Through the Incredible Arctic, Tromsø to Hillesøya
Zagan the motorhome’s in an idyllic free camping spot, about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle on Hillesøya, the outer-most of a string of islands thrusting bravely north-west into the frigid Norwegian Sea (N69.63178, E17.99812). After 25°C and bright sunshine yesterday, grey clouds have gathered and Zagan’s steadies have been wound down as the wind’s picked up today. The view from the windscreen remains, simply, out of this world.
Motorhome wild camping on Hillesøya Island, Arctic Norway
A couple of days ago we exited the church-side parking in a hurry, as half the town had appeared from nowhere to attend a morning service and we felt guilty at taking up four spaces. Down the Tromsøya Island hillside and into Tromsø, heading for a service point we’d found in campingcar-infos.com (near the Polaria Museum: N69.6425, E18.94538 – the adjacent motorhome parking was the cheapest we saw in the city at about £25 per 24 hours, free overnight). Like France, Norway’s incredibly welcoming to the motorhome fraternity, making these facilities available free of charge: thank you Norway!
Chemical toilet disposal point in Tromso
Free drinking water made available for motorhomes in Tromso
Norway seems to use a square key on drinking water taps – the ones we’ve used had the key attached, no problemo
Fancying a look around the island of Senja, but also enjoying this part of our journey so much we didn’t want to get there too quickly, we gave formal instruction to satnav to head for Sommarøy, on the island next to where we ended up. Ju took over the driving, regretting it within about ten minutes as Zagan plunged into a Swiss-cheese labyrinthine of tunnels under Tromsøya, complete with enough underground roundabouts to make Milton Keynes green-eyed with envy.
Roundabouts under Tromsoya!
I’d like to say the Satnav, deprived of its eyes in the sky, was useless in the hewn-out holes beneath the island, but I was sadly similarly inept. Roads about these parts are normally pretty simple to navigate, there not being that many routes available, so the navigator role is more one of encouragement and taking of photos rather than actually helping finding the way. Not so yesterday – the satnav spat us out to an al fresco roundabout before immediately instructing us to do a 360 and head back into the tunnels. Fortunately Ju’s head is screwed on, and she remembered the bridge we needed was next to the aiport, and followed the underground signs outta there.
Bit of wind on the bridge from Tromosya!
From Tromsøya, the road winds between green valleys across the island of Kvaløya, narrowing as it goes and testing Ju’s Zagan road-placement skills to the max. As she deftly steered, knuckles only turning white on the odd occasion, I gawped at the scenery unfolding out of the window to my right, hammering away at the camera in a futile attempt to capture it, all of it! A selection of said photos:
Nasty – nearly £1.40 a litre for diesel. Fuel here gets cheaper at certain times of the day or week, but we’re not entirely sure when. Sunday evening is currently our favourite time
Start of the road to Sommarøy. For some reason half the signs were spelled wrong and someone had gone along with a marker pen correcting them
Mountains on Kvaløya. I got a bit of a fetish for taking photos with the back of the van in yesterday…
See what I mean?
Fishing huts on Kvaløya
They love a bit of troll here in Norway. And goats with air-con units instead of heads?
Charlie, now feeling much better, catching some Nordic rays
Whooarrrr, getting a bit tight. Fortunately not much traffic. Oh, in case you’re wondering, the round ‘don’t remove until out of Dover’ sign’s stayed in the windscreen as it has a security-enhancing picture of a dog on the other wide. the square vignette sticker’s still stuck there as we’re too lazy to pull it off
Eventually a bridge appeared, swan-like in its grace as it leaped up and across to Sommarøya. Having managed to force ourselves past a number of cracking-looking wild camping spots, one with a 7 meter rig perched on an unlikely steep hill, we waited for the traffic lights to change before taking the single-track flight over the sea below, as green-blue and pristine as Listerine.
The bridge to Sommarøya
No toll on the Sommarøya bridge but it’s one-way only, and the lights stay green for about 18 milliseconds
Nice road placement Ju!
