The North Cape by 4x4 in the Snow

Our trip lasted a month, from March 10 to April 10, 2024, and was done aboard our Land Rover Defender 110. For those interested, our 4x4 is equipped with mountain-approved 3PMFSF all-terrain tires (non-studded), a removable electric winch that can be attached to either the front or rear of the vehicle, two sand recovery boards, and we bring two pairs of snow chains. We sleep in our Land Rover, which is equipped with a diesel-powered independent heater, a small fridge, and has a layout that allows the dinette to be converted into a bed.

Starting from the Paris region, we crossed Belgium and Germany, took the ferry from Travemünde in northern Germany to Helsinki, followed the Russian border up to northern Finland, then headed into Norway all the way to the North Cape before returning via Norway, taking the ferry from Larvik in Norway to Hirtshals in Denmark, then passing through Germany and Belgium on our way back to France.

Tonight, March 10, 2024, we’ll be sleeping at our daughter’s place in the North.

Tuesday, March 11, we’ll cross Belgium and then enter Germany, where we’ll camp in Bremen.

Wednesday, March 12, we’ll have a quick visit to Bremen in the morning. We had planned to visit Lübeck, but some electrical issues with the car delayed us, so we head straight to the German port of Travemünde, where we’re set to embark at 11:30 PM to cross the Baltic Sea and arrive in Helsinki after 31 hours of sailing (one-way cabin ticket cost: 850 €—quite expensive since we booked last minute).

On the ferry, there are mostly semi-trucks and only a few campervans and passenger cars. The boat is quiet, and the Baltic Sea is calm.

About two hours before arriving in Helsinki, we hear noise along the hull. Surprise—looking out the porthole, we realize we’re sailing on frozen sea ice!

Thursday, March 14, we arrive at the port of Helsinki at 9:30 AM. Disembarking takes a while. As soon as we’re out, we head straight to Rastila Camping (cost: 27 €), about ten kilometers east of Helsinki. Then we go to a Land Rover garage to fix our headlight switch, which stopped working (a real hassle in Finland since you have to drive with low beams on at all times).

After the repair, we visit the stunning Temppeliaukio Church, which is built underground.

On our way back to the campsite, we stop at the supermarket for supplies. Prices are similar to France, except for imported products.

We settle into our snowy campsite spot.

On Friday, March 15th, the night was chilly because our heating didn’t work (4°C inside, 1°C outside). A disaster since it could’ve jeopardized our trip. We called the company that installed the system. We reset the heating system, and it started working again. Phew, we can continue our journey. This morning, we took the metro, which is just 2 minutes from the campsite, to head into central Helsinki. We started with a visit to the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral. Lunch at the Old Market Hall (typical but touristy). We then visited the small, very design wooden chapel, Kampin Kappeli, before returning to the campsite to warm up in the car. Next, we explored the stunning modern library, Oodi, in Helsinki. Back at the campsite. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle the roadbook we bought, which will take us from Helsinki to the North Cape via backroads and secondary routes.

Saturday, March 16th—departure in the fog that hasn’t left us since we arrived in Finland. Heading to Porvoo, a charming village by a frozen river about forty kilometers east of Helsinki. On the roads, we notice that road signs are in Finnish and Swedish. We take our first trails to Nastola and stop at Messila Camping (47 €) near Lahti. Temperature tonight: 3°C. This morning, Sunday, March 17th, we wake up to 15 cm of snow. The temperature has dropped to -2°C. We head toward Mikkeli. Beautiful snowy trails with fresh powder—some of us are the first to drive them. At one point, we have to turn back because there’s at least 30 cm of soft snow where we risk getting stuck. Note that Finnish roads are almost never cleared of snow (unlike in Norway), which explains why all Finnish drivers use studded winter tires. On steep roads, small black gravel is spread on the pavement to improve grip. We pass through Juva and head toward Savonlinna.

