We stayed at Melkevoll for several days,  we might have stayed longer had we not be running low on supplies.

It was a great place to recover from the drama of the leaky roof and the never ending rain and the The Fish Supper of Shock - as it shall evermore be known.

The site was lovely,  the views incredible,  the sauna free and the washing and drying machines of epic and industrial size!

This blog is a visual diary of the days we spent hiking up to the glacier and our attempt to scale the behemoth that is Volefoss.  

Boo!!

Sorry to give you a bit of a fright,  I know you must have forgotten all about me and the veedubadventure story by now.  It's been so long after all.........

So,  sweeping past the cobwebs of neglect my blog shall keep slogging on much as Eileen does bless the old girl.........

Now,  you may be slightly surprised (or not if you're one of the MoHo fraternity) that there are other intrepid Norwegian Explorers forging trails around the Fjords.   Joanne and Craig of Our Bumble fame 

had been blazing this trail for a while before us.

​On their recommendation I decided to head for a small site called Melkevoll Breton at the end of the Olden valley, on the edge of the Jostedalsbreen National Park and at the foot of two glaciers:  Briksdals and Melkevoll itself.  

I obsessively Google earth'd the route and had a few email exchanges with Joanne as to the condition of the road - this was to be my first foray off the superhighway that is the E39 (see earlier,  frequent references to narrow, twisty and fast).

So yes,  it was twisty,  uppy and downy but there was less traffic and everyone who was on the road generally travelled more slowly.

As we cruised along the Olden Fjord I felt positively sanguine,  being on the inside and therefore not too close to the water's edge was a factor of course!

​Of course I was premature in my relief when the already narrow road was further reduced by roadworks with oncoming trucks.  I felt sorry for the guy in front with a caravan on the back!

Eventually we arrived in Olden and after a quick stop to see if the local supermarket was any cheaper - we guage this by the cost of a triple pack of custard creams (it wasn't but we bought a supply anyway) - we turned off the 'main' road.

We were now about 10K from the campsite at the end of the road and I pressed on confident we'd be fine because Eileen is smaller dimensions than Joanne & Craig's van called Vin!

The Olden Lake was the most spectacular colour and I was hard pressed to keep my eyes on the road!  Tunnels and bridges, sweeps and turns with lots of passing places and,  thankfully,  not much traffic kept me on my toes and gradually the Melkevoll Glacier came into sight.

We eventually arrived at the end of the valley and pulled in to the campsite where we were invited to choose our pitch as we wishes.

What an incredible pitch I chose, alongside a babbling brook with the Briksdal Glacier towering over over us on the right,  the Melkevoll Glacier dead ahead and the amazing crashing and thundering of the Volefoss Waterfall to our right.

The weather had finally cleared and the next few days were to be spent hiking and chilling,  Norway was showing us her gems once again............

Whoa! Caught you out there didn’t I? You weren’t expecting another blog update quite so quickly eh!

Well it seems only fair that I keep you on your toes as Norway seems intent on doing the same for me…………

The run to Forde from Bergen was dull, grey and wet and only lifted by the moody blue/black waters of the fjords we drove alongside.

As we plunged into the dark and narrow tunnels my choice of the Hobbit on audio book seemed apt - maybe Gollum would leap out on us......

A fair description of my mood but it did make me smile too!

​Back to the campsite for another unholy expensive night but a short break in the rain (didn’t last) enabled T to enjoy the heated water slide at least.
Time for me to face my fear of heights and scale the roof – it’s surprisingly high up there and of course the vent is on the opposite side to the rickety roof ladder.

I am absolutely sure I looked like a proper idiot scrambling up there with my bright green toilet cleaning marigolds (the marigolds to save my highly allergic hands from getting any worse than they already were (who the hell goes on a road trip when they’re allergic to steering wheels…….)), a jay cloth, some wet wipes and a small tube of sealant .

I put all my stuff at the top of the ladder then clambered over the roof rails, hanging on for dear life with my left hand. I shoved everything before me as I shuffled along the roof on my knees and forearms – low profile very important in these situations!

Cleaned the area, found the sealant nozzle blocked and half the tube already gone off so I ended up squeezing lumps out onto my finger and daubing/smoothing it around the offending roof vent seal and hoping for the best.

Did anyone ever tell you that committing to writing a travel blog could seriously undermine your mental well being?

There's only so far I can hang my head in shame so let's just agree to ignore the empty wasteland of time that has passed since I last entertained you with trip tales shall we?

