Saturday 24 June 2023 - Furoy to Hauknes

180 miles

 

No more rain but awoke to another dull cloudy and cool day. Breakfast, a full domestic service as we're on a campsite of course then round to the ferry which was just loading so no wait. Autoferry Pass worked okay again then a 12 minute crossing before joining a convoy of at least 7 motorhomes - we were tail-end Charlie of course. Despite the gloomy weather it was still a nice drive with more tunnels - we're doing more "night" driving than we ever do at home!

Crossing the Arctic Circle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another ferry, Jektvik to Kilboghamn (slips neatly off the tongue doesn't it?) which took an hour so we had a coffee and a cheese bun each which cost us £16.37 - eek! At least the ferry itself was a freebie, some of them are and more are to become free later in the year as we learned from the little booklet that Bren picked up from the campsite office. During this trip we crossed the Arctic Circle but nothing seemed to be made about it. Bren wanted a new Arctic Circle T-shirt so we thought we'd have a side trip back up to the visitor centre north of Mo I Rana. Seemed a bit daft but it's unlikely we'll be back this way again so why not? A very late lunch when we got there then a visit to the shop to make the desired purchase(s!). Ah well, you can't take it with you. But the nice lady did explain how we could claim the tax back, probably worth making the effort although if we have to declare it returning to the UK...........

Returned to Mo I Rana for fuel then rather than go back the way we'd come we saw that we could get back "on route" by using a small diversion and a different ferry to the one we would have had to use. However it was getting late so Bren checked out P4N and chose a likely looking place just a short distance down the road - "that one, you've passed it". It did look okay though so we turned around and found the way in with a few vans already parked up. Located ourselves on a nice enough spot then settled in. We later found the advertised facilities, not much but all free, a short distance down the pathway to a beach and Community Hall. The site is next to a railway line and hopefully, as it's Saturday night, it won't be busy; that said a freight train did pass later on but it wasn't too noisy.

But the best thing is that the weather has improved and as I write late evening the sky is clear but it is quite cool. However the forecast for the next few days is fine and warm again.