Northern Norway and the Iron Curtain Trail South

[Ticktockmy]

Just thought I would throw my plans for next years bimble on here to get some feedback.
Plan thus far is to fly from my friendly airport Gatwick to Alta in Norway, then cycle to Havosund, catch the ferry to Honningsvag (2 Hours), cycle out to the North cape ( spend a few days on the island)
Then catch the ferry to Kirkenes (18 Hours).
Then spend a few days doing the return trip to Grense Jakobselv on the Russian Border.
Then back to Kirkenes to pick up the iron Curtain trail south to Helsinki.
I am thinking that a month should see that sorted.
I have cycled in Southern Finland before abet many years ago, but not sure about Northern Finland.
Looking at the map and in street view on Google earth seems long stretches of straight slightly lumpy roads.
From Helsinki the plan at the moment is to cross over to Tallinn in Estonia. Then either head south for the German border through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Or get the ferry to Stockholm then train and ride to Esbjerg in Denmark to catch the ferry.

So and advice will be gladly Taken on board.

 

[toroddf]

I have been between North Cape and Alta. See here. Regretfully, I have not done the Porsangen to Havoysund (note the spelling). On Google Earth, that seems like a very funny Scottish west coast bikeride with good tarmac and plenty of undulations. I would love to do it one day. I have done Honningsvaag to North Cape and back though. I have also done the Alta to Porsangen, but the opposite way. See link above.

The bikeriding in that part of Norway is like I have already said a bit like Scotland. That means it is very dependant on the wind. The midges is savages and can suck you dry. The reindeer very friendly. So is the people too and they speak far better English than their Scottish brethren.

The lack of houses, civilization and help if something happens is a problem though and you can compare that part of Norway as a crossbreed between the undulating roads of Scotland and the remoteness of Mount Everest.

Why would you spend days on Mageroya (North Cape) ? If yes, bring a telescopic fishing rod set and do some fishing along the coast. There is not much else to do there. You can cycle out to Gjesvaer. But what else ? Sorry, jump of Hurtigruta in Vardo and cycle to Kirkenes instead than being bored out our your skin (and eaten alive) at Mageroya. Not to mention the high food prices there.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.

 

[psmiffy]

The furthest north I have been in Finland was Vassa - On my 2009 wander I did have some ambitions to get to Nordkappe but the thought of all those trees and there being not much else put me off. When I spoke to some Germans who came off the Iron curtain route they said it was a bit "sandy" but I'm sure I read somewhere that it was being improved.

My 2009 route Helsinki to Hoek is here - I am sure there are better routes - my main ambition was to get across Poland before the weather turned bad.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I have been between North Cape and Alta. See here. Regretfully, I have not done the Porsangen to Havoysund (note the spelling). On Google Earth, that seems like a very funny Scottish west coast bikeride with good tarmac and plenty of undulations. I would love to do it one day. I have done Honningsvaag to North Cape and back though. I have also done the Alta to Porsangen, but the opposite way. See link above.

The bikeriding in that part of Norway is like I have already said a bit like Scotland. That means it is very dependant on the wind. The midges is savages and can suck you dry. The reindeer very friendly. So is the people too and they speak far better English than their Scottish brethren.

The lack of houses, civilization and help if something happens is a problem though and you can compare that part of Norway as a crossbreed between the undulating roads of Scotland and the remoteness of Mount Everest.

Why would you spend days on Mageroya (North Cape) ? If yes, bring a telescopic fishing rod set and do some fishing along the coast. There is not much else to do there. You can cycle out to Gjesvaer. But what else ? Sorry, jump of Hurtigruta in Vardo and cycle to Kirkenes instead than being bored out our your skin (and eaten alive) at Mageroya. Not to mention the high food prices there.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.

Hi Toroddf, that's great info, it is the vastness of the outback that did concern me on the ICT having looked at Google Earth, maybe GE is a bad scarey tool to use, as gives too much information..LOL. About spending a few day on Mageroya, I guess it will take a day to get from the ferry to the North Cape, allowing for camping in the NC area overnight, then another to return to the ferry and allowing for the ferry times I have thus far I think at least 3 day has to be allowed for. Scottish midges don't like me, for some reason, its like having a halo around me as I walk about, when I used to go climbing in Scotland all my mates where doing the dance flapping there hands around to ward off the buggers, I just hope there siblings in Norway and Finland are the same. I have taken your Idea about Jumping off the ferry at Vardo onboard, once I can get a idea of timings I will see if that viable for me.

