Postscript - that engine problem

Strangely enough the motor behaved itself all the way home from Germany, but something obviously not right so I arranged to take Bertie into our local garage. They seemed to think they knew what it was, worked on it and pronounced it "fixed". Yeh, right - well it was a bit better but still not right but we'd planned a run out to Lincoln so agreed to give it a chance.

However it definitely wasn't fixed so they tried a chemical cleanup of the inlet and exhaust system, which made the van seem smoother and quiter but had still not fixed the misfiring. So, I bite the bullet and arranged to take it into the Fiat dealer who assured me he knew exactly what was wrong and would sort it.

They had the van for 10 days but, true to their word, it was fixed - a known fault that had been the subject of warranty repairs when the van was new, but of course not to ours. So it cost! But replacement of the throttle body, refit a slightly leaking exhaust and "fix" what the local garage had done turned Bertie into a new van - the change was remarkable. So we took ourselves off to Blackpool for a couple of days to prove it.

And everything is now okay (except of course £900 poorer).

Final thoughts

This has not been one of our most successful trips, although we have enjoyed it and have actually achieved a great deal. To be fair it didn't start off well, with health issues and our normal pre-trip preparation out of the window together with problems with Bertie which dogged us throughout the trip. Then having reached our objective, Nordkap, it was so disappointing that the weather refused to cooperate and indeed spoiled almost all of our time in Norway itself. Yes we bought the videos and books but it's not the same.

But that's life, so some general observations. First of all it was, as expected, a long long drive – just short of 6000 miles in total which in five and a bit weeks is a lot. Limiting ourselves to around 200 miles per day and no more than four hours driving helped, as did the few “days off” we took along the way. There are few motorways in Scandinavia athough the main roads are generally well maintained and traffic free. We would certainly recommend that you need six weeks minimum.

The advice to drive north through Sweden then return through Norway was spot on. We'd just add that if you are intending to return south without touring the fjord areas, come back into Sweden; the roads are much better and it is somewhat cheaper. The E6 through Norway was an awful drive. Norway, in particular, is very good at springing tolls on you unexpectedly and we're waiting to see how many we used – they send you the bill at home if you haven't made other arrangements.

There's no getting away from it, Scandinavia can be expensive. We do not have any extravagant habits, such as regular meals and drinks out, but even so we felt that things were still just that bit more expensive than the UK. Food shopping can be economised by using the chain supermarkets; we found Coop (not Co-op) to be quite reasonable. Fuel was about on a par with UK prices and didn't seem to vary much although maybe it was a little more the further north we went. Forget buying alcohol, even if you can find the shops! Souvenir shopping is, as everywhere a rip-off but sometimes you have to – stuffed fluffy reindeer anybody?

Despite all we've read about being able to stop anywhere, it turned out not to be as simple as that, especially on the main roads. In Norway rest areas and dump stations were frequent and well marked but we encountered several places which had notices discouraging overnight parking. Campsites, however, were everywhere with usually superb facilities and free wifi but at around £20 per night which did not always include electricity. To be fair due to our problems we did not get far off the main roads so things may well be different in quieter areas. Do get the Keycard, a camping carnet card which almost all campsites want. You can buy it at your first campsite but it is easier to order before you go and the first site will validate it for you. It also offers discounts on a wide range of things – we saved 10% off the ferry fare from Germany to Denmark, which alone paid the cost of the card itself.

Without exception we found the people everywhere to be friendly and helpful, but not pushy. The best part, though, was that everybody speaks English naturally, as a second language. Just as well because thankyou (tak) was about the best we could do otherwise!

So would we go back? Yes, but probably only to south west Norway, the area we really wanted to see and didn't. Sweden was fine if you like trees for scenery, as was Finland, and probably has more to offer than we encountered but we don't feel the urge to return, except maybe to concentrate on a particular area. Visiting Father Christmas, of course, is every kids dream.........

Next blog -  Winter Trip to Southern Europe and Morocco.

Friday 8 July 2016 - Wissant homeward

Early start so that we can get Jamie checked in with the Pet Passport then get our Scandinavian cash changed - don't like using port-based Bureaux de Change 'cos they're a right rip-off but we've little alternative so we just grin and accept it. Allocated a slightly earlier than booked train which meant it all worked out very well and we enjoyed an uneventful crossing.

Can't really say the same about the drive north though; UK roads are so much more crowded and everybody is rushing all the time so by the time we arrived at Mums we were exhausted. Much prefer to drive abroad!

