Thread 2805851

What's up /trv/ I am considering overlanding Norway and driving from the south to north camping along the way I just had a couple of questions below;
>Do I need bear spray for hikes in Norway? I see there are brown bears there
>Does anyone have any free campsite/hike recommendations
>What should I see along the route and what route should I take?
>Which is the best season to do this in? and is it even possible in Winter? seeing the northern lights would be cool but if it doesn't allow me to hike and see some nice natural features, there is no point.
>Vehicle hire recommendations/tips (price range?
>What is an ideal time frame
Has anyone done this before? did you have a good time? lets discuss

>>2805851 (OP)
consider getting immunized against this
>Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease transmitted by ticks, primarily in Europe and Asia

>winter is too cold for tent camping, seek cabins.
>northern light are cool, but not worth planning a trip around.
>this summer was great, but months of rain is also likely
>you can in theory wildcamp anywhere, just make sure it's not right outside someones house, or on farmland, but out of sight or bother for anyone, pick up all your trash or you'll be mentioned in the local newspaper
>i'd reccomend starting south of oslo and follow the west-coast north.
>check out refviksanden, hoddevika, preikestolen, atlanterhavsvegen, stavkirker, Trollkyrkja, geiranger(expensive),
>be pepared for the most narrow roads you've ever driven
>Only cities worth visiting is bergen or Ålesund for a day.
>bears. Basically non-existant except for a recent incident at the northmost village bordering russia. Be more careful about hoggorm and ticks.
>bring a fishing rod if that's your thing. Most places you don't need a liscence

Don't try to do Norway without money. Can it be done cheaply? Sure. It would be a miserable experience. The weather is absolute shit pretty much all year round. While there is no bad weather only bad clothes, it can snow in the mountains all year round with the exception of deep summer.

You'll travel all that way and get socked in with fog/rain for days on end. Be prepared for that and willing to spend some money on hotels/rentals to save your trip when the weather won't give.

Or maybe I'm just not /out/ enough to deal with it. It was snowing in the hills above Bergen in early May when I was there.

>>2806393
Nice response mate I appreciate it.
>winter is too cold for tent camping, seek cabins.
kkay that's fine I can avoid winter, would you recommend autumn for some okay outdoor conditions?
>northern light are cool, but not worth planning a trip around
noted will aim for another season
>this summer was great, but months of rain is also likely
so avoid winter & summer?
I spent 20 days wild camping in Scotland so I know the drill
>be pepared for the most narrow roads you've ever driven
I actually enjoy the narrow roads it makes the scenery more pretty somehow, it was similiar in Scotland also
>bears. Basically non-existant except for a recent incident at the northmost village bordering russia. Be more careful about hoggorm and ticks.
so bear spray is probably not necessary, and maybe just be careful if hiking up north? I come from Australia so I have spent my life being mindful of snakes so that is no issue with the hoggorm
>bring a fishing rod if that's your thing. Most places you don't need a liscence
fucking kino, I will just buy one when I get there for the vehicle. What fish are common in the waterways? are you Norwegian?

>>2806455
Ill have money anon it shouldn't be an issue, I don't mind staying in accommodation for 1 or two nights. But I would definitely prefer to stay in a campervan and use public showers etc. How did you enjoy your experience is there anything you wish you did differently?

>>2806466

I spent about a month there, in and around Bergen. I was visiting a friend who was studying there so I didn't do much /out/ shit. I know there is tons of it but I can't really help you there.

The people are pretty meh but you shouldn't have a problem if that's not your focus. Locals are pretty weary of caravan/camper folks. Apparently tons of Germans and the like go there, clog the roads and don't spend any money so no one likes them. I don't know where you're from but the roads and driving is pretty sketchy in some places. Lot of one lane roads with passing zones. In general the transportation infrastructure is pretty lackluster relative to the wealth of country, mostly due to challenging terrain.

>>2806459
>would you recommend autumn for some okay outdoor conditions?
I'd reccommend outdoors from late autumn to late fall. easter time is often a good combo of sun and snow for skiing.
>so avoid winter & summer?
No i just meant that there's no guarantees about the weather. Still the best likelyhoods for snow is in winter, and the best likelyhood for good weather and sun is the summer. It's quite unoredictable. Just don't be shocked if its suddenly oops all rain for the whole trip.
YR.no has the best weather forecasts

>fish
In the fjords/saltwater there's too much to mention but you can expect cod, haddock, pollock and saithe.
Freshwater is mostly trout, except some rivers where wild salmon will go in seasons and a liscence is likely needed.

>from australia
Cool. then norwegian wildlife will be kindergarten for you.

>are you norwegian?
Yep. From Ålesund area, and relatively little travelled in my own country. So take what i say with a pinch of salt.

