 | Home > Expedition & Overland > Epic road trip to Finland |
 
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| boode Member Since: 11 Apr 2012 Location: Devon Posts: 428   
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(been there done that)
It depends on the time of year you are going I went in Jan - temp in Finland dropped to -43C Landy behaved well but we needed a webasto engine heater and if you have a newer model you will also need the heated breather pipe kit Camped with a tipi and fire on some nights but cabins were much better after a long days drive Aslo not much driving daylight at that time of year so you would be driving on ice in the dark Standard Mud tyres - but not sure if its now a requirement for proper winter tyres Ice roads were interesting on Mud tyres What to see will also depend on when you are travelling |
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19th Jan 2017 10:51pm |
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| sako243 Member Since: 08 Jul 2014 Location: Wales Posts: 1218  
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With regards to 90 vs 110 I've had both (and an 88") and am 99% sure I'd never have another 90. Aside from the practicality side of things in all the years I've been offroading (not competitively mind) I can genuinely say there has never been a situation where I would have preferred to be in a 90. Yes technically a 90 in tight situations is easier but in reality those are far and few between compared to the times the extra length of the 110 is beneficial. Road manners are vastly better on a 110 as well in my opinion, the 90 is quite bouncy.
You can also fit a double bed in the back of a 110... Ed 82 Hotspur Sandringham 6x6 95 Defender 110 300Tdi |
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19th Jan 2017 11:21pm |
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| Farmerben Member Since: 16 Jan 2017 Location: Herefordshire Posts: 605  
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Planning something similar myself. Two of us in my 90 HT and two in a 110 utility wagon driving to the Lofoten Islands at the beginning of June. Looking to take 2-3 weeks. How long are you planning? What made you think of tunnel rather than Hull or Harwich to Rotterdam? (think we'll go Harwich - bit longer crossing than tunnel but cuts out a few motorway miles). Would you do Copenhagen- Malmo bridge or ferry from Hirshstals to south Norway? Went to Sweden and Norway for the first time back in Nov/Dec and completely fell in love with the Nordic people, food, landscape, design.... and it just feels like it needs exploring by Land Rover. |
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20th Jan 2017 1:02am |
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| Darcy Fairfax Member Since: 05 Oct 2014 Location: London Posts: 721 
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"Went to Sweden and Norway for the first time back in Nov/Dec and completely fell in love with the Nordic people, food, landscape, design.... and it just feels like it needs exploring by Land Rover."
I second that! Beautiful place with lovely people  |
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20th Jan 2017 6:14am |
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| Vogler Member Since: 02 Nov 2014 Location: Brussels Posts: 309  
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We have been to Norway last year. Initially I was looking to go to Finland but I didn't find enough info in that short time to be sure enough that the trip would be interesting enough for Mrs. Vogler. Although I like vast spaces and deserts, Finland seemed a bit featureless. A search for 'roadbook' finland' on youtube doesn't show a lot of interesting things except for some offroad action which is too hardcore when travelling. Also Mrs Vogler has a mosquitomagnet built inside which doesn't make Finland the ideal destination. But its still on the list though. We initially planned on taking the boat from the north of Germany to Finland and return over Stockholm. Ferry's quickly get expensive, so book well in advance.
Maybe nice to know: apparently it is possible to obtain a one day visa at the russian border (in the north at least). We travelled about 2,5 weeks through the lower 300-ish miles of Norway, most Northern point visited was Langesund. The South is massively impressive and diverse but also quite developed, which you notice by the increasing number of ski resorts, cabins and private roads closed to the public. When you look on a roadmap you'll find that the majority off all roads leaving the tarmac are private, so mostly closed or to be paid for. I left dreaming of quiet evenings, alone next to a small lake but accessible ones were hard to find - the only ones I found in Norway were (great) campings. I was quite unsure about where we were allowed to drive after having read this webpage which helped me get to the norwegian legislation and several forums. If I'm not mistaken, Sweden is far more open and accessible, but not as spectacular as Norway. Apparently it is better in the northern part. Norway has plenty of toll roads, you'd best register on the autopass website to prevent the 300 kroner fine for every time you forget to pay toll, or just didn't see a booth. It's also a lot quicker: your license plate is photographed and the toll is taken from your credit. But even then it wasn't always clear if you were covered by autopass one some rural toll roads and sometimes there's just an 'honesty box' next to the road. Also, don't overestimate the distance you can cover in a day: on our return we took 5 ferries on one day to cross some fjords, and if there's a small road to bypass a tunnel than it is often worth the extra time. After that all being written, I must stress that Norway is very spectacular and a great country to visit, but I'm sure that a trip to Finland will probably make a great roadtrip too. Pics of our holiday here: http://airness.zenfolio.com/norge_2016 Greetings, Joris |
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20th Jan 2017 6:14am |
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| Gareth Member Since: 12 Dec 2011 Location: Bramhall Posts: 1097
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Come and have a look on DISCO3. DSL has been several times now.
http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic147383.html?highlight=Finland 2021 Defender 110 X-Dynamic HSE D300 MHEV 1966 S2a 109 aka Betsy 1968 S2a 88 aka Bob 2014 Jaaaag F Type 3.0 Supercharged. |
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20th Jan 2017 7:45am |
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| bpman Member Since: 21 May 2008 Location: Oslo Posts: 8069 
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The time of the year makes a big difference to prep and kit you need to take.
