Day 4 Saturday 11th June - Reidal To Lom

Saturday 11th June - Day 4.  Reidal To Lom

Thought as we were surrounded by mountains on the east, it would be late before we saw the sun, but it was light when we awoke at 4am!!!  Went back to sleep and laid in until 8am!  What a beautiful first Norwegian morning!  We continued our way along the E6 following the itinerary for the World of BMW Viking Adventure. This would have taken us along to Eidford, which looks over the Hardangerfjorden which is so deep that the ocean going cruise ships can sail along it.  We were also expecting to pass the Voringvoss waterfalls. However as we rounded a corner we were greeted by a "road closed" sign. This was adjacent to a ferry so we pulled up at the kiosk and asked the girl if she knew what the situation was. She said the road was closed until Tuesday due to a rock fall.  She showed us on the map how to get round. It was going to be a bit of a detour, but hey we are on an adventure!  This therefore lead to our first ferry crossing from Brimnes to Bruravik. We boarded the boat and parked up near the front. This would be a precedent that we would catch onto given the large number of ferry rides we were to undertake this holiday, which means that bikes get priority and you drive to the front of the queue!  On the boat we parked next to a red truck which had converted into a camper. There was an aged couple inside who peered at us through their passenger window.  The man got out and came round to talk to us.  He asked where we had come from and where we were going to.  We said our proposed route was blocked so he said to his wife to pass the map and laid it out across the seat of the bike. It had various roads highlighted and he pointed out the route we now needed to take to get us back on track. As the boat docked after it's 12 minute journey we bade farewell after the German had taken a photo of the "BMVay". Cathy said to him her German was kaput; he said his English was shit, which it very much wasn't. We set off up the road he had pointed out on the map which was indeed spectacular.  However the clouds began to close in and specks of rain appeared on the windscreen of the GS. Then more ran began to fall and visibility reduced. The temperature began to fall and from about 15 degrees earlier in the day it plummeted to 8 degrees.  At one point we entered an 11 km tunnel which initially was a relief from the rain, but at the break at about halfway where it was torrential rain, then at the end it was dry.  It started raining again and instead of going over the top as the friendly German we met on the Ferry had suggested, we went through a 24 km tunnel from Laerdal to Aurland (we later found out this was the world's longest road tunnel!) As we rode through the tunnel, the lighting changed in several areas from being dimly lit to a wonderful luminous glow of blues, greens, and pinks (a unique setting for an ice bar maybe?!) so we stayed relatively dry. As we came out the other side and then started to climb we passed some amazing waterfalls and raging torrents.  On reflection we should have stopped (we have already decided camping was a no-no and that a night in a Hytte was a good idea) but we pushed on for Lom. The conditions as we climbed on a very spectacular road became wetter, colder and mistier. Vision was difficult and the rain stung my face as I had to lift my visor. The first accommodation was full from a private party so we pushed on. We tried a hotel but it was 1150nkr for B&B which with hindsight wasn't too bad. It was very Nordic looking. We eventually arrived in Lom and booked into a Hytte which cost 820 nkr for a 4 (bunk) bed one with toilet and shower.  The river in Lom was in full flood and emitted a deafening roar which could be heard throughout the village. We hung everything out to dry and turned the heating up full.  Cathy cooked a great meal, Szechuan chicken and rice with a glass of.....tap water. "I could murder a beer said Cathy". We had a wander through the town before bed about 11:30.pm. We woke slightly later and it was still light at midnight. Our journey North was leading us to the Midnight Sun!

Day 3

Friday 10th June - Day 3. Aalborg, Denmark to ???? Norway.

After a good night's sleep in our down sleeping bags and an excellent 'family' shower (10 mins allocated on each of our shower cards!) packed up and had breakfast in the fantastic communal kitchen area. Cooked porridge in the microwave. Cathy's still not accustomed to porridge with water, salt and sugar! Started to head off at 9ish for our 10.45am ferry crossing from Hirtshalls (only an hour away) to Kristiansand, but ..... The bike wouldn't start! Panic!!! A fellow camper (a Swiss Electrical engineer) said without cables we'd have to try and push it, but several attempts of that failed. Luckily, the campsite owner had a set and a quick resuscitation brought life back into the battery. Phew! The crossing took 2.15hrs and being a Cat, was extremely choppy and a lot of people - adults and children - were being sick. Had a panini each on board and did well keeping that down. Met some other bikers - 2 from Bergen and another from Italy, who works in the fish Market in Bergen. Everyone raises their eyebrows when we explain our itinerary - maybe we're being too ambitious in the time we have....

