Norway... Yesway

[GEOFF S]

I noticed on the whitewater forum that there's still a ferry to Norway (dfds - Immingham to Brevik). Good news as I fancied taking a sea kayak up a fjord or two and then the Bergen ferry stopped running. The coast around Bergen looks nice from the plane, and Sognefjord looked stunning when returning from a x-c skiing trip on the ferry. Anybody got any recommendations for an extended trip ?

[guy]

Some mates looked into the cargo ship thing
The price was reasonable - but when they tried to book the tax nearly doubled the price.

[laurensor]

Wow Norway sounds like a lot of fun for an adventurous trip to me. I once planned to go there with my sister but we unfortunately never worked it out to get there, though I always wanted to be in Norway. I like the smooth cool breeze of Norway and of idea of being on the wonderful, marvelous white water with just a kayak and a lot of dreams and impressions. I guess this must be so overwhelming and stunning that you simply cannot find words for such a situation.

[Owen]

I've paddled around Bergen, we did Bergen to Stravanger over eight days, using the old ferry that went from Newcastle to both these ports.
A very long while ago I also did a long open canoeing trip that ended up on the coast at Kristiansand. I've not been to Sognefjord but there's lots of paddling possiblitys all long the south coast of Norway.

There's some photo's on my Flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/owenmerricksphotos/sets/

[29er]

Hello GEOFF
Do you plan to bring your car? The port at Brevik is about one day of driving from Bergen. Brevik is also a very good starting point for trips. The area is full of small boats/cabin cruisers etc in july. but august and september is better. If you go south/west from Brevik, you can paddle towards Kristiansand and enjoy very beautiful places on the way. A friend of mine has written two guide-books on this area - but they are only in Norwegian. http://www.padleguiden.no/ is his website, and I guess that he would answer if you write him an e-mail in english:)

If you go north/east from Brevik, all the distance up to the Swedish border and also the area around the Koster Islands is very nice for touring. We have often started our trips in Nevlunghavn (just 15 km from Brevik) and paddled up along Vestfold and crossing the Oslo-fjord towards the Swedish border.

If you bring your car, and dont`t mind driving a good distnace, the area called Helgelandskysten is perhaps one of the most beautiful places to paddle a sea kayak in the world. More about this area here: http://www.havnomaden.no/sider/engelsk.html

Some friends of mine run a kayak shop in Bergen - you can try to contact them for tips on trips in their area. www.god-tur.no is their website.

Good luck:)

Harald

[29er]

Hello again:)
I forgot the XC-skiing part - the Sognefjell area still has lots of snow and very good conditions for XC-skiing if you want to include that in your trip:)

There are lots of different national teams up there these days: http://www.sognefjellet.no/

Harald

[Tourer]

http://www.rallarvegen.no/default.asp

It's really just a variant of English
SYKKELTUR = cycle tour
Reiserute = this is a bit easier with German, though

Don't forget gloves and hats in August, it was snowing a little when I was around Hoegtesteen, my camp warden generously offered free fire wood.

Regards

Rainer

[Steen Johansen]

[quote=It's really just a variant of English[/quote]

Or more precisely English is just a variant of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
The Vikings gave you a large part of your language, remember? Please don’t mention the Normans, that is another story.
Hope to see you guys here in Scandinavia for some good paddling. We dream about Scotland and you dream about Norway.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

[tommfuller]

http://www.rallarvegen.no/default.asp

It's really just a variant of English
SYKKELTUR = cycle tour
Reiserute = this is a bit easier with German, though

Don't forget gloves and hats in August, it was snowing a little when I was around Hoegtesteen, my camp warden generously offered free fire wood.

Regards

Rainer

I'm learning Norsk at the moment, and there's tons of Doric in it (or rather, vice versa!). My favorite is Sykehus = hospital

MVH,

Tom.

[Tourer]

I'm learning Norsk at the moment, and there's tons of Doric in it (or rather, vice versa!). My favorite is Sykehus = hospital

sick house, it's obvious, lots of words don't need translation really.

But learning Norsk is not really needed, Danish = Bokmal/Hovedsprak will do, unless you go to Iceland, then Nynorsk might more useful, or reading the original Edda Saga parallel to a translation, but that's just academic pursuit, for the Schliemanns of our days http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Schliemann

Trouble is only that reading is not speaking, it sounds all so different, everyone switches to English after three words,and the Danes seem to chew the endings away as if they talk with a pebble in the mouth..

Maybe buying them some Oel (Ale)will help for some language tuition in return ?

[tommfuller]

I'm learning Norsk at the moment, and there's tons of Doric in it (or rather, vice versa!). My favorite is Sykehus = hospital

sick house, it's obvious, lots of words don't need translation really.

