UK to Norway trip - Any hints or tips?

[4WheelDrifter]

Some good info so far guys, thanks.

We'll be setting off late on the 29th of June, or early on the 30th. I'm not sure when we are coming back yet. We'll probably stay for a week or so. Not a day trip this time.

I was wondering about travelling a different route on the way back, so we could go take the Helsingborg-Helsingør and Rødbyhavn-Puttgarden ferries on the way back. Do you have to book these ferries in advance, or is it pay and go? Any ideas of cost? 3L/100km is hard to compete against.

Yes. We're thinking of doing it Clarkson style with no stops. I'm used to driving for 24h+. But I we may need the odd bit of shut-eye on the way, so I'm reluctant to book ferries, as I'd like to be flexible with the time. We may also find something interesting along the way, that may take more time than planned.

I travelled on the Newcastle to Stavanger ferry once about 15 years ago. Never again. The boredom. I'd rather see the scenery go by than the waves.

Last year I flew to Norway, and airports just seem like a load of hassle these days. Especiallly annoying now you can't just take a bag and dash on and off the plane.
Plus you still have to get to and from the airports, so for me that's about 9/10 hours of driving there, plus parking and car hire.
I can't handle driving another Skoda Roomster TDI, that a whole story in itself.

I will take the S2 one day. Which will most probably coincide with a track day. The last time I planned to take it the gearbox blew, so that was that.

And don't worry I already know all about the fjords, the scenery, the expensive beers, blueberries, beavers, hot Norsk women and so on.


Nik. We may well drop by if you're around. I'll PM you. The fuel tokens sound good. Brim that 34 litre tank!

[Jonas_R]

I think the Puttgarden-Rødby is just under 100£ Helsingborg-Helsingør is cheaper I think around 30-40£. But the drive down the cost line of Denmark is very nice

Remember to buy some beer in Germany or Denmark, way to expensive in norway

[quattrojan]

Just remember lots of money for petrol £1.20 pr litre

Tha last route between Larvik and your B depends on your car... that road are NOT for lowered cars at all, but its a nice drive and twisted roads. Drive around the coast if you are running a lowered car

Watch out for the speedcams that there alot of in Norway, not sure if they would bother sending you a ticket to the UK, but the norwegian police actually might do that instead of spending time dealing with real criminals...

If you have any questions, dont hesitate to pm me or something

[magarv]

I think the Puttgarden-Rødby is just under 100£ Helsingborg-Helsingør is cheaper I think around 30-40£. But the drive down the cost line of Denmark is very nice

Remember to buy some beer in Germany or Denmark, way to expensive in norway

100£ That have to be both ways... I think I paid 64 euros with one passenger last time. (One way) May be 100 euros for both ferries one way.

4WheelDrifter: You can book in advance but it is no problem to pay and go

If you want to rest/relax along the way I can also recomend som of the small "towns" along the swedish coastline. (North of Gothenburg) Specially places like Smögen, Fjällbacka, Grebbestad, Strömstad and so on are very nice places to be end of June. Sweden have lower prices than Norway and you should be able to find some cheap rooms or "camping cabins" to a fair price.

[4WheelDrifter]

Just remember lots of money for petrol £1.20 pr litre

Tha last route between Larvik and your B depends on your car... that road are NOT for lowered cars at all, but its a nice drive and twisted roads. Drive around the coast if you are running a lowered car

Watch out for the speedcams that there alot of in Norway, not sure if they would bother sending you a ticket to the UK, but the norwegian police actually might do that instead of spending time dealing with real criminals...

If you have any questions, dont hesitate to pm me or something

I decided on the scenic route rather than the coast road in Norway, as I've visited Kristiansand, Grimstad and Arendal in the past.
The Lupo is on stock suspension, but it is lower than a normal Lupo. It should be ok.
I'll have to watch out for speed traps. IIRC in the South they tend be manned, so I don't want to risk being pulled over and fleeced for hundreds of Krone.

