This morning we decided to ignore Basil’s warning light about the airbag and push on to Nordkapp. We can consult a Fiat dealer in three of four days when we reach Alta. Having read the fine print on the Fiat Assist literature it said they would rescue us if the a fault prevented us from moving, and a warning light about airbags hardly prevents us from moving. As it turned out we travelled 68 miles until the the light came on briefly, then it went off and stayed off for the rest of the journey. A very intermittent fault – the worst kind!
Our intention was the finish our journey to Nordkapp today because the weather was forecast to be good which would enhance our chance of seeing the midnight sun. In reality we are likely to be far enough north for the midnight sun for the next two weeks, but it would be nice to see it at Nordkapp.
Before we left I got my birding lens and hunted out an Oystercatcher, which had been making a racket around Basil’s overnight spot. I could only find one, but I got a good shot.
Oystercathcher
As we started our journey the wildlife kept coming. I very quickly saw a Sea Eagle close to the shore trying to catch some waterfowl chicks, who were floating enticingly on the still surface of the sea. As it made each attempt it was mobbed by a gull, which perhaps had its own chicks nearby. As the Eagle repeatedly dived on the duck chicks they would bob under the water at just the right moment. This, together with the pestering gull, finally foxed the Sea Eagle and he gave up. It was a fascinating sight and this time I did get my birding lens out quickly enough, but the distance was a little too big for a first rate shot, but I got these two which clearly shows the Eagle’s species.
Sea Eagle otherwise known as White Tailed Eagle
Sea Eagle
We carried on up the fjord coast on a road which must have been very difficult to build. We went through a number of tunnels of over 2 km in length, some of which were very narrow for two passing vehicles. The final tunnel under the sea to get to Nordkapp is over seven miles long; certainly the longest tunnel of this trip so far.
The scenery has been spectacular on our journey today. I know the fjords will be much more impressive as we head south, but already the scenery is outstanding. Because the weather has been so good today the sea has, at times, been of a turquoise colour reminding us of the mediterranean. As we emerged from one tunnel Sarah correctly commented that we could have been coming out of a tunnel in northern Italy.
The forests have now completely disappeared and it is just bleak but beautiful moorland. The reindeer have also been more numerous than in Finland. Perhaps we can see them more clearly because they are not hidden by all those trees, but today we have seen whole herds of them on the hillsides and again they have held Basil up a few times.
View on our journey
View on our journey
We finally arrived at Nordkapp for lunch. We knew we faced a steep fee (540Kr (€57)) for entry, but it’s a once in lifetime event. The car park had the largest collection of motorhomes we have seen on our travels. There must be over 100 parked up at any one time and they come from a vast array of nations. Over the last two days we have seen motorhomes from 20 different nations and there are probably more here. The entrance fee entitles you to stay here for 24 hours and I suspect many will stay overnight. There are of course cars here as well and coaches. Cruise ships dock at nearby Honningsvag and bus their passengers in. I met some New Zealanders who are literally on an around the world cruise. They have sailed from Aukland, via Europe to here and then cross the Atlantic, via Iceland, go down the North American coast, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and home. It apparently takes a little over 100 days!
The world’s largest collection of motorhomes? This is but a small fraction.
Nordkapp is a little bit of a con, because it is billed as Europe’s most northerly point. In fact it is not even the most northerly point on this island. There is a headland to our west which is slightly further north, but takes a 18km hike to reach. Much further to our East is, in fact, the most northerly point on the EU mainland, it is still in Norway, but that takes a nearly 40 km hike through bogs to reach. And then of course there’s Russia…. So the best that can really be said about Nordkapp is that it is the most northerly point in the EU than can be reached by road!!
Nordkapp is however impressive. It sits on top of dramatic 300 metre high cliffs and if you are lucky, which we haven’t been today, you can often sea whales making their way round the northern Norwegian coast. The visitor centre is also classy for this type of place, with a diverting panorama film about Nordkapp through the seasons included in the ticket price. There is, of course, a tourist tat shop, but is all top quality at matching prices! There is even a chapel and some exhibits about the history of Nordkapp. Hardly worth 540 Kr, but it could have been worse.
Nordkapp
We will overnight here (71.167955, 25.779507) and are, of course, waiting for midnight when we will hope the skies are clear enough to see the midnight sun. There is cloud cover at the moment, with large breaks, so with luck we may get a glimpse, but really we are just amazed to be here, at the top of the world.
*This is one of James Cagney’s most famous lines in White Heat, where he plays a deranged criminal, who in the final scene, standing atop a huge storage tank at a chemical plant, is cornered by the authorities, shouts this line, and then is blown sky high as the storage tank is hit by a shot from his pursuers.