THE MAGAZINE OF THE DISCOVERY OWNERS CLUB

1989 - 2014 25 YEARS

)F THE DISCOVERY

HBkX-

-7

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* 4WEWMBM

51'

OWNERS CLUB

A trip to Norway
As with most of these types of trip, the inspiration
comes from initially watching a film, TV drama or
reading a book. In my case it was watching the
1979 BBC adaptation of Desmond Bagley's classic
cold war thriller "Running Blind" where the hero of
the story, Alan Stewart, ended up
being chased all round Iceland in a
Series 3 LWB Station Wagon. The
story and the thought of following
Alan Stewart's footsteps stayed
with me for many years.
In 2007, after many years
dreaming about it, I hatched a plan
not to go to Iceland, but to tour
Norway.
There were several
reasons for Norway. Firstly, it was
easy to get to and wasn't too
remote, so if anything did go
wrong, it would be fairly straight
forward
to
get
recovered.
Secondly, 2008 would be the 50th
anniversary
of
my
parents
undertaking a similar trip in 1958.
Thirdly, it would be Land Rover's
60th Anniversary - that alone was
a great reason to make a trip!
I started to look at a route that
would cover some of the trip that
my parents made in 1958 but also
give me the opportunity see some of the other sites
that were of interest. The final route would take us
from
Bergen, through
Ulvik
Flam,
along
Aurlandsfjord and up to the Stegastein viewpoint,
then across the mountains, through Laerdal to Gol,
and then on to Oslo. From Oslo we would head
back through the Telemark region via Rjucan and
Vemork (made famous in the film "The Hero's of
Telemark") and back to Bergen
Next came the vehicle preparation
and

equipment selection & purchase.

I used Tom
Sheppard's "Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide"
to put together an equipment list. It took several
reviews of the list to get it to something that was
practical. In essence, the initial list was based on an

expedition to cross the Sahara; so inevitably, some

things on the list were not required. However, it was
fascinating creating the list which gave me the
structure and insight to start and select spares and
supplies and made me think how everything would
be stowed safely but also having the consideration
of what I would need to access and when.
Another interesting section of the book related to
the paperwork and emergencies. I intended to
undertake the trip with my five-year-old Daughter
and myself. My big concern here was
what would happen if something
happened to me? The solution was to
mark up the map with the entire route,
marking on it all of the campsites we
would be staying at (including contact
numbers) and leaving a copy at home
with copies of all other documents
(passports, travel insurance etc.) with
relatives.
A few friends and family
thought that it was a bit of "overkill" but at
least if anything did go wrong, we had a
contingency plan.
In February 2008 I booked the ferry
tickets. This was in fact a crucial moment
in the trip. Prior to this, it was just a plan,
a dream. Purchasing the tickets actually
gave us a date - Monday 7th July 2008.
Between February and July, I collected
and purchased all of the things on the list.
Laura and I tried different ready meals
that would be suitable for our camping

trip, and eventually we had our stock of Expedition

Supplies. The rear of the Land Rover was modified
to store various boxes of kit, whilst enabling access
to the most important boxes easily. The list was
checked and rechecked until two weeks before
departure. The Land Rover was given a full service
and the weekend before departure after a final
check of the kit against the list, it was all loaded into
the Land Rover.
Sunday evening came, I gave the Land Rover a
quick once over and then went to bed ready for an
early start.
Our Norwegian
Expedition was about to begin!
Monday 7th July 2008
The day started well and I
collected Laura 7am.
I initially
thought this was too early.
However, with the traffic, a stop for
breakfast and the 200-mile drive to
Newcastle (hadn't really considered
this!) from Uttoxeter, we arrived at
the ferry port at 11.30am.
This actually worked out quite
well and meant that we had not had
to rush, however, due to the way in
which the vehicles were loaded, we
didn't get on board until 2.30pm.
The ship left promptly at 3.00pm
- exactly on schedule. We stood
on deck while we exited the port
and headed for the open sea. We
then decided to explore the ship.
Our
time
slot
for
dinner
approached, so we headed for the
restaurant. It was at this point that I had realised
that I had overlooked something - sea sickness.
Laura didn't eat anything, and I didn't finish mine as I
needed to get her back to the cabin. The staff were
really good and very helpful, but unfortunately poor
Laura suffered quite badly. We got some tablets
from the reception desk but they didn't have time to
take effect and she was sick. I got her back to the
cabin where she quickly got into her pyjamas and
went to sleep. I was also feeling a bit queasy, so
took a tablet and felt a lot better. I followed suit and

also went to bed as tomorrow, the adventure really

begins.
Tuesday 8th July 2008
I had a restless night, but Laura slept like a log.
We woke about Sam and quickly took our
seasickness pills. We then went and had some
breakfast. The rest of the day was uneventful until it
came to offloading the vehicles. The loading ramp
jammed and we were delayed for two hours. Most
of the afternoon, I had become a little stressed as all
of this had put me well outside my comfort zone.

