Wednesday 7th May
Today we travelled 85 miles from home to Harwich to catch the ferry over to Esbjerg in Denmark, in warm sunny weather for a change. We boarded the boat at 4.30 along with 130 motorbikes (mostly Harley Davidsons)
















and some old steam engines.








The sailing was flat calm all the way. We had a lovely buffet dinner in the evening, even if it did cost us an arm and 2 legs! After all we were off on our holiday.

Thursday 8th May
We arrived in Esbjerg about 1.00 and finally got off the ship at 1.30, having had to unhitch the unit, turn it round with the help of the steam engine drivers, make a 5 point turn with the car and then hitch back up again…all good fun! We found our way out of the docks and on to the main road fairly easily, just followed all the motorbikes as we had found out where they were going- to a rally further across Denmark. We turned off the main road and headed north, finally arriving at Skive about 4.30. It was, sunny and hot and the view from our pitch across the Limfjord was beautiful. We got set up, had a cup of tea and relaxed until dinnertime. Fairly early to bed after a serious drink.

Friday 9th May
It was another hot and sunny day, we did a few chores around the camper and then headed off down to the fjord for a walk and sit on the beach until lunchtime. When we got back to the camper, the thermometer was reading 37’C !! So we sat in the shade!! After lunch we decided to drive to the nearest supermarket, which was supposed to be about a mile or so away. 2 hours later having driven in circles we ended up at a small Spar, where we managed to get some veg and fruit etc. Dinner was again taken ’on the terrace’ in the sun; we sat there with our wine until about 10.00

Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Still hot and sunny!! We went in to the town and moseyed around for a few hours. Got Brian’s glasses repaired and bought a dictionary! The Danish language is quite unlike anything we have come across before, some words are similar to German, others we can’t even begin to guess at.
We also went for a wander around the fjord, watched a lot of yachts, windsurfers and speedboats. Sunday was Mother’s Day so we were all given a red rose by the campsite staff. Although it was a Bank Holiday weekend and a lot of the pitches were full, it was not unduly noisy. They cater very well for the children with a swimming pool, play area, boules, bouncy trampoliny thing, bikes etc. Everywhere people were having barbecues.
Next morning we went off to look at a camp shop - some lovely things but very expensive. Stopped off on the way back to get fuel. Back at base had lunch, read, showered, then went for a walk down to the beach before dinner, again on the terrace!

Tuesday 13th May
Today we travelled 106 miles up to Hjorring. The roads in Denmark are very good and we have found it quite easy to find our way around. The campsite here is not quite as good as the previous one, but is a lot cheaper.
Next day we took a drive out to Hirtshals and had a look around the harbour and shopping street. Came back via the country route and stopped off at a big supermarket to collect fuel for car and food for us before going over to Norway.

Saturday 17th May....

apparently this is Constitution Day...the biggest public holiday in Norway!

Well, we never knew that. It meant that everywhere is closed, people are in national dress and marching in bands, all quite interesting.

We originally arrived in Kristiansand at 4.30 on Thursday afternoon and then drove 48 miles up Route 9 to Neset, which took us about 2 hours. The road was quite narrow and windy so we took our time getting used to it.
It has been cooler and sunny on and off since we got here, the sweatshirts have come in to play. We have driven along the fjord to look at some of the little villages such as Bygland, Lauvdal and Grendi, and walked down around the shoreline of the Byglandsfjord. The water is very cold but clear.
Our neighbours in the next caravan come from Essex, and are with Dutch friends. We all chatted on Sat afternoon and had an internet session in our camper as they could not get logged on in their units. The campsites are quite laid back, no marked pitches, just go where you like. Here they even baked fresh bread for us!
We have also driven further up the 'main road' to Ose to look at the waterfall and then went for a walk around the town. We caught up with lots of people in national dress who were getting ready to march with the band. Outside the hotel we chatted to some Norwegian chaps who had been to uni in Hull, who gave us coffee and a bit of history behind Constitution Day.

Monday is a move on day further north....could be not as far as we originally intended. We have bypassed Plan A, Plan B and are now on Plan C. For Lorna's information - our old friend 'bugger' has come with us!

Monday 19 May
We packed up amongst a few haily rain showers, but were on the road by 9.40 (early for us), which was just as well. This turned out to be our hardest drive so far…135 miles of narrow windy roads. Some parts were only gravel, lots were through tunnels and even more up and round hairpin bends! The poor old tug was really put through her paces today. We found a lovely little town up on the snowy fell, called Hovden, so stopped to stock up on food and fuel, then sat and ate our picnic at the snowy roadside.



