Is it difficult to get to? not really - there is a small airport about 10 miles away or you can pop in as part of a cruise ship trip. To ride or drive there from the UK is significant however and the way I had done it via Slovenia and the Baltics, it seemed a lot further away than it actually was.
But on reflection for me on this trip, it was a destination in a way that all the others had not been. All other stops I had been passing through, but Nordkapp was a terminus, there was no further to go.
Also as I had travelled north from Slovenia, through central and Eastern Europe, through the Baltics and up through Finland I had become aware of a gradual shift in geography, in architecture and in people. This shift from country to country is one of the things that attracts me to long distance travelling - on this trip it is not as dramatic as when I went east to Thailand or even south to Africa, but its there nevertheless and is something that really puts into perspective the relatively contained and consistent lives we lead most of the time.
So enough rambling, how did it go?
As I left my overnight stop the Tepee across the road crystallised what I had been feeling about Lapland, it felt like a frontier country. Lots of space and a very sparse population, a hostile climate and landscape but friendly people and welcoming to travellers. Maybe it was just the weather that made it feel that way.
As I set off the SatNav was telling me I had 336km to go (mostly further north) to get to Nordkapp and it was currently 5 degrees and starting to rain - I wondered how it would be in that very exposed place.
See what I mean about frontier country?
As I approached the border with Norway the temperature had dropped to 3.5 with 200km still to go.
The border post was a big affair again with all the security trappings in place, but otherwise unoccupied. Once on the Norwegian side I was surprised that the road condition deteriorated significantly. They hade been pristine for the last 100km on the Finnish side. Perhaps they just have different repair schedules.
Once deep into Finnmark as this part of Norway is known, the geography changed significantly with dramatic cliffs plunging into the sea and hills and sweeping bends in the roads leading up to them.
The scenery was gorgeous with little collections of houses here and there, but no large scale developments. Finnmark, it should be said is Norway’s largest area, bigger in land mass than the whole of Denmark, but with a population of only 75,000. I am guessing that there are as many tourists as that travelling around the area in camper vans, as that seems to be all thats on the road.
The rain that had accompanied me through most of Lapland had given way now to drizzle, with some tentative breaks in the clouds opening up.
And then a little later - whats this, blue sky? - where did that come from?
Suffice it to say the weather was changeable. As would be expected with the combination of mountains and a sea shore. But it certainly looked possible for Nordkapp to be clear, at least for a while. This would be great as a lot of people get there and find the weather too appalling to really appreciate the site.
The snowcapped peaks beckoned in the distance.
Finally I came to the tunnel that marks the ‘start’ of the road to Nordkapp - this used to be a toll road until 2012 but since then has been free, though the entry price to the Nordkapp peninsular remains. This is a pretty impressive almost 7km long tunnel hewn out of the rock. Shortly after entering the road desendes on a 10% gradiant for a couple of km before levelling and then rising again towards the exit. The reason is that it connects the island of Mageroya (where Nordkapp is actually situated) to the mainland.
The tunnel opened in 1999 (prior to that you had to take a ferry) and takes you to a depth of 212m below sea level, its not especially well lit and is quite small with only one lane in each direction so you have to take care. There was also a little fog inside when I went through all adding to the atmosphere and expectation.
On the other side the blue sky had returned and, although cold it looked to be a beautiful day.
The road to Nordkapp itself then turns left of the main road that continues onto the little fishing village of Skarsvag. As it climbs into the surrounding hills you are treated to some stunning vistas.
Once on the top there is a real sense of going to the end of the world, I was filling with anticipation helped by the marvellous weather.
Many of the small lakes on either side of the road were still frozen.
And still this sense of beautiful isolation and anticipation as the ‘km to go’ readout on the satnav clicked closer to zero ...
And then I was there!
Well I had to pass through a multi lane check in gate and pay about £26 and then be directed to a massive car parking area .... but that was all forgotten as I got off the bike, braved the strong easterly wind and 2 degree temperature and walked the final yards to the cape itself in brilliant sunshine.
Clearly time for a selfie, or rather get someone to take it for you....
Now I have to admit to getting a little emotional at this point.
I’m not sure why this happens, the same occurred when I crossed the Mekong bridge from Laos into Thailand on my UK to Thailand trip. There’s just something about having a particular destination in sharp focus for a long time, putting in considerable effort and enduring some discomfort to get to it that, for me, means that when I finally getting there, something just clicks.
Anyway I slapped myself around the face a few times, did some manly guffawing, coughed, spat, scratched a couple of things and normal service was resumed!
The coastline here is pretty ruthless looking.
The cliffs at Nordkapp plunge 307 metres straight down into the icy Barrents seas, there would be no coming back from that if you went over!
The visitor centre that has been built there is actually quite good. Its two stories above ground and three below! (The Norwegians clearly like digging rock).
Included in the price of your entrance ticket is a 30 minute well made film about the development of Nordkapp, a museum, a Thai memorial to the visit by the late King of Thailand on 1907 and a sound and light show of the four seasons at the cape . Its all high quality stuff and your ticket entitles you to stay for 24 hours if you want. There are also a couple of cafes / Bars , indoor viewing platforms and of course a gift shop.
When I was there it was almost empty, apparently it fills up late evening with bus loads of tourists brought into see the midnight sun.
Time for another selfie, this time without the bike gear on!
The Thai memorial - its basically a room filled with photographs he took during his visit to Norway in 1907.
Outside a short walk away is a surreal monument celebrating ‘Children of the Earth’
I spend a few hours there all told and then headed back down feeling accomplished.
Where the road rejoined the main road I continued along to have a quick look at Skarsvag.
And then set up camp for the night near to the Nordkapp road.
A day to remember!
No comments:
Post a Comment