In most respects Northern Russia has been forgotten by post-perestroika Moscow – the locals are in a 1930’s time warp, bartering carrots for bread, and earning a little cash where they can. Their houses are still owned by the State, so there’s no maintenance and yet no housing construction is happening either – no private […]
The ancient trolleys cruise along with the more modern ones in Murmansk. This surely must be the most Northern trolley route in the world. 10 rubles each (about 50cents) to the conductor got Gareth and me a ride to the terminal of route 3 and towards the end in the residential streets our teeth were […]
Today we made our way from Ivalo in Finland 50 km’s east across the Russian and Finish border. As we exited Finland one of the officials asked why we were going there and stated the only 60,000 people crossed the border per year and 70% of them were Russian, 29% made up another group and […]
Bike trips can be hard at times and we have all wished for a little support from time to time. Today however we came across what might be the ultimate in support vehicles. I spoke with Peter Engeloch the owner operator of this bus. He ensured me that he could provide us with the ultimate trip […]
We’ve arrived – up at the Cape at 71 degrees 10 minutes North. So from McMurdo Sound to here it’s been 149 degrees of latitude for us with our bikes this year, out of a possible 180. And I take back what I said about the reindeer in Norway. There are no signs up here […]
Have woken to a glorious sunny day, a couple of hundred km to get to the top of Europe (Nordkapp) and further North than we have had our bikes before. Big day yesterday means a leisurely start today, so I sit in bed looking out at a blue fjiord with snow clad hills and the […]
2600kms from Oslo to Nordkapp on a motorcycle is an experience of great contrasts, first there is the slow traffic, the hesitant drivers, the long and winding roads denied their true biker potential by the huge speeding fines, however the mountains are majestic, the valleys are tranquil with much small farming activity, the fjords are […]
Yes the roadsigns here in Lapland, Norway warning us of the hazards of Moose and Reindeer are more common than those indicating speed zones – and that’s saying something. We saw a few of these signs in Alaska and the Yukon too in 2006, but nowhere as many as we have seen here – so […]
Done it again – this time riding up Norway as opposed to the Haul Road to Deadhorse, Alaska. And it’s quite different here – there are farms well north of 66 degrees, 33 minutes, whereas in Alaska there was tundra and permafrost and that’s about it – beautiful though. They say it’s the impact […]
We seem to have been travelling through Norway for ages and first thing this morning we will pass the Arctic Circle with another slow1200 km to go before we get to the top of the country (Nordkapp). Our favourite Norwegian, Lise, who lived with us for a while when studying in Wellington has been missed […]