However, the loading ramp was released and we

went through passport control (why can't airports be
like this?).
The drive to the campsite was interesting, as all
of the speed limit signs were in KPH. Roundabouts
were challenging too as all of the traffic comes from
the left!!! Laura found it all very amusing. We found
the campsite quite easily and were told to find a
pitch and then go and register. This we duly did and
then set about making our evening meal - sausage
casserole and mashed potato. Brilliant. We then
washed up and settled down for the night. It was
11pm; we were completely tired out but very happy
to be here.
Wednesday 9th July 2008
I had forgotten that it never really gets dark at this
time of year in Norway, and the dawn chorus started
at 4am. Ah, well!! We had a fairly late start as we
both needed to catch up on our sleep. We decided
to be quite civilised and had bran flakes and a good
"brew" to start the proceedings
We used the showers and toilets, which were
very clean, packed up the Land Rover and headed
to Voss. Nothing prepared us for the views of the
mountains and fjords - absolutely stunning. We
made an incorrect turn and stayed on the E16 rather
than our proposed route. There were no concerns
though
as the
drive was
easy going.

10

quiet.
The town of Ulvik was not as I had imagined it to
be at all. Quite small but totally stunning. A short
stop for some postcards and an ice cream, and we
headed back towards Voss.
We carried on through Voss
to our second campsite.
Situated in a valley with high
mountains on either side.
There
were
three
waterfalls falling from the top,
and a crystal clear river
running by the side. This
time we were able to have
the Land Rover next to the
tent so we managed to use
the
built
in
"Cooking
Facilities" to the full. We had
our evening meal and retired
to the tent for an early night.

We stopped several times to take pictures and

have some snacks and eventually arrived at Voss
From here, we took the road to Ulvik and followed
a route over the mountains, which was narrow but

To be continued next issue...

David. #6952

Forthcoming events
September
20th - 21st Land Rover Owner International Show, East of England Showground,
Peterborough, www.lroshow.com
22nd - 25th For the Adventure Overland Show, on 27th - 28th, pre-event camping is now
possible at the Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse, Warwickshire CV37 9SE.
Monday-Thursday nights (pay upon arrival), hence owners on 22nd can now drive direct from
LRO Show Peterborough, to Adventure Overland at Stratford Racecourse.
27th - 28th Adventure Overland, National 4x4, Bike & Trekking Travel Show Stratford
Racecourse, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9SE. Camping from 26th.
www.adventureoverlandshow.com

October
5th
London to Brighton Land Rover Run. Starts at Hook Road Arena, Epsom. KT19
8QG. and ends at Madera Drive Brighton. BN2 1TB.
11th - 13th Discovery Birthday Party, Plymouth Hoe and Mount Edgecombe Estate.
www.discoverybirthdayparty.co.uk

11

A trip to Norway (Continued from D62)

Thursday 10th July 2008
We awoke fairly early. It was quite chilly to begin
with as the sun takes its time to reach the bottom
of these valleys. We set off for Flam, which was
about 10 miles from the campsite. Flam is a
railway station and a port although it is well inland;
the fjord eventually finds the sea. The weather
became very sunny and warm. We purchased our
tickets for the Flam Railway and caught the 11 am
train. This particular railway winds its way up the
mountain to an altitude of 865m. The biggest
problem was what to photograph - picture or
video. Everything is so absolutely stunning. The
highlight was when the train stopped at the
Kjosfossen waterfall, which has a free fall drop of
93m.

stunning, allowing you to see for miles in all directions

across the fjord.
At this point I decided to take a slight detour. The
plan was to go back down the pass and follow the E16
through a 25km tunnel to the other side of the
mountain. Instead, we headed for Laerdal over the
top of the mountain. This was an excellent choice as
we went right over the top and into the abundant
snow. Again the views were totally stunning and we
had to stop several times just to take in the views.
Laura thought it was really amazing as there she was
in a summer vest, shorts and sandals making
snowballs.
The descent into Laerdal was stunning but a little
"hairy" as we started to suffer brake fade half way
down. All I can say is that I was relieved that the Land
Rover had Low Box, as engaging low 2nd meant we
didn't have to use the brakes too much.
A short stop near the bottom allowed them to cool
sufficiently to allow us to carry on safely.

