North Cape by car.

71° 10' 21" - Yes, it's in north.

North Cape is in Norway in Scandinavia and it is the most nortern point in Europe. You cannot fly there, You must drive car to visit North Cape. From my home (south of Finland) up to North Cape is 1500 ilometres or 931 miles. On roads You must be careful, because there are reindeers on roads and they are walking free. To reach North Cape You have to pass through 4 tunnels of which longest is 8.7 kilometres or 5.4 miles passing 212 metres or 695 feet below sea level.

In northern part of Norway roads are paved, but there are plenty of curves and hills all the time. So driving long time will tire You. Air temperature varied during my visit there from +9.5 centigrades up to +19.5 centigrades or +49.1 Fahrenheit up to +67.1 Fahrenheit.

People of Norway gives You easily smile and assist You in Your problems.

It is worth to visit North Cape? Yes it is, because it an experience like "once a life". How to reach North Cape? Well, most easy way is to fly Oslo and then to Hammerfest. From there to rent a car and then drive up to north. Another possibility is to fly to Helsinki (Finland) and then further on to Rovaniemi and there rent a car. When to go? In summer or late autumn. During summer months weather is enough warm to many people. Why to go there? Experience, thats it.

Diary (day by day):

1. Day 08 august 2006.

Helsinki-Rovaniemi by night train with car onboard 820 kilometres or 509 miles.

Our trip started from Helsinki main railway station, where we loaded our car to train. Only boring thing was that we had to wait for departure nearly two hours. Then seeking to find our cabin was exciting moment. Well, cabin was quite small and beds were separated. Train departed at 7.20 p.m. This we did not think beforehand: to bring with us lunch. We had two bottles of water and also sandwiches for two persons. We toughed that no problems, because train was equipped with the restaurant wagon. Yes it was, but what prices. Night passed quietly with dreams about what to see in North Cape.

2. Day 09 august 2006.

Rovaniemi-Inari 350 kilometres or 217 miles.

It is was "early" morning at 7.50 a.m when train arrived at Rovaniemi railway station. After night we were frisky, feelings high up and vacation ahead of us, what more You need. Weather was fresh, cool and sky was clear. To unload our car took only 15 minutes. Then nose to Arctic Circle. It took only 10 minutes ride to Arctic Circle. Early morning with arctic " sunshine" at low angle whished us welcome. After quick breakfast we got acquainted with local landscapes. When we took some photographs, we where ready for our escapade to the real north.

On the way to next town Sodankyla my wife showed me reindeer on the edge of road with saying: look they have made reindeer statues here to welcome tourists. I told her that it was a real reindeer. From this moment further we saw reindeers all the time and they were walking also on roads without caring our car.

Sodankyla was really small town with nice church in the middle of town. Then our trip continued to Ivalo. Ivalo is during summer time centre of movie festivals what can be seen all the night. Well I said night, but there is no night during summer because there is no sundown. Here we noticed that Ivalo was really international town because we saw cars from south and middle Europe everywhere.

Our trip continued to Inari where was our second night. Along roads when we droved we looked some nice place in the nature and made some cup of coffee. Inari is small village with some stores but not so much to see. Our hut was equipped with television and sauna. In my life I have been in different sauna, but I have to confess that this sauna was quite good although it was warmed up with electricity.

Before we started our car vacation trip people told us that Lapland is full with mosquitoes and black flies, but we did not came across them. Well, this summer was extremely dry summer and it is due to this that no mosquitoes there. So we could make nice walking trips in the neighbour of our camping site and visit at same time lake nearby.

3. Day 10 august 2006.

Inari-North Cape 400 kilometres or 249 miles.

From Inari we passed through Karigasniemi, Karasjokk, Laxelv, Olderfjord and then North Cape. Scenery between Inari and Lakselv was dull, but after that we passed beside fjord and splendid mountains nearby. Here we saw first car accident with reindeer. To reach North Cape one have to pass through four tunnels of which longest is 8.7 kilometres or 5.4 miles passing 212 metres or 695 feet below sea level. To drive below sea level was quite an experience also. Some water dribbled to our car's windshield and at same time it was hard to motor of our car due to lack of some oxygen.

We have made reservation to one hut and it was quite basic with reasonable price. Then we heared in reception that we have to drive more 20 kilometres or 12.5 miles up to north that we really reach the North Cape. Well, this trip was real experience, because road was narrow, full with curves and hilly-but what hills.

Finally at the destination was experience that I never forget. To see the Arctic sea and North Cape will remain in my memory rest of my life. We walked there around and during this walking all the scenery was covered with heavy fog. To stray was impossible because North Cape was full with tourists. Returning back to our camp site was took long time due to that heavy fog. I could not drive fast, because fog was very dense and rails along roads were tiny. One rash movement and our car could be in sole of fjord. In the evening we took look nearby environment. Soil was barren and we saw only one type of flowers there. North Cape is so north that trees are not growing there, only bushes.

4. Day 11 august 2006.

North Cape-Birtavare 454 kilometres or 282 miles. We passed through Skipsfjord, Olderfjord, Alta, Stadslett.

Our return trip started early next morning. There was quite interesting thing when we passed the longest tunnel. In the mouth of tunnel there were a couple of dozen reindeers blocking the tunnel mouth. We had to drive through flock and hope that they give us free road to drive through, so they did. Why they were blocking tunnel? Well, local people told us that during hot summer reindeers are coming to tunnels to cool themselves! So if You visit North Cape, be careful with reindeers.

Road to the south along side Atlantic Ocean from North Cape is really worth to see. By the road there are fjords and ocean along the swinging road. Also there was visible some glacier although it was summer. Because road is swinging full with big slopes all the time driving is very hard. I had to drive very carefully. But what sceneries!

Finally two words about reindeers. Normally they do not notice Your car although they stand on the road. They can be at a standstill or walk very slowly seeking some food as lichen. But later on during end of summer there are so many mosquitoes and horseflies, that they can come suddenly across the road and run madly. Be very careful! Local residents take no notice about them and they are so accustomed, that drive very fast.

From Birthvare we took our road to Finnish Lapland and after five days we were at home. But that is another story if somebody is interested to hear.

Whole trip with our car was 2826 kilometres or 1756 miles plus 820 kilometres or 509 miles on train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. I took 866 photos on this memorable trip and nearly two hours digital video.

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