Off-road in Norway - please help

[Val Ter]

Hi everybody

My name is Valter Quenda, and I write from Turin, north Italy.
Last year I travelled to Morocco and Tunisia with my Fiat Panda 4x4: you can see the photos on my website (see my profile for this).
This year I would like to change direction from south to north, and currently I'm planning to spend my summer holidays in Norway and Finland.
I really love open landscapes, nature and silent places, and my girlfriend loves them too. So I'm looking for some indications that could let me discover really nice places in Norway and Finland.
We would like to have some light (not extreme) off-road experience with our car, but first of all we want to respect the rules of the countries that will host us. This means only authorized tracks.
I'm quite sure that you can greatly help us in planning the tour, that roughly will be a ring from Denmark to Cape North (is this the correct english name?), going up (or down) from Finland and back (or vice-versa) from Norway. We will have the full August month for the trip.
Thank you in advance for your help and don't hesitate to ask for more information.

Valter Quenda

[Per Yngve Berg]

The only organized large tour in Scandinavia is the Sweden Offroad Tour http://www.swedenoffroad.com which runs 10-25 july. That I understand is out of your time frame. However we can give some links to local clubs, so you can plan your own tour.

In the south Arendal has 4 tracks http://www.arendaloffroadklubb.com/kjorefelt.htm
Svarstad, Vestfold http://home.c2i.net/stikkakselen/startsiden.htm
Nord-Odal, Hedmark http://home.c2i.net/khdahl/ Actvity every saturday.
Rena, Hedmark (6000 daa) http://offroaders.net//[url]
Offroad club Trøndelag http://home.c2i.net/dirtyjeep/ORTavis.htm
Bergen, Hordaland: [url="http://www.offroadershordaland.net"]http://www.offroadershordaland.net://http://home.c2i.net/dirtyjeep/ORTav...rshordaland.net

This is just a few of the local clubs and tracks. Some are open several days a week and other only for spesific arrangements. Contact the club so you are there when there are some activity. But this is a good starting point to plan your trip.
Have a nice holidy in Norway.

97 TJ 2,5L, Warn 8000i

[Val Ter]

Well, thank you for your kind answer: I'll take a look to the website you proposed.
Reading your answer I realized that maybe my question wasn't so clear, so I'll try to explain myself a little bit more (sorry!)
I suppose that roads in Norway are more or less as in any other place in Europe, I mean you have a lot of paved road that connect almost every village to the main roads of your country.
From this point of view the situation is of course very different from the one you can find for example in Africa (or in some countries of eastern Europe) where you *have* to travel off-road to reach some villages/places of interest and so on...
The question is if there are places of interest in Norway that I could reach driving on unpaved roads, and the reason for this is the possibility to reach some places out of the "normal" touristical routes, and to have a closer contact with nature and places.
Of course I suppose that many of these roads, if they exist, will be subjected to some kind of restrictions, and I would not like to go into troubles.
So if you know some maps, road-book or websites on the net I could check to find some track you could help me to program the tour.

Thank you again, bye!

Valter

[Blom]

Please feel free to visit this website for a lot of good suggestions : http://www.lrforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4148

Most roads in Norway ar of quite ok standards, but in remote areas yo will find a lot of smaller roads that are very narrow and with a lot of turns. Up in the mountains and into the forests there are quite a number of private maintained toll-roads that often does not lead to a spesific place, but into an area, a lake or a wood or something.

Probably the longest non-paved toll-road is the "Jotunheimveien" and it goes from Bygdin (north of Fagernes) to Skåbu west of Vinstra. This is unpaved road.

I guess most of the offroad courses here is for the more hard-core offroaders and not especially suitable for a Panda 4x4, but feel free to try out or just visit if somethings comes along your route.

Blom - 1990 Hilux X-cab og Suki LJ80

[93ZJ]

Hello Valter!
Welcome to Norway this summer. I agree very much with BLOM when it comes to what to expect from OFF-ROAD driving in Norway. I think most norwegian OFF-ROAD areas are too hardcore for a Panda. But if you pass an event on your trip, you can try your Panda or ride shotgun with some of the Norwegian guys.
In Norway we have a lot of scenic roads you can drive if you stay away from the main roads.
If you can indicate how long time you plan to stay in Norway, I'm sure you can get a lot of good advice on this site about where to go, and what to see. Personally I would spend more time along the coastline than in the mountains. The coastline is what's unique about Norway, with a few exceptions.



OME + ALU-BB (3" tot), 31" GY AT/R, JKS QD, SKIDS, RUSTY'S TOWHOOKS

[Val Ter]

Hi!

Thank you again for your replies!
I visited some of the sites you suggested and I agree with you: it would be a nonsense to come in Norway to have *that* kind of offroad with my Panda.
Anyway I'm sure you understood that I'm looking for some light offroad, not for a "trial" experience, and that I just want to reach some remote places.
It's the same thing I usually do in Italy: here we have, on the Alps, a lot of unpaved, narrow roads that lead to lonely, wild places where you can enjoy contact with nature. Well, this is exactly what I mean when I say that I'm looking for some light offroad.
Of course I understand that your country is quite big, and it would be impossible to give some suggestions without knowing where I'm going to go. OK, I'll post as soon as possible a draft of my itinerary, but it will be just an hypothesis that will be subject to change, maybe because of your hints and suggestions.
Thank you, for the moment, and see you soon.