Also
>Be careful with your money, as norwegians have a hard-on for fleecing tourists, especially ferries, strategically placed kiosks and gas stations.
>check out DNT cabins, they are everywhere and can be rented by tourists too, they are very cheap but must be booked well in advance due to how poopular they are becoming.
>we are often socially starved and scared to take initative in social interactions. But if you ask for something most people, especially rural folk, will be very happy to help, and basically everyone under 60 are ESL

>>2806492
>Locals are pretty weary of caravan/camper folks.
When I arrive I would probably spent a day or two in Oslo then get a van and just hit the coast from south to north, hopefully staying out of peoples way enjoying the countryside. I am from Australia.
>>2806660
>Just don't be shocked if its suddenly oops all rain for the whole trip.
noted
>fishing
I am not much of a fisherman but I will definitely try with some saltwater species
>strategically placed kiosks and gas stations.
so basically just try and fill up inside larger towns and avoid countryside gas stations.
Thanks for the advice, do you know of any decent campervan hires? or atleast the ones you know of which won't fleece tourists

>>2805851 (OP)
>bears
There are about 50 bears in the entire country, you can hike here a lifetime and never see one. European brown bears are huge pussies compared to the American bears, the chance of a hostile bear encounter is basically zero, they'll flee long before you ever knew they were there. In any case, bear spray is illegal, it's harder to come by than an actual gun, and carries the same penalty should you get caught with it.
>winter
South and west coast, sure. Oslo, sure. Inland areas close to the Swedish border or up north? Be prepared for -40 degrees and meters of snow, literally. Winters here aren't Alaska tier, but you need proper experience to even think about it.
>hike recommendations
Check out ut.no, it doesn't have an English version so you have to use Google translate, but it's the official and largest hiking resource here. You can use peakbook.no for trip descriptions to mountain tops.
>time
Summer for the mountains or up north. In late July and August you'll get as little snow as you're gonna get. The coast from Trondheim and down to Oslo can be pleasant in spring and fall too. The western part of the country is infamous for being rainy as fuck all year round.

>>2805851 (OP)
>Do I need bear spray for hikes in Norway? I see there are brown bears there
No, bears are rare and only in the most very rural places you are unlikely to go
>Does anyone have any free campsite/hike recommendations
Essentially all of the outdoors is free to access, parking fees sometimes apply. Wild camping is permitted basically anywhere that isn't like someone's garden. Campsites with services are dotted around everywhere; every small village has a shop you can buy supplies from. outdooractive norway (was outtt) is an excellent app with trails galore. The popular trails are destroyed by instagrammers but 99.9% of other trails are quiet.
I would use the day huts they have all over the place as hike destinations
>What should I see along the route and what route should I take?
Fly in to Oslo, go around the coastline anticlockwise up to the North. Tromso is too early a finish but you don't have to go all the way to the Russian border. The little stretch of coast SE of Oslo towards Sweden is comfy too. Every single inch of Norway outside of built up areas is gorgeous
>Which is the best season to do this in? and is it even possible in Winter? seeing the northern lights would be cool but if it doesn't allow me to hike and see some nice natural features, there is no point.
Summer is by far the best - very long days and no snow to worry about. You can do this in winter if you know what you are doing - you need proper gear for icy trails and the resilience to deal with weather problems. Main problem is the very short days. This would be an expensive trip so give yourself the best weather
>Vehicle hire recommendations/tips (price range?
Any hire car will do - most roads in Norway are tarmac, plenty of single track with passing places, some gravel roads but not too many. In fact a small economical 2wd is ideal. You don't need a 4x4.
>What is an ideal time frame
several months if you can manage it. You will want at least a week just for Lofoten

>>2805851 (OP)
>bears
Brother you won't see any bears, in fact you won't see much wildlife at all. Norwegians will never admit this, but they have a particular "yeah kill'em" mindset when it comes to wild animals. You can hike the country from north to south and never see a bear, fox, lynx, moose, wolf or deer, or any large bird for that matter. You'll see sheep and cows, and that's it. Other than that, Norwegian nature is a quiet place.
>uhm akschually all our animal populations are very sustainable and hunting is important to keep the population under control uhm
Go fuck yourself

>>2808378
>5 euros worth of sheep stock gets maimed
>>omg quick we must kill any bear in the vicinity right now!!!

I'm in The Lint Foot literally as we're talking now.
AMA

>>2808378
I've been til Norge specifically to look for wildlife, there really isn't that much even if you know what you are looking for and have inside info on where things are. so while you can see animals like wolverine, lynx, fox, smaller mustelids like pine marten, reindeer, moose it is only by luck the average tourist will see them. bear and wolf are almost mythically rare unless you are in svalbard
eagles are easy to see if you are in their territory, just look up
you have better luck with cetaceans and pinnipeds as most of the whalers have figured out they can make more money by showing the whales to tourists than by harpooning them. so if you go on a whale watching tour you will see something as long as it is in season

>>2805851 (OP)
>I am considering overlanding Norway
Overlanding and off-roading is illegal in Norway btw