Lapland 2023
Our plan was to get to Nordkapp as quickly as possible through Sweden, taking a detour to the Lofoton and Vesterålen islands, before heading back through Finland towards home.
We thought Autumn in Lapland would be fantastic. Rutting reindeer, the famous Rusca and of course, the Northern Lights. it was so much more...
Video Diary
Ep1 Lancashire to Lapland in a motorhome. Getting ready for Lapland
n this vlog we are getting ourselves, the motorhome and Buddy the dog ready for our arctic adventure to Lapland. We're heading north, through Sweden, Norway and Finland as we tick off our Nordic bucket list. Link to German LEZ sticker https://www.berlin.de/labo/mobilitaet/kfz-zulassung/feinstaubplakette/shop.86595.en.php
Ep2 Lancashire to Lapland in a motorhome. Calais to Malmö, Sweden.
In this vlog we cross the channel into France and head off north to Sweden. Over 4 days we travelled through 6 countries to get to Malmö, crossing the Storebælt and Oresund bridges. With great parkups and the most unusual circus campsite we've ever stayed at our trip has certainly started off well.
Ep 3: Into Swedish Lapland in a motorhome: seeing the Northern Lights for the first time
In this vlog we leave Malmö in the south of Sweden, heading north along the beautiful E4 to Gammelstad, just short of the Arctic Circle. With beautiful wild parkups, another fabulous campsite, we drive along the UNESCO High Coast before ending up at another UNESCO World Heritage site at Gammelstad. Our final evening gave us an unexpected spectacle that didn't disappoint!
Ep4: Swedish Lapland in a motorhome. Northern Lights and lots of unexpected snow!
In this vlog we explore Swedish Lapland as we cross over the Arctic Circle, staying in beautiful free parkups near Jokkmokk, learn about the Sami culture and get two surprises in Kiruna: the spectacular Northern Lights and a lot of snow! Thank goodness the Swedish are prepared (even though they haven't had this much snow so early for over 8 years) with JCBs on hand to dig us out. With lots of fun in the snow, a sauna and BBQ to warm us up, we've had a fantastic introduction to Lapland.
Ep5: Whale watching in a motorhome on the Vesterålen Islands, Norway.
In this vlog we explore the beautiful Vesterålen Islands in Nordland, Norway. We start off our travels at Evenes and Harstad on Hinnøya before making our way onto Langøya where we stayed in the quaint fishing village of Nyksund. We finished our stay on Langøya with a visit to the nature reserve on Gisløya and staying overnight at the stunning beach at Gisløy. And finally, we made our way onto the biggest island, Andøya to whale watch at Andenes. Did we see any whales? You'll have to watch to find out!
Ep 6: Lofoton islands in a motorhome, Norway. Vikings, cake, fishing villages and beaches.
In this vlog we finally get onto the Lofoton Islands heading right to the bottom to Å. With stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, bridges, tunnels and of course the tiny fishing villages we enjoyed Lofoton. We were glad our visit was out of season as it would be a very crowded place during the summer. We've not made any progress heading north to Nordkapp for the last 2 weeks as we diverted to the islands, but after this vlog we begin our trip once agian, heading north to the top of Europe.
Ep 7: Norway in a motorhome. Senja Tourist Route, Tromsø, reindeer and Northern Lights
In this vlog we carry on our journey north in Norway to follow the tourist route around Senja before heading to the city of Tromsø. As the weather gets more arctic, we get out first Norwegian snow (not as deep as the Swedish lot a few weeks ago!) and see beautiful reindeer and the Northern Lights made a good campfire show.
Ep8: Nordkapp in a motorhome in the snow- will we make it?
In this vlog we travel the last few hundred miles to the top of Europe as we make our way through Alta, further north to try to get to Nordkapp. The weather has become very snowy and the roads are white and slippery. On the way we also visit Hammerfest and become members of a society where only those who've made it this far north can apply.