A pleasant afternoon and evening, a last night in the van (saves work for Mum) then an uneventful drive home on Saturday. Mountains of post of course and the lawn grass was two feet high; you sometimes wonder if it's worth going away.............

Thursday 7 July - Wissant

Last day of our trip as such as we're booked onto the 0950 Chunnel tomorrow and from there will make our way up to Lincolnshire to stopover with Terrys Mum for one night, returning home all being well on Saturday.

Another warm dry and sunny day, the solar panel having recharged the batteries before we got up, the morning was spent quietly with the occasional foray when Jamie started complaining - he doesn't like sitting doing nothing and in fairness this isn't an ideal place for an inquisitive pup. Took the opportunity of reviewing the photographs we've taken (over 400) and ready them for a slideshow for Mum tomorrow and realised that, despite the negatives, we've actually had a good time with some fine pictures bringing back good memories.

After lunch we thought we'd take Jamie down to the beach for a run around, but of course had forgotten that French schools are now on holiday and Wissant is a favourite spot. Also with the tide being in there wasn't a lot of beach and what there was was absolutely jam packed with young French families; we couldn't even let the lead out as apart from into the sea there was nowhere to go. So we walked up into the town proper and had an ice-cream before returning to Bertie, taking the chance whilst it was still quiet to empty the waste tanks to save time in the morning.

So that's about it - we'll post a note to complete our journey once we get home. Hope you've enjoyed reading this rubbish.

Wednesday 6 July – Gravelines to Wissant

The weather has finally decided to buck up and the day started, and remained, warm sunny and dry. After a chat with a solo Brit parked next to us we had breakfast and walked into the town to see if we could find the vet mentioned in our database.

We were delighted to find a very nice, typical French town with lots of bars and restaurants, although not much of anything else, including the vet we were looking for. However there was a Tourist Information office so we called in and the lady found a vet, just on the outskirts of town. Just a tad too far to walk we made our way back to the van and drove round – but of course typically for us it had just closed however they checked and said come back after 2.00 pm. It turned out that it happened to be the vets morning off so we would have had to come back anyway.

Returned to the parking to relax and have lunch before returning. We were met by a very nice lady vet who spoke good English (although we did of course speak French to her; it's only polite but she was better at it than us....) A thorough checkup followed by administration of a tablet – Jamie doesn't like tablets and was having none of it... until Madame La Docteur sorted him out; must remember how to do that. Paperwork completed and we were relieved of €43; bit of a rip-off really but it would probably cost the same at home.

With Jamie sorted, our next task was to refuel and get some final shopping in, so headed off to our usual haunt of Auchan in west Calais to get that completed. We now have to wait a minimum of 24 hours before we can take Jamie back to the UK so we headed off south to a favourite aire at Wissant, which turned out to be almost full but we found a nice pitch. Then on the phone to Eurotunnel to rearrange the return crossing for Friday which of course cost us a surcharge being so close to the departure time.

So now we've nothing left to do for a day or so except enjoy whatever nice weather we get.

Tuesday 5 July – Neukirchen Vluyn to Gravelines

Dull, breezy start but at least it'sn not raining (yet) so after the usual back on the road, stopping temporarily when the fruitbowl, which hasn't moved in the last five weeks, decided to jump onto the floor! That cleared up we headed for Holland, only around 45km away on the motorways, stopping again to refill the LPG bottles and the fuel tank.

The roads were very busy as we crossed Holland, only a short distance as we are quite close to where Germany, Holland, Belgium and France are close together. Then into Belgium where it was busier still, especially around Antwerp but at least it moved relatively quickly and we had no holdups.

Finally turning onto the Ostende road, we took a lunch break just after Ghent, deciding we would head to Gravelines, get settled and plan our next moves from there. So that is what we did, discovering a vet within a few minutes walk of the aire de camping-car who we'll go and visit tomorrow. After that we'll rebook the Chunnel and maybe head into Calais for some shopping while waiting the required 24 hours before we can take Jamie back into the UK..

Monday 4 July - Neukirchen Vluyn

With the sun shining brightly on a warm sunny morning, we decided to stay another day so a lazy morning. Bren had a bit of a cleanup in the van whilst Terry had another look at the engine problem.

We're pretty sure now what it is but fixing it is another thing; for the most part the engine behaves normally but under certain conditions it misfires. For the technically minded, we think the turbocharger wastegate valve is sticking partially open. It's going to have to wait for a garage to fix, meanwhile we'll just take it easy.

