(More) Fjords, (Even more) Fishing and Fungi!

Ok so I've done it again, left it more than two weeks since the last post which means
a) it's going to be an epic read - get yourself a brew!
b) I might run out of puff towards the end....this off grid living takes it's toll!

So mid August now then, which means we've had some proper dark skies - perfectly timed for the Perseids Meteor shower which happened on Monday 12th August - our spot wasn't totally cloud free, but we did manage to spot about 6 or so decent ones before it got too cloudy and cold!

This blog finds us back in Sweden, on the East Coast having done a fair bit of driving over the last couple of weeks - in amongst which we've had plenty of time for walking, picture taking and devouring yet more books. The last entry placed us at our lovely beachside spot on the Norwegian coast at Sandhornøy. Jase spent the day fishing on the rocks, although not catching much this time around (seaweed notwithstanding!). We also got treated to a good few sightings of both Golden and White Tailed (sea) Eagles up high on the cliffs.

Friday 2nd August and with clear, sunny skies we headed away from our beachside spot. Our initial plan was to come a short way inland, but with such clear skies we decided to drive a bit further, spotting amazing waterfalls along the way. The coast road was stunning, and interesting to spot this U-Boat Memorial in a spectacular setting.

This was our lunch spot, followed by a short walk to a stunning waterfall.

Bus stop, Norwegian style!

Our final spot was a great free Aire overlooking the Svartisen Glacier (9th largest in Norway, and again at sea level) - just amazing. We had hoped to do a kayak trip to the face, but unfortunately (or in the event, fortunately as the weather turned the following day!) the company never replied to our booking enquiry.

After a stunning sunny day, Saturday 3rd was a much cloudier affair - you couldn't even spot the glacier today!

This part of Norway is covered by roads that hit the water, turning into ferry crossings - making fairly short journeys way more time consuming as you often have to wait a good hour or so for the crossing. They aren't too expensive though, usually around €10 or so for a 10 minute crossing, but can save you hours to drive round (although sometimes that's not even an option!). From our overnight spot at Holand, we had two crossings ahead of us - one a short 10minute one, and the second was an hour. We hit the queue for the first one, and soon realised that they didn't just shunt backwards and forwards like the previous one we'd used. We waited a good hour or so, but did make the crossing we'd hoped for (max capacity seems to be about 40-60 cars, but that does depend on how many big motorhomes/caravans/trailers turn up!). The weather hadn't perked up much, so we drove a short distance from the ferry and parked up for the afternoon at Tjongfjorden.

The next morning, and we made an early start in order to get the 11.45 ferry trip back to the mainland - it was early though as we had a bit of a drive to get there, but equally needed to be in queues 1 or 2 in order to make sure we got on that boat - lane 3 onwards would be the next crossing some 3 hours later! We made it though, and had a very pleasant crossing, including leaving the artic circle for the final time. We also spotted a lovely seal alongside the boat.

After such a busy (!) morning, we headed from the boat to a parking spot not too far away at Utskarpen. This was a layby spot with plenty of space, and easy access to fishing in the fjord. Jase duly headed out and this time caught a decent sized cod! We were getting a bit low on supplies (with Norway being so expensive) so we duly dispatched this one and set about filleting it - not the easiest thing to do without much kit, but we did our best. That evenings tea was stunning - definitely the freshest fish we've ever eaten, and zero food miles to boot.

Monday 5th and still fairly overcast. Our first pit stop was Mo I Rana for some much needed supplies, then we headed from the E6 main road, onto the 806 scenic road. Very much rolling forested hills, with lakes aplenty. We spotted a young Elk on the road, and as I got out to grab a pic I realised that he was part of a family group with another young one and mum too. Sadly they were too quick away into the bushes for a decent shot. A special moment though.

Our overnight spot was just away from the E6 at Laksforsen - a stunning waterfall which at this time of year is full of Salmon trying to make their way upstream. We've seen this once before in Canada, but it never ceases to amaze me - they just don't give up! At times you felt you could almost put out your hands and grab one - they were huge too!

The next morning and a very welcome return to clear skies. We rolled back along the E6 and then onto the 76 scenic drive toward Lomsdal National Park, where we were able to have a short walk around the hills.

Onwards from here, and the views just got better and better - Velfjord in particular was stunning - I can't see how Gerainger could improve on this, especially as we had this view to ourselves!

We pulled in for a short stop further down the fjord, and set about sorting fishing Jase's fishing line (it had got into a bit of a muddle in the excitement of landing the cod!). While we were working, a Swedish chap came over for a chat, asking us about our travels etc. Ended up giving Jase 3 extra lures which was lovely of him. We had a short fish there, but not catching this time, even with our lucky new gear!

From there we moved on to Sømna, our overnight stop, and another opportunity for a fish!

