Getting to Scandinavia

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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foxyrider
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Getting to Scandinavia

Post by foxyrider »

With the demise of the Harwich - Esjberg ferry route from today, DFDS are no longer taking non freight bookings on the Immingham freight route so where there were two options now there are none! This effectively means there are no direct surface routes for anything but freight between the UK and Scandinavia - anyone fancy doing the full North Sea Route? better start learning to swim!
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
eileithyia
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by eileithyia »

I flew to Copenhagen when I went due to ferry issues at the time of the year I was planning to tour.
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Slowroad
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by Slowroad »

It's a real shame, I was gutted when the Newcastle-Bergen went.
I'm wholly motivated to use trains, I hate flying, but the time and expense rules out large chunks of Europe :-(
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PJ520
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by PJ520 »

I attempted to do the North Sea Cycle Route (if that's the right name) by flying to Amsterdam then to Bergen and riding south after finding out the Bergen Orkney ferry was no more. It was misery; cold, wet, expensive, howling headwinds all the way. I skipped a big chunk by getting the ferry from Kristiansand to Denmark. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. For much of the NSCR in Norway you need a mountain bike, it's single track. In England those howling headwinds were howling tailwinds (nice). If you can get the maps which are like rare first editions the NSCR in England is delightful.
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Cycling Cat
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by Cycling Cat »

Not necessarily the end:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-29353171

Regina Seaways hope to restore the route at Easter 2015.
Last edited by Cycling Cat on 5 Oct 2014, 11:12pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sweep
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by Sweep »

Mm

So environmental rules were the problem.

Rather makes you wonder if air transport is subjected to similar/equivelent obligations.

I was very sorry to see the Hamburg Cuxhaven route disappear rather a lot of years ago - referred to in that article.
Sweep
Elizabeth_S
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by Elizabeth_S »

There were rumors of a new Bergen/Stavanger ferry earlier this year from Newcastle in my Norwegian class (yep, I'm learning Norwegian) and it still seems to be on-going
http://driveeuropenews.com/2014/07/30/n ... good-news/
I used the old Newcastle to Kristiansand ferry and it was packed out so cannot see why this route does not have a viable ferry.
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foxyrider
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by foxyrider »

Cycling Cat wrote:Not necessarily the end:
Sirena Seaways hope to restore the route at Easter 2015.


That'd be good - any more info?
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Richard Fairhurst
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

They're still hoping to - I wish them luck, though I'll believe it when I see it: http://www.reginaline.dk/timetable-uk.html
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foxyrider
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by foxyrider »

We should get behind them with this - bikes go free and one way is from £50! Visit their website, send them emails of support, like on Facebook.

Three journeys a week each way, wide variety of food options and stupidly cheap compared to DFDS.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
mrjemm
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Re: Getting to Scandinavia

Post by mrjemm »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:They're still hoping to - I wish them luck, though I'll believe it when I see it: http://www.reginaline.dk/timetable-uk.html


What a fab page their cancelatian/cancelation/cancellation one is!

http://www.reginaline.dk/insurance-uk.htm

3 spellings on one page. Hope they get running though, really do.

Mind you, the disco page makes me wonder if it is a parody site- http://www.reginaline.dk/disco-uk.html

How I would love the Nookie-Nog route to open up again. Bergen or Stavanger, either'd be good. I desperately want to cycle in Norway.

p.s. Writing this from near Kristiansund, and not quite so happy to be here as I would be in my free time, with Mme and a pair of bikes. Also wish for the ferry so I didn't need to fly to get home...
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