It was still warm and sunny though and very beautiful.
Roldal was much smaller than we expected and the campsite not quite so good, so we only stayed 2 nights. We went for a walk around the village and looked at their stave church (but could not go inside)




Wednesday 21 May
Off again! By 9.00 this time..we are getting quicker at packing up. Again a very beautiful, but narrow windy drive all morning. We arrived at Brimnes to catch a ferry across to Bruravik and only had to wait 25 minutes…the journey across took all of 10 minutes. From Bruravik the ascent was really hairy, 1st and 2nd gear around the hairpin bends and then in to tunnels where we weren’t sure if we were going up or down, but certainly round the bend! We reached Voss, a larger town, but carried on to Tvindefoss, a few miles further on. It has to be the most beautifully placed campsite on the planet, unfortunately quite basic, no actual pitches, just find the flattest bit of ground and hope for the best. We sat out in the sun and just watched the waterfalls (with our glass of wine) until about 10.00pm…still not dark, but much cooler once the sun goes behind a mountain.




The next day we went for a look around Voss itself, but as we are not town people did not stay long. Back at the site we again sat in the sun, watching the coach loads of tourists pull up for a 10 minute look at the waterfall before they were off again….lots of the buses come from cruise ships that have docked in the fjords.

Friday 23 May
An easy day’s drive today, only 58 miles and most of that time we were in one tunnel or another. The Laerdal tunnel itself is 24km long and has some very interesting lighting in it.



The campsite at Laerdal was well worth the journey…it is immaculate, with lovely flat pitches, clean showers etc. Even an oven in the kitchen so I could do a Sunday roast if I felt so inclined! The view over the fjord is superb and the water is like mirrored glass most of the time.
Next morning after catching up on some necessary chores (like washing and cleaning up our filthy camper) we walked through the village to the Wild Salmon Centre, where we spent an interesting couple of hours, both inside the exhibition and out.
We walked back through the old part of town and looked at some really old buildings. It is amazing they are still standing and lived in as they are all made of wood. Here it is still light at 11.30 pm so we can sit out in the evenings until we get too cold. We have been so lucky with the weather, really only one wet afternoon and a few other spots here and there. The rest of the time it is sunny, bright and now fairly warm.
On the Sunday we drove over to Borgund to look at the Stave Church there..absolutely fascinating both inside and out. The new church next door was just ‘chucking out’ lots of people in national dress. It apparently was the end of a confirmation service, so lots of proud parents were taking photos of proud youngsters. We came back from there via the old historic roads which are now no more than lanes, on the way stopping at the oldest track over the mountain called Vindhellervegen. We decided to go for a walk up the track….what a mistake! It was 1 in 4, grassy shale and easier going up than down. I managed to keep going for about ½ an hour to take some photos (Brian had turned back long before!) Back at camp we sat in the sun with a cuppa until it was time for showers and our treat for the week…dinner in the restaurant. Turned out to be an excellent move, beautiful salmon with sort of chips and salad, followed by apple cake and ice cream, washed down by beers and coffee. At £40 we thought it was quite good value as Norway is renowned for being expensive. (we did pass on the wine at £30 a bottle)

Tuesday 27 May
After a quiet day doing chores, we decided to take a drive up to the Jostedalsbreen Glacier and Museum. We started off with a 10 minute ferry trip across to Mannheller and then drove round part of the Sognefjord and on to Sogndal and up further in to the mountains. We found the Glacier Museum to be really interesting and spent a couple of hours there - very well-made film about the glaciers taken mainly from a helicopter in panoramic vision. On the way back we found a beautiful picnic stop at the side of the Boyabreen glacier and had a walk there. In all an excellent, but expensive day ( ferries cost approx £14 each way and tolls on the road £18 each way!) but well worth it.


Wednesday 28 May
We were up with the lark in order to catch the ferry at 8.30am from Laerdal to Gudvangen. There were a few other people from our campsite on there as well, as it is one of the most popular trips. We took our car, so that we could drive back through the world’s longest tunnel - Laerdalstunnelen (24.5 km). The others however did the full round trip on the boat - about 6 hours. The scenery as we passed by was magnificent, we couldn’t get over the little villages along the way that are only accessible by boat. Again we were lucky with the weather, it was still sunny although a little cooler. We picnicked by the quayside at Gudvangen and then had a look at the Fjordotell - made of wood with grass growing on the roof, but with sky windows in, so that you could lay in bed looking up at the mountains overhead. A most idyllic spot.