But learning Norsk is not really needed, Danish = Bokmal/Hovedsprak will do, unless you go to Iceland, then Nynorsk might more useful, or reading the original Edda Saga parallel to a translation, but that's just academic pursuit, for the Schliemanns of our days http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Schliemann

Trouble is only that reading is not speaking, it sounds all so different, everyone switches to English after three words,and the Danes seem to chew the endings away as if they talk with a pebble in the mouth..

Maybe buying them some Oel (Ale)will help for some language tuition in return ?

Aye, there's little limit to what you can achieve with whisky! We once got our GPS system entirely re-wired by the techs off a siesmic vessel in return for a few drams. My tutor here seems to prefer cash though...

Cheers,

Tom.

[Debaser]

...and the Danes seem to chew the endings away as if they talk with a pebble in the mouth..

Is that the polite way of describing it? The Norwegians I've asked all say the Danes talk with a potato in their throats!

[Tourer]

There is no doubt that anyone seriously sea paddling and so wanting to do the Greenland pilgramage one day should learn Danish.

Norway was part of the Danish Kingdom I think until 1921, and has unbelievably vast and stunning destinations to go for, from Bergen, Eidslandet and the other Fjords in the south to the Lofoten, Greenland now has "home rule" but since the Viking days is part of Danmark. Iceland is on the way, ah, I nearly forgot the Faroese, and some of the Western Isles under English rule that have descendants of Vikings living there..

Other than they there are - no surprise - fairly skilled paddlers, and paddle makers as well
www.greenlandpaddle.com

This is the first company that I know of that offers the full native style kit including weapon, plus BCU stuff, not that I suggest we should start seal poaching here ;-))

No wonder, they are among the best educated people in the world with ~ 50% A level or better, plus they have named two cities after a brewery - Faxe and Tuborg ;-), what was it with Carlsberg ?

So Oel or throat oil is a key ingredient of Danish life, or not ?

Regards

Rainer

[tommfuller]

... and some of the Western Isles under English rule ....

<splutter> 'scuse me?? I can only hope you are thinking of the Isles of Scilly! ;)

Cheers,

Tom.

[29er]

Norway was part of the Danish Kingdom I think until 1921, and has unbelievably vast and stunning destinations to go for, from Bergen, Eidslandet and the other Fjords in the south to the Lofoten, Greenland now has "home rule" but since the Viking days is part of Danmark. Iceland is on the way, ah, I nearly forgot the Faroese, and some of the Western Isles under English rule that have descendants of Vikings living there..

Not quite so Tourer, Norway was given from the King of Denmark to the King of Sweden in 1814 after some wars in the 1700s. The year 1814 we got our own constitution, but was to be with Sweden to 1905. Given the wealth of our country today, I guess both Denmark and Sweden would stil like to have Norway as part of their countries:)

The Danish kayak history is great, perhaps especially in racing kayaks and canoes from Struer. But my experience today is that the Norwegian Sea Kayaking scene (modern gear) is not much behind the UK Sea Kayaking scene:) There are some traditional paddlers here as well, check out http://www.kajakkspesialisten.no

I do most kinds of paddling - working out in a racing K1 as my preferred anti-geriatric exercise, playing whitewater in kayaks and open ww canoes, lots of sea kayaking and has just started to learn greenland style kayaking - and I really think I live in one of the most beautiful paddling countries on this planet:)

Harald

[Owen]

I do most kinds of paddling - working out in a racing K1 as my preferred anti-geriatric exercise, playing whitewater in kayaks and open ww canoes, lots of sea kayaking and has just started to learn greenland style kayaking - and I really think I live in one of the most beautiful paddling countries on this planet:)

Harald[/quote]

Harald,

I have to agree, Norway is a great place for all sorts of outdoor sports. Great climbing, skiing, kayaking and canoeing; a bit like Scotland on steroids. The only problem is getting there. A few years ago I looked into doing a trip to the far north but it worked out cheeper to fly to the wilds of Canada.

[29er]

Owen,
I like the "Scotland on Steroids" - Scotland is one of my future destinations - a trip to combine sea kayaking with some visits to whisky destilleries like Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Talisker etc:)

Harald

[Tourer]

Owen,
I like the "Scotland on Steroids" - Scotland is one of my future destinations - a trip to combine sea kayaking with some visits to whisky destilleries like Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Talisker etc:)

Harald

A bottle of Whisky is > 100 £ in Norway, 5 £ a pint of Lager last time I was there, that's why some of the unruly the Vikings sailed forth and came to found Aberdeen and Dublin, plus all the sales in Tescoe's, Angus Beef for a camp, for a while fought this cult in Lindisfarne and traded honey, amber and cod fish for the natives.

Seriously: Norway is great but it needs a lot of dedication and hardyness to stand the climate - Scotland is about the same latitude as southern Norway. It also needs a lot of money and time gtting there and then getting around with all those feries across fjords , that alone drains your pocket, plus food prices last time I was there at least twice that of the UK.

