of us could be bothered with it. So we stayed put. In the van. ALL day. Didn’t even open the door.

We’ve been going pretty hard for over three weeks now, with only one real rest day when we got snowed in. So this felt earned. And the weather wasn’t tempting us to do anything else.

The upside? I made good progress on my next video. No idea what Mike did all day – probably plotted new ways to beat me at Monopoly Deal.

We really need more games. We’ve only got chess and Monopoly Deal. I prefer chess as it requires some actual skill. As for Monopoly Deal, Mike always gets the Deal Breakers and “Just Say No” cards. I’m convinced the deck is cursed. I’d like to say he cheats, but that’s probably more my skill.

We ran the diesel heater most of yesterday, so we dropped to 78% on our 200 amp hour system. Still plenty left and we could easily go a few more days off-grid, even without sun.

For lunch we had soup and garlic bread, and for dinner we had pizza! Well, it was a wrap cooked in the fry pan with bacon, cheese and mushroom and folded over like a calzone. But it was still yummy. I really need to eat some vegetables. Diet starts tomorrow!

The scenery on Lofoten is just WOW. Unfortunately, everyone else thinks so too!

There was a hike I wanted to do today, it’s supposed to be the best hike on Lofoten. Unfortunately everyone else had heard about it too! We knew we needed to get up early if we wanted to avoid the crowds, so starting a hike at 10am was entirely our fault. And it was a very steep hike, up 2000 rocky steps. About ¾ of the way up, we were both overwhelmed by all the people and it became quite dangerous on the steep steps, and one guy even fell. So we bailed and headed back down before we had to battle the hoards that had gone ahead.

The scenery on the drive today was absolutely amazing. I love the contrast of the red timber villages, coastal scenery and dramatic cliffs towering at every turn. We tried to do another hike that was recommended, but the parking lot was full and cars and vans were driving around and parking haphazardly causing mayhem. And from experience, if the parking lot is THAT full, it won’t make for a very peaceful hike. So we aborted that walk too, and drove down some side roads. And this is where we found the magic.

We followed a narrow gravel road, which was barely wide enough for our van. I daren’t think what would happen if we met someone coming towards us. There were a few pull-offs which would have required reversing up, but thankfully it didn’t happen. At the end of the road was a charming village and some epic views over the ocean, the fjord and of course, the mountains! We found a pull-off and paused to take in the view and soaked up the calm. It felt like a small escape away from the madness of the main road, where campervans were behaving badly.

The road was an in and out, but we didn’t care. It was equally as nice heading back. We spent the rest of the day tiki-touring off the main roads, down little side roads. Massive mountains, turquouise water, white sandy beaches, and a blue sky backdrop made everything look picture perfect. I imagine it would like completely different on a rainy overcast day.

We drove through three unavoidable tunnels and they were all under 2km and I had no problem with the first two. The third one, which was 1800m, was scary. And not in a claustrophobic way. It was super-narrow, faintly lit and the centre line looked like a child had drawn in it chalk. And as I’m sitting on the wrong side of the car, I was in the hot-seat facing the traffic coming at me. And they weren’t coming slowly either. A gigantic bus barrelled on down, missing us by mere cms! It might be an exaggeration but that’s how it felt. I was more than pleased to get out of there. I might even have some funny GoPro footage of the trip (with a lot of swearing!).

That was our last tunnel for the day, so we continued our tiki-touring off the main roads, still in awe by the incredible scenery. I imagine it would look completely different on a rainy overcast day. Finding somewhere to sleep for the night proved a bit trickier. Most places are paid, but on the back roads there were a few pull-offs, most of them right next to the road. I didn’t like this idea. But eventually we found a scenic spot with a bigger pull-off with mountain scenery on one side and the sea on the other.

In Norway, the freedom camping rules are simple. You can camp anywhere as long as it doesn’t say you can’t, and it’s at least 150 metres from a house.

Rain is forecast for the next few days, so there will probably be less bragging about how beautiful it is here!

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.

Km: 180

Lattitude: 66.33 – We’re at the Arctic baby!

Today we continued on driving north. As we crossed yet another ferry we were transported into the mountains again. How does that even happen? The drive was incredible, with snow covered mountains plunging straight into the fjord. 

We have changed our minds yet again. We have now decided not to go to the touristy Lofoten Islands, as it requires a long ferry ride which needs to be booked in advance, and this is impossible for us as we never know where we will be from one day to the next. So we have decided to explore the less touristy, but equally as beautiful, Senja Island. 

Today we climbed up and up into the mountains and we finally reached the arctic circle. This was a completely different experience from last year. Last year we were at the arctic circle sign, alone, dressed in singlets and shorts as it was so hot. This year, there are lots of campervans and the ground thick with snow, some of it taller than Mike!

But it’s no less of an adventure and we are loving it. We are camping at the Arctic centre, surrounded by snow with spectacular views of the mountains. We decided to spurge and ate at the restaurant here. We had the reindeer stew, which was very delicious, and I tried not to think about the reindeer family we saw yesterday.