Norway in June

[RickW]

Anyone ever visited Norway in June? I am booked on a North Sea cruise in mid-June and looking for advice about photo ops that are along the coast. Going along the coast from the southern point to up above the Arctic Circle. Also looking for feedback about expected weather in June and any other useful tips about must see sights, equipment recommended or anything else.

 

[Bohdan]

My wife and I were there last June visiting family in Bergen. You will not be dissapointed. Many many photo ops along the coast line. Weather in the middle part of the country was a bit rainy last year, not too hot.
some of our experiences captured here:
https://alterego.smugmug.com/Norway-2015/

Here's a link posted by another member re: Senja Norway. We were there in 2002
https://www.nikoncafe.com/threads/okshornan-senja-norway.299363/#post-3825303

 

[OldWorldMonkey]

Three years ago I rode my motorcycle to Oslo, just to see the Kon-Tiki; read the book about it on the trip.

Cloudless skies for days, and not a drop of rain - but this is rare apparently !

 

[RickW]

From what I have read, you were lucky to have no rain.

 

[OldWorldMonkey]

Maybe because Oslo is not facing the west coast weather systems, and is sheltered on the southern coast. The whole trip was memorable for a lack of rainy days.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[RickW]

Looks like a fun way to tour Norway. I haven't been on a bike since I used to borrow my buddy's Norton about 45 years ago.

 

[OldWorldMonkey]

At least you can say that you got to ride a Norton. And Norton were very successful racers, until a Mr. Soichiro Honda turned up !

 

[RickW]

It was certainly a beast. Had a unique sound and shook like crazy. I learned to ride on my roommate's Honda 150 - NOT the 160 which was common, but the 150 which was just a step up from a moped. This was in Pittsburgh in 1966 or 67 and in those days, the streets of Pittsburgh were cobblestones and had trolley tracks running on both sides of the road. The tires on the 150 were so narrow (almost like bicycle tires) that if you didn't cut the tracks at sharper than a 45 degree angle, the tires got stuck in the tracks and you had to dismount to get it back on the road. And forget about it when the cobblestones got wet!

Incidentally, the guy who used to lend me his Norton was a spoiled little rich kid who also had a Triumph Bonnie 650 Turbo that I drove a couple of times. That bike scared the hell out of me. The fuel tank was painted a bright purple. Definitely a chick magnet back in the day. This guy was a nut for British motors and bought a BSA too, but I never rode that. Junior year in college, this kid had the 3 bikes and an Austin Healey 3000 automobile. Nice to be rich I guess.

I fear my riding days on anything with less than 4 wheels are behind me.

 

[OldWorldMonkey]

Always interesting to hear motorcycle experiences, especially of some of these iconic times when Triumph, BSA and Norton ruled - just as the Japanese bikes were making an appearance.

I can see why you guys in the US probably took to the automobile, in large numbers, instead of racing around on little bikes. That was probably around the same time as the great era of US muscle cars - which was probably more appealing !

I grew up in the era of the Japanese Two-Strokes, although I never really took to them as they were not practical for longer journeys, but they made exciting racers.

We had our rich kids at school as well !

 

[Ann_JS]

I don't know if it would be possible to add extra time to the trip, either before or after the Cruise itself, but I would recommend doing that and renting a car so that you can explore the inland countryside as well.

I have been in South-western Norway in May (when the spring foliage is opening and everything is coming into bloom) and it is stunningly beautiful. I took all of my lenses, from my 200-400mm to my fisheye, and I used all of them. I had only one wet day during the week.

 

[SteveK]

We spent a week in the Tromso area, in mid-June, and we had rain all but one day. Then we flew up to Longyearbyen, and in 12 days, we only had one day of rain. We took a small boat for 10 days, found lots of seals in the ice pack, and polar bears along the northern coast and islands of Svalbard.

 

[RickW]

I appreciate the advice, especially about going inland. Our original idea was to rent a car and do Norway from the land, but when we investigated, we found that the cost was almost prohibitive. My wife does not "rough it" very well which means that lodging and meals and car did not include "budget" options. We settled on the cruise idea since we have a pretty good idea what our entire out of pocket costs will be for the 2 weeks and it is denominated in US$ which means that currency fluctuations next year will not affect us.

Regrettably, we won't be able to add time to the 15 day cruise - both because we cannot be out of town for longer and we have already locked in the roundtrip flights. I understand (from viewing a good friend's excellent photos) that photographically inland is probably more spectacular, but as in most things in life, it is a compromise.

Interesting comments about the weather. It sort of confirms that the weather will be the weather and there is not much one can do about it. From replies here and from other sources, it is pretty clear that despite the "averages", one can be either lucky or unlucky. We have friends who saved for a once in a lifetime trip to the arctic specifically to fulfill a bucket list dream of seeing the Aurora Borealis. You guessed it - saw nothing during the 1o days and froze their buns off doing so in the winter.

As my grandmother used to say, "Man plans. God laughs."

thanks to all who replied.

Edit - one thing to add. Based on the replies here and elsewhere, I will definitely bring my "real" gear, not the mirrorless.

 

[ahoogerhuis]

A quick note on weather here (Bergen): if you don't like the weather, try again in 5 minutes.

In all seriousness, the weather here isn't fixed, it can be anything at anytime, and it is very rare for it to be stable. In early summer (June) we *may* have a stable high pressure system for a week, or we may have none, and it can be fogged in or raining and windy.

If you are on a cruise, what you have going for you is that weather is extremely local. You can have a day in port in bergen and be completely fogged in, yet literally an hour sail out of Bergen you could be in sunshine. Most cruiseliners tend to start off in Bergen, some in Stavanger, and then hit various places going north, and you will be very unlucky to have bad weather all the way, weather here is very different from weather further up north. As one person furhter up the thread points out: you travel good distances. Bergen-Tromsø-Svalbard is the equivalent of New York-Charlotte-Miami, and you are hitting artic climate once you get close to Tromsø.

Bring your good gear, you will get good shots here no matter what the weather!

-A

 

[RickW]

Alexander - thanks for the advice. While it would be wonderful to be fortunate enough to have great weather for the 2 weeks, it is comforting to know that it will likely change from port to port. I am looking forward to the photo opportunities there.

Anyone happen to know whether it is wise to travel to and from the Flam railway on a day trip from Bergen? It appears that it is doable according to train schedules or by hired car, but nothing can beat advice from those who have done it (or tried to.)

 

[Philinnz]

don't forget to stock up on Jo Nesbo novels - will set the scene for Norway