OK good........

Feeling a little tired but quite chuffed with our hike the previous day we left Priekestolen having decided that Bergen would be our next stop.

Having retraced our steps back over Lysefjord on the little ferry I took a right turn into Stavanger with the plan to find some LPG.  Before leaving the UK I had a re-fillable bottle system fitted. Supplied by Gas IT (www.gasit.co.uk) with the express intention to make it easier to refill my leisure gas supplies and also save money as traditional bottles can be hard to swap out when not in the UK.

Armed with trusty local info (eg:  the 'net) I went in search of Shell garages harbouring a slight anxiety about how to actually perform a refill as my bottle was full before we left so I'd not had to fill up as yet.

Which leads me on to another source of anxiety:  why had my bottle lurched from 'full'  to 'half full' to 'reserve' in a matter of days!  I could tell my bottle capacity because it has a handy guage on it.

Anyway,  after hauling Eileen around several Shell garages who did not have LPG I gave up and pointed her north for the long run up to Bergen.  The route included 2 more ferries of varying times from less than 10 minutes to about 30/40 minutes long.  

I'd already been advised that going over 6m in length sends you up an entire price bracket however as we are only a smidgeon over 6m with the bikes on I cruised up to the first ferry confidently.  The ticket booth guy immediately assessed us at 6.5m and the cost of that ferry came in at a whopping 432NOK!!  Our next,  and final, ferry of the day was actually the longest distance and I hopped out before the ticket booth and unloaded the bikes and put them in the habitation area,  lo and behold this ferry came in at 255NOK.  With the first ferry costing 88NOK and under that day's exchange rate we spent £69 on ferries alone!

Still,  I guess it was a good way to inspect the new skylight and see that the solar panel was still there!

So,  as we came back to dry land and blacktop we started the last leg to Bergen and the grey weather continued to close in with intermittent rain showers.

We headed to the Bergen 'aire' as recommended on Camper Contact (Parkings) app which is essentially a glorified car park with a large amount of van spaces but only half the amount of electric points.  No facilities other than a chemical loo disposal point, a sink and fresh water tap but a great location for getting into Bergen town centre and all the sights of the city.

We arrived late afternoon and got a slot but no electric hook up and we still had to pay 150NOK for the overnight parking.  I switched the fridge onto gas and hoped the bottle would not run out.

We settled in for the night as the heavens opened.  The rain came down all night without let up!   Some find the patter of rain on the roof a wonderfully cozy reminder of being safe and warm inside your rolling home,  not me as it seems a new anxious and neurotic mindset has manifested itself as an unwanted stow-away on this trip!


​

We awoke to the continuing downpour and consequently did not head out for our sightseeing adventure until around noon-ish.  

https://youtu.be/a5InVOSynIg - a video of the rain!

Eventually we arrived in Bryggan and headed for Tourist Info which was utterly over run by tourists - annoying but predictable I guess (insert crying with laughter emoji here).  

Whilst I had grand plans to fully absorb all the Unesco sights and sounds of Bergen Tabitha had spotted a leaflet advertising VilVilte,  http://www.vilvite.no/english,  a hands on science museum on the other side of town.  

​My sights had been set on the Hanseatic Museum but Tabitha won the day - we hadn't done anything especially kid focussed as yet so altho I was a bit disappointed it was only fair.  Only having the afternoon (you can only stay in the aire 2 nights) I knew we wouldn't really have time for anything else.

Well,  what can I tell you?  If you have kids and you only do one thing in Bergen then this should be it.  We both had an absolute blast!  And the wifi was really fast and free!!
​

Despite being kicked out for 15 minutes after a fire alarm went off we managed to do everything at least once,  several things twice!

Eventually we headed back to Bryggan on our 2nd tram of the day for a quick wander around the famous harbour front,  during a brief break in the rain!

I'd decided previously that we'd have a treat of a fish supper in the famous fish market.  Well,  to be honest I wasn't massively impressed with either the harbour or the fish market but we were ravenous by now!

We wandered up and down shivering a bit and finally chose our restaurant stand.  Tabitha ordered a basic fish and chips and I ordered a 'stick' with some bread and chips too.  The girl asked about drinks and suggested a beer and a lemonaid and for some weird reason I said yes.  She smiled broadly and told me that would be 480NOK,  a grand total of £43 at the day's exchange rate.

I just about recovered to enjoy the meal and was grateful that the portion of chips was generous!

