July 30th 2015: Norway: Into Norway

Monty the Motorhome is wondering what country he is in - this is now the fifth one in four days. Yes we have made it to Norway.

This morning we were up nice and early, after a night wondering if anyone was going to turf us off our camping spot. As detailed in yesterday’s post we had found a grassed area where a number of other motorhomes had parked - all free and just down the road from an accredited motorhome parking area. We had looked at the ‘proper’ site and found it deserted, as well as having a big barrier protecting entry. What we hadn’t realised was there was a ticket machine hidden away in a little shed that for the grand fee of 10 Euros allowed entry through the barrier. By about 8pm the ‘proper’ site had begun to fill up, while at the same time our spot was seeing a steady departure of motorhomes. This fact, as well as a big sign at the entrance with a picture of a tent crossed through, put some doubts about the legality of our chosen overnight spot. However at least 10 other vans were staying, so we stayed put.

Needless to say the night passed without incident and we safely made the 10am Norway ferry. Two hours later we arrived in Kristiansand and ventured along the coast to Lista fyr (fyr is the norwegian abbreviation for lighthouse).

We drove through typical scenery - deep valleys, sheer cliffs, high mountains, coastal fjords - before arriving at Lista. Here the scenery is completely different; a wide flat coastal plain, with sprawling villages that give a desolate feel to the landscape. The lighthouse is perched on the end of a peninsula, exposed to the elements, so catching the full force of any sea breeze - and today was windy!

We went up the lighthouse and met a howling gale at the top - well no rain, but storm force winds. Ruth couldn’t face the small viewing platform and stayed safely in the stairwell while I got a good buffeting and was glad of the protective guard rail. 

After a short walk it was back to the van, which was rocking in the wind. Initially we decided to stay in the lighthouse car park overnight, but on looking at a local map picked up at reception we saw a motorhome parking area in the nearby village of Borshavn, so went down to check it out. 

That’s where we decided to stay - in the Gjestehavn - which is the car parking area adjacent to the small harbour.