 

[Ticktockmy]

The furthest north I have been in Finland was Vassa - On my 2009 wander I did have some ambitions to get to Nordkappe but the thought of all those trees and there being not much else put me off. When I spoke to some Germans who came off the Iron curtain route they said it was a bit "sandy" but I'm sure I read somewhere that it was being improved.

My 2009 route Helsinki to Hoek is here - I am sure there are better routes - my main ambition was to get across Poland before the weather turned bad.

Thank you for the Link, something to look at with regarding traveling through E,L,L,P

 

[toroddf]

The ride from Honningsvaag to North Cape where a £ 15 admission fee awaits you (RIP OFF !!!!) is as follows:

Flat in a fjord, brutal steep Scotland like up to it tops out at 300 meters above sea level. Down and past some reindeers to a crossroad. Undulating and then brutally hilly up to the plateau and the rip off toll boot. But I have to say £ 15 is probably worth it as long as it is a once in a lifetime experience. It is 22 miles from Honningsvaag to North Cape and most of them are a bit brutal. Out and back again is very doable in one day. That means go out to the plateau so you reach the 2300 to 0100 timespan. Then go back almost to the Nordkapp Camping where there are some good wildcamping site in the hill just before it. That would take you 2 hours from the plateau in sunshine. A kip in the tent and you are ready for the Hurtigruta ferry to Vardo/Kirkenes.
Vardo Kirkenes is around 400 km on a flat road and Google Earth will tell you what you are in for there. I would gladly do that ride.
Also remember that there is no darkness up there. It can be 24 hours sunshine as I had many times in the army up there. Which means you can ride whenever you feel for it. Bike until you drop, basically. Bikeriding at midnight is an experience I would urge you to try. Very eerie, very strange. The hair in your back will stand upright.

I will also put that tour on my top 5 tours to do. In particular Alta to Havoysund and Vardo to Kirkenes.

Edit: Vardo to Kirkenes is actually only 250 km/150 miles. A good two days bikeride on a flat, but very scenic road. The Glasgow to Alta plane with bike cost a fortune. But it is something I would love to do myself.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Hi

We pretty much did all of that last summer. Had a fantastic time and did not have to pay for the Nordkapp entry either - we arrived around midnight and were waved through - you can camp there if you have a free standing tent BTW. It seemed to be a 50:50 if cyclists actually paid - more to do with who was on the barrier and how well you celebrated when you got there!

We took the ferry across to Mehamn and then cycled across to Kirkenes - coach to Grense Jackolselv (fantastic location and well worth it - there is camping easily available there, but less easily available on route back except at the 14km marker where we found a site & toilets a little further on), then cycled back down to Helsinki and on to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania before heading into Belarus. We took a lot longer than a month, but I don't normally ride more than 80km a day except for the day we arrived at Nordkapp (143km from Olderfjord).

The Iron Curtain Trail - great concept - just not quite well put togther through Finland. Some of the route takes you unnecssarily onto bad dirt tracks - Finnish dirt tracks undulate badly with mad short sudden drops and climbs and we soon fell out with following the ICT after Joensuu and headed off on our own route. As for the book - well we had the first version and actually met the author's son who was on a paid cycle tour so that it could be rewritten. It was difficult to follow (and it is not a signed route), the phrases are in the wrong order and it was clearly originally written south to north, and then badly changed with sections saying shops are before a town and they were after it and the word behind used instead of after... We tried following the maps, but soon resorted to buying the Finnish cycling maps instead (http://www.stanfords.co.uk/Activiti...m?ne=AgAAABEAAAAEB0N5Y2xpbmcKAAAABAdGaW5sYW5k) - they are not cheap but they are worth it. They happen to have free camping areas marked on them (such as along lakes for kayaking) where as the almost identical 'car maps' did not have these areas marked - and whilst wild camping if an option, wild camping in a swamp forest is, well simply not feasible.

Anyhow - if you pick up my journal from Day 149 (arriving at Nordkapp from Olderfjord) you will find everything you need. I think there is a link to the Finnish map in there - don't bother about a Norwegian map (I can photo it so you know what you are looking for if you want - let me know), every tourist information office has these wonderfully details region maps in Norway and if they are not free in one place, they usually are elsewhere like a campsite - we never paid for a single map until Finland.

