Expedition to Nordkapp
Krzysztof Wisniewski
EXPEDITION TO NORDKAPP
15 days, 8 thousand km, 8 countries, 5 capitals,
alone by motorbike
Krzysztof Wiśniewski
Version 1.0
Krzysztof Wiśniewski has written and also published such books as:
Maroko motocyklem (Eng: Morocco by Motorbike) (description of an eleven-day motorcycle Expedition to Morocco, over 4 thousand km)
Safari w Namibii (Eng: Safari in Namibia) (first e-book describing the expedition and hunting in Namibia)
Copyright © 2016 Krzysztof Wiśniewski
All rights reserved. Wszystkie prawa zastrzeżone.
This book is dedicated to my beloved
wife Ania and daughters Ola and Hania
Contents
The beginning
Prologue
Day 1 - Poznan -> Hamburg -> Szlezwik, 670 km
Day 2 - Szlezwik -> Hirtshals -> Kristiansand -> Preikestolen, 788 km
Day 3 - Preikestolen -> Stavanger -> Bergen, 200 km
Day 4 - Bergen -> Borgund -> Stryn, 472 km
Day 5 - Eagle Road -> Trollstigen -> Atlantic Road -> Trondheim, 490km
Day 6 - Trondheim -> Mo and Rana, 480 km
Day 7 - Mo and Rana -> Bodo -> Moskenes -> A -> Lofoty, 468 km
Day 8 - Lofoty -> Narvik -> Birtavarre 552 km
Day 9 - Birtavarre -> NORDKAPP 494 km
Day 10 - Nordkapp -> Motel before Rovaniemi, 552 km
Day 11 - Rovaniemi -> Helsinki, 882km
Day 12 - Helsinki -> Tallin, 107 km
Day 13 - Tallin -> Riga, 309 km
Day 14 - Riga -> Vilnius, 295 km
Day 15 – Vilnius -> Warsaw -> Poznan, 801 km
Epilogue
A list of things and equipment for the expedition
About the author
Prologue
Nordkapp accomplished
Every morning, when starting my ride, I switched on my favourite playlist. Usually I had to overcome a few hundred kilometers, which meant a few to several hours of riding a motorcycle. It was a time that I spent alone with myself and I could just think over a lot of things and put them together in my mind.
Friends and acquaintances that I’d told that I was planning to go alone were surprised, some disbelieved me and could not understand why, but I really needed that time to be in my very own company so that later I could really yearn for my family and home.
Laurent Cochet, French motorcyclist and journalist provided me with the inspiration for the trip. His expedition to Nordkapp was completed in the winter, and a really nifty film was made about the trip, which you can watch it on youtube.com. One winter evening I clicked on Google Maps and I began to plan my trip to Nordkapp – location Nordkapp - map.
Map of Expedition
I planned to travel nearly 8,000 kilometers through Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The route was divided into sections of approximately 450 km and 18 nights mainly in a tent. On the way I took 3 longer and some shorter ferry crossings and went through many tunnels. As it happened, I rode through the longest car tunnel, which stretches for 24 km.
I wanted to visit many interesting places along the way such as Preikestolen, the Fjords and the Lofoten and to visit the memorials of the fallen Polish soldiers in Narvik. I wanted to accomplish Nordkapp and to visit 4 capitals: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. In short, the route on the map did not seem so challenging in contrast to what proved to be reality.
On the fourth day, somewhere past Bergen I was in deadlock for overcoming the 472 km took me 14 hours. There were hundreds of corners and narrow roads; the ride was sluggish, there were lots of campers, many road sections under renovation which all was to give me life a misery. I was terribly tired. When I got to the campsite in the evening, I checked the map ... to find the way back home. Inadvertently, I looked at the road leading to the east of Norway searching for a way towards Oslo, Stockholm and then a ferry crossing to Gdynia. I overcame the crisis by resting and raised my spirits which a hot shower and warm dinner. The following days proved that it was worth continuing the journey and the rest of the way onwards proved to be much easier.
Day 1 - Poznan -> Hamburg -> Szlezwik, 670 km
I left Poznan around 8am. However, Before, I accelerated along the A2 Motorway towards Berlin, I had to pull over and put on my raincoat and warm gloves. I did not even think that I would ride the entire journey in these gloves and put on my rain wear so often. I was at the border about 10 am and I arrived in Hamburg after 2pm.
Soviet submarine from the Cold War era
The weather was middling, though it was not raining. I parked in the centre of Hamburg, took a short stroll and then went to the Elbe to see the Fish Market, but at this time it was closed. However, there was an amazing attraction right next to it and that was a Soviet U-boat - a submarine from the Cold War period. Although the ticket cost 10 Euros it was worth visiting and I was really greatly impressed by it. How could it float and even underwater to boot?! You were already a hero just for getting on board this boat, let alone sailing in it.
That day I planned accommodation a few kilometers north of Hamburg. I decided to go a little further, so that the next day I did not have the stress of getting to the ferry on time. Fortunately, it was a good job I did so because I passed a few sections motorways road works and lost a lot of time. I arrived at the campsite in the town of Schleswig-Holstein at the end of the day and it was nice and comfortable. The first night was in a tent at a cost of 12 Euros.