Back at base, we discovered that the Salmon Centre was running a Seafood Buffet that evening, so headed over there for a really wonderful meal.

Friday 30 May

We drove through the tunnel over to Flam to go on the Flamsbana, which is a 20km mountain railway,the steepest incline not on a cog track. It was very beautiful and interesting, with a couple of stops to take photos. One in particular, was Kjosfossen, a superb waterfall with a viewing platform. Whilst there, music was played and a girl in national costume danced on the rocks.




We had a half hour stop at the top of the line, Myrdal and saw the normal trains from Bergen and Oslo pull in and out again. Going back down our carriage was filled with Chinese, Koreans and Americans, so no peace there.
Back at Flam, after a late picnic lunch, we had a look in the railway museum and around the souvenir shops as well as a saunter around the ‘town’. We got back to the campsite around 5.30 in the end, after a few stops en route for photos etc.



Monday 2 June

We left Laerdal around 9.45 to drive the 88 miles to Fagernes. Not far one might think! But it was up and over the Filefjell at 20-30 miles an hour a lot of the way. Again the scenery was absolutely wonderful, shame the same could not be said about the narrow windy road. We both have a permanent set of white knuckles and no finger nails left. Our tug has done a marvellous job hauling Big Bertha around these mountains.
We got to Fagernes about 2.00, a lovely spot right on a lake….we could even swim if we wanted to, but the water is rather cold still, although today the temperature reached 26C. We still have had no rain to speak of, just a few spots here and there..the car and camper are covered in dust.

Tuesday 3 June

We spent a very interesting day looking around Fagernes town, lake, river and rapids. In the afternoon we went to the Valdres Folkmuseum which was right next to the camp site. They had about 50 old buildings, such as farmhouses and stores, all made of wood and built in the 1700 and 1800’s. They were quite fascinating to see, especially as some had still been in use as late as 1920.

Wednesday 4 June

Today we travelled 118 very hot miles to Oslo...again the scenery along the valleys was magnificent. We negotiated the Oslo ring road with difficulty, but arrived safe and sound about 2.30. The site is not marvellous, but is handy for Oslo centre as it has a bus stop right outside the gate. Tomorrow we will tackle the bus ride in to the city to go sight-seeing.

7th June - Oslo

We have spent 3 days here in Oslo and it has been very hot all the time. We have become regular tourists and joined the Japanese sight-seeing. We have been to the Royal Palace and seen the guards on duty outside, as well as sauntering down the main pedestrian area. We took a ferry across the fjord to the area of Bygdoy, where we had a look round the Maritime Museum as well as the Fram and Kon-Tiki Museums, all very interesting. We went to have a look at the Akershus Slott (castle to us) but found it to be closed for a royal function. So instead we spent an hour in the Norwegian Resistance Museum. All of this courtesy of an Oslo Pass, which seemed expensive at the start, but included all public transport as well as the entrance fees, so we actually saved money over the individual prices.
Then we tried a T-bane ride (cross between Metro and train) out to Holmenkollen, where the Olympic ski-jump is. We were able to go up in a lift, followed by at least 100 steps up a grated stairway to the very top! (at least I did, Brian waited half-way down). The view from the top was fantastic and well worth the muscle-aching legs.




Tomorrow is drive off to Sweden day, so we will catch up again later on.

Sunday 8 June

Today we drove 154 very hot miles again down the main motorway from Norway in to Sweden, to a campsite on the coast near to Uddevalla. It was situated on a very pretty peninsula down a narrow windy road with small passing places. Everything now is very dry and brown as we have had at least 5 weeks of sunshine. It was windy and dusty when we struggled to get the unit pitched up and not possible to get pegs in the ground. Our neighbours this time come from Northern Ireland, but again everyone else is either Dutch or German. We find the Dutch to be quite friendly and they speak very good English.
Next day we went to a large shopping centre, mainly to get out of the sun again! It was quite interesting to have a look around and we did buy a couple of bits. Back at camp to sit out in the sun and listen to a very talkative parrot, which was outside a caravan a couple of pitches away. We kept hearing the phone ring, fire engines go past, wolf whistles and alarm clocks!!!!