Actually I was wondering about the tolls. I know when you enter the Stavanger area you pass an automated Autopass bomstasjon. I've only driven Norsk registered cars before so I've always pulled in to put Krone in the machine. But I guess I can just drive on through in a UK registered car? It must be free for foreigners, right?

I think the Puttgarden-Rødby is just under 100£ Helsingborg-Helsingør is cheaper I think around 30-40£. But the drive down the cost line of Denmark is very nice

Remember to buy some beer in Germany or Denmark, way to expensive in norway

Thanks Jonas. Don't worry I won't buy Øl in Norge. I'll get it in France. There's no Pfand to worry about that way.

Rødby-Puttgarden is out if it's £100. That's enough to buy fuel for half the entire journey at £1.20/L. If I was driving my S8 it would be different.

If I'm right the Øresundsbron is 36€, so that would compare to the Helsingborg-Helsingør ferry.

[Jonas_R]

Seems I was wrong about Rødby-Puttgarden it is 480 Dkr ~ 57£

Oresundsbroen is 33£

Remember when going through Denmark you have to cross Storebælts broen (another toll bridge) it is around 25,5£

Helsingborg-helsingør ferry is 33£

[4WheelDrifter]

Thanks for your help guys. We had a great trip.

I had a couple of days off work to relax in the sun too.
The weather was too hot for working really, and with so many hours of daylight there was not much time to cool off and sleep.

I particularly enjoyed driving the Norwegian mountain roads. The bridges in Denmark are very impressive too. Storebælts Vestbroen just seems to go on and on.

We both ended up too tired to continue through a second night without sleep. So grabbed a couple of hours sleep in the car on the island of Fyn. We had a picnic on the shore of Vänern too, that is one big lake.

The only real problems were being stuck on the A7 in Germany on the way for 4 hours, due to an accident completely blocking the autobahn. And the passenger side wiper mechanism coming apart in a thunder storm in Sweden on the way home.

One mistake I made was filling up with fuel before we left. I forgot that diesel is cheaper on the continent. Lucky we only used ~175 litres for the whole trip, so it wasn't a hugely costly mistake.

I never did work out the Norwegian tolls.

[Jonas_R]

Glad to hear that you had a nice trip in Scandinavia

[s2driveruk]

sounds like a good trip

[4WheelDrifter]

It's been my ambition to take the the S2 there for many years. I had planned to take it in the summer of 2007, but a certain gearbox issue put a stop to that.

It was good to reccy the route in the Lupo, and it seemed like more of a fun mission than taking the S8. I just have to remember S2 or S8, the fuel bill will be x4 and the German leg would be halved in time.

[s2_bo]

Good to hear you made it there and back, how did Das lupo perform?

[4WheelDrifter]

I thought I'd dig this thread up again and make use of the Scandinavian knowledge here, as I'm thinking of returning to Norway in February.

So. Is there any additional tips for winter driving?

The Lupo currently has Vredestein Snowtrac 2 tyres as its winter option. Are those going to cut it in Southern Norway? They work pretty well in the UK on a few cm of snow and ice, and I could still get as good as 2.4L/100km on them.

[Jonas_R]

I would say yes and as far as i know they do not require tires with spikes in either Sweden or Norway. But a set of snow chains would be a good idea

[magarv]

I would say yes and as far as i know they do not require tires with spikes in either Sweden or Norway. But a set of snow chains would be a good idea

As long as they are in a normal good condition it is no problem with the Snowtracs.

I think buing chains is a little overkill unless you are going up in the mountains for an "expedition" where the roads are not cleared for snow. (I have never owned a set of chains and have been driving here for 14 years, also alot in the mountains )

[4WheelDrifter]

Tyres will be in good condition, with at least 4mm of tread.
I have no idea of what sort of weather or temperatures to expect really. Almost two decades of visiting Norway, and I have never been in the winter.

I'll probably follow the Southern coast of Norway on route to Stavanger. But I'll probably stop off at my friends hytte near Flekkefjord again, so I will be venturing off of the main road a little. I'm guessing it won't be so cold there.