​

Another night in the aire tho I was less anxious as we'd scored an electric hook up point before going into the city so I wasn't cooking or using the fridge on gas.

The following morning in yet more rain we pulled out of town heading for Forde as I'd been assured there was LPG here!  It was also on the way to the Jostedalsbreen National Park where we were going to hike to see our first Glacier.

That'll be Take The Weather With You Part II and I will endeavour not to make you wait 3 weeks for that exciting tale..........

To come:  rain,  rain, rain and more rain and an exciting climb,  not to the glacier but to the roof for emergency repairs!

After leaving London on the 5th of July and leaving the UK on the 12th of July I have only managed one blog post – hangs head in shame!

Being a bit OCD on factual (but hopefully funny) chronological reports this situation has been stressing me out a little. No really, that’s how conscientious (anal) I am!

So much has happened, the day to day business of being on a road trip is exhausting and absorbing and I’ve lost enthusiasm for documenting our last few days before departure.

One of the objectives of this adventure was to step out of the stress yet still I am giving myself a hard time.

So, in a brave attempt to actually live what I speak I have decided to cover 3 weeks in one blog and get up to date!

A bit of a mammoth read to follow then, grab a cuppa, wine or a beer and some biscuits, nibbles or even some pork scratchings and read on………

I left you at T -2 if I recall correctly and those last couple of days involved a lovely day in York with two beautiful girls and a brief meeting with my mum and step-dad in a leisure centre carpark to receive my ADAC documents.

Monday 11th July was to be a ‘tying up loose ends’ day in Hull before heading to the port at Immingham for midnight. A trip to Go Outdoors to pick up a Cadac Safari Chef, a quick stop at Halfords to get a bike trailer hazard sign, ALDI to stock up on dried food items and the bank to do a change of address because over the phone wasn’t allowed.

Hull isn’t actually that easy to navigate and I spent too long umming and ahhing over the Cadac. Halfords don’t sell the signs, no one had a Ridge Monkey (don’t ask!), of the many Lloyds banks I tried to get to not one had convenient parking. Time was running out – I needed new PINS for my credit cards (threw the originals away during mental house clearing) and I couldn’t get them if I didn’t change my address!

Eventually the last branch I could get to, at 4:30pm, appeared on my right on a busy high street surrounded by narrow one way roads. Utterly exhausted of dragging this bloody beast of a van around these suburban areas of Hull in the heat of midsummer – yeh I know the North East hot for goodness sake – I despaired!

Five hundred metres up the road I spotted what I thought was a car park – it was but not a public one. Co-Op Funeral Directors, with one of their Directors in the car park talking to an elderly couple. They looked fairly jolly so I presumed they were not recently bereaved and there to organize a funeral.

I pulled in, jumped out and desperately asked if I could park for 5 mins while I dashed to the bank. Broad smiles matched his broad accent as he assured me “of course you can love, I’m a caravanner me’self so I understand!”

I was so relieved I even considered no longer calling them Shed Draggers……..

Mission accomplished, a quick dash around ASDA (I should have bought more packets) and a trip to Pizza Hut later and we climbed aboard for the drive over to Immingham.

Oh and a last minute small fortune on travel sickness pills and wristbands to augment the ginger nut biscuits – how had I not considered sea sickness as the 27 hour crossing on a freight ferry (aka effin HUGE boat!) loomed large!

Even the gorgeous sunset casting the Humber Bridge in a soft orange glow couldn’t detract from the fear I felt as we drove over it. My hands gripping the wheel and my heart pounding I have a blindingly obvious thought – with my fear of heights what the bloody hell am I doing going to Norway?!?!?!

Too late now………….

Driving onto a freight terminal at 9:30pm at night on a Monday is a weird thing – it’s a bit spooky as it’s just you and one lorry and everywhere seems deserted.

We settled in to wait to board about midnight they said, closer to 2am it was and by then we had an estate car and a van towing a glider trailer to keep us company.

During the wait all the containers around us were towed on board, there was only one “proper” lorry. It never occurred to me that the containers would be dropped at one end, shipped and then picked up by a lorry cab and driver at the other end!

So I was waved ahead to swing around to the ship but before I could drive up the ramp I was flagged down: just swing around and reverse on along that edge of the ramp luv the guy said. Reverse onto a freight ferry FGS, along the edge of the ramp FGS? My pathetic plea to go up the middle then move across to the far right lane was met with kindness, no one sighed and huffed at the incompetent woman driver and they got a nice guy to walk alongside and guide me back.

