The Polar trip
Part 1 The trip up
It all started with a post on the R3W message Board some 18 Months / 2 years ago but the initial plans all fell apart to some extent with various folks dropping out. A few of the Bug club decided we still wanted to give it a go and along with Geoff and Elvis we all met on the 7th June for the big trip. The Bugs were to be driven by Jeff Ellis who had put a route together, Richard Honeybun, Rory Lynas and Myself.
THE JOURNEY UP
Day 1..
We all met at Dover docks after Rory and I had
driven down together. Geoff and Elvis had come in "New Blue" Geoff's Robin
resplendent in its rally trim and complete with 2 spare wheels on the back.
The
ferry over was very pleasant as we had paid extra for a decent upgrade away from
the screaming hoards of kids. Our first stop was Eindhoven in Holland and it was
here we had our first puncture. Rory had picked up a nail but this was sorted
with a spare from Geoff.
Day two..
The following day was my 50th Birthday and this was fairly memorable for a number of factors. Firstly we were cruising down a German Autobahn in a contra flow with the usual German trucks bearing down on us when Rory had a 2nd Puncture. Due to the precarious position we were in there was a huge rush and with the precision of a Formula one team we got the wheel changed in record time. Things didn't end there though as in my panic to stop I had snapped a wire from the ignition switch to the coil thus My Bug then refused to start. Jeff diagnosed the problem and we hot wired the Bug and continued the journey up the road where the rest were waiting our arrival. Geoff then did a more permanent repair on the wire we had bodged (I have decided to leave this in situ).
The camp site in Bremen Germany made us really welcome with bottles of lager and as it was my Birthday a bottle of Brandy. We had a bit of a celebration including a cake Jeff had bought along. Germany were playing in the European Cup and went on to win the match.
Day 3..
Bremmen to Tappernoje. Our 3rd day involved a
ferry crossing and a bit of Island hoping with the plan to reach Halmsted. This
journey involved a ferry crossing and all went well until we disembarked. Rory
reported a strange knocking noise and this was quickly diagnosed as a Prop shaft
problem. At this point I was wishing I had bought the spare prop I had intended
to pack but luckily Jeff had packed a UJ Kit and there was then some discussion
on how we should proceed. Having been on many Long journeys in the Bug and
having come out off a few scrapes including trying to get a wheel bearing sorted
in the Highlands of Scotland we were fairly confident we could get this sorted.
I must say I was very impressed when Geoff laid into the shaft on the side of
the road and within a short time had the new unit fitted.
I find the early part of Europe fairly uninspiring with regards the views but as we went further North the landscape got better and better. Day 3s camp site was a nice quite site.
Day 4
The longest drive ever in a Bond Bug! Some years ago a few of us drove from Scotland to home in one day. Today we did 446 Miles and the views and roads were getting better. The wind was a problem especially for Richard who was on Cross plies he also had battery charging problem so at one point we had to bump start him but a new earth lead later cured the problem. On this journey Geoff led us of the main road onto a dirt track which led to a very nice cafe he had spotted from the road. The plan was to get to the Campsite in Oslo before 12 pm as the site shut at this time. We managed this with just 2 minutes to spare.
Day 5
After all the miles it was great to have a day free from the Bugs. While Elvis, Geoff and Rory went of to find a tyre repair depot the rest of us took a local Bus into Oslo. Oslo is well worth a visit with a boat service trafficking travellers to the Museums and around the harbour. One musuem well worth a look is the Viking Ship Museum. These Ships had been preserved in the earth after being used by the Vikings as part of a Royal Burial. despite the fact they had been burnt at the time they were in remarkable good condition -Makes you wonder what a Reliant Regal I Buried in a wood would look like in a couple of thousand years.
Oslo Camping
Another Museum well worth a look is the Fram Museum a short walk away. The Fram was built as a polar exploration ship and is open to be walked upon and contains plenty of relics from the Era. Across a court yard there is also the Kon Tiki exhibit.