After lunch we took Jamie for a walk into town, looking to change our Scandinavian currency but the only bank wouldn't do it (not a customer) neither would the DHL Postbank. So we'll have to find a proper Bureau de Change. So back to the van for more relaxation and get ready to move on tomorrow.

Sunday 3 July – Sittensen to Neukirchen Vluyn

Sunday morning, no rush and bacon & eggs! Nice morning so after breakfast serviced Bertie and gave him a bit of a wash, well got the worst off anyway. We know it will inevitably rain but it's a start. Last off this pleasant little spot – there were 14 vans parked overnight – and back onto the autobahns which were very busy, not with trucks which were all parked up in the rest areas, but it seemed everybody else was out rushing around the countryside.

Held up once or twice by roadworks and surprisingly often when three lanes became two. Saw one monumental traffic jam going the other way, caused by a breakdown being recovered right at the start of roadworks and nobody could get past the breakdown truck. As predicted we also suffered some very heavy rain showers but generally it was a nice run.

A comfort stop turned into a lunch break just west of Osnabruck, then we carried on back on the route we used coming out. Around 5-ish near Essen we decided we'd had enough for the day so stopped to get our bearings and spotted a stellplatze only a few minutes away. We thought the name was vaguely familiar but it was only as we approached it we realised it had been our first stop in Germany outbound. So with the sun shining brilliantly out of a clear blue sky, got the chairs out, cracked a bottle of something cool and relaxed. Dependant upon the weather we might stop a couple of nights.

We are effectively now only one (long) days drive from Calais and about a week ahead of schedule. However our feelings are that we do not mind going home early, with all the problems we've had, so we'll probably change our Chunnel booking. But before that, of course, we have to take Jamie to a vet for his worming treatment and Pet Passport signature which will mean a couple of days delay. We'll take it one day at a time now.

Saturday 2 July – Ribe to Sittensen

For a change an earlier start for no particular reason to a bright and breezy day after quite heavy rain overnight. We're only 45km from the border so reasoning that things are cheaper in Germany we delayed our shopping stop until we found a Lidl. A bit necessary as we discovered the bottled water we'd bought was fizzy and the milk, err, wasn't milk – but it goes okay on cereal; have to get the dictionary out but we think it's soya.

Shortly after we topped up with fuel and also bought a German map, another of those items that got forgotten – remember our early posts? Then continue, first of all on straight and fast ordinary roads and after lunch onto the autobahn to Hamburg. No speed limit on this one which meant we were constantly being passed by cars doing well over 100 mph and not all of them modern high power types; an original Mini-Cooper was doing his best too! My Mum used to have one of those!

Roundabout Art

Unfortunately the weather deterorated until we were going from heavy shower, through sunshine to more rain. Hamburg was very wet but turning westbound towards Bremen, and incidentally rejoining our outbound route, we could see blue ahead of us so started planning our stop. Bren espied a likely looking place at Sittensen so navigated us to, basically, a car park on the edge of the town next to a watermill and museum. Joining several other vans already parked up, we noticed there were basic water ad waste facilities as well as excellent public loos close by and a lovely park across the road; a nice place to stop. And free!

A walk after a cuppa showed once again the town didn't have a lot going for it, but the exercise did us good and we returned for tea, now having been joined by several more motorhomes of varying nationality – the place is getting quite full. But the weather is still very changeable and we had further rain showers to come.

Parking at Sittensen

Friday 1 July – Frederiksvaerke to Ribe

An earlier start to a nice bright dry and warm day, although showers did develop later. However despite our intentions we still can't manage getaways until after 11.00! Never mind we're in no rush; our plan today is to head west to the coast then south down to Germany, stopping off wherever takes our fancy.

Initially a little bit of backtracking but then cross-country on excellent roads until we picked up the motorway to Odense. This part of Denmark is proud of its agricultural heritage, evident from the many farms and smallholdings along the way. It is also relatively flat. Odense is on another “island” and is reached by another very long bridge, this one getting on for 10 miles, causing a degree of nervousness in the navigator. Expensive too – Dkr715 (£80) but cheaper than the ferry (although it doesn't take into account the longer drive of course).

Strange architecture - it's fallen over!