Arrived in Savonlinna, which has a magnificent castle and where the weather is glorious. Since we couldn’t find a place to camp, we headed to the Norppa Hotel (57 €). The temperature is starting to drop seriously—it was -9°C last night. We decided to buy a booster because in these freezing temperatures, the battery sometimes struggles to start the engine in the morning, and we’re worried about running out of power. While waiting for the mechanic to charge our booster, we took a walk to Savonlinna Castle and around the lakeside town. During the day, the temperature rose to -1°C, and the sun was shining. We hit the road again toward Heinävesi and stopped at the Holiday Linnunlahti campsite (26 €) in Joensuu. Tuesday, March 19: -13°C last night. We took a detour to see the wooden church in Joensuu. We continued along snowy roads that cut through birch and pine forests. Finland has a dense network of roads serving isolated houses. The lakes are all frozen and covered in snow, creating large white patches in the woods. In this region, the landscape is hilly, and we got stuck at the start of a steep, icy descent. Without studded tires, it was impossible to reverse. So, we put on snow chains, which allowed us to climb back up the slope. We took a detour to avoid that part of the route. We drove toward Lieksa and then Kuhmo, skirting the Russian border. The campsites were closed, so we booked a chalet online but couldn’t find the address. Luckily, we found a cleared parking spot in the forest where we could camp for the night. Wednesday, March 20: Slept well. We weren’t disturbed on that parking spot. This morning, the weather was nice. Temperature: -3°C. It’s worth noting that even though the temperatures are below freezing, we don’t feel cold in the morning when we get out of the car because the cold is dry and there’s no wind. Along the way, we came across a shelter.

This refuge has all the equipment needed to survive in case of a storm. We continue our journey towards Suomussalmi and then Kuusamo, where we’re staying at the Kuusanka Hotel (75 €) since there’s nowhere to camp. It’s important to know that in winter, the ground is covered in thick snow, and there are very few cleared spots where it’d be possible to bivouac.

Hello Michel,

Great trip with a magnificent and legendary vehicle! (We’ve got the same one 😄)

I can’t wait to see the rest of your trip!

Hi Nathalie, Thanks for your message. I know you because I was inspired by your travel journal when I was preparing my Botswana road trip back in 2018.

After a good breakfast at the hotel and a stop at City Market to stock up, we set off again following the route indicated in our roadbook to the north. After a few kilometers, we have to turn back because the road is closed. We join the national road E63 where we cross the Arctic Circle heading towards Kemijärvi. As mentioned earlier, Finnish roads—including national roads and highways—aren’t cleared of snow. This means that when we drive on these roads with traffic (not too much, though), we slow down the flow when approaching descents or curves because our tires aren’t studded. The snow is often frozen and slippery. We don’t have this problem on trails and secondary roads because the snow is less packed, and we can drive at whatever speed we want since there’s no traffic. Along the way, we’ll even see a semi-truck that ended up in the ditch. The speed limit is 80 km/h on roads and 100 or 120 km/h on highways. We spot our first reindeer, which are free-roaming but tagged. We pass through Pelkosenniemi and arrive in Sodankylä, where we rent a cottage (110 €) at Nilimella Camping. We take the opportunity to do laundry and dry our clothes. Today, the weather is gray, and the temperature has risen to 6°C. The cottage has a sauna. Friday, March 22, we leave around 9 AM and stop at a Kmarket, where we find a great tip for meals. Many Finnish supermarkets have a salad bar where, for 4 to 5 €, you can make yourself a hearty salad. We’ll use this solution often—it’s super practical. Throughout the journey, we see numerous lakes that, in winter, are vast flat expanses covered in pristine snow. North of Sodankylä, there are many more hills, and we take trails that constantly go up and down, following the terrain. This breaks up the monotony of the long straight paths lined with forest. We continue driving north, passing through Saariselkä and Ivalo, where we turn northeast toward Nellim, which has a lovely wooden Orthodox church. We keep going toward the Russian border until Virtaniemi, where the road is closed about 1 km before the border checkpoint. What’s surprising is that at this border, there are no Finnish guards—just cameras. We turn back, pass through Ivalo again, and head toward Inari, the capital of the Sámi people. We stop at Inari Camping (30 €) near the lake. Temperature: -3°C Tomorrow, we’ll get to watch reindeer races on the frozen Lake Inari.

This Saturday morning, March 23, 2024, the weather was magnificent. Temperature: -9°C. Visit to the Sámi Museum SIIDA (13 €) in Inari, which also includes an outdoor section where old Sámi buildings have been relocated. This modern museum is a must-see. It showcases Sámi costumes, settlement areas, as well as the region's fauna and flora. Then we went to see the reindeer races on the frozen Lake Inari. The parking lot is on the lake itself. The reindeer are in enclosures set up on the lake. This event is a chance for the Sámi to gather. We came across some Sámi in traditional clothing and stalls selling Sámi handicrafts, including headdresses, belts, and reindeer-skin shoes. It was freezing cold (-9°C in the shelter) because the lake was swept by strong winds. At noon, we returned to the car for lunch, turning on the heater to warm up. The diesel fuel in northern Finland holds up to -35°C. In 2024, the price ranged between 1.90 and 2 € per liter. In the evening, we headed back to the campsite. It started getting cold—-18°C—and the temperature would drop to -23°C. At the campsite, we met some French students studying in the Baltic countries who had rented a van with an independent gas heater, but it broke down. They spent the night in the campsite sauna. We also ran into a couple who were ski hiking and bravely sleeping in a tent.