During the stop, we saw the

"Huldra", the mythical Norse
character. Laura was captivated as
we were allowed off the train to
watch. The best bit was that we got
to see it all again on the way down.
Following our return to Flam, we
headed off to find the Stegastein
Viewpoint.
To get there we
followed a narrow road from the
edge of Aurlandsfjord and up the
side of the valley encountering
many hairpin bends on the way up,
the Land Rover carefully finding its
way around the tight corners
without the slightest drama.
Walking out onto the viewing
platform, the views were absolutely

Jft.

"V -?'^;*:

^^ *"***

We had come through the rain and it had cleared up

for this part of the day's activities. As we came off the
main road they turned into well-graded gravel tracks
that are the closest you will get to off roading in
Norway. Here we saw lots of goats, ponies, some
reindeer and wolves being fed by a completely mad
Norwegian lady. Our return to the campsite saw us
enter the rain again and it became a bit of a challenge
as I prepared our evening meal in the back of the
Land Rover. An awning of some description or an
extra cover for the tent would be the answer, and this
would be reviewed on our return. As we again turned
in for the night, our thoughts were looking towards
the Bear Park at Fla and onwards to Oslo.

From Laerdal, we followed the E52 to Gol, which

again took us over more mountains where we arrived
at our 3rd campsite, which was again next to a river.
The scenery here was very reminiscent of Scotland in
a lot of ways. We would be here for two nights so we
found a suitable spot and made camp.

Saturday 12th July 2008

It rained on and off throughout the night, which left it
quite wet in the morning. We collected our baguettes
and had Bran Flakes, baguettes with jam and a
steaming mug of tea for our breakfast, which set us
up for the day. We quickly broke camp and headed
on the E16 to Fla. I had noticed on our trip to
Langedrag on the previous day a sign to the
meteorite crater, so we took the opportunity to
explore more and check it out. The road to the
information centre was a graded track that weaved
and turned steeply through the forest. On arrival, we
purchased a guide and followed the Nature Trail.
Laura loved the exploring as we followed the trail.
As we left and continued to the Bear Park at Fla, it
started to rain again but dried up as we arrived. This
was short lived as we hit the trail, the rain started
again. We saw the bears being fed and then spied a
moose. Laura was amazed by this, and when one of
the keepers came over, and allowed the children to
feed it, Laura quickly grabbed a carrot and held it out.
The moose quickly obliged and chomped on the
carrot to Laura's amazement. We carried on around
the trail, and although it was wet, we really enjoyed it.
As we walked around, we did see a couple of bears
in the trees, but by the time I had got the camera out,
they had disappeared.

Friday 11th July 2008

Today we awoke to an overcast day. On arrival at the
campsite, we had ordered two baguettes from the site
shop. So we quickly got dressed and
went to collect them. They were warm
and fresh and we ordered four more for
the following morning.
The first appointment of the day was the
"Tropicana" Badaland water park. For me
it was a little disappointing as it was
nowhere as big as the Alton Towers water
park near where we live. That said, it was
very clean and the facilities were good.
The main pool had a wave machine,
which was excellent fun. Laura and I also
tried one of the outside slides, which were
absolutely freezing, much to Laura's
amusement. Twice on this slide was quite
enough thank you!! We came out just
after lunch and headed for a nearby cafe
for something to eat. It had started raining
by this time and we headed for the
Langedrag Nature Park.

23

Our journey down to Oslo was fairly uneventful and

the terrain became less rugged and reminiscent of the
start of the Highlands of Scotland. The campsite was
a bit of a challenge to find as it was on the northern
outskirts of Oslo.
This was quite a big commercialised site with good
facilities. Tomorrow we would leave the Land Rover
at camp and venture into Osslo on the bus. - That
should be fun!
Sunday 13th July 2008
We awoke to an overcast day. We had our breakfast
and headed for the bus stop to catch the bus
(apparently No 32 to Oslo). The ride was just 30
minutes and dropped us outside the Town Hall. We
initially went to the Tourist Information office to
change some cash to
Kroner. We then headed
for the water taxi for the
Kon-Tiki
and
Fram
museums. At this point,
the heavens decided to
open. We had taken our
waterproof coats but
neither
of
us
had
waterproof trousers. To
say we got wet was a
slight understatement!!!
We arrived at the Kon-Tiki
museum first.
There
were lots to see here. It is
stopped at a roadside
burger bar and had two
burger meals, one small
and one medium. When
they arrived, they were
absolutely enormous and they cost 200NOK
(about 20!) We ate our
meals then carried on
until about 2pm when we
arrived at a lakeside.