Wednesday morning and another lovely day. As the weather was so good, we'd picked a seaside spot on the island of Kvaløya - connected by bridge at Vennesund. The drive to the parking spot was a bit hairy - 2km of reasonably rough gravel, but we made it without too much issue. The beach was stunning - white sand, turquoise waters and cliffs either side. We picked a level spot and set off for a walk along the coast road. We had hoped there was a circular walk around the island, but the elderly gentleman at the last house told Jase (in Norwegian) it was all overgrown now, so we ended up with a lovely out and back, spending the rest of the day on the beach. Oh and that water might look tropical, but I can tell you it definitely felt Baltic!

Next morning and we'd been hoping to get the bikes off and maybe explore further - the sound of the foghorn soon put paid to that! We stayed put, partly as it was so nice, but our next place needed a ferry, and it was fairly unlikely they were going far in the fog!

Friday and although cloudy, the fog had lifted. We left fairly early in order to get the ferry across from Vennesund to Holm - just a 20minute crossing this one.

From here we picked the road 17 back up and headed to the E6 main road. On the way we stopped at the Foss waterfalls which had some unusual rock formations that looked so smooth from years of erosion.

Our overnight spot was a lovely nature reserve near Grong - we parked up and set about the 2.3km circular walk - which thanks to a landslide ended up being more like 8km! Lovely views though, and plenty of wild blueberries too.

Saturday morning and time to leave Norway. We'd had a lovely time, and although expensive, it is so worth it for the scenery and places you can stay. Motor homing here is a real joy. For now, we'd done what we wanted to, saving the southern area for another trip perhaps. Our journey took us over the border and back into Sweden near Gäddedes (no sign of any kind of border control here). We'd been planning to do part of a scenic drive the following day, and the starting point was the waterfall at Hällsingsfallet which also had a car park for overnighting. The downside? A 21km drive up a gravel single track road! Jase, knowing my love for waterfalls, wasn't deterred though, and we set off - a steady pace throughout. It was totally worth it - 43m drop into a steep sided canyon.

Sunday morning and another cloudy sky. We headed along the scenic drive route which coasted through a variety of landscapes - rolling hills, through bolder fields and stopping at another set of waterfalls.

In the pouring rain we did our good turn for the day by helping a French family changing a wheel on their car - only to find 4 of the 5 wheel nuts were one size, and the 5th another! Luckily Jase had all bases covered and we torqued their wheel up and sent them on their way (the first weeks of a 9month trip around Europe with 2 kids).

Our parking spot for the night was a short distance further down the road, by another set of falls at Saxnäs - which looked all the more stunning in the pouring rain!

Monday 12th August and with bad weather forecast for the West of Sweden, we decided to head back towards the East Coast and the Skuleskogen National Park. Most of today was spent driving, but we arrived in the National Park in time for a tea. Into the evening the sun came out and, once dark, we were able to spot a good few shooting stars thanks to the Perseids Meteor show.

Tuesday morning, and having made the request for a load of walking this week, we packed our rucksacks and headed into the park. First stop was Slåttdalsskreven - the amazing split rock formation. From there we headed to the lake at Tärnättvattnen for a paddle, almost losing my walking boot in the drink! Finally back down to the seaside at Näskebodarna for lunch and then back to the van - a 9.5 mile epic walk!

The next morning we decided to take another walk, but shorter and maybe easier this time. Again, from the same parking spot we headed this time to Stampberget for lovely rocky plateau views, through rolling forests covered in all times of mushrooms imaginable. Ended up being an 8.5 mile walk though!

Thursday and after a combined 17mile effort, we decided a rest day was in order. We left the park, and headed to nearby Docksta - we'd stayed here back in June, but since then some "no camping" signs have been put up, (nothing to do with us, I'm sure!) so we headed a short way on, finding a new spot overlooking a lovely lake. We spent a restful afternoon enjoying the view, especially when we spotted a couple of beavers in the water.

Yesterday we felt a little less tired, and had one walk left in us for the week! This time we headed to the National Park West entrance to do an easier 5 mile walk to Långtjärnen lake and the hut at Lillruten where we had lunch, and Jase tried his hand at log chopping! Sweden is great for walking, there is nearly always a picnic bench, toilet, campfire (with wood) and many huts for overnight use along many routes - a real walkers paradise.

Last night we stayed near the bridge at Utansjö again - just dropping a bit from today's journey. We needed to get to Sundsvall in order to get LPG this morning, plus another shopping trip. We are now parked up in Njurunda which is a seaside spot with a fishing pontoon where Jase is trying his hand.

From here we've very much got the clock on now - we need to be at Craig & Sofia's for 28th August just 11 days time. We might stick to the east coast and then cut across nearer Troll or we might pitch back west for some mountain biking fun at Åre before heading south. I strongly suspect the blog that I write from Craig's may well be the last one until we get back the UK with some kind of wrap up, but we shall see - writing of the trip home just feels a little too depressing (although of course we are looking forward to seeing friends & family, and shopping without bankrupting ourselves!).

Til next time, stay safe all

J&J xx