Sunday, March 24. Last night, we spotted some faint northern lights. Good weather. We take the track from Inari to Karigasniemi at the Norwegian border. On this track, we follow a reindeer running ahead of the car. We cross the Norwegian border. From there on, we’ll only take paved roads. We pass through Karasjok and Lakselv, where we see the Barents Sea again. We follow a fjord to the tunnel leading to Nordkapp, since it’s located on an island. We drive through Honningsvåg, where the access road to Nordkapp starts. In bad weather, this road can be closed or only passable in a convoy. After crossing two mountain passes, we arrive at the parking lot for the Nordkapp site, which is free to access at this time of year. However, entry to the museum-restaurant costs 29 €. We spend the night in the parking lot with a few other motorhomes. Monday, March 25, 2024. Good weather. Temperature: -5°C. It’s daylight by 4 a.m. We’re lucky—we spot whales at the foot of the cliffs at Nordkapp. We explore the top of the cliffs thoroughly before heading back mid-morning.

It’s really enjoyable to explore and discover this corner of the world through your travel journal. Reading it is a pleasure, and the photos (as thumbnails that don’t overwhelm the text—I love that!) capture the cold, the colors, and the atmosphere of Nordkapp perfectly. Looking forward to the rest of the trip...

You seem to really like your Defender—it’s photographed a lot! 😉

Hi Dolma, Thanks for your message. Yes, it was a magnificent trip, mostly under beautiful sunshine and with very few tourists at this time of year. Note: yes, it’s true—I love my Defender, which allowed us to travel completely independently to many places that are inaccessible without a 4x4. Have a great day!

Note: yes, it's true I love my Defender, which allowed us to travel completely independently to many places that are inaccessible without a 4x4

Yeah, I totally agree—a Defender is freedom 🚙💨, especially when it's equipped for self-sufficient living! 😊

This morning, we begin our descent from Norway. We stop in Honningsvåg to stock up at the supermarket and fill up on fuel. Honningsvåg is the quintessential small Arctic port at the end of the world, with its little red houses and fishing boats. We hit the road again and cross the 6.8 km-long tunnel connecting the North Cape island to the mainland. Driving through Norway in winter is always a delight, with all these snow-covered mountains plunging directly into the fjord waters. We never get tired of it. It reminds us a bit of Iceland’s winter landscapes. We follow the E6 highway, which runs from north to south across the country. We pass through Alta, the capital of Finnmark, and stop at Arctic Fjord Camp, a campsite about 60 km south of Alta. From our camping spot, we’ll get to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the fjord. Worth noting: campsites open in winter in Scandinavia are very well heated. We’re the only guests at the campsite.

Tuesday, March 26. This morning, beautiful but windy weather. Temperature: -7°C. We hit the E6 again and follow the Lyngen Alps on the other side of the fjord. We arrive in Nordkjosbotn, then head north to Tromsø, which is a hub for northern lights excursions. We visit the famous Arctic Cathedral and the city center. In the harbor, several cruise ships are anchored, which probably explains why this city is so popular with tourists. We’ll spend the night at Tromsø Camping (35 €). In the evening, around 11 PM, we get to see some stunning northern lights. The sight is mesmerizing—watching these luminous veils shift shapes in absolute silence and total darkness. There’s one thing I can’t figure out, though. Every northern lights we’ve seen—in Iceland, Sweden, and Norway—appeared white to us, but in photos, they’re always green. If anyone has an explanation, I’d love to hear it!

After an evening made magical by the northern lights, we leave Tromsø early Wednesday, March 27th under a bright sun. Temperature: -1°C. We join the E6 road, passing through the coastal town of Narvik, which has the unique feature of ski slopes running right down into the city. After Narvik, at Bognes, the E6 road suddenly ends at a pier by a fjord. A ferry crosses the fjord, allowing us to continue on the E6. Unable to find an open campsite, we stop a few kilometers further at the Tysfjord Hotel (85 €) in Skollvoll. It started snowing heavily, and in the hotel parking lot, we have to be careful where we place the wheels—there’s deep snow. It’d be ironic to get stuck here. By late March, the rivers and fjord bottoms are beginning to thaw.