Geoff Elvis and Rory had also been of exploring and had managed to get the 2 tyres repaired free of charge. The advantage of our vehicles was we would always get a crowd of locals asking questions and taking photos and Geoff was also managing to get a few to sign his boot including some dignitaries from an embassy in Oslo.
Day 6
This Day it was the turn of Elvis and Geoff to break down. At first we figured it was a fuel problem and as it turned out it was. The breather to the Robins petrol tank must have been blocked as there was a huge inrush of air as the filler cap was removed. The cure was to drill a small hole in the neck. At one point the local police came along but saw we had everything in order and left us alone despite the fact we were in a busy traffic lane- We all carried florescent Jackets and would put out the Orange Triangle when needed.
The scenery was really getting better with the route taking us over a mountain complete with our first site of snow. The temperature was bloody cold but at least none of us had had any over heating problems.
The camp site in Trondheim was not overly impressive with road building work being carried out through the night But I think we slept OK to be woken up rain.
Day 7
I awoke today to the sound of the rain on canvas and just knew it was going to be one of them days. Firstly my Bug run out of petrol as I had not filled the tank properly due to an airlock and then I got separated from the others after looking out for Jeff who was behind. Jeff had taken 1 loop around a roundabout while the rest of us had taken 2 so unbeknown to me he was now in front (In convoy we always keep an eye on the car behind). I then continued up a road instead of turning right. As we found on the Round Britain trip Walkie Talkies are are god send in situations like this so after a bit of a panic we managed to find each other again. They say things run in 3 and it was the case here. It started to rain heavily and trucks were thundering passed when FGU decided enough was enough and ground to a halt. As I suspected the dizzy was dripping wet but despite a liberal coat of damp start from Geoff in the Bug Support Vehicle or Mr Bean as it was often called the engine would not fire up. We changed the Distributor cap and Rota arm but by this time the power pack was flat so had to push start it. From then on it was plain sailing with some really fantastic roads with lakes and Waterfalls to admire. Tonight we camped in a really nice site that was situated on the side of a lake and came complete with mountain views.
Day 8
Today it was going to be a bit of an epic- Would we cross the Arctic Circle in 4 1970s Bond Bugs and a Reliant Robin?
All the cars seemed to behaving themselves and the views were excellent although as yet we had seen no reindeer. Up and up we drove until eventually there was a small sign "Arctic circle 2 Kilometres". No great big signs or a line in the road but there was a visitors centre and a few statues. The visitors centre had a hill to the right and on top you could build a stone pile in honour of a friend or loved one. At this point my camera decided it was going to eat batteries and the following day it packed up completely. After leaving the Arctic we still had a day and a half's drive to our final destination so we pressed on and caught a ferry.
Geoff and Elvis Arctic Circle FGU at the Statue
Day 9
There are some journeys or should I say parts of a journey you never forget. Today we had one of those! After a wait for a ferry we had made our way up and over snow capped mountains and through Forrest and Fiords when we came across the mother of all roads.
The road just disappeared and all we had
to drive on was crushed rock. For what seemed like 5 miles we bumped and crashed
our way over with a shear drop into the sea on one side.
At one point we had to repair Jeff's towing bracket that had finally succumbed to the relentless pounding. Richard was also having problems with his chassis and trailing arm mount. Eventually much to our relief the road re started. Today we also had our first site of reindeers so stopped to take some photos. Later on in the journey they appeared like sheep in Wales it seemed where ever you looked there was a reindeer . Today was a 380 mile drive but we were now in sniffing distance of Northcape our destination. The camp site was about 20 miles from Northcape so we pitched up beside a fjord with mountain views behind.
I really enjoyed the last part of the journey. The roads were clear and you could see around the bends to spot oncoming traffic. Even though it was late the midnight sun made it appear daylight. Geoff and Elvis were leading the convoy and I was powering the Bug around these lovely bends - Sheer bliss.
