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

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!

Map of Norway, Sweden and Finland showing the Main Features of our Journey

Map of Northern Norway and Finland showing our Route and Numbered Campsites

Margaret crossing the Arctic Circle in Sweden travelling North near Jokkmokk

Our Carado Motorhome leaving the Arctic Region near Luusua in Finland

Information on the Movement of the Arctic Circle. Santa's Workshop near Rovaniemi in Finland is now 1 km to the South of the Circle!