Hello Michel,

There’s a phenomenon I can’t explain. All the northern lights we saw in Iceland, Sweden, and Norway appeared white to us, but in photos they’re always green. If anyone has an explanation, I’d love to hear it.

The answer is simple: camera sensors are more sensitive to colors than the human eye. That’s why most of the time, we see them as gray. But if the aurora’s intensity is strong enough for the eye, you can also see the green with the naked eye. Cameras also reveal purples, reds, pinks, or oranges that aren’t always visible to us.

Hi again Michel,

Your travel journal is really great and has given me some ideas for maybe a future winter trip with our 4x4.

Thanks for the explanation about the northern lights. Just a quick note—we saw some really intense auroras in Sweden, but they always appeared white.

Thanks for the explanation about the northern lights. Just a quick note—we saw some really intense ones in Sweden, but they always appeared white.

🤔 Weird, last summer in Iceland we saw them with the naked eye, and they were green!

This Thursday morning, March 28th, beautiful weather. Temperature: 0°C. We catch sight of the snow-covered Lofoten Islands in the distance, which we already visited in autumn 2019. Still heading south on the E6, we pass through the town of Fauske, then cross the Arctic Circle at 700 meters altitude just before Mo i Rana. The Arctic Circle exhibition site is closed at this time of year. Snow starts falling. Note that in Norway, unlike Finland, roads are cleared of snow. About 100 km north of Trondheim, the snow disappears from the landscape. Today, we struggled to find an open campsite. After two hours of searching, we finally found one about twenty kilometers north of Trondheim: Harran Camping (28 €). The temperature warms up noticeably to 5°C by 8 PM.

March 29, 2024. It's Good Friday. In Norway, during Easter, shops are closed on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday. It snowed last night. This morning, we're visiting Trondheim.

Saturday, March 30, 2024. Temperature: -5°C. Beautiful weather this morning. We do our shopping in Oppdal, then head towards Dombås, Otta, and take route 51 to Lom, where we visit the stave church (Stavkirkje). A lovely mountain road running alongside Jotunheimen National Park. We wanted to visit Geiranger Fjord, but the access roads are closed at this time of year. We backtrack and take route 51 south. We stop in Hegge to see the stave church. Then we continue to Fagernes and turn west onto the E16. We stop at Haalimo Camping (28 €) near Ryfoss.

Sunday, March 31st. Temperature: +1°C. Today, it's sleeting. We make our first stop at the Heddal Stave Church, then a second one at the Borgund Stave Church, which is absolutely stunning. We take route 52 to Gol via a gorgeous mountain road. We cross a pass at 1,100 meters. Lots of snow, but the road is clear. We spot several ski resorts in the area. From Gol, we take route 7 and stop at the Torpo Stave Church, which is pretty but small. Stop at the Oen Turistsenter campsite (29 €) near Geilo at 800 meters altitude. At this latitude, despite the elevation, the snow melts quickly. Temperature: 10°C.

Monday, April 1st. Beautiful weather. Temperature: -3°C. From Geilo, we take Route 40. We visit the stave churches in Uvdal, Nore, Rollag, and Flesberg. Since it's Easter Monday, Norwegians are off work and out for walks. The temperature has warmed up, and we pass many motorcyclists out for a ride. We cross the town of Kongsberg, then follow the E134 to the Heddal Stave Church, which is probably the most beautiful stave church in Norway. After that, we head back to Kongsberg, then toward Hokksund, Hønefoss, and stop at Odin Camping (44 €) south of Hønefoss by Lake Tyrifjorden. Today was the warmest day so far—+12°C at 7 PM.

Tuesday, April 2nd. This morning, the weather was overcast and chilly. Headed to Oslo, where we stopped at Bogstad Camp (43 €) by late morning—a campsite about ten kilometers north of Oslo. The advantage of this campsite is that it’s served by bus line 42, which takes you directly to Tjuvholmen in central Oslo. To buy bus tickets, use the Ruter website—3.70 € per ticket.

We took the bus to Oslo and set off on a walking tour that led us to the Opera House, where you can climb onto the roof. Then, we looped back via the cathedral, the theater, the National Museum, and visited the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. In Oslo, there’s very little car traffic and few pedestrians.