Advice: When you going to overcome many kilometers by motorbike take care of your ears. I rode in earplugs and that proved perfect. I could listen to music and audio books without losing my hearing and not getting tired by the noise.
Equipment: Food. I took a little canned food and several bags of freeze-dried food on the trip, courtesy of LYO FOOD. In short, it was incredibly delicious, preservative-free, high quality, easy and quick to prepare. Although I have my favorite (which is stroganoff), each meal was good. Just pour boiling water, wait 10 minutes and you have a ready-made hot meal.
Day 2 - Szlezwik -> Hirtshals -> Kristiansand -> Preikestolen, 788 km
I left the camp a few minutes after 7 in the morning. As it turned out it was not quite that simple. I relied on a fast exit but there was no campsite service staff. The barrier closed and I did not know how to get out. Fortunately, another motorcyclist accosted me and asked if he could help.
Sailing out from Hirtshals to Kristiansand
I told him that I had arrived in the evening; the reception was already closed so I did not check in and therefore did not have a "token" which opens the gate to leave. Secondly, I had not paid for my accommodation. After a short conversation I decided to leave the appropriate amount (EUR 12) with the speaker with the request to pass it over to the receptionist, and I used his token to open the gate.
So literally after a few hours of riding or at about 11 I got to Hirtshals. I had a few hours to kill before sailing but the problem turned out to be quite a long jam before entering the ferry check. Here again another motorcyclist helped me out. Firstly, we turned into one of the side roads to avoid a traffic jam, on the other hand we got to the fuel station to refuel cheaper than in Norway, and then we pushed in to the front of the queue and entered a special lane for motorcyclists.
Since it was my first time that I rode onto a ferry, I closely observing what others were doing. As it turned out, motorcyclists enter first. They line up in designated areas - indicated by the service staff and most often at the front of the ferry on the left or right side. For large crossings, motorcycles must be secured and the aforementioned motorcyclist showed me how to do it so much so that the staff informed us that t
here would be some rocking and rolling during the crossing. In this case, not just one lane - you have to use a minimum of three.
The ferry itself cost me 308 PLN, and I had bought the ticket a few days earlier by the Internet. That day I had planned a shorter route, but the weather was perfect, fun to be going out and I rode all the way up to Stavanger where I stopped at the Preiikestolen camp site about 4 km from the trail to Preikestolen. As it turned out, it was my most expensive camp site and I paid 210 NOK and an extra 95 NOK for a beer and cake. I carefully checked prices from that moment on.
Advice: Do not get lost on the ferry. Always remember which level you left the motorcycle on. In addition, remember which side of the ferry and which stairs you went down. It's best to take a picture since some ferries are really huge.
Equipment: Garmin Zumo is a GPS dedicated to the motorcyclist. It handled things brilliantly throughout the route. I planned each day on the computer with the Garmin BaseCamp. Then I uploaded the route with marked places where I planned to come and visit or see. Routing works quickly. Every evening I checked the route for the following day. Sometimes I modified it slightly by adding interesting places. Garmin also defined quite precisely when you get to your destination. Although in the beginning I did not believe that you could ride 470 km all day, it turned out to be true especially in Norway.
Day 3 - Preikestolen -> Stavanger -> Bergen, 200 km
Fortunately, that day I woke up quite early and I avoided the crowds on the trail. I ate breakfast, packed up and rode about 4 km to the parking area where the climbing trail begins. The fairly quick climb to Preikestolen took me about 1.5 hours with breaks for photos. I have to say that, the trail is quite difficult especially at the beginning and you go steeply uphill to the rocks and boulders. Amazingly, even they are not too wet and slippery, you really have to be very careful and you should have a very good pair of boots with appropriate soles. At the beginning the weather was bad. That day there was thick fog when I went up in the morning, sometimes it rained. However, the higher I climbed the more it cleared. When I arrived at Prikestolen, the fog was gone and sometimes only cloud passed by.
Preikestolen
The view of the rock and the fjord is amazing. If the weather is nice, it is worth climbing even higher to the summit from which the view is even better. The poorly marked trail does cause some difficulty and it is easy to veer away from it. It may be helpful to have a good GPS and I used the OsmAnd application and maps with marked trails. At some point I really doubted which way to get back because there were rocks everywhere. It seemed that easy but "the farther into the forest the darker". In the end, I thoroughly checked the GPS where I was and where the trail was. I chose the safest route, as it seemed to me to descend by the gully to the trail. Once I got there, I turned around and saw a sign that strictly prohibits entry that way because of the risk ... you know what. Therefore, be careful not to lose the trail.
Preikestolen and fjord
After descending from Prikestolen, I rode to the campsite and made myself a dinner, dressed up and moved on. I got to Stavanger at about 4pm, well... its suburbs to be precise, where I stopped at the Three swords. Then I reached the old town with the Valberg Tower and the Museum of Oil.
After visiting the old town and harbour, I packed up and went in the direction of Bergen. Here I must mention that the GPS strongly suggested me the choice of ferry. As it turned out, it was a pretty interesting suggestion.
