1M to the Arctic Circle or Bust!
Discussion
So for the last few weeks I have been mulling over a big trip to south Europe, to have a sprint on the autobahn and do all the usual suspects when it comes to mountain passes, but with that comes lots of people, busy roads, and expensive hotels.
This got me thinking what about going north! I have visited both Norway and Sweden a fair bit for both work and play, but never done any real driving in either, the ideal target at the end would be Hammerfest, which I have actually visited before, but the reality would probably be Tromso, mainly driving up the east coast of Sweden. Certainly a long way, but epic sights would be guaranteed!
After this, I would drive back down Finland, hop on the ferry across to Estonia then travel via Latvia-> Lithuania-> Poland-> Germany (via BMW Welt)-> then onwards home.
Now obviously this is a huge drive by any measure, but my question is it worth it for the sake of doing something that is different, or should i just climb in my car and point the Tom Tom towards the Alps?!
This got me thinking what about going north! I have visited both Norway and Sweden a fair bit for both work and play, but never done any real driving in either, the ideal target at the end would be Hammerfest, which I have actually visited before, but the reality would probably be Tromso, mainly driving up the east coast of Sweden. Certainly a long way, but epic sights would be guaranteed!
After this, I would drive back down Finland, hop on the ferry across to Estonia then travel via Latvia-> Lithuania-> Poland-> Germany (via BMW Welt)-> then onwards home.
Now obviously this is a huge drive by any measure, but my question is it worth it for the sake of doing something that is different, or should i just climb in my car and point the Tom Tom towards the Alps?!
Edited by pscl227 on Wednesday 29th July 11:03
I was also considering the ferry to Oslo then up via Norway and back down via Finland / Sweden mainly to cut out the Estonia / Latvia / Lithuania section. I think it will take around 10-14 days to do comfortably providing the 1M doesn't throw up any show stoppers.
Time to order some big PH stickers to maximise any photo ops
Time to order some big PH stickers to maximise any photo ops
Edited by pscl227 on Wednesday 29th July 12:32
I have always wanted to do the roof down Arctic circle run after hearing about a few colleagues of my dad who did in in an old convertible Saab right at the longest days of the year.
It is a s
tload of miles and needs a fair bit of planning so i am very interested in watching someone else do it first.
It is a s
tload of miles and needs a fair bit of planning so i am very interested in watching someone else do it first. 6,000 miles in one trip is pretty epic.
If the plan is to complete this trip in a traditional holiday period of 2 to 3 weeks, I think I'd be looking at ferry options from Scotland or NE England across to Norway to cut 1,000 to 1,300 miles from the outbound trip. Saved petrol cost would be a significant contributor to the ferry cost and you would probably save a chunk of time as well which could translate into more miles on the continent where the driving will be more interesting than the Scotland to Dover bit.
(I have a Scandinavian road trip on my bucket list - which includes about 6 big road trips - so will also be watching with interest)
If the plan is to complete this trip in a traditional holiday period of 2 to 3 weeks, I think I'd be looking at ferry options from Scotland or NE England across to Norway to cut 1,000 to 1,300 miles from the outbound trip. Saved petrol cost would be a significant contributor to the ferry cost and you would probably save a chunk of time as well which could translate into more miles on the continent where the driving will be more interesting than the Scotland to Dover bit.
(I have a Scandinavian road trip on my bucket list - which includes about 6 big road trips - so will also be watching with interest)
Edited by pjv997 on Wednesday 29th July 12:48
pjv997 said:
6,000 miles in one trip is pretty epic.
If the plan is to complete this trip in a traditional holiday period of 2 to 3 weeks, I think I'd be looking at ferry options from Scotland or NE England across to Norway to cut 1,000 to 1,300 miles from the outbound trip. Saved petrol cost would be a significant contributor to the ferry cost and you would probably save a chunk of time as well which could translate into more miles on the continent where the driving will be more interesting than the Scotland to Dover bit.
Sadly there isn't a direct ferry link to Norway anymore, never mind Scotland. If the plan is to complete this trip in a traditional holiday period of 2 to 3 weeks, I think I'd be looking at ferry options from Scotland or NE England across to Norway to cut 1,000 to 1,300 miles from the outbound trip. Saved petrol cost would be a significant contributor to the ferry cost and you would probably save a chunk of time as well which could translate into more miles on the continent where the driving will be more interesting than the Scotland to Dover bit.
Oddly I've been reading about a similar road trip today.
Might be worth a bit of your time
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?27226...
I think he's been before
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?23545...
Might be worth a bit of your time
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?27226...
I think he's been before
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?23545...
^^^ Defintely. We've been to The Netherlands on holiday quite a few times and the last time we did the ferry instead of the tunnel. Time wise it's no different but so much more enjoyable. You're not missing any interesting roads in Northern France, Belgium and The Netherlands as you make your way North.
