Went up to Tromso

Breidtinden from Svarthola on the Mefjorden

Then it rained and so I went for a drive to Tromso. It wasn't a straight forward drive, mind you. For example, I spent quite a long time on the isle of Senja hoping for a break in the weather so that I could tackle its highest top of Breidtinden.

Tromso looks like a frontier town.
It has a Polar Museum though. Not sure, as a vegetarian, I appreciated the way it hero-worshipped men and a woman who had slaughtered hundreds of polar bears and seals. However, there was a section devoted to the truly heroic Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen and Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen.

Fridtjof Nansen

I have been aboard the legendary Fram (in Oslo) on a previous visit to Norway and was genuinely pleased to find it was possible to do so. So I enjoyed this part of the museum greatly - especially as it gave me a chance to see another musk ox.

Oops

Went up to pick Snotinden

Hurtigruten cruise boat in the Raftsund

21-07-12
Yesterday it rained and I decided to move on. Today, it is still rained but there were moments between the showers when it didn't. I started from a very busy little village, Digermulen by the side of the Raftsundet on the island of Hinnoya. I didn't have a map so even finding the start of the path took a while and I took a wrong turn later that meant quite a retreat chased by a lot of flies through the birch trees.

Keiservarden summit

The first summit was only a mere 384m. However, it had two plaques on the top in 'honour' of the fact that it had been visited twice by Kaiser Bill (Wilhelm II) before WW1. Hence the name of the hill is Keiservarden.

Then there was a drop down to a col with a pretty lake.

Looks like rain, dear.

Next I had a stiff climb up a long slope, where I saw my first ever herd of wild reindeer. To the top of Snotinden. (637m, P300ish). Great views of mountains, the sea and small islands. But the weather meant the photos don't really merit inclusion here. I might put some on Facebook one day.

Snotinden summit

Went up an island top and came down

Hermannsdalstinden

19-07-12

What is that blue stuff with a yellow glowing thing in it? And Lofoten is really Skye +.
Obviously time to get a proper hill done. So let's go for the highest point on the island of Moskenesoya, Hermannsdalstinden (1029m, P1029)

Hermannsdalstinden from near the Munkebu hut

 

 

Went up a misty ridge on Moskenesoya

Roseroot - Rhodilia rosea

17-07-12

Fageravatnet

There is a limit to the amount of time I can sit in the van reading the Guardian and Harry Hole detective stories on my Kindle, without going stir-crazy. So despite the continuing rain I set off from the road end at Selfjord around the very boggy shore of Stormarkpollen, through the birch trees, up past Fageravatnet to the summits of Markan (574m) and Branntuva (702m). Came back over Markan and then over three very steep sided tops:  unnamed top (492m), Nonstinden (490m) and Tverfjellet (490m).

And then it was back down to the birch trees and the wet boggy ground – and midges. Not a lot of views to be seen.

Tverrfjell summit - note the similarity between the Norwegian 'fjell' and the English 'fell'

I wonder how many trees there must be in Norway – gadzillions of them. Contrary to my expectations, they are not all spruce trees, indeed from my experience birch trees seem to prevail. Maybe all the spruce trees have been exported to the UK by the Forestry Commission.

What is also noticeable is the wide range of flowers that grow everywhere. Many of them are similar to ones that grow on Scottish hills. However, not all of them and not in so much profusion.

Dwarf Cornel

 Slept alongside Selfjorden

Went up the Norwegian coast

Glacier melts into the sea - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svartisen

14-07-12

Drove to Mo I Rana and left the E6 and headed for the famed coast road, the Kystrikssveien allegedly the ‘world’s most beautiful journey. Difficult to confirm this as the weather meant that the visibility was quite poor.  However there were at times great views of mountains, glaciers and the sea, which I am sure would be even better in fine weather.  Crossed the Arctic circle on the ferry boat between Kilboghamn and Jektvik . The sign on the coast for the A circle not in the right place anymore as apparently it moves over time.   

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_circle

Also caught a ferry from Agskardet to Foroy.

Slept in the Bodo harbour area.

15-07-12                                     

Caught the 6.00 am ferry to Moskenes, Lofoten. Very rough four hour crossing, a number of people were noisily sea-sick, whilst a picture of Stetind, Norway’s so-called  ‘national mountain’ swung wildly on the wall. Disappointingly did not get the dramatic view of the Lofoten mountains rising out of the sea on this approach because of the weather.

Hung around the isle of Moskenesoya hoping for a break in the weather.

Went up the E6 via Trondheim

13-07-12

A long drive, broken by a brief visit to Trondheim. Picked up three French people who were in the early stage of a year long journey to Australia via Scandinavia, Russia, China and the far east. They had not previously known each other and had planned the trip via the internet. At least I helped contribute a few hundred kilometres to their journey. Rained a lot

Once again, slept somewhere on the E6.

Trondheim

Went up Snohetta without a snow hat:

Musk oxen - could not get nearer, they are dangerous, apparently

Snohetta viewpoint

11-07-12

A heavy downpour of rain made me decide it was time to move further north. So off I went to Dombas which looked like the motorhome capital of the world! Chance to update my blog in Frich’s kafeteria.

Slept on the E6 near Hjerkinn

12-07-12

The plan to drive to Snoheim thwarted by the road being closed as the army are clearing unexploded ordnance from the area. Spent an hour visiting the pine Snohetta viewpoint and chasing a herd of musk oxen. Then caught the lunchtime Skyttelbuss to the hut  at Snoheim – the only way to get there, at least, for this season – see www.villrein.no

 

Worried that whole bus load would all set off for Snohetta together. As it turned out there were only six of us. The route is a mixture of well trodden track, snow slopes and very rough boulder fields – clearly waymarked all the way. The weather started fine, however within a couple of hours it was hail and snow. The summit of Snohetta (2286m, P1675, Norway’s fourth highest summit) is dominated by a military installation, including a helicopter landing deck. And it was cold in the snowstorm. No time to hang around and anyway, there was the bus to catch.

Slept somewhere further up the E6.

Snowing on Snohetta summit - Snohetta means 'snow hat'

Wish I could work out how to rotate pictures, here. Snohetta summit