Then we were escorted up 7 levels to our cabin, very cosy with bunk beds and ensuite bathroom. We crawled into bed and were asleep before the 3am departure with the instruction that breakfast was at 7:30am till 8am.

And so began our time suspended – twenty-seven hours (more in fact as we docked at 8am the following day) without any contact with the outside world. I slept and read my book and slept again. The food was pretty dreadful, the boat rolled and lurched but I didn’t feel at all seasick. Poor T on the other hand didn’t like it at all – she survived on ginger nuts and was pretty subdued the whole time. Overnight it got pretty rough and as this enormous boat lurched and thumped I couldn’t help but think how heavy the seas must be to make it lurch so heavily. Luckily T slept thru the whole thing!

I could have stayed on that boat another day – the absolute isolation was wonderful to me. I could do nothing, there was nothing to do and someone else was driving. The total lack of responsibility was delicious and over too soon!

Gothenburg’s rocky outcrops of islands heralded our disembarkation and we hurried down to Eileen and jumped in. Engine started first time and we rolled off the ferry and onto Scandinavian soil as my mind mantra “on the right, on the right’ began I cast about looking for the exit.

Eventually we found our way and I hopped out at ‘passport control’ only to impatiently waved back in to the van as he opened the barrier for us – not a passport was shown!!

So off we went – find the E6 and go left was the plan. I’d decided to find a nice campsite on the west coast and we ended up near Kungshamn for a couple of days where we had stunning weather and I spent my time doing more ‘shake down jobs’. Oh, and eradicating nits – see earlier blog post!

During which time an old work colleague and good friend pinged me, come up to Arvika on your way to Norway and see us he urged.

So we did! My first spontaneous act – it wasn’t in the plan and it felt like a long way out of our way and the husbilplats (house car parking – a Swedish Aire or Stellplatz) didn’t get great reviews but it would be great to see Clive and meet Eva.

Friday night saw us parked up by the lake and enjoying a drink in the bar by the husbilplats soaking up the sun with fantastic company! Clive had given us a short tour and taken us to see their gorgeous boat.

Saturday we cruised town with Clive and revised the plan to go on the boat that evening – the weather wasn’t great. So we spent a gorgeous evening at Eva and Clive’s place being winded and dined, showered and hula-hoop’d and generally spoiled and pampered!

The next day we set off for Norway – two countries in the space of 5 days! We had fun at the border jumping back and forth over the line and then we were off and immediately we felt the difference in countried. The roads were narrow, twisty and fast!

We were heading to the Bobil Parkering (Bo – house, Bil – car) at Oslo Marina and I was confident we’d find it quite easily.

I was wrong – the tunnel system going into Oslo was our first Norge tunnel and it was quite a shock. Very narrow, very fast and very dark! My eyes aren’t great in low light and the yellow backlit signs with black writing just don’t work for my eyes and sat nav signal fail underground caused me to miss our exit.

We eventually got back on track, I refused the sat nav’s instruction to go up a small and steep road but I then ignored it when I saw a sign for the nautical museums and ended doing a 3 point reversing uphill turn on a narrow lane – smelly clutch and disapproving glances all round!

So, eventually we arrived at the Marina and found a slot in a large car park along with about 200 other motorhome. A pretty spot with showers (10NOK a pop) and toilets in a portakabin, electric hookup and water to hand all for the princely sum of 300NOK per night!

Norway is EYE WATERINGLY expensive!

Over the next couple of days we made good use of our Oslo Pass (transport and museums) and visiting the Kon Tiki Museum (Thor Heyerdahl swoon, teenage crush and Kon Tiki obsession), the Flam Museum, (un)fortunately the Norwegian Pop Museum was closed (T disappointed but I was not!) and actually the best museum was the Munch Museum.

On our one week anniversary we headed out of the city to hug the west coast heading towards Stavanger to do the first of the Norwegian tourist drives at Jaeron.

I cranked out 380 miles that day, had a credit card refused for diesel and went round a nasty one way system 3 times looking for a bobil parking that I couldn’t find.

The roads are narrow and fast, there’s hardly any dual carriageway and the tunnels are frequent, badly lit and emerge onto high bridges.

I lost my water tank filler cap and got flagged down by a concerned Norwegian who thought I was dumping fuel as I swung round roundabouts.

