Our plan to take the slow road to Tromsø didn’t work out, as the overnight stops we’d earmarked just weren’t suitable – either lay-bys which were too close to the E6 road, or a place off the E6, but situated in muddy puddles – so we ended up on a fairly long drive from Burfjord to Hatteng.
Leaving Burfjord, the road quickly took us across the mountains where it had recently snowed, with slush in places on the road. Further along we descended and the road led us along the picturesque Lyngen Fjord, with the snow capped Lyngen Alps on the opposite shore. We did get stuck in some traffic for a while, as they’re tunnelling through the rock and there was a contraflow which went on for several kilometres, but listening to podcasts made the journey seem quicker. We met up with two British vans on the drive, two couples from Kent, and there was another couple from Newcastle parked up at our overnight stop in Hatteng, so it’s good to know that we’re not the only Brits in these parts.
The facilities at Hatteng are great – it was just like a French aire. This morning we set the alarm so that we could make an early start to get to Tromsø, some 80 km away, before the car parks became full. We made it in good time, and paid for a five hour ticket.
The weather was cold and damp, so we wrapped up well and set off. It’s a rather compact little town, so it didn’t take long to cross to the other side. We eventually found the tourist information office, and the lady there marked some cafés and other points of interest on our map. She actually admitted that there isn’t much to see and do other than visit the museums and churches, or take a ride up the mountain in a cable car (a waste of time on an overcast grey day). After a coffee, we went for a walk around the town and had a mooch round the shops. We came across quite a few stolpersteine as well.
At lunchtime we went to a fish restaurant for our first meal out in Norway. At 195 NOK (€19.50), the fish and chips has to be the most we’ve ever paid for one serving, but we haven’t yet paid a penny for our overnight stops, so it’s just a case of swings and roundabouts. The food was great, and we enjoyed our lunch.
Back at the van, we drove across to our stop for the night at Olsborg. Tomorrow we shall drive up to the island of Senja.
Mike