Lunch taken in a rest area before continuing on the motorway, with a short holdup due to a minor accident. A little later we turned off to once again go cross-country towards Ribes, said by the Rough Guide to be the centre of quite an attractive coastal area. There was a good choice of places to stop and we paused to select one, plumping for a restplatz right on the edge of the town – basically just a parking area for all types of transport with around 20 dedicated motorhome bays; a little tight perhaps but it's free and there is a service point.

A cuppa and we took Jamie for a walk to have a look at this old town. Very traditional Danish with an unusual church, which looked like (and probably was, the info board was in Danish) a new church had been built around another. Whatever, it was obviously important as it had a church school attached to it.

Return to the van for tea and a quiet evening. Unless we decide to have a look at the coast itself, we'll probably cross into Germany tomorrow. We're still having problems with the van although someone on MHF forum has come up with a possible solution, but we need to raise the front up to get at the suspect bit.

Thursday 30 June - Frederiksvaerke

Having sort of got used to it not getting dark, last night we closed all the blinds fully so we were somewhat surprised at the time when we got up. Not even Jamie had stirred and as there are very few people staying on site at the moment nothing disturbed us - we'd got used to the nearby level-crossing warning bells every 10-15 mins.

A greyish day with rain, as forecast again, threatening. Once again the awning was deployed (we rarely leave it out overnight) enabling us to air the van out but, having decided we'll take Jamie for a walk into the town, the showers returned so relaxation in the van was the order of the day. However after a late lunch the sun came out again so, carrying waterproofs just in case, we sallied forth to investigate the town and maybe do a little shopping.

Frederiksvaerke really doesn't have much going for it, it's a very nice but ordinary dormitory town typical of Denmark with a pedestrianised main shopping street having everything you would ordinarily need. Despite being on the Roskilde Fjord there doesn't seem to be any maritime connection, water being limited to a canal/river running through the town. However it has suited us for our purpose.

Late on pack everything away and showers, ready for a, hopefully, earlier getaway in the morning. We've no particular objective, just take the pretty way and enjoy whatever we find.

Wednesday 29 June - Frederiksvaerke

We plan to do absolutely nothing today, short of the essentials and sit in the sun. Unfortunately the weather had different ideas and mid-morning the heavens opened, but we had already deployed the awning and as there was little wind it was pleasant enough sitting out watching a steady stream run off the end.

But all good things come to an end and mid-afternoon the rain stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the day. So apart from taking Jamie for his walkies that was that, job done.

Tuesday 28 June – Gotteborg to Frederiksvaerke

The rock concert, which sounded like it was supposed to be a Bruce Springsteen tribute, ended around 11.00pm so it did not disturb us and after a peaceful night awoke to discover we were “camped” in the car park of a nature reserve – explains why it wasn't busy overnight or first thing. No facilities so after breakfast back to our old friend the E6 heading for Malmo. Bright and sunny again as most mornings have been but this time it stayed that way all day.

Approaching Malmo we stopped for lunch and to refuel. We could have used a short ferry crossing between Helsingborg (Sweden) and Helsingor (Denmark) but earlier research suggested it was as costly as the bridge and last night an internet search said it was closed, which apparently it isn't. So we went for the bridge/tunnel again and just followed the motorway, stopping only at the toll booth to pay our Dkr780 before entering Denmark with no controls whatsoever. Contrast that with the other direction when it was the only place we were checked.

First part is a bridge.......

...which then dives underwater!

Not having had a “break” since Mo I Rana we felt it was time to take a few days off so a little bit of research showed that North Zealand, the area north of Copenhagen, seemed to have quite a lot going for it with a choice of campsites. So we set TomTom for a likely looking spot at Frederikssund and set off across country, immediately noticing how much more relaxed Denmark seemed to be, although to be fair to Sweden we had been on motorways all the time. The site at Frederikssund turned out to be a marina with an area set by for motorhomes, of which there were none although two turned up just as we decided it wasn't what we were looking for for a few nights stop.

A small clutch of sites showed at Frederiksvaerke, just to the north and we headed for the first. Turning into the road leading to the site we were immediately impressed and decided that this would do nicely. In fact there was hardly anybody staying here but we booked in for 3 nights anyway and chose a lovely pitch in an open space which would give us full sun all day but with trees surrounding, providing protection. Kettle on, chairs out and enjoy the late afternoon sun followed by tea then a long chat with a Danish family camped in tents next to us taking a long weekend break.

Although it was clear when we turned in, the forecast is for rain over the next couple of days just about everywhere but we have all we need and plan on just doing nothing now for a couple of days.