Day 10
Today was going to be the big one- The big push to the top from base camp. OK it was a fairly short drive but it was going to be the culmination of many a sleepless night. I couldn't really be bothered if FGU broke down now, In my eyes my Bug had made it.
There is only one road to Northcape so we headed out of camp and up the road to our final destination. Northcape was a bit of a tourist trap with its Visitors centre and Museum but once you came out of the centre for the short walk to the statue which is situated on top of the cliffs the wind buffeted and it was one of the coldest places I can ever remember. The views across to the cliffs on the right were fairly spectacular but hoards of coach parties made photograph taking fairly difficult.
I had bought a bottle of Champagne with me so
We opened this and had a we tipple before heading back inside the Visitors
centre for a warm drink. On our return I was quite surprised to see a Reliant
heading up the road towards us. It turned out to be R3W regular Lars with his co
driver (Whose name escapes me).
He
had driven up from Holland but had had a bit of a run in with the Norwegian
Police who had fined him £400 as an on the spot fine for driving up a one way
street. They hadn't even seen him do it but he had been reported. Lars would
return later and we had a celebratory meal in a local hotel.
Day 11
Time to head back home.
Richard had set off early in an effort to get his chassis repaired at a local garage after it had developed a crack and wear on the trailing link support. The rest of us followed a few hours later and met him at the garage where they had done some serious repairs involving welding and bolting on plates. Jeff had also done a more permanent repair on his towing bracket following its hasty repair on the side of the road. This was achieved with the aid of part of a telegraph pylon found by Geoff the day before.
We had to head back down the road we had come up on 2 days earlier it was then a question of heading for Finland. Most border crossing go without a hitch as you just drive from one country to another sometimes missing the border sign. Not so the Finnish Border. I was following Geoff and Elvis in New Blue when the brothers were flagged down by a border guard. I shall never forget this guys face as I pulled in behind the Reliant Robin followed by another Bond Bug then another Bond Bug and then another Bond Bug. It was a look of complete horror- A sort of "Oh god what have I done here". We all piled out and exchanged pleasantries with the guards who were asking general questions on the strange 3 wheelers from England. We had nothing to declare and I doubt whether they had the inclination to search us so let us carry on or merry way.
It was then a case of
driving through Finland but wondered if it was possible we
could blag or way into Russia that was only a 45 Kilometre detour.
The road to
Russia was fairly deserted and at one point I caught site of a watch tower high
above the trees. I suspected the Russians knew we were coming and on approaching
the border signs it said photographs was prohibited. Why I shall never know it
was just a border surrounded by fir trees. Geoff then did his best to persuade
the border patrols to let us enter Russia and then drive straight back out but
as we had no papers they politely refused but did let us take some photos while
a friendly dog checked us out.
We then headed back to Ivalo and what was to be our last night together. From now on it was to be the 4 Bugs on there lonesome while Elvis and Geoff headed off via a different route home. How would we cope with out the Bug Support Vehicle? We still had a bloody long way to go.
Day 12
Geoff and Elvis were up early and packed before I was fully conscious (That's not saying much I'm never one for getting up early). We said or good byes and wished the Lads bon voyage. It was sad to see the lads head off. None of us really new the Payne Brothers well before the trip but on a personal level I thought they were a great bunch and hope to see them both at Bug events etc in the future. We left a few hours later and headed South with the intension of calling in at Lapland to see Santa.
The Arctic Circle in Norway is fairly bleak The Finnish version is a lot more commercialised with its Santa Grotto and Souvenir shops. It had to be done so we popped into see Santa and told him all about our exploits in these strange 3 wheeled cars from England. He spoke perfect English and seemed quite impressed when we told him where we had been. After the obligatory photo I said to Jeff I would like to get a Photo of FGU on the Arctic Circle line that was set in stone outside Santa's Grotto.
The problem was Cars were not allowed in. I argued that technically my Bug was neither a car or Bike so while no one was looking drove it into position then whipped out took some photos and then drove off.