Eventually we found a campsite who, altho full, found a corner for us to stay and I produced an omlette for supper and we fell into bed with me feeling pretty overwhelmed and anxious.

The following day we headed for Ogna via a Co-Op to stock up on food - £51 for not a lot of supplies!!

Two nights at the beach and 10 days in I did our first washing.

I also checked the gas bottle and found the guage had dropped from full to ½ full – eek! So to add to my worry list was the need for LPG and another new experience as I had yet to fill it up for the first time.

I have, in the last week, discovered that refilling LPG bottles in Norway isn’t an easy task, that the gauges on the bottles are not accurate, that Norway closes for a holiday period and anyone who might help you find a filling station or agree to let you fill at the pump is on holiday.

Day 21 (today) and I still don’t have gas……

Right! I really needed to get my mojo going here – things weren’t going according to plan!

Saturday morning we left the beach despite the weather being amazing, we took the Jaeron drive and stopped to enjoy the views whilst keeping our destination in mind.

Priekestolen aka Pulpit’s Rock, a rock plateau that soars 600m above Lsyefjord – an iconic Norway box that I had vowed to tick. I had recently read a blog describing the heartstopping path that led out onto the rock, after the steep 2 hour hike to get there, and was not at all sure I would actually make it on to the rock itself.

This fear of heights was really beginning to weigh in on every aspect of the trip but I was determined to give it a go.

The road to Jorpeland involved our first secondary road – kinda narrow and slightly nervewracking – to our first ferry. Luckily they believed me when I said we were 6m including the bike rack and we paid 88NOK for the 10 minute crossing.

Over the fjord and off the other side we began a good climb out of the village towards the Priekestolen campground I had chosen. Suddenly we were on the outside of the road with a sheer drop down towards the fjord below and my heart was once again in my mouth. Truly this road is benign but it was a nightmare for me! We turned off and with one lurching hairpin bend made it to the campsite.

The following day we got the shuttle bus to the foot of the path and with a backpack full of supplies and spare kit we set off at 10:15am.

What a hike it was, steep steep steps hewn out of stone and laid by Sherpas made it possible to climb but it was still hard work. The sun beat down and we were red faced and sweaty by the time we emerged into a swampy meadow with a wooden path laid out.

On we trudged as we met early birds coming down with more and more tourists joining the throng.

Higher we climbed and the views were spectacular and eventually were were only a few hundred metres away from the plateau.

Anxiety levels rose but I kept going and the narrow path I was expecting wasn’t nearly as bad as my imagination had made it. It wasn’t great either of course, but we were able to hug the rock and find ways to avoid visually acknowledging the sheer drop the fjord below.

Super proud of ourselves we enjoyed our lunch and took loads of photos and watched the throngs as they arrived and left.

We made the hike up in just over 2 hours and the hike back down in just under 2 hours.

It was declared a two ice cream/2 beer day as a celebration which we thoroughly enjoyed!

Bergen next stop………………..


Authors note: I’ve decided there’s too much to tell for one mighty blog post and at 6 pages this one is quite mighty enough!

Bergen, Rain, the world’s most expensive fish n chips, the coolest museum and a soggy bathroom ceiling will all feature in the next exiting installment!!

Ah yes, as I recall 'simple and straight forward' were the last words of my last blog post.

T-5 actually was pretty simple. We barrelled up the motorway making great time and rocking out to our Road Trip triple CD. Introducing Tabitha to some '80s classics tho she had Breakfast at Tiffany's on repeat and I soon grew weary of that!

As Google is my friend I called upon the powerful search engine to find a site equi-distant between Hull (pronounced 'Ul' in a short, flat way) and York. We were blessed with FourWays Camping at Fogglethorpe - http://www.fourwayscampsite.com and we pulled into a virtually empty field about 5:30pm.

Parking up next to another van with NZ in gaffer tape under each of the side windows we hopped out and met Greg & Caroline - kiwis not surprisingly as site owner Martin and dog Molly greeted us.

Well, we were home for the next 5 hectic days and these guys were instantly like family including Martin's partner Sue.

We celebrated Caroline's birthday, had a BBQ with incredible meat from the local butcher. Martin fixed stuff in my van. Caroline gave me a brilliant book, Greg heroically shared Tabitha's chocolate.

T-4 was a day of two halves, it started with heavy rain which became the pattern for the next 4 mornings actually!

