Reflections on a Summer Motorhome Journey
through the Arctic Regions of Northern Europe
Or: Life for the over 65's! Barry and Margaret Williamson July and August
2015 Introduction
After a winter in
Greece, we made our motorhoming way back to England via Macedonia, Serbia,
Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland and in May a
tour of northern Scotland. June passed with the Grand Tour of Northern Wales,
Lancashire and Yorkshire accompanied by Australians Rebecca and Kevin (the original developers
of our website). This was followed by the servicing of our Carado motorhome by
its dealer (Brownhills of Newark) and of the bicycles by their maker (Paul
Hewitt of Leyland), visits to a few friends and a check on our houses in
Huddersfield and Thornton. By the end of June we were more than ready for
the overnight P&O ferry from Hull to Rotterdam's Europort.
Breaking our journey
for rides on their excellent networks of cycle paths, we passed through the
Netherlands and Germany, making for the ferry across the Baltic from the island
of Ruegen to Trelleborg near Sweden's southernmost point at Sygehamn.
Our Route to the Arctic Circle
After just over a
month and 2,016 miles (3225 km) by road from the port of Hull, we arrived at
Sweden's Arctic Circle, 5 km short of the Sami town of Jokkmokk. A simple café
and small campsite marked the crossing into the Arctic Regions on the Inlandsvagen or Inland Road. This is the
last section of Europe's longest north-south route, the E45, starting in
southern Sicily and ending on Sweden's northern border with Finland.
Latitudes along the Way
1° of latitude =
69 miles approximately
No of Places
|
Country
|
Place
|
Latitude
|
Distance by Road
|
Total Distance
|
|
|
|
|
(miles)
|
(miles)
|
|
GR
|
Southern Greece
|
36.39166° N
|
|
|
|
UK
|
Huddersfield
|
53.64861° N
|
|
|
|
UK
|
John o'Groats
|
58.63611° N
|
|
|
|
S
|
Southernmost Sweden
|
55.33638° N
|
|
|
1
|
S
|
Jokkmokk (Arctic Circle)
|
66.55014° N
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
S
|
Gallivare
|
67.12902° N
|
65
|
65
|
3
|
S
|
Karesuando
|
68.44073° N
|
133
|
198
|
4
|
FIN
|
Kilpisjarvi
|
69.01413° N
|
75
|
273
|
5
|
N
|
Storslett
|
69.83880° N
|
114
|
387
|
6
|
N
|
Alta
|
69.92735° N
|
104
|
491
|
7
|
N
|
Havoysund
|
70.99496° N
|
126
|
617
|
8
|
N
|
Stabbursnes
|
70.17835° N
|
88
|
705
|
9
|
N
|
Mehamn
|
71.03677° N
|
155
|
860
|
10
|
N
|
Slettnes Lighthouse
|
71.09066° N
|
16
|
876
|
11
|
N
|
Kjollefjord
|
70.94883° N
|
35
|
911
|
12
|
N
|
Austertana
|
70.44173° N
|
157
|
1,068
|
13
|
N
|
Berlevag
|
70.85716° N
|
26
|
1,124
|
14
|
N
|
Batsfjord
|
70.63175° N
|
58
|
1,182
|
15
|
N
|
Vestre Jacobselv
|
70.11888° N
|
99
|
1,281
|
16
|
N
|
Hamningberg
|
70.54159° N
|
81
|
1,450
|
17
|
N
|
Vaggatem
|
69.21272° N
|
150
|
1,600
|
18
|
N
|
Kirkenes
|
69.69942° N
|
65
|
1,665
|
19
|
FIN
|
Kaamanen
|
69.09244° N
|
106
|
1,771
|
20
|
FIN
|
Inari
|
68.90233° N
|
19
|
1,790
|
21
|
FIN
|
Ivalo
|
68.64283° N
|
25
|
1,815
|
22
|
FIN
|
Sodankyla
|
67.41770° N
|
100
|
1,915
|
23
|
FIN
|
Vuostimo
|
66.98119° N
|
120
|
2,035
|
24
|
FIN
|
Luusua (Arctic Circle)
|
66.53428° N
|
40
|
2,075
|
Summary of Travels within the Circle
We were within the Arctic Circle for 40 days (25 July until
2 September), staying in 24 places and travelling 2,075 miles (3320 km). All of
it was above 65° N and for 13 of those days we were above 70° N. Although we were too late to see the 'midnight sun' along our route, in late July and early
August there was only about 2 hours between sunset and sunrise: that is, the
sun only just dipped below the northern horizon. There was constant light; when
darkness did return in late August it was a shock to see the moon and the stars! Typical of life within
the Arctic Circle, Inari in Finland at 68.90° N claims that 'one
summer day lasts for two months' and 'the sun never sets between 22 May and 22
July'. But of course the price for this is paid in the winter months with equally
prolonged periods of darkness.
This was our sixth visit to the Arctic Regions of Europe.
The first was a summer vacation bicycle ride in 1990 from Hamburg to Tromso via
a newly liberated East Berlin, a ferry from Gdansk to Helsinki, a visit to Leningrad (as
was) and a long ride through Finland, Sweden and the far north of Norway.
If we had to find
one word to describe life within the encompassment of the Arctic Circle, it would be 'entrancing'. Norway has mountains and fjords, Sweden and Finland have 190,000 lakes and the three countries share part of the trillions of
conifers which circle the northern hemisphere (the Taiga). This richness is broken only by the
startlingly empty high tundra of the northernmost fells. Throughout the Region reindeer
roam where they will, shadowed in their migrations by the indigenous Sami people
oblivious to geographical borders!
|