I took my defender to the Arctic in the Winter of 2013, basically: Winter/Snow tyres, Dual Batteries, Webasto thermotop c block heater, upgraded lights, breather heater for TDCI 2.4 and a box of spares (CV, UJs, Wheel bearings, fluids, snow chains) All fluids changed to synthetic before trip (2 months to allow time for shakedown) TDCI behaved perfectly, as boode comments, muds make for an interesting/exciting drive on ice, proper winter compound snow tyres were better but you still have to respect you are driving on ice and physics does not care what tyres you are running! The TDCI heater was hot enough we did not have to wear coats in the car, even at -38c. No problems with diesel waxing as the Norwegian diesel is adjusted, and no need to take jerry cans as there are enough fuel stations to run and keep the tank always > 1/2 full. Road tolls and avg speed cameras MUST be respected, although avg speed of 35mph on ice felt fast enough! Beautiful country, reindeers, wolverines, elf and of course the aurora are all must see sights! Last edited by bpman on 21st Jan 2017 9:01am. Edited 1 time in total |
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20th Jan 2017 9:01am |
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| markalpha Member Since: 23 Apr 2008 Location: Downham Market Posts: 690 
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As previously said, it all depends on time of year. Best way to travel in Winter in my opinion is dog sled or snowmobile. A lot harder to get stuck and much more fun.
We're hoping to fly drive the Lofotens later this year. We only have limited time so fly in and hire a car to save all the miles driving there. The people are wonderful and landscape stunning! |
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20th Jan 2017 1:38pm |
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| Dan931 Member Since: 20 Aug 2016 Location: Wirral Posts: 11 
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It has to be the tunnel, i dont have a fear of flying or going on a ferry it is just if i can avoid it i will. After studying the maps last night i think the route would be a stop over in Amsterdam the Kolding Denmark, then the cities Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. Then it would be back up the middle of Sweden to the border of Finland then east to hug the coast of Norway all the way up to Nordkapp. From there head south straight down the middle of Finland to Helsinki. The return journey home is undecided either a similar route of make it a full circle to practice the German i learnt in school. Its going to be in planning stages for the next 12 months so i can learn from others as a one way trip is roughly 4600 miles so i want to get it right. Im hoping to make it last between 6 to 8 weeks covering about 200 miles a day just to give you an idea.
On the tyre issue im sure i heard a whisper that they had to have the snowflake on or be a dedicated snow tyre. I cant remember which country it was for but it was the rules / law as if there was an accident there was no insurance and you were liable. That has narrowed it down to the BF Goodrich at ko2, are studs required or will chains be enough. Any thoughts on a 90 and a prepared trailer, has anybody towed on snow and ice(not the UK's poor excuse for snow, maybe Scotland). At the end of it all a 90 is best suited for my needs back home but is there a real difference between them in the snow and ice. I know people have their preference that aside, will the longer wheel base be better for the trip and the envirnoment it will face or is it just down to the driver and what is in contact with the ground(tyres)? |
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20th Jan 2017 9:34pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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I towed a trailer all over Norway some years ago, although not in the winter. It was absolutely fine, by and large - the nature of the roads meant that the speed disadvantage over solo vehicles disappeared and there wasn't anywhere that we couldn't get to.
The only slight downside was a tendency to cook the over run trailer brakes on long mountain descents, although that was more of a problem in the Alps than Norway.  Click image to enlarge Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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20th Jan 2017 10:29pm |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2101 
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We did a run to just south of Trmoso a couple of years ago in the summer and it was awesome! we routed via Harawich- Hook of Holland - then Hirshstals Denmark to Bergen and then drove north via the Lofoten islands and back.
I would recommend that you revise your time scale in the facts that most of the roads in Norway are 50mph speed limits and there are a lot of tunnels and twisty roads to cover. We are looking at a trip to Finland in the future so looking forward to hearing about your trip Click image to enlarge Fuel and food was easy to obtain and there is very little offload requirement for the trip if done outweigh the cold season, however even wiht 24hr daylight there were large areas of snow laying on the ground, however the roads were all clear and in very good condition. Click image to enlarge We have a 110 and have never once thought that a 90 would be better as it does everting and more than what we would like it to do. its a marmite thing ... you choose what you prefer and what meets your requirements. Click image to enlarge Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126 |
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21st Jan 2017 12:42pm |
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| Farmerben Member Since: 16 Jan 2017 Location: Herefordshire Posts: 605
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Pictures look amazing! How long did your trip take? Planning pretty much the same trip myself and wondered if I could do it in 2 weeks (just going as far as Lofoten Islands).
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22nd Jan 2017 6:09pm |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2101
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We took about 18 days from leaving UK to returning to the UK, I have to fit the trips into my 21 day on 21 days off rota so it was a comfortable fit. if you are only heading to the islands then you may be able to do the trips in a shorter time with some good route planning.
The driving wasn't too arduous as the weather was good for us all the time and we were not moving fast due to the 50mph speed limit, but we did put in some long days as we had 24 hr daylight once we crossed the arctic circle. We didn't stop much across Europe, and went quickly north, slowly south, with lots of scenic stops on both ways. Remember that the standard tank is smaller in a 90 than a 110, so you may need to stop for fuel more often. There are more photos in my gallery. enjoy ! Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126 |
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22nd Jan 2017 10:49pm |
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| kzycnn Member Since: 24 Apr 2009 Location: Northumberland Posts: 276 
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I've done it in 2 weeks: Harwich to the Hook of Holland then through Germany to Puttgarden. Ferry from there through Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Summer trip mind.
Fantastic trip but exhausting - 4000 miles in 2 weeks 
So, very doable but I had to take the Missus to Italy for a week in a hotel after we had got home so she felt she had had a restful holiday!!! Tony |
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23rd Jan 2017 9:41am |
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