We headed to O'Leary's Motorhomes and purchased a new skylight for the over cab bed area and arranged to have it fitted. At the same time I asked them to remove the awning.

Delighted with both jobs we pootled off to Right Car in  Beverley to get the MOT done.

Happily bunking off their wifi we waited,  dare I say it,  confidently for the news that Eileen was fit and healthy for another year.

Only that wasn't the outcome at all,  she had failed on three items - indicator bulbs not being orange (WTAF?),  a split CV Joint gaitor and the high beam tell tale lamp not coming on.   Worse,  the garage couldn't fit her in till the following Wednesday,  well we sailed from Immingham on the Monday so hmmmm......

After going on a bit of a wild goose chase we found a garage, next door but one in fact,  who agreed to do the work.  

Booked in for 9am on Friday morning we returned to Fourways to be cheered up by our new found friends.

Friday morning dawned grey and wet,  pouring rain thundering on the roof and I wondered if I'd need Martin's tractor to get offsite.

For some reason I felt I had to put T's bike back on the rack before we left for the garage,  why I didn't just leave at the site I don't know.  It was wet and the bungees were very slippy and I was lucky not to lose an eye when one of the hooks hit me square on the nose at high velocity!
​

As the blood dripped into my hand I surprised myself with nothing but a heavy sigh!

So,  Eileen safely ensconced at Andrews of Beverley and T and I were left to wander the town till 5:30pm  

Lovely little town, lots of expensive shops to browse but by the end of the day I was worn out and fed up with the spendthrift child who wanted to buy every bit of tat and crap she spotted!

Relieved to hear that all had been fixed,  if a little jury rigged as the glow plug lamp had been re-purposed as a tell tale lamp we headed back to Right Car for a re-test bang on end of day.  Luckily one mechanic hadn't booked off and was prepared to stay on - so so grateful as it was a Friday after all.

Now I really did sit and chat with the staff with confidence - all was about to be pronounced very very well.

So friendly had we become with the staff that I,  at first,  thought they were having a grand old joke when Michael announced it was another fail.  But no,  he was serious.  Evidently the indicator lamps were still incorrect - possibly the other garage had replaced the rear ones not the front ones!

Queue my near tears and their running like maniacs finding bulbs and fitting them and at 18:05 we were finally declared legal.

With a sigh of relief I wearily turned Eileen back onto the road and heading once again for our temporary home.

Three sleeps to go,  so much to do and my brain really not functioning too well but there was a BBQ tomorrow night to look forward to!

I've enjoyed a recurring and frequent thought over the last few weeks; no more damn nits!!

I wasn't being smug, I just felt relieved we wouldn't be taking the plague of year 5 with us!

Ha!

i thought way too soon!!

After a sweaty day doing more 'settling' jobs I joined my kid in a bracing swim off the pontoon.

​

As I raked my fingernails through my hair I considered the heat or some shampoo residue to be the cause.

Later after we showered I noticed Tabitha's neck was livid with scratch marks and I was horrified when I investigated further and found her crawling with nits!!!!!!

Immediately I knew I must have them too!!

What the bloody hell was I to do without an emergency dash to Boots or a phalanx of local mamas to donate hoarded supplies of chemical warfare?!!!

I remembered stowing the nitty gritty comb with the tea tree oil during the unpacking never expecting to need them tho!

Thank god I did!

De-lousing yourself and your child in a campsite shower stall isn't something I'd recommend to be perfectly honest!

However I will admit it was quite satisfying seeing legions of the suckers fall prey to the sweep of the comb!

Eurgh!!

I sincerely hope that's done it and they are eradicated for good now.

I'm sure the crawling scalp is completely psychosomatic........

Finally we are underway. When I say this day has hurtled towards me in slow motion I hope you'll understand the peculiar nature of prepping for this trip.

Ar 7pm on July 5th 2016 I closed the door on our rented and emptied home in London. The previous month had been a frenzy of store, sell, donate, pack and junk - consolidating a 4 bed house into approx 60sq feet of long term storage and a 6m Campervan should be a skill I can add to my CV!!!

One bag each, approx 10kg, to last the year.
​

My wonderful plan to methodically and meticulously pack the van gave way to literally flinging in shopping bags stuffed with toiletries and various random things like spare webbing straps!

No matter!! We were away and the miracle I needed but doubted had indeed come to pass. Not delivered by a team of angels tho, but real life miracle workers in the form of mum and Brian. The final clear down would never have happened without them!

