Scandinavian advice please!

[MissAnj]

Hi!

This is my first post on this website so hello to everyone!

Next week myself and my boyfriend begin our second adventure in our camper van for 5 months with the aim of reaching the Arctic Circle! Our first adventure was (in a nutshell) 10 months, 17,600 miles, 16 countries and 12 ferry crossings so we are quite used to wild camping etc as we only had one campsite per week! We had an extremely tight budget and managed on 150 euros per week which included fuel, food and admission to any sights and attractions.

The plan is to cross the channel and head northwards through the Netherlands, Denmark crossing the bridge to Sweden up to Stockholm and then across to Oslo, Bergen and then to travel north taking the most scenic route as possible. Will we need to take any ferrys in Norway and i was reading about toll roads - are they expensive? When we reach the Northkapp we are heading south through Finland and continuing our journey through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

But I am very concerned about Norway as it is so expensive. Does anyone have any tips of how to keep costs to a minimum? Are campsites expensive? If we were visiting large cities such as Rome we camped near a metro stop and bought a day ticket for public transport so is public transport expensive in Norway?

If anyone has any useful advice (is it easy to get fresh water and empty waste tanks etc), wild camping co ordinates (for any country i have mentioned) etc then please get in touch with me!!!

Many thanks,

Anjie

 

[Pollik]

I shall be watching this thread...we are leaving in the beginning of July to try and go round the Baltic.

We might even see you on the way, who knows......?

 

[Deleted member 3011]

We wildcamped all the time in Sweden and Norway and had no trouble getting water and finding places to dump. Didn't bother going way north though as at the end of that section we left Bergen for Iceland. Swedish friend told us not to bother because it is a long way to drive just to get eaten alive by mosquitoes and look at trees for days on end..
Autogas was available but not all that common.

Yes, lots of ferries and quite a few tunnels as well that you pay for - and the occasional toll road, some of which are unmanned and you have to pay at a nearby petrol Station. Bergen has tolls in the city too. Strangely, the longest tunnel (25km??) is free.
If your vehicle is less than 6 metres long it is half the toll that applies over 6 metres.

Usually a long detour to avoid paying tolls.

 

[MissAnj]

What is the cheapest supermarket in Norway? Obviously in Sweden and Finland we will be heading to Lidl but what about the Norwegians?! Also is there anywhere apart from McDonalds that we can get free wifi?! Or is it something that we will just stuble across?

 

[durhamwasp]

I wish you luck in keeping to a tight budget in Norway! Having lived in Finland and Sweden I know it is easily possible in those 2 countires, but Norway is something else (based on my visits there)

Personally i would concentrate the majority of my trip in Sweden and Finland, popping into Norway for short spells. But Norway is a beautiful country too, so it may be worth the extra dosh! Once you are out of the big towns, i see no problems wildcamping. All 3 countries are pretty empty up top!

 

[Fleming]

Hi!

This is my first post on this website so hello to everyone!

Next week myself and my boyfriend begin our second adventure in our camper van for 5 months with the aim of reaching the Arctic Circle! Our first adventure was (in a nutshell) 10 months, 17,600 miles, 16 countries and 12 ferry crossings so we are quite used to wild camping etc as we only had one campsite per week! We had an extremely tight budget and managed on 150 euros per week which included fuel, food and admission to any sights and attractions.

The plan is to cross the channel and head northwards through the Netherlands, Denmark crossing the bridge to Sweden up to Stockholm and then across to Oslo, Bergen and then to travel north taking the most scenic route as possible. Will we need to take any ferrys in Norway and i was reading about toll roads - are they expensive? When we reach the Northkapp we are heading south through Finland and continuing our journey through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

But I am very concerned about Norway as it is so expensive. Does anyone have any tips of how to keep costs to a minimum? Are campsites expensive? If we were visiting large cities such as Rome we camped near a metro stop and bought a day ticket for public transport so is public transport expensive in Norway?

If anyone has any useful advice (is it easy to get fresh water and empty waste tanks etc), wild camping co ordinates (for any country i have mentioned) etc then please get in touch with me!!!

Many thanks,

Anjie

Hi Anjie,
I do know a lot about Scandinavia. As you are also a free member we cannot PM;
There is another forum (which I cannot even mention overhere) about motorhoming ... wild where you may find loads of info about wilding .... in Scandinavia;
Leo

 

[Deleted member 2636]

When my friends visited Norway, I old them to stock up with food. When you get out of Oslo there is not a great deal of choice when you reach the stores in the towns and villages and it's B. expensive.
And take your own booze

 

[Deleted member 3011]

Would be a big mistake to avoid Norway because of some misperception that it is going to break the bank while Sweden and Finland is not.
Avoid Norway and you avoid stunning Fjord scenery and some of the most incredible wild-camping spots in the world, Glaciers, snow-covered plateaus, coastal drives and some incredible winding roads etc etc etc

Add pulpit rock, Atlantic coast road and .... and work it out on a $/memory basis and there are few places to equal it.


More to tempt you at https://picasaweb.google.com/114611728110254134379 (provided Maccas don't kick me off and stop the upload)

 

[MissAnj]

Yes i see what you mean Tony!! It seems to me that it would be a serious crime to visit Scandinavia and miss out Norway!

As you have visited Norway with your camper did you visit Stavanger? We have been studying our map this morning and the main road to Stavanger is broken up (E39). I assume these are small ferry journeys? Are they expensive? and where is the best place to walk from to visit Pulpit Rock?

Sorry there are so many questions!

Many thanks to everyone who have replied to this thread!! You have been a MASSIVE help to us!!

 

[Deleted member 3011]

Will have to check. we did drive on the "highway to the sun" I think it is called.
Pulpit rock we found the carpark using TomTom points of interest.

As for toll roads - you can often check by using the trip planning feature of a navigator if it tells you that the rout involves tolls, these include tunnels and ferries where a toll is levied.
Michellin Road atlas also shows many of the toll points.

Yes the road north does involve ferries but I recall that there were some cases where ferries aere regarded as an integral part of the main road system and may not be charged. There are a couple of undersea tunnels on that route as well.

Stavanger is actually visible from the walking track up to pulpit rock but I'm pretty sure you need to take at least one ferry to get there from d39. Quite a walk from the carpark to pulpit

I recall being annoyed by the ferry and tunnel tolls but not because I had to pay them even though my middle name is Scrooge, but because they were double the rate just because the hobby is half a metre over the 6 metre price break. You can look at it from the point of view that since there is never any need to pay for campgrounds, the savings more than pays for the tolls.


You can reduce your average toll cost per km by going through the 25km long tunnel which used to be free. Personally, even 7 or 10km tunnels were quite boring enough without driving 25km in one.

 

[Deleted member 11815]

You may want to see Europe By Camper and chat to Adam and Sophie on email - they are there now and are very friendly. Normally.