Arrived into Kristiansand around 2.30pm and rode north for a few hours. The landscape is far more rugged with mountains upon us. All the houses are of the wooden weatherboard type, mainly painted white, but there were a number of red houses too. At a stop, met a group of 4 bikers all riding BMWs who were on the ferry from Harwich. They were heading to Nordkapp for one of the chap's 68th birthday and were allowing 6 weeks (lucky them). They were heavily laden with gear and most of their food were Wayfarer meals! (and told us to give fried Spam a go!) The weather had peaked at 21 degrees and we wanted to wild camp for our first night in Norway and Nick found an amazing spot, just before ??? Roldal ??? It was absolutely stunning with snowy mountains and frozen lakes around us. You couldn't wish for a more scenic, secluded pitch! Put our Tuborg beer, milk and water in "nature's fridge", set up camp and cooked a Thai curry. Finished our beers watching the sun set. Bliss. Had a wander across the snow to the other island like mounds to get an even better view. Where some areas of the lake had melted, the mirrored reflections were like glass and the views were incredible! It was still light at about 11.30pm. Tried the eye patches once snuggled in our sleeping bags but they soon came off

Day 2

Thursday 9th June 2011 - Day 2. Esjberg to Aalborg, Denmark

After a hearty smorgasbord breakfast (cereal, cheese and ham, cooked breakfast, pastries) went out on deck. The weather was glorious and we could easily have been on a cruise in the Med! Got chatting to an interesting couple from Gloucestershire who were retired farmers on their way to Norway to visit his brother for the second time in 30 years. After a couple of hours soaking up the sun, we docked at Esjberg at 1pm and rode 3 hours north to a campsite in Aalborg, stopping off for lunch (cheese and ham roll "harvested" from this morning's breakfast!) in one of the many picnic areas en route. First impressions of Denmark: flat, wide expanse of green fields, very clean, modern buildings and housing, definitely had a chilled atmosphere. Bloody windy though! The receptionist at the "Strandparken" campsite was very friendly and spoke excellent English. Paid 100 DKR for a campingcard and 288 DKR for the pitch, including 2 shower cards (20DKR each). Bought 2 Tuborg beers, an onion and some bacon which came to 37 Danish Krone (£xxx). Pitched under a tree and had a wander round the campsite. The facilities were by far the best we have seen which included lots of picnic tables, a communal cooking area incorporating 6 gas hobs, 2 microwaves, an oven, outside BBQs, a utility area containing washing modern washing machines, tumble dryers and an iron and ironing board and the toilet and shower facilities were large and absolutely spotless! In fact this puts British campsite facilities to shame! Used our new MSR Dragonfly burner to cook our chilli pasta. Apparently it emits a maximum of 130 decibels, compared to an airliner taking off which emits 180 decibels!! Guess we won't be using that one for our early morning brew. Despite being seasoned campers and au fait with camp cooking, the meal didn't go according to plan.... The pasta went very gloupy (some of it was gluten free) and was overcooked so that went in the bin. Making the sauce, Cathy knocked the (very tasty) fried bacon on the grass (wasn't gripping the pincer pan holder firm enough) but we went with the 3 second rule and put it back in the pan! Then the lid came off the saucepan when Nick was draining the pasta and half of it splat on the grass. Ignored the 3 second rule and left it there to clear up later! In no time we had a marvellous first Danish camp tucker meal of chilli penne pasta in a chilli tomato, onion and bacon sauce, washed down, not with Carlsberg, but with a few cans of Tuberg. Nom, nom, nom. Had a wander round the site. Other than caravans and a couple of tents, there were several types of 'Hytte' (cabins) ranging from very simple huts offering just beds (ie no catering or washing facilities) to very modern designer-style Hytte with full catering and washing facilities,

Left home around 4pm with a brief shower of rain arriving in Harwich at 5pm. Apparently it had rained heavily in London, but not much at home. Hopefully that was an omen for good weather! We sailed from Harwich on the DFDS Dana Sirena, which left bang on schedule. There were a hundred or so bikes on board, including a Virago bike club going to a rally in Denmark and a number of policemen on BMWs heading for Norway. Our cabin was perfectly comfortable. Twin beds (no doubles) with two additional pull down beds. We ate in the A la Carte restaurant and had a great window seat with a fab view of the North Sea. We'd pre-booked a 2 course meal which was top notch! To start, Cathy had green asparagus, prawns and caviar and Nick had mussels in white wine. For the main course we both had rack of lamb with really tasty vegetables and lovely potatoes. All washed down with an Aussie Red. We shared a pud which was raspberry cheesecake with strawberries and bilberries. Yum. Went outside on deck for a blast afterwards, but there was no wind, not cold at all and the sea was really calm and inky blue. Our beds were extremely comfortable and we slept well. Didn't feel like we were on a ship, it was a very smooth 18 hour crossing.

Day 1

Ready for the off

Here we are with the bike loaded up and ready for our dress rehearsal for Norway 2011. Mersea Island is a bit lacking on fjords but it was a good proving ground for bike and equipment