Ep9: Nordkapp to Kirkenes, Norway, in a motorhome- snowy roads and reindeer.
After getting safely back from Nordkapp on the snowy roads we head east along the northern part of Norway to explore Karasjok, the Varanger peninsula and Kirkenes, where we meet some huskies and get chilly in the ice hotel.
Ep10: Visiting Santa in Lapland in a motorhome. Finland, reindeer and Christmas spirit!
In this vlog we leave Norway and head south into Finland, travelling through Inari and Invalo to get to Santa in Rovaniemi. We left our Christmas wishes with him, made sure we were on the right list (even Buddy got a chance to meet him and the elves) leaving the Arctic Circle after 37 days. We headed back into Sweden to Lulea and Umeå, finally leaving Lapland behind us. Did we leave the snow and ice too? You'll have to watch to find out!
Ep11: Did we escape the snow and ice in spooky Hälsingland, Sweden? Ghosts, ABBA and fishing.
In our last vlog we said we were heading south through Sweden in search of warmer climes, after spending several weeks above the Arctic Circle. Did we manage to escape the cold this week? You'll have to watch, as we get to grips with fishing, get spooked in a painted farmhouse, soak up Swedish culture with a spot of folk music and then enjoy their pop culture with our homemade ABBA night. Rock n Roll baby!
Ep 12: Motorhoming in Sweden in Autumn
We finally made it out of the snow and ice to find Autumn once again here in Sweden. Seeing Dala horses being made was really interesting and we of course had to buy a van sized one. With a UNESCO copper mine at Falun, Gamla Uppsala and Uppsala explored, we found great parkups as we explored this part of Sweden.
Ep13: Motorhoming around the castles and palaces of Lake Mälaren in Sweden. Great parkups.
In this vlog we are visiting some of the 100 castles and palaces that surround Lake Mälaren, just west of Stockholm, in Sweden. Andrew, as usual, is as thrilled as ever to be sightseeing and Jane, as usual, is full of enthusiasm! With UNESCO world heritage sites, plenty of cake and a few ghosts thrown in, come along with us and see what's what.
Ep14: We find Swedish moose in our motorhome.
After 10 weeks in Scandinavia (and Finland) we finally see a moose! Join us as we get a close encounter with a moose herd as we start to head home in our motorhome.
Ep 15: Leaving Sweden and heading back to the UK. Our Lapland adventure is finally over!
After 12 weeks we are heading home- and what a 12 weeks it has been. In this last vlog we leave behind the forests of Sweden (and the moose) and head south, down through Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and into France to catch the chunnel. If you've followed our journey, thank you very much- we hope you've enjoyed it and will join us again as we continue motorhoming in the UK over the winter. Europe will call again in Spring!
Ep16: Norway and Sweden motorhome trip costs. Eye-watering? Lancashire to Lapland and Nordkapp.
In our final vlog of this trip we share the total costs of our trip to Lapland, covering the costs of diesel, food, beer, activities and much more. It cost more than any other trip we've taken so far in the MH, but was it good value? See what you think and let us know in the comments!
Lapland 2023 Trip Planning
Reading ahead
As a devoted itinerary planner we've invested in a few more books to manage our trip. We already had our trusty DK books but wanted more detail on hikes, camping and generally getting about.
Books we bought from Amazon to take with us (prices in Jan 2022) which we will review along the way:
Wild Guide Scandinavia: £12.79 -great photos to inspire, packed full of ideas for the best of.
Norway South: The 50 finest valley and mountain walks- Rother Walking Guide: £12.99 , although we bought second hand version for about £5.14 inc postage.
Lofoton Islands- the small guide: £7.48
Norway- Culture Smart! The essential guide to customs and culture: £6.49
Dog stuff
Getting Buddy ready for a trip abroad is a first for us. He is already microchipped and vaccinated under the normal UK requirements, but we have several things to book leading upto the trip.
1. Rabies vaccinations. This has to be done at least 21 days before travel for the primary vaccine. We have already done this.