Our first night after leaving Geoff and Elvis was spent in Tornio following a 264 mile drive through some somewhat uninspiring countryside. Fir tree followed Fir tree But at least all the cars were running well and we were making good time.
Day 13
The following day we headed south along the Baltic coast where we caught the odd glimpse of water through the trees. All the Bugs were behaving themselves again although both Jeff and Rory had problems with there front tyres. The 2 Bugs had both worn out the off side edge of the tyre for some reason so were replaced at the campsite. Rory was now running radials on the rear with a cross ply on the front but had no ill effects with handling. At this point we gave the Bugs the once over. My Bugs brakes didn't seem as good as they should be so I adjusted them and they now seem a hell of a lot better- Jeff informed me its best to adjust the top front brake shoe first. Today we had covered 244 miles and spent the night in Umea Sweden.
Day 14
As the day before the Bugs had seemed to have settled down to the task in hand and were all running perfectly the plan was not to thrash the cars but to keep to a steady 50. Today’s destination was Hudiksvall in Sweden still on the Baltic with 234 miles covered stopping at one point to admire the local ski slope.
Day 15
Next stop was to be Stockholm where we were looking forward to a day off and this was easily reached with our final 260 mile drive down the Baltic.
Day 16
Stockholm has a lot to see including the Vasa.
The Vasa was a ship that sunk on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was raised in 1961 and now has a purposely designed museum. If you fancy a stay in Stockholm its an easy place to get around in with a tube and Bus service
Day 18
Our final stop in Sweden was L Junby a 269 mile drive through the South of the country and a very quite site set in pine forests. Yet again no problems were experienced with the cars. We all fancied seeing Copenhagen so the plan was to get fairly close so we could spend half a day sightseeing.
Day 19
The Next Morning following a few hours on the open road we took a ferry from Helinsborg to Helsingor and we were now in Denmark the shortest trip of the 3 weeks at just 119 miles. This left us a few hours to catch the tube and then jump on a ferry for a trip along the canals and waterways of Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is probably most famous for its little Mermaid which attracts plenty of photographers. The next day the visitors had something else to photograph as we pulled up in the Bugs and illegally parked in the coach lane. It seemed we were getting as much interest in our funny little 3 wheelers as the mermaid. Driving in Copenhagen was a bit of an experience. Having set of we were in the midst of the rush hour traffic with only the sat navs telling us where to go. At one point while trying to keep together I dropped a Walkie talkie out of the window and it clattered to bits in the traffic. Fortunately I managed a quick recovery and later re assembled the bits.
It was then a case of Island hopping to Busdorf in Germany a total of 238 Miles. We had hopped to reach Bremen where we had been warmly welcomed by the German host before but didn't make it so camped in yet another friendly site where we cheered on Germany in the European cup. Jeff decided to buck the trend and support Turkey but as Germany won the lynching didn't take place.
Day 20
Our Final stop followed a 340 Mile drive through Holland and across the Afsluitdijk. This is a 20 mile dyke with the sea on one side and a lake on the other. We had driven across this some years ago but was well worth a second look. The camp site was just down the road from the end and it was great by Thomas Toux along with his family plus Lars and Shawn who we had met at Northcape. We were made really welcome here with some bubbly and tails of our travells.
Day 21
Well that was it our final day together.
The further I got home the bigger the grin got. First it was the Hertfordshire sign then coming off the M25 then pulling into Hemel Hempstead and finally pulling into my village. I've done some pretty amazing trips in my 37 year old lump of plastic and FGU always seems to get me home. It was late but my parents heard me arrive and walked down the village to congratulate me.
Altogether we had done 5500 miles each. FGU had used 1 1/2 litres of oil plus some water plus plenty of petrol but had done me proud.
Thanks to all the lads who made the trip worth while.
................
As a foot note Elvis has produced a book on how him and Geoff got on with the challenge in their Reliant Robin. I will post all the details later.