Monday 27 June – Eidvolls to Gotteborg (Gothenburg)

Peacefull night – the planes stopped about 11.00 pm – and a fine bright warm day. After breakfast discovered that a coach had just emptied its toilet all over the service point and Terry went to remonstrate with the German woman driver, who didn't seem to be bothered. Managed to avoid the worst to get ours done, but Terry is quite surprised because German coach drivers are usually very professional.

Back onto the E6 and called in for fuel at the next available, which for a change turned out to be the cheapest we've seen in Norway. It would have been cheaper still in Sweden but the red warning light was on............ Gave Bertie a tankful of the super diesel again but I don't think it's doing much good for our problem (although fuel consumption has noticeably improved).

Approaching Oslo it started to rain and coupled with the road works and very busy traffic it was not a particularly pleasant transit; we saw little of Norways' capital city but to be fair we're not city people and again our Rough Guide didn't give us much inspiration. Maybe another time.

Once clear of Oslo the road was motorway pretty much all the way to the border with not a lot to see and we only slowed briefly as we crossed. The E6 is European road numbered so we stuck with it into Sweden and shortly stopped for a lunch break on a rest area. A little further on we stopped again, this time for a supermarket to replenish our supplies; we could have done it earlier but shopping is cheaper in Sweden, viz all the Norwegian registered cars in the carpark.

More motorway, but with thoughts of our overnight stop we diverted off to investigate three likely looking campsites, with a view to maybe stopping a couple of nights. In the end we did not like the look of any of them so returned to the motorway to head for Gotteborg, which offered several ideas including a dedicated motorhome park. But once again roadworks took a hand and completely flummoxed TomTom who got us onto a building site and then went round in circles! Even Autoroute was having apoplexy so we just tried to get back onto a main road somewhere and eventually TomTom got his act together and took us to the parking area.

Which was full! (include here you're own profanity!) However there was a large carpark adjacent where several motorhomes had decided to stop so we joined them. A lot cheaper than the motorhome park too. The only niggle is as I write this there is some kind of rock concert going on nearby (it sounds rubbish); hopefully it won't go on too late.

Lots of bridges - this was a particularly nice one.

Sunday 26 June – Halland to Eidsvoll

A rather later getaway than usual, thanks to bacon & eggs then a problem with Jamie who was having “poo” problems and fought off our attempts to help him; we got our way in the end though (or should I say his end!).

Dull but dry and warm we carried on south, increasingly frustrated by Sunday drivers – Norwegians tend to be somewhat laid back – and the vagaries of the traffic system. It also doesn't help when it is next to impossible to overtake as the roads are very bendy as well as up and down. We hadn't really noticed until Bren spotted the altimeter reading on Autoroute approaching 3000 ft.

Not really needing a lunch break we pushed on. Passing Lillehammer, another unremarkable town, it quickly clouded over and we encountered heavy rain showers – Terry got the blame for washing the windows and cleaning off the dead flies this morning. We had hoped to clear Oslo tonight but the E6 is very slow – that is until we encountered the only motorway in Norway, and a very expensive one it is too. Serves us right because Autoroute did offer us an alternative that was toll-free.

Around teatime, after a quick comfort stop, we started planning our overnight. Clearly we were not going to get past Oslo so we identified a restplatze and programmed TomTom, who then decided to play silly b-----s, took us off the motorway and back on the other way, which wouldn't have been so annoying if we hadn't had to pass through a toll point a second time. But when we arrived it was no good so turn round, past the toll for the third time and eventually got to the one we should have been on in the first place. It's only a parking section of a service area but will do us fine. For entertainment, we're on the final approach path for Oslo airport, about 3 miles by the height of the aircraft but they won't go on all night..........

Saturday 25 June – Harran to Halland

Bit of a late start into a bright warm blue-sky day. A couple of things needed sorting before we left including trying to clean up a slightly dirty pooch, who was having none of it! Nevertheless we were away just after mid-day, topped up the fuel tank then after perusing the map thought a small deviation towards the coast might be more scenic, as indeed it was but still no “traditional” narrow sided fjords!

Lot of ski slopes in Norway

Never mind,back onto the E6 and head for Trondheim. We're now entering a more populated area of Norway and encountering more towns and villages, which is playing havoc with driving because the speed limits seem to change at a whim and few agree with TomTom so Terry was having to pay a lot of attention, which in the glorious bright sunshine was someewhat tiring.