Onto Sommarøya we found ourselves off Sommarøya within a few minutes, having found someone already parked in the spot we’d ear marked. Onwards we rolled, heading here as we’d seen it in the various databases available, complete with yet another freebie service point. Pulling onto the rough patch of land, we had to take care not to drive into the sea as we gawped at the magnificent scenery through the windscreen. Parking alongside a German motorhome, Ju spotted a sign and jumped out to check it: “Please don’t leave or burn your rubbish here”. Seems a rather fair request.
Since arriving yesterday we’ve taken a few walks, hand-washed some clothes, I’ve snorkelled, we’ve watched our neighbours bring in bucket-fulls of fish from the ocean, cooked, supped wine and generally chilled out. Ju’s been working on a magazine article, and a British couple Miles and Poppy have just pulled in alongside, so we hope to have some company for the evening. Life is good folks. More photos below.
We think this is a Long Billed Curlew, but they only seem to be in America, so this one must be lost?
Warm here at the moment, but these guys are clearly well prepped for an Arctic winter
Looking out over Hillesøya and Sommarøya
Fishing boat an anchor near Hillesøya bridge
Our German neighbours are fishing out at sea using a Waterworld Inflatable Rover (costs about €1200 excluding the outboard). They’re pulling in heaps of huge fish, but are heading out to the open ocean to get them
Last night’s dream-like view from Zagan’s window, looking south from Hillesøya
There are a mix of homes, holiday cottages, a hotel, fishing huts and us van-dwellers up here. Being somewhere so remote, I found it odd to see people mowing lawns and tending outside flower beds
Holiday rentals on Hillesøya, not bad eh?
I looked at this car parking place for a minute, thinking there was something odd about it, then noticed the snow-poles at each corner. Must be one hell of a place here in winter
Locals on one of the white sand natural beaches, this one 100 meters from us
An old fishing house fronts a modern place to the rear. Houses here tend to be concrete up to the first floor, then wood above.
Industrial fishing gear lines the port
More holiday rentals
I walked across the beach earlier, needing to wear the camera bag as a helmet as one of these fellas attacked my noggin, drawing a wee bit of blood! Yes, I have seen The Birds, and yes, I do have new-found respect for these flying F16 fighterbirds!
Perfectly presented and completely free service point. The second door is for a normal toilet which looks better than ours at home, complete with rug and wall heater, with a friendly note saying it’s maintained voluntarily and asking for a small donation
Second time snorkelling in the Arctic and this time it was cold! Managed to head-butt a football-sized jellyfish, which scared the bejesus out of me. Saw crabs, starfish, clams bigger then your fist, shoals of small fish, an eel and mussels, well worth the rubber-face feeling when I finally got out
Cheers, Jay
Planning your own motorhome adventure to Norway?
You’ll find loads of tips in our free guide to Touring Norway by motorhome.
New to motorhome life,
planning your own motorhome adventure, or
looking for the perfect gift for the motorhomer in your life?
Check out our OurTour range of books.
HI Guys, looking good, when you say warm, how warm ? We are heading up there next year so would be good to have an idea of the temps,
cheers
Raymond
Hi Raymond
We’re getting July lows of about 8 degrees and highs of about 26 (centigrade, outside, gets much warmer in the van with the sun). Most days are somewhere in between.
Cheers, Jay
Great update and wonderful pictures ☺
I sam the big one is curlew and the little one is an Arctic turn
Thanks Dad, tons of birds up here, you’d love it!
Those views are surreal, sooooo beautiful! If ever we start mohoing for a longer period … it will definitely be to Norway! Though no Arctic snorkelling for me, bbbbrrrrrrr, toooooooo cold!
I want to go to Norway…… Long journey from the west of Ireland in a Motorhome. Cheapest route for us would be to Cherbourg, France and travel by road to Norway. No crossing from England to Norway that I know off. Crossing into England is a no no as ferries are expensive.
Love your blog and look forward to it. xx
Thanks Nora, you’ll love that journey! We’re sat looking out over the most beautiful scenery here on Senja, we’re finding Norway to be fantastic. Jay
Nice photos once again, and yes it can be quite some hell to be in winter up there with the snow. Check this out and this is from June (!!) http://photoaart.blogspot.fi/2011/06/my-white-hell.html