Later on it got horrendously windy and we rocked and rolled all night without a wink of sleep.
We had planned to walk the trail over the cliffs and through the woods the next day, but it was so windy it was impossible to walk out in it, so we did inside chores instead. During the afternoon there was horrendous crash - parrot’s cage had blown over and he had escaped, flying off over the trees!
We cooked and ate in the communal kitchen to get a bit of peace from the wind. Eventually the parrot’s owner came in to do his dinner as well and told us that the bird had been rescued at a neighbour’s caravan, so it was back to annoy us again! It was still very windy overnight, I ended up sleeping on the floor. By now we had every guy line we possessed pegged out with difficulty.

Wednesday 11 June

A bit calmer this morning luckily for packing up, although we did not get on very quickly. First the Irish couple came to chat and then we were visited by a lady from Cornwall! Having a folding camper in Scandinavia seems to be very unusual, so we have been entertainment value everywhere we have been. People keep stopping to have a look and ask silly questions!
150 miles today, still on motorway, so arrived around 2.00pm at this very lovely site at Tylosand - it is huge, but well laid out, flat and next to the beach. The wind had followed us here, so again it was a struggle to get pitched up (we are getting used to this now). We went for a wander round after dinner and saw quite a few collapsed windbreaks and even an awning pulled out and flung over the caravan.
Next morning we arose to a huge thunderstorm, including hailstones. (at last Big Bertha and the Tug are getting washed!)







Thursday - Sunday 15 June

We had a few nice days at Tylosand, walking along the dunes to the beach and through the woods to the village, coming back via the road with lots of huge posh houses.
We also went in to Halmstad town for a look at their old half-timbered buildings, the church, the river, sister-ship to the Cutty Sark, as well as having a mooch around the market. We were very good and left the car behind and travelled by bus!
We took a short drive to Genevad to the camping shop and stocked up on a few Swedish bits and bobs.

Monday 16 June

We started off by packing up in the rain for the first time in the whole trip (bugger was back with us again!) The drive down the motorway was quite easy, although we kept running out of the sun in to cloudbursts. Driving over the Oresund bridge in to Denmark was awesome, especially as we went from bright sunshine in Sweden to black as the night storm in Denmark.






We decided to stop for lunch just beyond Copenhagen and disaster struck! - the car just stopped as we were driving in to the parking area. One hour later we had managed to contact our breakdown service in the UK, who had faxed the Danish auto help. We then waited 2 hours for a truck, who took us back to Copenhagen to a campsite and said they would come back in the morning to take the car to a Rover service centre. We finally got pitched up about 7.00pm and were eating a salad dinner around 8.00pm…..what a day!

Tuesday 17 June

Up at 6.00am for a 7.30am pick up, only to discover at 8.30 that they were waiting for another fax from the UK. About 10.15am a truck arrived and took us to Rover who said they could look at the car in the morning….so we are now sitting twiddling our thumbs on a Copenhagen campsite waiting for the verdict. Hopefully we will be fixed in time for our ferry on Thursday, otherwise we may have to try to re-arrange that as well. We dread to think how much we have spent on telephone calls.

Thursday 19 June

We packed up at Copenhagen in the rain, after collecting our sick car the afternoon before. ..... 184 miles to catch the ferry home. We made it safely and joined the queue, along with bikers, scooterists and Morris Minor enthusiasts going to a 60th anniversary rally in England. It was now time to say goodbye to Denmark and a really enjoyable, interesting 6 weeks.
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To anyone thinking of doing a similar journey, we would say 'go for it, you will not regret it'...it was certainly not a sit-on-the-beach-in-the-sun type of holiday, but that is what suits us.

We mainly used Camping Cheques or Camping Card sites in order to keep the cost down, and took quite a lot of basic provisions such as coffee, tea, cereals, rice, pasta and wine boxes with us.
Petrol stations were a bit few and far between so we made a point of always starting a tow day with a full tank. Most of them were unmanned , so we had to use our debit/credit card quite a bit and we found that Visa was not always accepted, but Mastercard was fine. A lot of the expense was either road tolls or small ferries across the fjords when the road ran out.

If anyone wants to contact us with any questions please feel free to email us.... (thetravelmoores@gmail.com)

We have a spreadsheet of all the costings that we can email to anyone interested.