Trondheim to Mo I Rana and the Arctic Circle

 

 

 

Our last two days Northbound have come and gone.

 

Yesterday we made the long haul from Trondheim to Mo I Rana.

 

Mo I Rana is the administrative capital of the Norwegian Arctic Region and derives its name from the farmer who lived here establishing the first trading post in the area here many years ago and the Rana region. Probably before he set out in his long boat to raid England and claim some of the women for his own.

 

 

 

Once again the ride took us through spectacular inland scenery dominated by rivers, lakes and water pouring out of every hill and mountain. At one point whilst riding along yet another lake, not particularly spectacular, I said somewhat facetiously to DB (we communicate via a very fancy intercom system in each of our helmets) “that this was the most magnificent lake I had ever seen”. There was a stunned silence until I burst out laughing. It was somewhat like the comment in White Mischief about “ not another perfect day in Africa”!

 

 

 

It proved to be a very long day in the saddle. Close on 480 km, not in itself too bad, but at an average speed of just over 50km/h it is very tough going with lots of traffic. And Rain! Lots of it!

 

 

And nowhere really decent to get a roadside meal, something which tends to be a feature of travelling in Norway. The food on the road is really lousy and consists mainly of rolls and hotdogs. We eventually stopped off in Grong for petrol and found a Spar where we bought a fresh baguette, some cheese and some delicious salads which we turned into a simple but delicious lunch.

 

 

 

So after nine hours in the saddle we finally arrived in Mo I Rana and found the Meyergarden Hotell (Correct spelling), an establishment with a great history and actually the nicest place we have stayed in since arriving in Norway, but still one with the obligatory single ply toilet paper and tiny bathroom.

 

At least in this one we can turn in the shower and our bed does not touch the opposite wall. Established in 1890 as a trading store and inn, the original building still stands and so does the Meyer’s house, in which King Oskar II stayed with Meyer when he visited the area in 1873.

 

 

Our idyllic views changed when four large coaches arrived at 19h00, while we were all enjoying a beer and deciding where to eat dinner as there are not many choices in Mo I Rana as you may have guessed, disgorging about 100 tourists for dinner and a stay over. Before we could move they were seated in the hotel’s dinning room and they hovered the smorgasbord up like locusts through a wheat field. So we were left with the a la carte menu. The prices of everything would make your eyes water and the a la carte menu set new highs.

 

 

The previous evening in Trondheim, on our way back from a simple pasta meal, R300 per dish I decided that I needed a McDonald’s Milk shake, much to DB’s disgust. Just to set the price tone a Big Mac in Norway hits your table at a wallet shattering R153 and the milk shake a more modest R50. A beer and a beer shandy leaves you shaking at about R200 and our R1000 meal (Salad starter and steak for me, Cod for DB) last night was topped off with a R180 cheese plate and a R75 double espresso. Cheap South African wine goes by the glass for about R75 per glass and is considered a good deal.

 

 

 

So suitably financially lighter we took the soft option this morning with a short 85km ride to the Arctic Circle on the road north to Narvik. Narvik being well-known for the raid on it by the Allies in the early days of WW II. I suspect not much has changed since it was hurriedly rebuilt after the war.

 

 

 

Some intrepid riders, all one up I might add, did a longer 300 km loop. However given the summer weather here, 9 degrees and pouring with rain, we decided that we had to get to 66 °33’ North and stand on the Arctic Circle for the obligatory photos, which we did before returning to Mo I Rana.

 

 

North of Mo I Rana Norwegians undergo a personality change, out goes the law abiding speed limit obeying driver syndrome and a new fearless individual emerges, one who drives at 20 km/h over the 80 km/h speed limit. This meant that the intrepid foreigners could open the gas, twist the throttle and over take all at about 110 km/h, a speed at which I felt almost out of control. One note of caution was the wet road condition and limited visibility. Anyhow we are safely back in our room for an afternoon lie in and read. Perfect bed weather, with coastal rain bucketing down. Not such good motor biking weather however and we are very pleased that we decided on the short route option.

 

 

Tomorrow we start the long road south, this time via the coastal road, a route which promises to be spectacular through the fjords, islands and inlets. We have to leave early as we have four ferries, all Ro Ro’s (for the uninitiated these are Roll on Roll off ferries, so you drive on one side and drive off the other side and there is no passenger cabin on the boat), during the day and nearly 500 km to do. We end up in Steinkjer, just north of Trondheim. Given good weather this should be a highlight day but a long one with at least nine more hours in the saddle.

 

 

Looking at our program I will be unlikely to hit the keyboard until Tuesday evening when we have an easy day in Alesund and are at the same hotel for two nights in a row.

 

 

 

So from Mo I Rana good night and Good Luck!