Originally we wanted to go to Tenerife by plane this January, but the at that time unknown Corona variant Omikron prevented us from doing so. So we had the jokey idea to go to the really cold instead of the warm. So the decision was made:
We are going to the Arctic Circle!
It should also be the last trip with our first Cali. Since we are not so into planning, we again approached this trip very spontaneously. Only the ferry from Hirthals in Denmark to Kirstiansand in Norway we had booked 2 weeks before.
The crossing was carried out by Color Line. Last fall we went with Fjord Line, but the catamaran was in the shipyard for maintenance, so only Color Line remained. The whole thing cost us just under €230, which we felt was very expensive. But where there is no competition, prices go up.
But we do not want to make a retrospective travel diary at this point, the whole experiences of the good 6000 kilometers long tour can not be described properly in retrospect. What we found really difficult were the questions that no one could really answer for us beforehand. There are thousands of blogs & forums in which any amount to the winter in Norway & Co. stands, but just not what has occupied us.
What about supply & disposal in winter?
We really read very often that it was all no problem at all. This turned out to be totally wrong right after arriving in Norway. Even in the south of the country, where there was no snow in early January, the supply stations were closed! We were only able to get rid of our gray water, as this usually just works through a swale.
Also with the campsites, especially in southern Norway, the chances are really bad. Most places are closed in the period from October to April. Surprisingly, this also applies to normal RV parks.
Further north, the problems were not less, because the snow came. We drove along the E6 to the Arctic Circle, there is no other road either. 😀 Here, too, the campsites were closed. The worst thing is that even many of the normal rest areas are not cleared. So should you come to a gas station or an open rest area, take the chance and fill up the fresh water tank. But stop! Please do not expect the luxury of being able to fill the tank with the hose here. The canister becomes the best friend and who has ever filled the fresh water tank completely with a folding canister, knows what we are talking about. We deliberately bought a folding canister, since space in the van is of course limited.
We use this canister that we bought from Amazon.
To be honest and transparent at this point, of course: If you click on the link and buy the canister, we get a commission from Amazon for it. This has no disadvantage for you, but gives us a small advantage. So if you want to support us, feel free to use the affiliate link from us.
The whole supply & disposal has proved consistently difficult in Norway. If you find a station, you can usually use the pit to get rid of your black water, even if you can’t then rinse the cassette with fresh water. We then used our outdoor shower for this.
It gets much better in Sweden, where almost all rest areas are cleared and you can dispose of your black water there. Fresh water is also difficult here due to frost. Here only gas stations or campsites help again. With luck you will find heated supply & disposal stations where you can then also tap fresh water.
A frequent question on Instagram / Facebook was always how we did the whole thing with the gray water tank. We have nothing converted here or the like, the tank remains open. On a campsite we put a canister under it and when we are free standing we just let the water run out. HALT! You are not allowed to do that! That is correct, but there is a BUT here as well. We use biological rinsing agent, e.g. from the company Bronner, this is completely harmless and does not pollute the groundwater.
What about camping – / pitches?
As described above, this is really a problem. Both in southern and northern Norway. The situation is much better in Sweden, where they seem to value winter tourists and don’t miss out on the business. So we went to a campsite for the first time after almost 1.5 weeks.
We can really recommend the Artic Camp in Jokkmokk.
Arctic Camp Jokkmokk
+46 971 123 70
https://goo.gl/maps/QyeeVF7abfRDivbU6
Super nice staff and everything the camper so needs. And all this even in winter. In addition, there were northern lights ❤️
Sweden and Norway are known for being “free standing”, what is great in the summer months becomes difficult in the winter. We love using the Park4Night app, most will know it and probably use it themselves. So we just looked for a place and went there.
There was the surprise! We had not considered that the places, which are often in forests, are full of snow and of course no one clears them, after all, it already does not work on the normal roads. Thus, finding a place to sleep can be really difficult and you often end up at rest stops on main roads. Everyone who travels to this area in winter should be aware of this. Another factor is the light, as a Central European we are used to the sun setting around 4:30pm in the winter. Above the Arctic Circle, things look different. The days in January brought the first sunlight around 10 am, sunset was usually around 2 pm. This can make finding space doubly difficult.
What about the diesel / gas supply?
Both in Norway and in Sweden, the diesel supply is much better than in Germany, for example, because in every “village” there is a gas station. These are mostly simple fuel dispensers where you pay by credit card around the clock and can fill up accordingly. 🙏
What Sweden has ahead of Norway in terms of camping and camping sites, Sweden has ahead of Norway in terms of gas supply. The problem is not that there is no gas in Sweden, but that German gas cylinders are not filled there. The Norwegians are much more relaxed here and fill up every bottle, at least we were not turned away anywhere. As an alternative, you can buy a Swedish gas bottle and connect it with an adapter, or you can look for one of the few places that refill German bottles. There is quite a great list.
As of January 2022, diesel prices average €1.60 in Norway and €2.10 in Sweden. The price for a 11KG gas filling is 24€ in Norway and around 40€ in Sweden.
Last but not least – the equipment
We were very unsure about the equipment. Our old Grand California, as well as the new one, have 2WD drive. Alone to this you can now debate for hours, we have consciously decided for a 2WD, possibly there is also again a post 😇.
For this purpose, we do not have winter tires, but all-weather tires. Freely according to the motto YOLO, will be fine. Well and what can we say, it goes despite meters high snow & ice on the road we have come through everywhere. Okay, okay… Almost 🥲 You just can’t do without snow chains in these regions and they saved us a few times. You can choose whether to rent spike tires on site and have them mounted or just put on snow chains and drive with them. But if you have one of the two and drive sensibly, you won’t have any problems. Also a 4WD is absolutely not necessary according to our experiences.
There were many questions as to whether we had changed anything about the battery, which is really not the best in the GC. But here, too, everything is standard. We were almost exclusively without shore power and had no problems with the power supply, even at temperatures below -25 degrees. However, more than 1-2 days standing here is not possible, then the battery is empty.
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