July 31st 2015: Norway: Breathtaking scenery and driving

Monty the Motorhome is parked up at Steinsnes NAF Camping, just outside the town of Egersund, overlooking a river reputedly full of salmon.

Our day started bright and early, but just like previous posts we have to report an amendment to yesterday’s contribution. It finished off with us settling down on the car park of the marina at Borshavn. Well silly us did not check if there was any payment required; so on having a walk round just before turning in we spotted a notice saying NOK 200 was required from all overnight campervans. That is 200 Norwegian Kroner - approximately £15. Okay for that you got water, toilet facilities and a basic shower. However we didn’t need those things, and we didn’t need to spend NOK200 unnecessarily. So it was back to the lighthouse and a night spent in their car park for free.

An early start meant we were on the road for about 7.45 and taking the scenic Rv465 to Flekkefjord. This pretty coastal town has an old town dating back to 1660 when Dutch settlers established a trading centre here. Narrow streets and brightly painted wooden buildings make up a pleasant place to stroll.

We continued on the coastal Rv44 road - a breathtaking drive where the road swerves through high mountainous areas, while also descending to the coast by tortuous hairpin bends. It is billed as Southern Norway’s best drive and would grace any edition of ‘Top Gear’.

Our destination for the night is the first proper campsite of the trip, so it is a chance to shower and get the first bit of laundry sorted.

Our pitch overlooks the river, which at this time of year is full of salmon making their way upstream to spawn. We saw one fisherman with a catch that must have been 18” to 2’ long. So as the evening develops we’ll be on fish watch.