To paddle up the great north in a limited time e.g. the Stockholm Archipelago and boat hire is a much safer bet weatherwise.

If you are a wealthy pensioner with a campavan then Norway is a must do before you die thing.

Even on the national road Bergen-Oslo there are patches of 30 miles or more without any shopping of village to speak of, and with fjords, tunnels and mountains everywhere mobile phone coverage is a hit miss issue anyway I'd say.. So if you're stuck you're stuck for a while, and if it storms no ferry goes either..

[Tom Jacobsen]

Njord is also guiding in Bergen area..
http://www.njord.as/en/

[Owen]

[
Even on the national road Bergen-Oslo there are patches of 30 miles or more without any shopping of village to speak of, and with fjords, tunnels and mountains everywhere mobile phone coverage is a hit miss .

That's what I like about it. Go further north and things are even more spread out.

[ol]

Some friends of mine run a kayak shop in Bergen - you can try to contact them for tips on trips in their area. http://www.god-tur.no is their website.

Do they run sea kayaking trips or rent out boats and equipment?
Does anyone else know of any good (read cheap) rental places out there?
I am heading out with a bunch of whitewater paddlers but have had an operation on my leg which means I will perhaps be looking into some gentler paddling. Will be heading from oslo over to Bergen and up a bit around Voss etc probably. Any thoughts?

[Tourer]

Some friends of mine run a kayak shop in Bergen - you can try to contact them for tips on trips in their area. http://www.god-tur.no is their website.

Do they run sea kayaking trips or rent out boats and equipment?
Does anyone else know of any good (read cheap) rental places out there?
I am heading out with a bunch of whitewater paddlers but have had an operation on my leg which means I will perhaps be looking into some gentler paddling. Will be heading from oslo over to Bergen and up a bit around Voss etc probably. Any thoughts?

Just an hour or so from Bergen is Eksingedalen,

http://www.eksingedalen.com/index.php?p ... ge=english

Yes indeed one may think it is Switzerland
http://www.eksingedalen.net/

As we see they now do cycle-boating !

The church is at the top of the valley where it opens into the Fjell

Combine that with Voss, Flamsbahn and Rallarvegen - you'll get the cycling and boating experience of a life time, provided, well IF you get the weather right - it is a steep mountain that stops the north atlantic rain clouds from the Golf stream and forces them uphill against glaciers and eternal snow.. But without that no foaming rivers..

It oes off the Bergen - Oslo road, even so very little tourism, at least in 1998 when I was there. 80 km or so from top to bottom runs a river with from what I could see little lakes, some white water drops, I think geologically it is called a series of end-moraenes that form little barrages/weirs, at times a bit of a foamy river

Very popular with Norwegian trout fishers, perfect for a long long cycle down hill run, return by bus, at the end is a little tunnel and it opens to the Fjord. Three houses are a village, an old "auntie" type shop where the natives curiously eyed the foreigner.

At that time I felt painfully that long held desire for a Klepper in the Fjords.. As far as I know should be easy white water, plus most of the time the raod is parallel to the river, so one could a shuttle run from one end to the other ;-))

Regards

Rainer

[Tourer]

.. leaves to say that in my view for a trip to Norway it either needs the committment of getting there by car/ferry, maybe Harwich-Esbjerg, so one leg takes about a week, which means at least 4 weeks leave to make sense of it, or you take a flight/hire car and get all sorted via a tour operator if you only have two weeks or so.

Norway is THE campervan/T5/VW or so country, with car parks with lawn to camp on, loos, cold water supply, loo emptying, all free. Camp sites usually have little log cabins with oven that are marginally more expensive than a pitch including fire wood. If camping by all means get a Teepee/Lavvu, since a fire is needed in the summer that for the most part would pass as a winter in the UK, or for mossies maybe, but I had hardly any of the buggers, probably too cold.

Somewhere I read that in summer the population swells from 4 to 8 million due to all those Germans on wheels and boats of all kinds. But as soon as you are out of the Bergen area that doesn't matter, crowds are > 5 people.

I wouldn't take a caravan since it is not unusual to end up on 15-20% hairpin roads e.g. in Eksingedalen and its access, sometimes single lane tunnels with road bends - tough if you get stuck

[Anders]

Spent last week paddling in Norway with the Swedish Scout foundation. Passed the arctic circle twice. The place is perfect if you are afraid of the dark. Paddling ain't that bad either... :-)
http://gallery.me.com/zackrisson#100196 ... saic&sel=0

Highly recommended!

[Freek]

some pics of our trip from Kristiansand to Larvik last may;
http://picasaweb.google.nl/zeekayakforum/KrisLarvik