August 4th 2015: Norway: The long road north

Monty the Motorhome is tired out after a long day, notching up 278 miles on some very demanding roads.

Our original plan had been to spend some time in the fjord area between Bergen and Trondheim, before going up the Atlantic Road as far as Bodø. However last night we mulled over how much time we’ve got and decided to prioritise the Atlantic Road. This meant getting up to Trondheim as quickly as possible and then taking the journey further northwards to Bodø at a slow pace.

So an early start of 6.30 this morning for the 7.00 ferry across Sørfjorden to Kinsarvik and then eastwards along Rv 7. An early treat was the drive up Sysendalen from Eidfjord. Towering cliffs, plunging waterfalls and the road going through a series of spiraling tunnels, before ending up on the edge of the Hardandervidda plateau. Just a pity the rain was coming down and views were limited. Up on top of the plateau there was still snow lying by the roadside, in places up to 1 metre thick. Goodness knows what it is like in mid-winter.

The journey on passed through the towns of Geilo, Gol and Leira, before taking Rv 51 over another snow pocked landscape to join the main road from Oslo to Trondheim - the E6.

By then it was mid afternoon and time to start looking for a overnight site. The desire was for an actual campsite, with facilities, as we have been wild camping for three nights now. After one disappointment (site full) we found space at Faksfall Camping, approximately 6km south of Dombås. After booking in we had a bit of a game sorting out water replenishment and emptying the grey waste. Both necessitated maneuvering the van on a grassy slope adjacent to the toilet block, which was fine until I came to pull away, up the slope. The wet grass did not provide any traction so the front wheels went into a spin. After a couple of attempts the van suddenly came up the slope and away. It was only afterwards that Ruth told me a couple of people had given me a push.

Tonight's very wet pitch

Tonight it has been beef stew, new potatoes and carrots. Just the job as the rain comes down. Lets hope we don’t get stuck in the morning as the pitch is on a bit of a slope ...!