2. Getting an animal health certificate no more than 10 days before we travel, signed by an 'official vet'. This will be valid for 4 months onward travel and return to the UK.
3. To travel to Norway we also need to treat for tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before we enter the country. This means finding a vet in Sweden once travelling. We'll also need to do the same thing in France before we return home.
4. Winter clothing! Buddy already has waterproofs and an extra padded coat for those colder days in the Arctic.
5. Registering Buddy with Swedish customs for entry into the country (even just to visit). This is free and only took a few minutes.
Weather considerations
Last time we visited Norway was the summer time and we experienced the midnight sun. This time we want to see the Northern Lights and experience snowy landscapes. It's going to be a balance between seeing snow and there not being too much snow to be hazardous. In theory we should hit Nordkapp during Sept when the weather is usually quite mild. The average temperature is 8.0 °C (46 °F), with a minimum of 6.3 °C (43.3 °F) and a maximum of 9.7 °C (49.4 °F). On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 2.5 °C (36 °F). However, it dropped to 0 °C (32 °F) in September 1998!
As we head further south during September and into October we should keep at these temperatures (i.e. cold!) depending on altitude, and we'll be monitoring the snow situation. We have all terrain tyres with the 3 mountian peaks and carry snowchains just in case.
We like to use Climates to Travel for our information as there are lots of useful charts and tables to show you what's likely to happen around Norway each month.
We might also manage to see the Northern Lights in the far north which will be very exciting. We'd only seen a glimmer for a few hours before on our brief Iceland trip several years ago, so having the chance to spend many nights watching out for them was an amazing thought.
Driving preparation
Toll passes: Norway uses a toll system to cover the costs of its numerous bridges, tunnels and roads (E roads) and has some well publicised scenic routes. The toll stations are automated which requires vehicles to be registered with its registration number so that the camera can read it and the correct toll rate can be charged- bills are sent later to your home address p or email and payments can be made online (more info here). We registered with a toll tag service provider to qualify for discounts at toll stations marked 'AutoPASS'. There are several companies to choose from. We chose Oresundpay as the website is available in English and is easy to use. The contract type is as a private individual (which is free to set up) and includes the Great Belt Bridge (linking Zealand and Funen on the way to the Oresund) as standard. You can either register using your licence plate or via Bizz (the bizz transmitter( to stick behind the rear-view mirror) is sent out 3-5 days later, which was easy to stick in the windscreen. We added an Oresund bridge contract and Storebelt contract for 325DKK/ 45 EUR (£38/ year) which we got back on our first trip over the Oresund bridge as it reduced the toll charge by half (for a 6-10m motorhome the normal price is 130 EUR, reduced to 48 EUR with a contract. We bought our ticket for the bridge online before we travelled. The ticket was valid for 30 days with a 14 day return policy.
Autogas/LPG: There are more than one hundred LPG-units in petrol stations across Norway and Sweden and mylpg has an interactive map with locations which can be downloaded to a SatNav. The site also enables a route to be planned to link in stations along the way. The most common LPG adaptor in Norway is a Dutch bayonet and in Sweden a dish connector and direct filling (80% shutoff valve) and self filling is allowed. Many stations provide an “adapter” that will work regardless of your motorhome's system but we bought own adapter (£33 for a tank refill set on Amazon which has three adaptors to cover all of Europe). However, there are no stations above Alta, in Norway, and none in Finland.
Lights: dipped headlights on all the time, with black triangles on for right-hand drive vehicles.
Alcohol: Legal limit is 0.02% blood alcohol which is less than the 0.08 in England, Wales and NI, and 0.05% in Scotland. Zero alcohol just makes more sense.
Phones: not hand-held
Seatbelts: compulsory for all passengers
Speed limits: 80km/hr (50mpg) usually dropping to 50km/hr (30 mpg) in towns. Motorways upto 110/km/hr (70mpg).
Documents: driving licence from non-EU countries can be used for upto 3 months under the same rights as in the UK.
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