Solo Traveller to Norway

kerry4sam

Norway is next on my Must-Visit. I just cannot decide on how to get there:
~ Drive from Ireland -> UK -> France -> Denmark -> Norway. I've never done anything like this before so a challenge it will be.
~ Fly to either Oslo or Bergen and rent a car and go solo
~ Uptake one of the Self-Drive tours mentioned here.

I know my own car; know when their is a problem and can identify such (with a dictionary and guide-book in varying languages) for travelling. I would be more comfortable driving my own car than not being familiar with a rental, while on my own, and having to rely on garages en route then for their honesty and fair-pricing should anything happen.

I have read this ; this ; useful info here ; along with reading about some of the Northern Lights threads here ; here ; and here.

I will obviously be researching visiting Norway sites like this and this and other countries I will be travelling through en route should I decide to drive from Ireland.

If anyone has travelled to Norway, on their own, you might pop in here and share some advice & info for me please.

Now, this won't be under-taken for some few months so just very early planning to ensure I encounter as few issues as possible when I get to the stage of purchasing anything.

Thanks in advance,
kerry4sam

symbolic

I'm off to Oslo for four days next month, I'll let you know how I get on!

The train journey from Oslo to Bergen is suppose to be fantastic. Maybe you should try work that into your plans.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

kerry4sam

^^^ Thanks You Two! Anything you want to send my way, please do

I have been reading up on the driving advice, thankfully their is so much available online incl

Driving out from a tunnel, over a bridge spanning a deep gorge, back into a tunnel, then down a 12% gradient is something to be remembered.

- Interesting to put it mildly.

I'm looking more into driving: AA are putting it at min 34hrs 34mins from my home-town to Bergen. Now, it will certainly be a case of "More the journey, than the destination" for this trip.

I could fly and rent a car but tbh, I've never really seen the UK; never been to France; have been to Belgium and Germany; never been to the Netherlands nor Denmark or Norway so so much to explore and experience.
Trip of a life-time once I plan this right I think

Cost-wise: It would be better to fly & rent a car. However, if I up-take a self-drive tour and take in the UK, France, Netherlands and Denmark another time, then I've more days to explore Norway.

From my research to date, the ideal time for travelling for driving will be from May -> September as outside of that temperatures drop significantly and driving restrictions and warnings increase. That's also the time where my work is at it's busiest too so that's something else to seriously consider. I'd give myself 2-days to get there and 2-days to return; with at least 3-days there to explore so min of a week off for this holier.

Very early days as I said. So much to consider & weigh up.
Planning aplenty to do for me,

Thanks again,
kerry4sam

bladebrew

Sounds like a great plan! Take a look at the website Europebycamper.com, it's a couple who drove from England to Norway and then around the rest of Europe, I would love to do it someday,Norway looks stunning in their photos!

kerry4sam

^^^ Thanks for that linkie - so much useful info in there I'd never heard of that site, but it's full of helpful advice. You can't beat first-hand info like that.

More info found by me: Just have a look here for 15 of The Most Fascinating Places in Norway.

That Atlantic Road is somewhere I'd like to cycle, must find out if possible though! wasn't planning on bringing my own bike but...

Oh Camping under the Aurora Borealis! Decisions, decisions!

Tabnabs

What time of the year are you going?

There's a "secret" ferry that only a few know about direct from the UK to Norway also, cuts out a big chunk of the cost of getting there along with a huge distance.

kerry4sam

Tabnabs wrote: »

What time of the year are you going?

There's a "secret" ferry that only a few know about direct from the UK to Norway also, cuts out a big chunk of the cost of getting there along with a huge distance.

Don't want to state on a public forum when tbh Tabnabs for a few reasons, namely security, but also due to the fact I have not decided for definite yet - still at planning stage.

It should be between May and September (incl) though if that would make any difference?

I've read up on ferries from the UK to Norway which could be an option to reduce mileage and costs for one way, but have not yet located a definite ferry, only talks of one for 2014.
Have you heard or do you know different?

Thanks,
kerry4sam