The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Rich Sims]

Hi All, after testing my cruiser to croatia a few weeks ago I'm now planning on driving to nordkapp norway in febuary, the aim is to have lots of snowball fights and see the northern lights..

We're diving all the way(apart from the chunnele at dover) and heading up through sweden to the top of norway camping where possible then driving back down the west coast.

Anyone else done this trip and can give some advice on things to vist or places to see?
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[uk_vette]

it will be a tough drive.
The cold will be some thing you have probably never felt before.
The roads will be very full of snow.
The days will be very short, and dark.
In all honesty, February is not the month to think Noordkaap.

'vette

[Ecoman]

I would have thought the challenge of the terrain, weather and environment would be the reason to go in the first place. I know it would be for me
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[Rich Sims]

Yeah its the challange of getting there although this next video was done by a guy who did it in january in a Bmw cabriolet..lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkV0ROye4mA

But this next vid will wet your appitite and you'll see they put a Land cruiser in front on the tricky stuff..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5491787795266469552#

I've worked in finland and estonia for a few months during the winter so can guess the conditions that we will have to encounter, we're taking a roof tent with electric blanket..LOL and we've found quite a few camp sites along the route which also have log cabins if the weather turns too bad and hope to be wild camping most of the way if weather permits..
_________________
KZJ70 M reg keeping for spares
KZJ78 M my new expedition,laning toy
MY12 Discovery (don't know what its good for)
100" trayback defender challenge vehicle sponsored by Devon 4x4

[Jimbo4x4]

If you're going in Feb be prepared to be disappointed. I hear the road to Nordkapp is often closed during the winter months.
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With great power comes great responsibility. That's why I have a 2.4!

[wobbly]

Rich,

I am also looking at the same destination, but March/April.

February is still the arctic winter, and way too cold for me!

Will be very interested in your plans though.

also - theres a write up in the current lro mag about this trip.

[CompanyMan]

can't really comment except to say that Feb would be too early for this trip IMHO. Norwegians don't grit roads, they just close them until the snow melts a bit.

by the way, does anyone have any experience of driving a 4x4 on those horrible studded tyres they use up there? My Norwegian driving has mainly been in small hire cars.. I did do Alesund to Malloy in a Fiat Punto in Feb once, not amusing and the numerous ferries were only open about 6 hours a day because they close after dark, so best part of 2 days for 170 km with most of that speny waiting in queues at ferry landings  

[wobbly]

Rich

Have you got a particular map in mind?

I've been to a good local bookshop - they have a guide + map combo, but it only really shows major and main roads (probably sensible!).

Want something like our 1:50000 OS maps.

Pete

[amortens]

There is a Swedish company arranging 4x4 tours to Nordkap during winter time. I found this link to a translated page, so non Swedish persons can read it.

http://blackseaadventures.com/eng/

I know, the name of the link is strange, as the trip is to Nordkap

Regards

Arne

[Sean]

hello . ive just done the NordKapp 2 days ago.

i noted alot of boom gates on the road up there. these boom gates are used when the roads are closed beause of snow, ice or rockfalls. im not sure if the road to the Kapp is closed totally in the winter, bu tits a tarmac road and the noggies ae very good at clearing snow off roads. indeed while i was there the local council where placing the delineators alongside the verges of the road. these mark the edges of the road for the snow plough and drivers.  (i lost a hilux for a few hours when i drove off the edge because the delineators was missing.)

daytime tepertures at the moment are around 15degrees sinking to 5 at night. February tempertures up there are around -20 to -30 freeze the snot in your nose stuff. get a very good sleeping bag by a norwegian company or get a diesel night heater if youre sleeping the wagon. l

egally you have to have snow tyres or chains fitted to your car (starting i think October, you better check this) snow tyres are either special rubber compound ones with a strange lip on the leading edge of the pattern, or studded tyres. you can get these as new or retro fit your chunky tyres with drill in studs (and i presume drill out as well) . the locals keep 2 sets of tyres for year round driving, and you will wear the winter ones doen quickly in the summer.

ive driven on heaps of snow covered roads in Norway mainly coastal roads, you can drive quiet happily at 80kmph or more if you have the right wheels on. (on a similar note i lost a different hilux underground on ice when i assumed it did have studded tyres) ice tends to be signposted or visually noticeable. the snow up here tends to be dry not the slushy *beep* in UK that melts and freezes over.  

