UKC

I am hoping to go to Lofoten in the summer, and it would help to learn of others' experiences with the various travel options:

1: Fly to Oslo, then to Boda and Svolvaer
can you fly to Boda from Torp, hence using Ryanair's cheap flights and option of pre booked excess bags for ample camping gear etc. What are internal flights like for baggage allowance?

2: Drive, this would be nice for a 2 week trip, saves hassle of rent-a-wreck and easier to carry comfortable camping gear, but I know it takes a while. Two options?

a) night ferry from Newcastle to Bergen/Stavanger then long slow drive around the fjords?

b) channel ferry, drive to tip of Denmark, (night in hotel?) and short ferry to Oslo, then more direct/faster drive to Boda than from Bergen/Stavanger

Thanks for help

Kevin

In reply to kevin stephens:

You cannot use the word 'faster' in connection with Norweigan roads! They have stupid speed limits - generally 80k/50mph on perfectly good roads, even dual carridgeways! Occasionally it will get up to 90k or even 100k (62mph), but only on rare motorway sections. Add lots of speed cameras, windy roads, tolls, slow drivers and it will take an age to drive to Lofoten! The drive from Oslo to Kristiansand took 5 1/2 hours for comparisson (Newcastle-Kristiansand is another ferry option).

If you are driving it may be a better bet to drive up through Sweden from Denmark avoiding Norway as long as possible, but personally I'd take the plane.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Really, flying is the only sensible way unless you have at least 3 weeks, and/or very much like driving instead of climbing. The North Sea ferries are extortionate too.

Things have improved in last couple of years due to Norwegian.no, the budget Norwegian airline servicing the north. You can fly them from Stansted to Oslo, then on to Bodo (Ferry to Svolvaer) - or to Harstad/Narvik (Rent a car, then 2 hours leisurely drive to Svolvaer). If you want to go to Stetind as well, this latter is a good option. Looks like about £160 return next July atm.

http://www.norwegian.no/sw7127.asp

Otherwise it's SAS/Wideroe all the way - which is £300+ but takes you right into Svolvaer.

Car hire is expensive but shop around. You can manage without for a week in the Henningsvaer area, but may get itchy feet thereafter. On the plus side, camping is free and supermarket food pefectly reasonable.

In reply to kevin stephens: .. we did flights to stockholm 30quid or soemthing silly. 50 quid for an 18hr train journey to Narvik and then the boat for like a tenner.. took us a couple of days to get there but we had time and no money.. wouldn't bother driving - its a long way and fuel isn't cheap. You might aswell fly all the way!

Do a search on here as i think we listed how we did it cheap when we came back (summer 2003 i think).

email me if you wnata any more details as i think i prob still have links to trains etc.