Several friends swung by with last minutes hugs and biscuits of farewell and a few tears were shed.

We drove into the setting sun and headed for our first overnight at the wonderful Waterhouse auberge!

A delicious dinner, a good sleep and a chance to start to reorder the van in the morning.

We set off again mid morning heading for Hull to take care of minor details like the MoT and getting a new skylight fitted.

It all seemed pretty straightforward really, famous last words........

So,  wow January whizzed by!

Eileen has been up near Luton airport for a month now under the tender loving care of the highly recommended Matthew.

The parts I bought from BrickWerks have all been fitted,  upgraded shocks and springs and I'm told she's riding much higher and evenly.  This work has been done to improve how she drives,  it's been a very wallowing ride to date, and also to provide a bit more stability when we are parked up.

I'm sincerely hoping cooking dinner whilst feeling as tho I'm on a bouncy castle is a thing of past!

Bad news came in the form of the cost of a new fridge,  I had to sit down quickly for that one.  As quickly as the bloody drained from my face the money drained from my wallet!  Good news countered however,  the new heater I'd budgeted for came in as only needing a new part so heaps less than I had allowed.  The savings on the heater hurried across to the fridge budget and we evened out in the end.

The GAS IT system has also been fitted and Matthew has thrown in a bunch of European adaptors so that's a real kindness.

Finally I've asked him to fit some safety door locks on the habitation door and I've been learning about how to run chains across the cab doors to prevent anyone trying to access the vehicle whilst we are parked up.  I will also be getting some window alarms as well.

So,  plenty of stuff going on for Eileen and I am getting very excited about getting back into some spring camping.

I haven't been idle during this time either,  the paid job has been a little bonkers and it isn't likely to tail off any time soon.  So my evenings and weekends have been spent slaving over my laptop researching all things Norway.

Route planning,  making contact with Norwegian camping clubs,  researching all the things we mustn't miss.  My eyes are swimming with images of incredible glaciers,  stunning fjords, works of art littering the tourist routes and fishing villages with colourful wooden houses.

 I dream of crazy switch back roads like Trollstigen (Troll's Path  http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/norway/53-trollstigen-norway.html) and a blacktop that sweeps and soars over, sometimes, raging waters treating pockets of land like stepping stones - The Atlantic Road of course (http://www.theatlanticroad.com/).

The peace and beauty and tranquility of The Lofoten Islands draws me ever north as I plan and dream our Norwegian odyssey.

Working in the central London office I couldn't resist the lure of Foyles bookshop where I treated myself to some maps and guidebooks to continue to feed the fires of adventure!

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​In the meantime I've booked a cheeky week in Marrakech for half term - we need a little R&R and some sun!

So,  I realise it's been quite some time since my blog had any attention or love from me which is somewhat embarrassing!

Anyway,  moving on as swiftly as the last two years have, it's time to start prepping in earnest.

I have nominally plumped for 10th July as our departure date for the roadtrip and epic adventure of a lifetime.  

This gives us 10 days to recover from Glasto 2016,  and yes I am aware of my blog post further down this page.  This should give you some insight into my outlook on life,  some might say chaotic and reckless but I prefer to say flexible and open minded :-)

So,  for those not in the know what am I really waffling on about here?

In the year that I turn 50 and my wonderful daughter turns 10 we have decided to finally escape our city life and hit the road for an extended trip.

The general theme is Scandinavia and Europe and to head north when it's warm and south when it's cold.

Our first leg is fairly articulated,  Harwich to Esjberg by ferry then overland to Hirtshals in the far north of Denmark then ferry to Stavanger in Norway.  Then we venture overland through Norway to Narvick and then out along the Lofoten Islands.

After that we will head into Sweden and meander around visiting friends until we reach Malmo and our good friends the Peekers.  We shall travel the infamous Oresund Bron to Copenhagen and spend a few days with some other friends.

From there the vague plan is to head south and find somewhere nice for a temperate winter via Czech Republic,  Hungary and Vienna.

So,  there you have it.

Whilst the last two years have been silent for blog posts they have been busy with trip prep and I will endeavour to catch you up over the next few blog posts.

Watch this space,  not least because I need a catchy tag line for the trip.  

#Working Titles:  The FaBUSulous @ 50 Tour
                              The FaBuSulous FiftyTen Tour
                              TravellingChick and TravellingTBird On The Road
                              C'mon Karmann Eileen (you can make it) Tour

Feel free to comment with your own suggestions!