Arctic Circle Tour - Narvik to Mo I Rana, Norway

It was another long day on the road and much of it through rainy, windy. bleak and very cold countryside. We were heading south into Nordland and across the Arctic Circle to Mo I Rana. The trip was 424 kms and would take the whole day.

The scenery inland from the coast was not as spectacular as it was

the day before when we were travelled along the coastlines of the fjords. What we could see through the rain was very stark – tall mountains with melting snow creating numerous small waterways running down the mountains to the tundra-like terrain.

You could see huts randomly situated throughout the countryside. This must be where people go picking mushrooms and berries which we have heard is a favourite activity of the hearty Norwegians.

One of the things we learnt about was the public hut system. You can turn up at a hut (these range in style and cost) in the wild and be assured of a bed. Huts may be as basic as candles for light, fire for food and a lake for washing or a staffed lodge with hot showers and

toilets.

Payment for beds and provisions, if available, is based on an honesty system where you pay at the end of your stay. The Norwegians are very honest and everything is always 100% paid. Wouldn’t it be great to have that system everywhere?

Close to our final destination we re-crossed the Arctic Circle. We got our passports stamped and as we went into the retail section of the building I discovered that John has an “issue” with trolls.

Trolls are very important in Norwegian folklore so images and statues are everywhere. This became a problem as John would prod or push

them and a couple of times I found him pulling their noses. I couldn’t get any sense out of him – he would just say they were “bad.” At least it took his mind off the price of beer.

Fifty kilometres south of the Arctic Circle we reached Mo I Rana and settled into our hotel Mo I Rana Scandic Meyergarden.

The town has a population just over 18,000 and (of course) is situation on a fjord. The rain was quite heavy so we didn’t venture out.

We had dinner at our hotel and had a look around. The hotel was built around a 19th century building which had a lot of period touches

which were very tasteful. Our rooms were in a newer wing.

Thankfully there were no troll statues or pictures and were able to enjoy a restful night.

Next: Arctic Circle Tour – Mo I Rana to Trondheim, Norway