A long walk to the real north, and some interesting finds at the fake one

Sunset at the North Cape

You left us sipping champagne on the top of a 300m high cliff watching a beautiful sunset over the Barents Sea at Nordkapp: 71° 10’ 21” N. The wind threatened an uncomfortable night, but soon died down, and we awoke to bright blue skies. After a tramp across the cliff tops with the spaniels, under the close surveillance of a herd of reindeer, we set off for the visitors centre. After all, we had paid £27 each for our 24 hours at Nordkapp, and we wanted to get our money’s worth.

Obviously nothing was going to be worth that amount, except that we’d decided long ago that we were going to swallow the cost, because, well, there is something quite special about Nordkapp. And the visitors’ centre helps to make that clear. It was given the name by an English (Devonian) sailor in 1553, and has been visited by the great and the good ever since. Earlier visitors had to arrive by boat and then make a fairly arduous climb up the cliff path. Later, a zig zag path was laid to make it easier. The road wasn’t built until 1956. 

"Who you looking at?"

As well as learning about the history of The North Cape, including a fascinating display on a visit by the King of Siam in 1907, we read about local sea birds, saw a light display on the midnight sun and northern lights, and watched a panoramic film. There was also a very good exhibit on the WWII arctic convoys, and the sinking of the German battleship, the Scharnhorst. The gift shop was an experience on its own right, although best not to look at the prices. Altogether we spent almost 90 minutes being educated and entertained. Just as well we’d brought our own champagne though: it was £17 for a 20ml plastic bottle of wine at the café. 

The path to the other North Cape

Apart from the excessive entry price, there is another reason why many who make the journey here still avoid Nordkapp. It isn’t actually the most northerly point on the island. That distinction belongs to Knivskjelloden, a peninsula stretching up to the west of Nordkapp, the end of which is only accessible on foot. 9km on foot. 18km (11 miles) if you are thinking of returning. Of course neither point is the northernmost in mainland Europe, that’s in Russia, and if you are counting islands, then surely you must count Svalbard, but the vast cliffs at Nordkapp are as good a destination as any.

All that said, the sun was shining, I wasn’t likely to be passing this way again, and there was a challenge to be met. So shortly after lunch I packed my rucksack with Marmite on Ryvita, donned my walking boots, picked up my poles, and headed off from the car park at Knivskjelloden trail head. Reading back the review afterwards I had some sympathy for those who had read that it was an “easy” walk and felt they’d been misled. The ground is rough and rocky when it isn’t boggy, a long gradual descent to the sea means a slog back up, and the last half mile over sloping rocks must be nail biting in the wet. But I had a pretty good idea what I was taking on, the trail was well marked, there were reindeer and eagles to watch. and I had good boots. I told Nick I’d be back in four to five hours, and I walked back in after four and a half, having stood at 71º 11' 08" - almost a nautical mile further north than Nordkapp. (See top photo)

The sun returns for a lovely walk

I skipped my run this morning, and after picking up supplies in Honningsvåg, we headed back through the 212m deep undersea tunnel to the mainland. The weather had clamped in overnight, and we owed the dogs a proper walk, so we were delighted when the sun came out to reveal a beautiful valley up a path from our lunch stop. After a walk, we returned to the northernmost motorhome services in Norway, last seen 48 hours before, and as fuel there was still cheap (for Norway: 14.20 NOK) we topped up the tank. Back to Alta tomorrow for our last chance to fill up with LPG before Estonia.