0836whimper said:
With that route I'd definitely take the Hull-Rotterdam overnight ferry, much more enjoyable than the schlep to the South East, the M25 and the dreaded QE2 bridge etc.
This was my initial thought as well but sadly it is £800 vs £120 for Dover - Calais return crossing.Thanks for the link to the Volvo forum, a great resource
So after what seems like an eternity of reading I think I have decided on a route which will take me up the majority of the west coast of Norway then down the east coast of Sweden and back through Germany via BMW Welt, this unfortunately will miss out the Finland section, but I think this will provide the most scenic route.
I am planning to do roughly 7-8 hours of driving a day and stay in a combination of hotels and camping in my tent, finishing with a day trip to Nordkapp which is the most northern point on mainland Europe.
The only change I might do is take the Hull - Rotterdam ferry if I can get a good price, rather than having to deal with the Dover - Calais route which is guaranteed misery, so here it is, my route north v1:
Anyone know if you can get your car serviced easily at BMW Welt, would be a good stamp to have in the book!
I am planning to do roughly 7-8 hours of driving a day and stay in a combination of hotels and camping in my tent, finishing with a day trip to Nordkapp which is the most northern point on mainland Europe.
The only change I might do is take the Hull - Rotterdam ferry if I can get a good price, rather than having to deal with the Dover - Calais route which is guaranteed misery, so here it is, my route north v1:
Anyone know if you can get your car serviced easily at BMW Welt, would be a good stamp to have in the book!
Edited by pscl227 on Thursday 30th July 09:06
Edited by pscl227 on Thursday 30th July 09:09
BoRED S2upid said:
What a road trip that will be. Ferry from hull should be ok you don't need a cabin and you could go any day or time of day so should get a reasonable price over tunnel or Calais madness and the extra fuel. Talking if which it's going to cost a fortune in fuel is it not?
1M is positively economic compared to my old E60 M5, 24-27 MPG cruising, 17-20 MPG when pushing on. Really shouldn't be too bad, especially with the fall in price of the NOK in recent months.You can get a ferry from Immingham to Gothenburg, its manly freight but will take a few cars. I'm off to Gothenburg next week in a my 1M, Harwich to Hook of Holland.
Anything near the Eurotunnel is to be avoided.
Your route looks great, do it, you only live once.
Anything near the Eurotunnel is to be avoided.
Your route looks great, do it, you only live once.
Edited by andy102 on Thursday 30th July 23:18
andy102 said:
You can get a ferry from Immingham to Gothenburg, its manly freight but will take a few cars. I'm off to Gothenburg next week in a my 1M, Harwich to Hook of Holland.
Anything near the Eurotunnel is to be avoided.
Your route looks great, do it, you only live once.
I think I've decided on hull - Rotterdam now for the way out, hopefully get something for the end of next week.Anything near the Eurotunnel is to be avoided.
Your route looks great, do it, you only live once.
Edited by andy102 on Thursday 30th July 23:18
How ugly does that look!
Here is my v1 route for the way back:
pscl227 said:
So after what seems like an eternity of reading I think I have decided on a route which will take me up the majority of the west coast of Norway then down the east coast of Sweden and back through Germany via BMW Welt, this unfortunately will miss out the Finland section, but I think this will provide the most scenic route.
I am planning to do roughly 7-8 hours of driving a day and stay in a combination of hotels and camping in my tent, finishing with a day trip to Nordkapp which is the most northern point on mainland Europe.
The only change I might do is take the Hull - Rotterdam ferry if I can get a good price, rather than having to deal with the Dover - Calais route which is guaranteed misery, so here it is, my route north v1:
Anyone know if you can get your car serviced easily at BMW Welt, would be a good stamp to have in the book!
We did virtually that exact trip in 5 open top Morgan's in May 2013, including of course the Atlantic Road. We also did virtually the same route back except that we caught the ferry back from Denmark as it was still running then. I am planning to do roughly 7-8 hours of driving a day and stay in a combination of hotels and camping in my tent, finishing with a day trip to Nordkapp which is the most northern point on mainland Europe.
The only change I might do is take the Hull - Rotterdam ferry if I can get a good price, rather than having to deal with the Dover - Calais route which is guaranteed misery, so here it is, my route north v1:
Anyone know if you can get your car serviced easily at BMW Welt, would be a good stamp to have in the book!
Edited by pscl227 on Thursday 30th July 09:06
Edited by pscl227 on Thursday 30th July 09:09
Amazing trip and a lifetime memory. The roads were awesome but look out for potholes, big car eating potholes, on some of those Norwegian roads. I'm not sure 7-8 hours a day driving will be enough. It took us 14 days (8 up 6 back from memory) with many long days pressing on. The midnight sun was incredible, the people lovely the views spectacular. Oh, and only one small breakdown (the three wheeler got water in the fuel tank) and only one speeding ticket
Have fun! I'm sure you will.
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