Valter

[93ZJ]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" id="quote"><b id="quote">Kopi av melding:</b id="quote"></font id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote"><font size="1" id="quote">
Thank you, for the moment, and see you soon.

Valter

<i><div align="right">Opprinnelig postet av Val Ter</div id="right"></i>
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Anytime Valter. I'm sure that people around Norway that frequent this site will come up with suggestions when you have made a preliminary route and time scedule for your trip.

Tor

OME + ALU-BB (3" tot), 31" GY AT/R, JKS QD, SKIDS, RUSTY'S TOWHOOKS

[Val Ter]

Hi everybody

I finally set up a website dedicated to next summer trip in Norway. You can find it at the address:

http://www.panda4x4norway.splinder.it/

I will update it on a more-or-less daily basis, but it will grow essentially with the comments and the suggestions of people that shall visit it.
This means you!
I will propose some arguments, focused on different regions of Norway, and I'll wait for hints and comments to decide where to go and what to do.
The starting region is Finnmark...come and leave your comments!
Thank you in advance, bye!

Valter

[Chevysub]

Hi Val Ter. Here you have some pictures from a private off road area. I would love to see your Panda 4X4 follow this US Trucks in too the woods

My camera is ready for you

Welcome to Norway.

<img src='http://www.offroad.no/snitz/uploaded/chevysub/Bilder offroad hos Trond 022.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>


<img src='http://www.offroad.no/snitz/uploaded/chevysub/Bilder offroad hos Trond 010.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

<img src='http://www.offroad.no/snitz/uploaded/chevysub/Bilder offroad hos Trond 057.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>




Subbeløs, men ikke motløs

[Chevysub]

PS: This me and my 86 Chevy Suburban




Subbeløs, men ikke motløs

[sortland]

If you come to Stavanger in Norway, just mail me and I will show you the Norwegian landscape.

-------------------------

Det er der som det er umulig å komme fram det er gøy å kjøre!

[Val Ter]

Hi to all!

Chevysub, no problem to follow you to your private off road area with the Panda...it will be sufficient to put the Panda into the luggage compartment of your pick-up and that's all!!!:D:D
I think this is the only way to follow you!
Nothing easier in Norway?!!
Sortland...I don't exclude that we will pass near Stavanger during the trip, but up to now I don't' still have a clear idea of how the trip will be, but I'll mail you if we are in Stavanger's surroundings!

Anyway, just a question I posted yesterday on the site dedicated to my trip to Norway (http://www.panda4x4norway.splinder.it/): do you know how long is the track by foot to reach Knivskjelodden beach on Mageroya island? Nine or eighteen kilometers? I ask because it is not clear from the official papers if eighteen kilometers is the total or just half distance...
I know this has nothing to do with off-road...well, at least with off-road done with vehicles...

Have a nice day, bye!

Valter

[Jeepster]

Hi Valter!

The complete tour to Knivsjelodden is 18 km, approx 4 hours, the fee for the road is 140,- nkr for car, and 45,- nkr each pass.

Trond

[Renegade]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" id="quote"><b id="quote">Kopi av melding:</b id="quote"></font id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote"><font size="1" id="quote">Hi to all!

Chevysub, no problem to follow you to your private off road area with the Panda...it will be sufficient to put the Panda into the luggage compartment of your pick-up and that's all!!!:D:D
I think this is the only way to follow you!
Nothing easier in Norway?!!
Sortland...I don't exclude that we will pass near Stavanger during the trip, but up to now I don't' still have a clear idea of how the trip will be, but I'll mail you if we are in Stavanger's surroundings!

Anyway, just a question I posted yesterday on the site dedicated to my trip to Norway (http://www.panda4x4norway.splinder.it/): do you know how long is the track by foot to reach Knivskjelodden beach on Mageroya island? Nine or eighteen kilometers? I ask because it is not clear from the official papers if eighteen kilometers is the total or just half distance...
I know this has nothing to do with off-road...well, at least with off-road done with vehicles...

Have a nice day, bye!

Valter


<i><div align="right">Opprinnelig postet av Val Ter</div id="right"></i>
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From the map on www.visveg.no it looks like it is about 4 km from the road to Nordkapp, or about 8 km total *BUT* this is more or less a guess based on the shortest distance around the fjord.
If it says eigheteen km, then that has to be both ways.

www.visveg.no:
Søk etter adresse = search for address, enter adress details below
Gate = name of street
Nr = house /building no in street
Kommune = name of city / official name of area

Søk etter stedsnavn = search for name of the area
Stedsnavn = name of area
Kommune = name of city / offical name of the area

You enter the things you know about the area & hit <enter> (or clikck the <søk> (search) button.

Example:
You were looking for: Knivskjelodden
Since this isn't a name of a city or kommune, i used the bottom of the two search windows
You will then get a map window, which has a zoom function. It also has a distance scale in the bottom right corner.

Advanced function:
"Gå videre til ruteplanleggeren" = proceed to the trip planning tool.
Here you will get details like road numbers, distances etc.
It is in norwergian, so it is perhaps a little bit difficult to use.

www.viamichelin.com is perhaps a better choiche, but not as detailed as Visveg.....




Regards,
PerJ