Anyhow - any Q's fire away and I will do what I can to answer.

Emma

EDIT - journal link in signature

 

[Ticktockmy]

Hi Emma,
Thank you for the link, and your input, Sorry about your Dog attack, that was some wound, and good you are mending now. looking at your route, I think in the main we might looking at mirroring it to some extent.
Cheers
Bob G.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

If you find you are, we have the GPS coords for all the camping we used, wild and paid for, if you want them... some of the areas it was not easy to locate somewhere to camp wild or otherwise... also one or two areas are marked as having shops and did not at all (one place in Norway in particular) and don't worry about large areas of nothing - directions were a doddle follow - this road for a day or two and turn left at the end, then follow next road for 3 or 4 days... simple! Great areas and lovely wild life. In Finland we went passed an outdoor visitors centre and actually felt comfortable enough to leave the bikes unlocked and unattended for a couple of hours. There really was no issue, and the ladies in the centre were quite happy about our presence and state of clothing!

Hoping to be back on the bike come Thursday if the plastic surgeon gives the go ahead... fingers crossed - its not quite fully healed yet, so no swimming, but I can now walk for more than an hour, so finger's cross. 3 months off the bikes was not what I had hoped for, but it can't be helped. Probably going to head out to South America now after a JOGLE/LEJOG to check fitness levels... to late and way too hot now to be carrying on from where we left off, Iran/Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will simply be too hot for sensible touring now especially for someone who can burn something chronic in Scotland!

 

[Ticktockmy]

Emma, the GP Coords would be very helpful at this point in the planning stage, as it would give us some idea of a daily mileage. About your JOGLE/LEJOG, have you thought about a DOVER/DURNESS route, in 2010 I did that route, found it much more of a interest than JOGLE, and some really nice landrover tracks to cross through the glens of Scotland, however I in the end bail out of going through Glen Tromie and Gaick as I was told the river was in spate, so making the river crossing dangerous.
the Advantage of starting in Durness, is that you can have a trip out to Cape Wrath if the army/navy are not playing with there big fireworks, and during the summer there is a Bike bus running from Inverness bus station, via Ullapool, Lochinvar, the bus ties in with the arrival of the Night sleeper from London.
Bob G.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Hi

We have been to Cape Wrath before - walking. We walked up from Sheigra where there is a fantastic little beach campsite, then up to Sandwood bay and onto Cape Wrath. We have also been by the ferry and bus as well. The plan is actually a west coast JOGLE/LEJOG going via Durness, so it is going to take much longer and be much longer... it was just that Land's End and John O'Groats were targets - our route in between is most definitely not going to be the usual - hell who sets off to cycle to NZ/around the world going via Nordkapp? Well we did! We may well go back out to the Orkney's as well. We have been there once before, and fancy going again. One plan even considers the ferry across from Ullapool to Stornoway, but we may well not actually do that - we have both been to the Outer Hebrides plenty of times (my other half spent 2.5 years there 2 weeks on 2 weeks off on Benbecular), so I suspect we will go out to Gariloch and possibly Applecross - it is totally dependant on what time we have before heading off to South America and fitting in my mum moving house - which given we are living with her and her husband is something we can't really avoid helping with!

I don't do huge daily mileages - cycling around the world needs so much more kit that our 2 weeks tours and the bikes are set up for steep inclines - rather than speed. I suspect you could easily do twice what we did. Summertime, I usually aim for 80km per day, nothing much more unless the circumstances are exceptional like the night we cycled to Nordkapp knowing that we would see the midnight sun there if we kept going, but we could see a massive weather front coming in and knew if we left it til the next day we would see nothing. We finally pitched the tent at 4am in clear conditions, by 11am we were in dense low cloud and could not see the lake in front of us 15m away. It stayed that way for nearly a week!

Do you have anything like Mapsource? The reason being is that I have our entire route as a gpb file or can do as a gpx file. Each country covers actual roads cycled and the overall "everything" gpb covers overnight stays only - they have full GPS coords because they were pulled off our Garmin eTrex GP60, that I could send to you instead? Both file sets have way markers with the GPS coords of all of our overnight stays wild or campsites.

Emma

 

[Ticktockmy]

Hi Emma,
I use a Satmap GPS and memory map, Satmap have Topo maps for Norway and Finland, so gpx would be ok for me. will you want to email to me.. rwg@gkyuk.co.uk