Day 08: Crossing the Arctic Circle, stop in Santa Village and on to Nordkapp
NORDKAPP 2024
7/10/20245 min read
Another long day on the motorcycle
The plan for today was to reach Nordkapp for the midnight sun. The satnav showed about 920 km, but then I had to return to the place where I had a reservation for the night, about 80 km from Nordkapp. The weather in Kalix, Sweden, where I was staying, was partly cloudy and around 14 degrees Celsius in the morning.
Crossing the Arctic Circle and visiting Santa Claus Village
After 50 km I reached Finland and continued north. In Finland there are many forests and small towns and villages along the way. Finland is called the land of a thousand lakes and there is a reason for that.
I visited the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland. This town lies on the Arctic Circle. I had a look around, took a few photos and continued my journey towards Norway.
Entering Norway and continuing north
After entering Norway, I still had well over 300 km to go. Traffic in Norway has its own pace. The speed limits are strictly adhered to, people drive calmly, I didn't see anyone being rude. The speeding tickets are something you don't want to experience. I was told about a driver who was driving on a road where the speed limit had been changed from 90 to 60 kilometers per hour. When he passed the 60 km/h sign, the police measured 85 km/h and pulled him over. The fine was 2900 EUR or 14 days in prison!
Norway is one of the countries with the fewest road accidents per 100 000 inhabitants. Traffic in northern Norway is rare. The ride was slow and boring, I was glad to have cruise control on the bike to make sure I kept to the speed limit.
I have read how good the roads are in Norway. Well, I can not agree with that. The roads in northern Norway are not good at all. The surface is bumpy, there are cracks in the asphalt, the roads are generally narrow. Not that they are in bad condition. But you can not say that they are good.
I was driving through mostly uninhabited areas. The journey went according to plan and I hoped to reach Nordkapp before midnight. I have had some rain along the way, but the sky in the distance seemed clear.
Arriving to Nordkapp
The temperature dropped, about 13 degrees Celsius. I drove through the tunnel under the sea and it was a very interesting experience.
I had reserved a room for the night, about 80 km before Nordkapp. I stopped to pick up the key and then drove straight on to Nordkapp. The weather cleared up, the temperature dropped to 8 degrees and the wind picked up. Let me say it was "kind of fresh" on the motorcycle.
I arrived 30 minutes before midnight. Perfect timing!
Although there was not much traffic, I was surprised when I saw how many people were there. There were probably over a hundred cars, forty motorhomes and thirty motorcycles. There were also about 20 people who had made it to Nordkapp by bike!
Parking costs about 30 EUR, and the entrance fee is about 6 EUR per person.
At midnight, the sun was shining brightly and everyone wanted to take a photo next to the famous iron globe. I was no exception. I found a couple who took a photo of me, and I returned the favor by taking a photo of them.
There is a movie theater in the building where the history and facts are explained. There are also some exhibitions and a restaurant.
I was very happy to be so lucky with the weather, and it paid off for the two long days of riding.
And I was not the only Slovenian there that day! I met a couple from Škofja Loka (in the first picture below) who were traveling through the Baltic countries to Nordkapp on their BMW GS 1250.
This was one long day! I sat on a bike at 10 am and get off it at 2:30 am the next day! But it was worth it - I made it to the northernmost point of Europe.
I had covered exactly 1 000 km today and the trip counter stopped at 4 163 km.
