We have been threatening for years to drive to Tromso, Norway and see if we can catch the northern lights, It's around 2,500 miles from here. When the world starts revolving again we were thinking of actually doing it. December to March is the best time to see the lights.

There seems to be very little information about a trip like this that I can find. (probably because we are mad and everyone flies)

I do have experience driving on snow and ice so am confident with that aspect..

Has anyone done it? Anyone any hints, tips or advice?

Thanks Pete

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2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
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Snow tyres for one. I have Cooper Weathermaster WSC on mine at moment. Happy to sell them with 5mm all round
I'm going AT3 soon. 2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
New Defender D300 90 on order so "Rory" will be going to a new home....!
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sounds like an adventure....

i would google the driving info for each country you plan to travel through ...this way you will know if you need snow chains, headlights on all the time etc... ... - .- -.




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Dr Rob, Thanks for the kind offer, if I bought them now they will probably have rotted away by the time we're allowed to go..!!

Stan, done that thanks, it was more info on places to avoid or must see, best routes, this ferry over that one etc etc..  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
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DrRob wrote:

Snow tyres for one. I have Cooper Weathermaster WSC on mine at moment. Happy to sell them with 5mm all round
I'm going AT3 soon.

Wow did somebody say draw  visiting from www.rrsport.co.uk

Pete,
I didn’t get quite as far north as Tromso, but not far short.
Unfortunately I am referring back to year 2000, when there was still a regular ferry service from Newcastle to Bergen and Stavanger.
I bought a brand new P38 2.5td in January 2000 and took it twice to Norway from Newcastle.
The first trip I sailed to Bergen then drove around the Hardanger fjord and eventually arrived in Stavanger for the return ferry to Newcastle.

The second trip I headed North from Bergen following the coast road and calling at most of the ports that the Hurtigruten postal boat ferry calls but headed inland for the return trip before Tromso due to time constraints to eventually ( 2 weeks) arrive back in Bergen for the return ferry.
I have said many times that they were the best holidays I have ever been on.
The scenery throughout both trips is breathtaking and will never be forgotten.

Please excuse any spelling mistakes, I should have got a map out to check, but can always blame Spellcheck .

I have seriously considered going again from Hull to Rotterdam then working North, but am getting a bit old, so to keep my wife happy we keep heading South more these days, France & Portugal being favourites.

Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

Pete,
I got as far as plotting my planned route... G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

Oldham to Hull ( I live I. Saddleworth and worked at Windy Hill Radio Station J22 on M62 for 20+ years, so am well used to driving in snow)

Hull to Rotterdam ferry
Rotterdam to Copenhagen.
Copenhagen to Stockholm
Stockholm to Tromso.

Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

Mike,

Thanks for that, great information, I'll study it later.

When you last went did you book hotels on the way before going or just decide it's time to stop and find one... we tend to do the latter when touring, is it feasible up there..?

Cheers Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

MarkinCW5 wrote:

My brother and his wife have a place in hagfors in sweden, they used to take their volvo v60, eventually they found the journey a little exccesssive and now fly+carhire.

Check out the legal requirements on snow chains and studded tyres for that time of year

Pete,
I was lucky to have a good Mobile phone supplied with my job, but the trips were before the days of on line ... the Internet was really just taking off.
I booked the ferries with a very good local travel agent plus a couple of hotels .One for our first night on the first trip and one for the night before the return sail from Stevanger.

He gave me a really good hotel brochure for a Norwegian hotel chain so we could do some advanced planning, but in practice
did a lot of driving, sight seeing and stopping when we saw a decent convenient place.

Also the hotels were very good at suggesting places to visit and several times rang and booked our next nights accommodation.

I certainly wouldn’t pre book much these days. Sometimes in practice advanced booked hotels in remote areas are pretty hard to find, whereas just seeing something on route is easy.

Mike. G reg 2.5VM Vogue Portofino red 1991- 1999
V reg 2.5td P38 Rioja red 1999- 2006
53 reg td6 Vogue Oslo blue 2006- 2015
11 reg 4.4 TdV8 Vogue SE. Baltic blue 2015- date.
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56162...tty+affair

A couple of inputs to your planning: Shortest route to Tromsø from Denmark is through Sweden, but then you'll just be driving through endless woods... A more scenery route is taking E6 via Oslo, Trondheim to Tromsø. Then you also can take a stop in Lofoten? An even more spectacular route is the one that Baltic Blue did in 2000 - west coast of Norway, the fjords, mountain crossings, Atlanterhavsveien ([url] https://en.visitnorthwest.no/activities-an...ng=primary [/url]) and from Trondheim take E6 north. But since your main goal is to see the northern light and you therefore need to take the trip during the winter months, taking the longer trip around the western coast of Norway is most likely not recommended due to weather conditions and short days.

Anyway you'll need proper winter tyres on the trip (snow symbol)!

P.S: We actually need to take the opposite direction/route next summer (Stavanger-Brighton - helping a studying daughter to relocate, most likely).

Last edited by Eirik34 on 22nd May 2020 7:48pm. Edited 1 time in total

Mike, thanks for that..

Eirik34, great info, thanks.

If the E6 is not recommended at that time of year is the E4 or E45 the best/prettiest route..?

Cheers Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-