That day I got a fierce kick up the ass. I was terribly tired. At the end of the day, I returned to the campsite a dozen kilometers before Bergen and quickly I pitched up and fell asleep almost immediately. This time the campsite cost NOK 100.
Advice: (1) It is best to start the climb up to Prikestolen early in the morning. It seems that 8:30 is a good time since you go up virtually alone. When I was coming down on the way back, I passed crowds of tourists who were being transported up by coaches.
(2) From the perspective of time and distance, I would choose the ferry next time between Stavanger and Bergen. It is about 180 km, which you still need to somehow overcome. The ferry runs at a speed of about 50 km/h, and therefore more or less as much as the average speeds on the roads in Norway.
Equipment: OsmAnd is an excellent application for Android and uses OpenStreetMap maps. Operating on Samsung was a backup for Garmin and telephone. During this trip, I used OsmAnd primarily to explore. I marked sights of interest, which I later saw. It really helped me on the trail while climbing (trails are poorly marked and, at some point, the weather really deteriorated as I climbed to the top).
Day 4 - Bergen -> Borgund -> Stryn, 472 km
I got to Bergen at about 10 and it was here that I visited the port area and the old buildings. However, the most fascinating attraction was the cable car at Floibanen and the vantage point from which there is a magnificent panorama of the entire city to be admired.
Panorama of Bergen
The entrance cost of considerable and amounts to NOK 90, but the view is definitely worth that amount. When I returned down by cable car it just started raining. Apparently this is the wettest city in Norway and it rains here an average of more than 270 days a year. That day I had a little work to do, so I chose Starbucks with WiFi access plus coffee, snack and cake and a view of the street. That's all I need to have in order to work quietly for a few hours.
That day more than 400 km and two ferries awaited me. Admittedly, the ferries are not the cheapest even for motorcyclists and if you can summarize it, a pretty hefty it amount comes out of it.
A certain curiosity is crossing the world's longest (24 km), car tunnel linking Lærdal and Aurland. In the tunnel, there are two places you can stop at for a moment to take pictures. The Illuminated blue "chambers" make a cool impression. Next I got to Borgund where the oldest stave church, built in about 1150, is located. More or less it was from this point that it started getting decidedly colder. There are dozens of waterfalls and glaciers.
Borgund – the old church
It was the hardest of all the days of the trip. Not only were there lots of kilometers to overcome, but the road conditions were still really difficult. There was quite a lot of traffic, in particular campers and some roadworks. I was riding slowly and there were lots of attractions. It all meant that at some point I had enough of the ride.
When I passed the Mindresunde Camping campsite near the town of Stryn, I decided to turn around and spend the night there. The campsite reception was already closed, but the norm is that you can pitch up and pay the next morning. The cost is about 150 NOK and the view from the tent in the morning ... priceless.
That day I came across a crisis. I thought that if my riding was supposed to look like that, that I did 470 km in 14 hours, and still there were thousands of kilometers ahead of me, then it was woeful for me and to add to that, I got wet and froze. Later in the tent, I even considered taking a possible "shortcut" - in the direction of Oslo, Stockholm, ..., Gdynia, Poznan. Well, instead of whimpering, I decided to lie down and go to sleep quickly in order to bolster my morale for the very next day.
A funny situation happened to me when I left campsite. The day before, I was so tired that I forgot that I had turned back to the campsite. In the morning I went the other way, after quite a bit of riding, I saw that my GPS was insistently urging me to turn back. I had to stop and check what was going on. It was only after a while that I figured out what had happened, why I had confused directions.
Advice: Take a rain gear (jacket, Bottoms, pads, gloves and boots). There is no time for jokes in the north. Sometimes it rains the whole day or more and the temperature varies between 4 and 14 degrees. The wind blows often and it goes on all day. A full rainwear kit is simply necessary. Mine did great job. I had only one failure. The zip lock broke in one leg and I had to sew it up "permanently". When it was really cold, even when it was not raining I had to wear the rain gear to protect me from the wind. I would add that in such situations, it is worth having hea
ted grips on the motorbike.
Equipment: Tent. Literally two days before departure, I bought a tent in Decathlon. It was a small, so-called "2 Second" one, kind of single, but two people can fit it easily or one and a lot of luggage. I admit that I took some risk taking it without checking. Previously I planned to take another one, on top of another one already proven in battle. However, this proved to be a hit. It could be pitched up and disassembled in an instance and saved me from becoming wet on several occasions. You simply throw it and it is pitched up. You put a sleeping mat, sleeping bag and a bag in it, you go in and you're done. I confess that for so little money, it is a very well made product. It was practically wet from rain or dew for several days; however, it never leaked. I will mention only that the manufacturer made it easy to fold and now it is as easy as unfolding. The only "disadvantage" of the tent is its size when folded. This plate does not always look good. You can indeed judge it for yourself and it's not that bad.
Day 5 – Eagle Road -> Trollstigen -> Atlantic Road -> Trondheim, 490km
That day I got up early in the morning, ate breakfast and packed quickly which took literally an hour. I also used the WiFi to talk with my family, and then hit the road. Luckily it stopped raining. It became really nice, although it was still mildly chilly.