also quite strange to think that as a seven

year old, I made a model of the Kon-Tiki,
and had it displayed at school. So, nearly
40 years later, here I was looking at the
real thing. We then went across to the
FRAM Museum that houses the FRAM,
the polar explorer Roald Amundsen's
ship. It was amazing to see this small
boat that had travelled to both the Arctic
and Antarctic at the start of the 20th
Century. It was also interesting to note
that the museum was built in 1935.
We then went to the Norwegian Maritime
Museum, which was equally interesting.
In the auditorium, there was a 20-minute
"Panoramic Film" about Norway - this
was excellent. We then headed back to
the campsite via water taxi and bus.
Annoyingly, there didn't seem to have
been any rain at all at the campsite.
Tomorrow we would be breaking camp
and heading for the Telemark region and starting the
return leg of our journey back to Bergen.
Monday 14th July 2008
We awoke to another overcast day but it was dry and
warm. After breakfast, we broke camp, loaded the
Land Rover and headed for Rjuken. I wasn't sorry to
leave this site, although well appointed, it was very
commercialised. We weaved our way through the
suburbs of Oslo and hit the E18. This turned out to
be a three-lane motorway, our first such type on our
visit, and this allowed us to make some good
progress as it allowed 10Okph. Eventually we left the
E18 and headed for the Rjuken region, where the
scenery gradually turned back to the rugged rocks
that we had become familiar with. At about 11 am, we

This was the terminal where the trains with heavy

water from the Vemork Heavy Water Plant were
loaded onto the ferry and subsequently sunk by the
famous Saboteurs, immortalised in the film "Heroes
of Telemark". Slightly further on, we drove through
Rjuken and then the road started to climb. We quickly
reached the Vemork Hydro Plant and pulled into the
car park.
As you walk up to the plant, only then does the
enormity of what the saboteurs achieved really hit
you. The tour of the plant was good with some
interesting displays. From here, we headed for our
next campsite.
Laura was now becoming an
excellent map-reader and checking the town names
against the map route. We arrived at the site at about
5.30pm and quickly set up camp. Overall, the journey
from Oslo hadn't been too bad at all. We needed to
have a good rest, as tomorrow we would be heading
back to Bergen and the final part of our journey.
Tuesday 15th July 2008
We again awoke to an overcast day. I had not slept
too well and been quite restless, as it had got quite
cold during the night. A review of the sleeping bags
will be required on our return. Breakfast was Bran
Flakes and Jam Butties again. We broke camp
quickly and loaded the Land Rover. We now had this
routine down to a fine art. It soon started to rain and
this followed us until we were near Bergen. The
journey was quite a long one, nearly six hours on the
road, with a couple of breaks and a ferry ride. We
eventually arrived at the same site that we started our
journey from without any problems. We pitched our
camp and this time we managed to get the Land
Rover close to the tent, which made cooking out of
the car easier. Tomorrow we would hit Bergen for

the last day of our expedition before leaving to catch

the ferry early Thursday morning.
Wednesday 16th July 2008
Throughout the night, we had heavy rain that
constantly kept me awake, although Laura slept all
the way through it like a log! We had a light breakfast
and headed into Bergen centre in the Land Rover.
We had planned to follow the map to a central car
park only to be scuppered at the last minute by major
road works. However, we eventually found a car park
that allowed vehicles above 1.8m high! We wandered
around the town centre and came across the market
by the quayside. This was really interesting as they
had various types of fish on sale that Laura hadn't
seen before, and tanks full of crabs, crayfish and
lobsters - all alive and kicking.
We had some lunch at a pizza house, again
expensive for what it was, and then found a bookshop
where Laura made some purchases. We then
ventured up the funicular railway to be greeted with
heavy rain at the top.
After a few photographs, it was time for a quick return
journey. Laura had seen a sign for a "homemade
candles" shop. We followed it and purchased a
couple of candles then made our way back to the car
park and the Land Rover. We had our last evening
meal in Norway and loaded the Land Rover ready for
a quick getaway in the morning when we would
embark on our return journey to the UK.
We woke early and had breakfast, then packed
everything for the last time. We then headed for the
port in Bergen about 30 minutes drive from the
campsite. We booked in and then waited to be
loaded on board the ferry. It was an early sailing so
would be back in the UK for early evening.
Our trip back home from Newcastle Port was
uneventful.
However,
having spent two weeks
in a country of only four
million people, the UK
seemed very crowded
and everyone seemed in
a hurry! We had travelled
around 1000 miles on our
little adventure and it may
not have been the
deserts of the Sahara or
the jungles of Borneo, but
we had completed our
very own "Journey of
Discovery" and enjoyed
every single minute of it.
David Rasdell #6952