Arctic Circle Tour - Saariselka, Finland to Honningsvag, Norway

Still heading north we left Finland mid-morning – Saariselkä is just 168 km from the Norwegian border.

Our first stop was at Sapmi Park just inside Norway. During the summer it is a cultural theme park that presents Sami culture in an

interactive way however we were a bit late in the season so were only able to see the museum. The park is in Karasjok, a Sami town of 3,000 people and 60,000 reindeer.

As we headed further north we travelled along the east side of Porsangen Fjord (our first of MANY fjords) up to the the island of Mageroya (4,000 people and 5,000 reindeer).

We drove to North Cape (Nordkapp) which is Europe’s last northern outpost, on a sheer cliff rising 305 meters from the Atlantic Ocean. The most northerly point in Europe North Cape is about 2,000 km from the North Pole. A little way down the mountain slope stands the rock formation known as the “North Cape Horn”, which is an ancient Sami site of sacrifice.

We were fortunate that it wasn’t raining or foggy and that we could actually see the Barent Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean). It was very cold with strong wind off the Arctic. It was grey and bleak and at this time of the year the day was only 16 hours long. There were a few hardy motorhome tourers huddled in the car park preparing the stay

the night or at least until “sunset”.

The tourist centre, known as North Cape Hall, was really interesting with museums, underground tunnels and an underground church. We celebrated our trip to the most northerly spot in Europe as tradition demands with a glass of sparkly. The cost of alcohol in Norway is quite expensive. John was very distraught, grumbled every time he bought a drink and hasn't stopped complaining that Renvieg didn't warn him about this before we left home.

We continued to our destination at Honningsvag and stayed at the Scandic hotel there. Honningsvag is the northernmost city in Norway in an area known as Finnmark County. Honningsvåg also on the island of Mageroya and is an important port as it is ice-free. The city is overlooked by a large hill which has numerous snow barriers

protecting the houses. The average annual temperature is 2 degrees.

We had dinner at the hotel (more assorted fish dishes) and an evening walk around the port area in the twilight. It was here that I learnt of John's dislike of Trolls which was unfortunate as there are many of them in Norway due to their significant in foke lore.

Next: Arctic Circle Tour – Honningsvag to Alta, Norway, 26 August 2017