Getting a bit hazy

A welcome stop just after the town of Steinkjer, then through the Tunnel to Hell – yes there is actually such a place – and now encountering toll stations at fairly regular intervals. Interesting to note that the cost for the van is three times that of a car!

Think someone took a wrong turn!

As the afternoon progressed the skies gradually clouded over, although it remained very warm. By 6.00 pm – again very late for us but you forget about the time when the sun doesn't set – Terry had had enough especially as the motor was playing up again. Unfortunately all the picnic areas were full of lorries who, like many European countries, do not appear to be allowed on the roads on Sunday, so we had to settle once again for a campsite, although Halland Camping was not quite as expensive as others we've stayed at.

Just an aside about these campsites; apart from pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes they nearly all have cabins to rent and often rooms as well. The facilities always include a kitchen too so travellers of all kinds are well catered for – just as well seeing the number of cyclists, motor cyclists and hikers we've seen along the way.

Bren headed off for the showers only to discover why this site is cheaper – showers is extra, a lot extra! Never mind we've a perfectly good shower on board so stuff 'em.

Oh yes - mileage passed 4000 as we stopped tonight!

Friday 24 June – Mo I Rana to Harran

Rain during the night but dry and bright at getting up time. Unfortunately Terry was poorly again so a visit to a doctor was priority. Thus after breakfast and servicing we asked the receptionist who suggested we visit an Apotek (pharmacy) first who could then direct us to someone who would not require an appointment. Everybody extremely helpful but by the time we found the medical centre it was closed for lunch – 11.30 to 12.00! Ah well, hang around a bit then details and a sample were taken with instructions to come back at 13.30, so found somewhere safe to park for a couple of hours and had lunch.

Returned and saw the doctor who diagnosed the problem and organised a prescription. In Norway you are supposed to pay for a visit to a doctor but the payment machine wouldn't accept any of the 5 cards Terry was carrying – but it did say if payment was not made today an invoice would be sent. Well we'll just add that to the toll charges we're going to get too. Round to an Apotek and job done.

It was now 2.30 pm and the day had turned out to be sunny and very warm so it was time to make some progress south. The E6 was busy, not helped by more roadworks and then a 5 mile tunnel being closed requiring a 10 mile diversion over a pass. Obviously such work needs to be carried out in the summer months and all credit that Norway is spending a lot of money upgrading its roads.

Our route took us south along a valley between two mountain ranges, down the centre of the country (which at one point was only a few kilometres from Sweden) and mostly away from the coast. Nevertheless the scenery was still superb, made better by bright sunshine which of course lasts well into the evening so it was no problem to keep going and try to make up a little lost time.

However come 6.00 pm we'd about had enough and were looking to stop, but all the picnic areas were either full or had signs prohibiting overnight parking. Eventually we were more or less forced to use another campsite, once again paying through the nose for facilities we did not need, although Camping Harren is very nice with a lovely riverside location – watch out for the mozzies though!

We've begun to feel that things are slowly turning around and perhaps the world isn't against us after all. With Terry already feeling better and no further problems with Bertie we have started to think again about our intentions, although weather is going to be the big decider.

Thursday 23 June – Mo I Rana

We took the decision late last night to stay an extra night here and have a non-driving day. This would also allow us time to catch up and have a bit of a cleanup as well – we haven't stopped for around 9 days so we need a break.

So it was a nice surprise to wake to brilliant sunshine and a rapidly rising temperature. The site, which had been quite full when we went to bed, was now almost empty again (but late afternoon it filled up again, obviously a popular stopover). Looking at it with fresh eyes it seems to be almost new, or at least in the throes of a total revamp with the facilities building barely finished and many of the plots being upgraded with paved runways for wheels and water and electric at every pitch. The lad on his motor mower was going all day too.

After breakfast Bren got some washing on the go and had a cleanup inside whilst Terry got the chairs and screens, which had got soaked on the rear rack, out and dried off. An attempt to wash the outside was thwarted when the site owner/manager came across and told Terry off. Never mind, we'll find a car wash somewhere.

With the temperature recorded at 27 C we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun, a nice change from the past few days. However the increased temperatures and humidity brought on the inevitable late afternoon thunderstorm, although everything had dried out and was being packed away when it started so no problems and we enjoyed a late tea watching the rain. But by 9.00 pm it had all dried up and the sky cleared to end the day very pleasantly – although it still doesn't get dark; we're only just south of the Arctic Circle!

