Thanks Andy.
Lofoten is worth a visit. Lots of scenery and activities in a compact space.
I'll look up the Arctic Race
Lofoten is worth a visit. Lots of scenery and activities in a compact space.
I'll look up the Arctic Race
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Norway - Arctic Circle - Finland - Baltics 2013
- Thread starter SpinDrift
- Start date
Thanks Crushers. Glad you are enjoying it. This is a little more to go.
extremely enjoyable read. thanks for posting.
i doubt i will ever get the pleasure of doing that route but there are some amazing buildings and scenery to be enjoyed.
We traced out route south toward the Finnish border, stopping at a campsite just of the E6 by the river Stabburselva.
The next day we continued along the E6 and joined route 19 in Karasjok, crossing the border into Finland shortly after.
The border crossing from Norway into Finland was as easy any within the continental EU. The road that took us into Finland was long and straight, with forest on either side – this was to become a regular feature. Occasionally reindeer would wander across the road.
As we drove along we were to see more and more signs of ow close we were to Russia.
That evening we turned off the road and drove along a forestry track and camped in a clearing. Although we had done this several times, it felt a bit bizarre pulling up in broad day light and turning in to sleep after midnight in broad day light. You almost expect a group of hikers or picnickers to stroll through your camp.
We headed for the province of Karelia. The road continued to be long and straight, and bordered with forest. Reindeer provided relief to the tediousness of the road.
The region of Karelia is split between Finland and Russia and in fact we were very close to the Russian border. At one point we found a track and pushed forward towards Russia until we came across signs warning us off.
The next day we continued along the E6 and joined route 19 in Karasjok, crossing the border into Finland shortly after.
The border crossing from Norway into Finland was as easy any within the continental EU. The road that took us into Finland was long and straight, with forest on either side – this was to become a regular feature. Occasionally reindeer would wander across the road.
As we drove along we were to see more and more signs of ow close we were to Russia.
That evening we turned off the road and drove along a forestry track and camped in a clearing. Although we had done this several times, it felt a bit bizarre pulling up in broad day light and turning in to sleep after midnight in broad day light. You almost expect a group of hikers or picnickers to stroll through your camp.
We headed for the province of Karelia. The road continued to be long and straight, and bordered with forest. Reindeer provided relief to the tediousness of the road.
The region of Karelia is split between Finland and Russia and in fact we were very close to the Russian border. At one point we found a track and pushed forward towards Russia until we came across signs warning us off.
At this point we took a strategic decision – we decided to head straight down to Finlands Lake Land, find a campsite and rest up for a couple of days ... but we still had a way to go
The campsite on the outskirts of Halkasalmi was next to a lake, and had its own sauna. There were a handful of motorhomes and a few static caravans but was largely empty.
Near the campsite we found a farm that had been turned into a museum.
From here we drove straight to Helsinki to get the ferry to Estonia. We didn’t have a pre-booked ticket but this was not a problem and managed to get onto the next ferry which left an hour later. It’s a pity this worked so well as it would have been geed to send a few hours exploring Helsinki.
When we arrived in Estonia, we spent a few hours wandering around old Tallinn.
We then headed south towards Riga in Latvia along the Baltic Highway.
The campsite on the outskirts of Halkasalmi was next to a lake, and had its own sauna. There were a handful of motorhomes and a few static caravans but was largely empty.
Near the campsite we found a farm that had been turned into a museum.
From here we drove straight to Helsinki to get the ferry to Estonia. We didn’t have a pre-booked ticket but this was not a problem and managed to get onto the next ferry which left an hour later. It’s a pity this worked so well as it would have been geed to send a few hours exploring Helsinki.
When we arrived in Estonia, we spent a few hours wandering around old Tallinn.
We then headed south towards Riga in Latvia along the Baltic Highway.
We spent a day wandering around Riga before heading for the coast.
We visited the RT-32 radio telescope. This is a relic from the cold war days. Unbeknown to the Latvians, the Soviets built the installation to spy on telephone conversations. The Soviet army were supposed to destroy the installation before they left in 1993 but the Latvian Academy of Science intervened. The old Soviet gear is now gone and has been replaced by PC’s and the installation is now the largest radio telescope in Northern Europe.
The next day I began the drive back to the UK. Heavy rain caused localised flooding.
The road from Riga (from Tallinn actually) to Kaunas, and beyond towards Warsaw, is mostly single carriage way. It is heavily used by trucks and is in need of major work to bring it up to a good standard. The heavy rains did not help the driving conditions.
Driving round Warsaw is a nightmare with all the road works and diversions. That evening I stopped in a rest area on the magnificent new E30 motorway that connects Warsaw to the German border.
The next day I crossed into Germany and headed for Halle, birth place of my grandfather. He moved to Malta in the 1920’s, never to return because of the war and the subsequent Soviet occupation.
That night I parked up in a rest area on the German / Dutch border. The next day I had to catch an afternoon ferry back to the UK. The weather was brilliant, so I decided to head for the beach at Bergen Van Zee– unfortunately so did all the Dutch. But never mind, I spotted this beauty lounging in the sun before frolicking at the waters edge.
From here it was a short drive to the ferry at Ijmuiden and then on to the UK.
We visited the RT-32 radio telescope. This is a relic from the cold war days. Unbeknown to the Latvians, the Soviets built the installation to spy on telephone conversations. The Soviet army were supposed to destroy the installation before they left in 1993 but the Latvian Academy of Science intervened. The old Soviet gear is now gone and has been replaced by PC’s and the installation is now the largest radio telescope in Northern Europe.
The next day I began the drive back to the UK. Heavy rain caused localised flooding.
The road from Riga (from Tallinn actually) to Kaunas, and beyond towards Warsaw, is mostly single carriage way. It is heavily used by trucks and is in need of major work to bring it up to a good standard. The heavy rains did not help the driving conditions.
Driving round Warsaw is a nightmare with all the road works and diversions. That evening I stopped in a rest area on the magnificent new E30 motorway that connects Warsaw to the German border.
The next day I crossed into Germany and headed for Halle, birth place of my grandfather. He moved to Malta in the 1920’s, never to return because of the war and the subsequent Soviet occupation.
That night I parked up in a rest area on the German / Dutch border. The next day I had to catch an afternoon ferry back to the UK. The weather was brilliant, so I decided to head for the beach at Bergen Van Zee– unfortunately so did all the Dutch. But never mind, I spotted this beauty lounging in the sun before frolicking at the waters edge.
From here it was a short drive to the ferry at Ijmuiden and then on to the UK.
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