Along the waterfront, there are beautiful wooden terraces where it must be lovely to stroll in the summer.

We returned to the campsite on the same bus line.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024. This morning, gray skies. Temperature: 0°C. We take the car to go to the Ekeberg Sculpture Park, which overlooks Oslo. This park features sculptures by various artists.

This morning, we left the campsite in Oslo in the snow. We're heading to the port of Larvik, about 130 km south of Oslo. We arrive in the early afternoon and buy a boat ticket (236 €) to Hirtshals in northern Denmark. Departure at 5 PM, arrival in Hirtshals at 8:45 PM. We go to the Kjul campsite in Hirtshals, but find it closed. We sleep in front of the campsite.

From Hirtshals, we head to Aalborg, where we visit the Kunsten Museum. We continue our north-south crossing of Denmark and cross the German border at Flensburg. We carry on to Hamburg, which takes us 2.5 hours to get through. Note that on German autobahns, there are major traffic jams around the exits of big cities. We return to the Knaus campsite (29 €) in Oyten near Bremen, where we stopped on the way out.

The temperature has warmed up significantly—15°C in the evening. The next day, we hit the road back to France and make stops in Belgium and the north for family visits.

In total, we covered a distance of 8,000 km.

That’s it for this travel journal. If you need any details, feel free to contact me.

Thanks for this account—what a fascinating trip! Which landscapes were the most memorable or breathtaking you saw? Did you try any local dishes?

Hello Michel,

What a fantastic trip! 😊

Thanks for your message.

Hi there, No, we didn’t try any typical dishes since we didn’t go to restaurants—just the salad bars in supermarkets. As for memorable landscapes, we really loved Helsinki, the Lake Inari region in northern Finland, Nordkapp Island, the Lyngen Alps, and Jotunheimen National Park. We’d also visited the Lofoten Islands during another trip in autumn 2019. Have a great day! Michel

Hi there, Your trip sounds really interesting (though probably some long stages); personally, I’d skip the snow! You mentioned a roadbook—did it help you a lot? Best, Alain

Hello Your trip sounds really interesting (though probably with long stages); personally, I’d skip the snow! You mention a roadbook—did it help you a lot? Best regards, Alain

Good evening, From Helsinki all the way to Nordkapp, we only followed the roadbook. Just so you know, it’s published by Bernard Louvot and covers about 2,600 km, with 50% off-road tracks and 50% paved roads. We did stages of 200 to 300 km per day, depending on how much off-road we took. Without snow, I think we could’ve covered more ground each day. Happy to help if you need any other details. Best regards, Michel

Good evening, Thanks for the info—I’m not a fan of long driving days, so I’ll just add more days to the trip! I checked out Bernard Louvot’s website... something to look into. Best, Alain

A small correction to avoid "cooling off" 🙂 potential travelers:

Most Finnish roads are maintained in winter (if they weren't, there would quickly be over 1m of snow on these roads/highways). Only tertiary roads/paths aren't maintained and are clearly marked as such. Your note that "Finnish roads, including national roads and highways, aren't cleared of snow" doesn't seem accurate to me. It's true that the term "cleared of snow" can be misleading. The snow is indeed removed, but there's always 0-3 cm of snow left. This maintenance is sometimes done within an hour of snowfall, sometimes even faster. It's not like in our countries where "cleared of snow" means almost swept clean, revealing the asphalt or gravel of the road. Our 4WD Def with winter tires but no studs handles 95% of the roads in the north. Local non-4WD vehicles (i.e., Finnish ones) do have studs in 85% of cases for ice, hard-packed snow, or black ice. We've never needed them (so far, after thousands of km up there). (for info: we've known Finland relatively well for 30+ years and stay in the North for several months each year, including in winter). Thanks anyway for your great travel journal and photos.

Good evening, Thanks for the correction. I didn’t express myself clearly when I said Finnish roads aren’t cleared of snow—I should’ve said they’re not *fully* cleared, and there’s always a layer of icy snow left on the roads, making driving tricky without studded winter tires, even in a 4WD vehicle. Have a good evening

Hi there. I haven’t done this trip yet; I just got back from Africa. I contacted Bernard LOUVOT; the roadbook hasn’t undergone any changes. Did you go for the digital version or the book? I’m not used to using roadbooks. Have a great weekend! Best, Alain