Wednesday 22 June – Ulsvag to Mo I Rana

Wind got up during the night with a shower of rain but by getting up time it was nice and bright again. After the usual on our way out Bren called into the village mini-market for bits and pieces whilst Terry tried to get fuel; unfortunately the automated pump system was broken. Not to worry we've got enough to get to Fauske, where we hope to get the gas bottles refilled as well – one ran out a couple of nights ago.

Once again the weather rapidly deteriorated and the motor was still playing up but we persevered along the busy but still quite fast E6 and entered Fauske just as the fuel warning light came on. Found the LPG station (they are few and far between in Norway) and then to a garage to refuel. As it was available we thought a tankful of “super-diesel” might be an idea to see if that helps our problem.

The plan now was to head towards Bodo, possibly visit the Norwegian Aviation Museum then continue around the coast the pretty way. But with increasingly heavy rain and the engine still occasionally misfiring we gave it up and after a lunch stop turned round to head back to Fauske and then take the main road south. Pity because we'd come through a toll section and had to go back through it. Whilst stopped Terry had put the analyser onto the engine which indicated a problem we might need professional assistance for, so we're going to head for Trondheim and if necessary find a Fiat garage there.

Green roofs

The E6 is undergoing quite extensive roadworks so we encountered a few delays. However the rain stopped and it became quite a pleasant scenic drive. Of course we also encountered the Arctic Circle, this time going south, and the inevitable visitor centre which had to be visited and purchases made in the souvenir shop, plus photos taken.

Just to get him in the picture!

Russian Monument 1940-45

Bit cool around here!

We could have stayed overnight here, after all it was 7.00 pm by the time we left, but it was very cold and there was no shelter from the fresh breeze at 2000 ft, so we pushed on, seeking out another of the picnic spots that we've seen plenty of. However the few we encountered all had signs forbidding overnight parking so continued to Mo I Rana where there was supposed to be free parking – but it was now a shopping centre car-park! However we had passed a sign for Mo I Rana Camping so backtracked and found a very pleasant riverside campsite, if a little expensive even without the option of electricity, and as it was now well after 8.00 pm we called it a day. The latest we've ever stopped anywhere!

Tuesday 21 June – Bjerkvik to Ulsvag

Have you ever had the feeling that the world is conspiring against you? Ever since we've arrived in Norway nothing has gone right, from poor weather to van problems. Having planned todays route to include a longish ferry crossing last night, around 3.00 am the wind got up and blew a gale. Now high winds mean rough ferry crossings.... You'll see what else we mean as we go on. To be fair the day started brilliantly and we enjoyed some great views as we made our way to Lofoten Island where we'd been told we would experience some of the finest scenery. 

But it wasn't long before Mother Nature took a hand with lowering clouds and mist turning into heavy rain. Then the motor started playing up again but wouldn't clear properly this time; nevertheless we struggled on knowing we were at least headed for a largish town where, if necessary, we could try and get some help.

Next the tyre pressure warning system, unheard since Germany, announced that we were losing pressure in the nearside rear tyre – except it occasionally changed its mind. Stopping to check, whilst at the same time trying to clear the engine fault, everything looked okay but by now it was bleaching down and we were starting to lose confidence. There were lots and lots of motorhomes going both ways, but then we noticed a few that had been going in our direction were coming back. That did it; not being able to see anything and the forecast indicating at least another 2 days before any improvement made the decision quite easy and at the next roundabout we turned round and headed back.

As you would expect Norway has a lot of bridges and tunnels. One of the most notable we used (twice) today was 6.4km long and actually descended under the sea, then passed under another island, then more sea before climbing back up to the surface.

Rather than head all the way back to Narvik, we noticed a short ferry crossing about halfway up so decided to go that way – saved us well over 150km and half a days driving although not exactly cheap. At the port, a boat was waiting and pulled out within 15mins of us boarding for an hours very smooth crossing, giving us a chance for coffee and cake. And as we landed the sun came out!

With the tyre pressure warning getting worse we stopped and did a proper check – of course no problem, just a failing sensor (battery flat we suspect). And we also realised that the motor was running nice and smooth again. So now it being quite late we picked out a couple of overnights and chose a campsite at Ulsvag with a lovely pitch overlooking the fjord and across to the Lofoten Wall – the very high range of steep mountains the island is noted for.

View from the van tonight

The Lofoten Wall

It seems once we decided to turn round, everything started to go right again – or is it just us?