theres a toll tunnel over onto to the island the Kapp is on, its 15quid ? if i remember but someone was tellin me the tunnel has nearly paid for itself and the toll may be gone in 2011. i doubt very much it has paid for itself its 12yr old, 8km long and thers bgr all traffic on it.

at the kapp itself you have to pay something like 32quid to get to the headland. but if you go after 3pm, the place is shut and you have it to yourself. The true northernmost headland is within view of Cape North but requires a 18km return hike which would be fun at anytime of the year .

it will be dark up in Finnmark in February and its "midday sun" is actually more like 1030am. but cos everything is covered in white snow, any light there is , reflects off and lights up the area nicely .

come to think of it the road to North Cape should be open, theres a military golfball installination nearby. (might be blurred out on goodleearth) weather or not its open to public is different, the norwegian army tends to get around in Hagglands all terrain wagons durign the winter.

as a side. Most of the E6 route is good tarmacced road probabley replacing the dirt road when the goevernment struck rich with north sea oil. this means the old dirttrack road is often parellel to teh new one. this allows for some nice greenlaning wen you get bored. also where new tunnels have been dug thru headlands thers usually the old mountainpass still up over it. though washouts tend to take out any bridges. also theres heaps of mountian trails leading to antennas/hydropower stations/military installinations.

Imho i would recommend coming up here in the midnight sun in June July. you will get great sunlight for photos. at the moment im deleteing most mine as they do not do justice to the place.

[wobbly]

Good one.

I was looking at May but June is cool.

Just ordering some maps off tinternet.

Going to have a look at ferries this evening.

Pete

[Sean]

oh yeah ive just noticed all the roadside rest areas/bins and toilets are been closed for the winter too.  So toilet time in minus 30 might be your biggest challenge.

In Narvik at the moment. i intended on going on the train thru the mountians journey to Kiruna in Sweden but the mine tours in Kiruna and the rail timetable are changed for winter. so instead of one overnight in kiruna I would ned 2, scrap that. bsides its started raining. I'm off instead to the Lofoten island penisula then a car ferry back to the mainland at Bodo.

thinking about for the last few days , ive been seeing some specatular scenery but the light quality is s///e for photos. if you came up here in the winter in the dark i'm guesing its comparable  to taking the tube from one side of London to the other thinking youve seen all of London.

[Sean]

more info for yeahs.
1.Statoil petrol stations have wifi as does ICA supermarkets in Sweden(need to check this one
2.Food is expensive here. 4quid50 for a poxy hotdog.! stock up on food in cheaper countries or Uk.
3.If in parts its handy to refuel in a differnt country do so. i got diesel at 1.24euro in finland compared to 1.44 40km away in norway.
4.Reindeer and Mooses wander around the countryside. most the freight trucks have nice big roo bars on them.
5.From what i gather mechanics labour charges here are 100 euro an hour. make sure youre wagin is in good order.
6.if you are involved in any accident even if shunted from behind, and you have no winter wheels on when you should do, you will held resposible.
7.for pay for use campsites they have varying degrees of niceitys. though the all year open ones should have good facilities.
8.For the rough camper. to get access to showers, its a bit hit and miss which towns/villages have swimming pools, at time of writing Alta was getting renovated and Narviks is closed, but ive driven thru a couple of hamlets which seem to have indoor pools? Also seaports that the Hurtigurten expenisve cruise ship call into take note of these. as a day visitor you can get onboard and some of them have showers you can use on the accomdation decks.

[24Seven]

I looked into going to NordKapp, as an alternative to Morocco next year, but the costs of fuel and in general are high and I don't really like the cold as I love wild camping and siting in the evening sun.

Also be very careful of breaking the speed limits, examples of the levels of fines below  

When speed limit 60 km/t or less:
+5km/h 600NOK (75€)
+10km/h 1600NOK (200€)
+15km/h 2900NOK (360€)
+20km/h 4200NOK (525€)
+25km/h 6500NOK (810€)

When speed limit 70 km/t or more:
+5km/h 600NOK (75€)
+10km/h 1600NOK (200€)
+15km/h 2600NOK (325€)
+20km/h 3600NOK (450€)
+25km/h 4900NOK (610€)
+30km/h 6500NOK (810€)
+35km/h 7800NOK (975€)

[Rich Sims]

god you lot are chearfull...lol

great info though thanks..
_________________
KZJ70 M reg keeping for spares
KZJ78 M my new expedition,laning toy
MY12 Discovery (don't know what its good for)
100" trayback defender challenge vehicle sponsored by Devon 4x4