Great Britain - Norway / Storbritannia - Norge (May 2022) [PART 2 / 3]

[Jack P]

So you made it through part 1 ☺️ If not, then be sure to read that first, to see the outwards trip from the UK to Norway.

https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/20587-great-britain-norway-storbritannia-norge-may-2022-part-1-of-3

Now, in part 2 we will see some of the adventures I got up to inside Norway for the 7 days that I was there! 

May 14- 2022: After waking up in a real bed, at a friend’s house in Vinstra, I was well rested. After 36 hours of driving to get there, finally being able to sleep did me a lot of good! The plan for today was threefold - Visit Otta Motorfestivalen, visit my friend’s parents house so that i could jack up the TT and remove the broken undertray, and finally: Eurovision!

Otta Motorfestivalen was great, I would 100% recommend going to visit it (it will be going ahead again next year.. Road trip?) - upon entry I was greeted with an Audi S2 drifting : (video)

But there was a massive variety of cars, trucks, and even lorries on display at the event (cue the photo-dump):

(The rest of the story continues below the photos, of course 🙂 )

Following on from the show, We then made our way to my friend’s parents house where I managed to remove and dispose of my under tray. I didn’t photograph the process, but if you read part 1 you’ll remember that it got destroyed on the Autobahn! 

Vinstra itself is a gorgeous small town, about an hour north of Lillehammer. I passed some of the time there by relaxing by the water (which eventually feeds lake Mjøsa, the biggest lake in Norway). I perfected the skill of balancing stones: 

And later that evening I relaxed whilst the UK did impressively well to come 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest, beaten only by a well deserved win from Ukraine! Sadly I didn’t have a union-jack to wave at the TV as the votes came rolling in - but my friend handily provided me with a Norwegian flag 🇳🇴 😄

The following day, Sunday May 15th, Otta Motorfestivalen finished off at the Vinstra motorsports arena with some drag-racing, which was great to watch! Next year i might just have to enter the TT into the festival 😄 Ofcourse, the red S2 which was drifting yesterday managed to catch my eye straight away - it was the fastest car to run the 200m strip that day also! (Video)

After this, as the day drew to a close, I said goodbye to my friend in Vinstra and headed southwards towards Hafjell. Known for its skiiing (in the winter), hafjell is a beautiful town only around 15 minutes north of Lillehammer. It is also around a 5 minute drive from the Norsk Vegmusieum (the Norwegian road museum) - however it had closed by the time i got there, and was not due to reopen until Wednesday it doesn’t open on Monday/Tuesday. Sadly i didnt get to visit it this time - I did manage to get there last September but only for around an hour; I’ve been meaning to go back since. My sister, who has no interest in cars, declined the offer to go there when we went to Norway in February 😂 

That night in Hafjell, the employee of the local Circle K gas station recommended a good road for me to drive up to get a nice view of Mjøsa. Now might be a good time to point out that Norway is absolutely stunning - and iPhone photos simply can’t do justice to the sheer scale and beauty of the landscape, on display in every direction!

Later that evening, after safely having some 250BHP-Quattro fun on the gravel roads on the mountain, I headed back to Hafjell where I camped in the back of the TT for the first time on the trip. Yes, you did read that right - I slept in the back of the TT 😂 (video proof):

But wow, what a view to wake up to.. wiping the fog off of the windscreen to see the beauty of Hafjell!

If you’re wandering why my side windows are completely blacked out by this point - I have some black sticky plastic covers for them for sleeping with - from the inside, its completely blacked out to aid with sleeping. But to onlookers it just looks like a questionable tint, making it much less obvious that the car is occupied.

After walking around Hafjell for a while, soaking up the sun and the natural beauty of the landscape, I headed down to Lillehammer where I checked into the Scandic hotel - which would be my new home for the next two nights!

Lillehammer really, truly, is my favourite place in the world. My first stop-off was the Toppen Skybar at the Mølla hotel. They make the best Passionfruit Martini anywhere in the world (in my opinion). And the view is stunning too!

The first day in Lillehammer was pretty chill after this, and after my stop at the cocktail bar, driving was off the cards - which is OK, as long as you’re good with walking up hills, Lillehammer is completely accessible on foot. Right the way down from the water, where the shopping centre is, up to the Olympic Park. Just bring comfy shoes!

The following day, May 17, is the national day of norway. It is a very special day where the whole country celebrates its independence, and people wear their national dress (the Bunad). There are different parades, parties, and lots of celebrating. And classic cars, too! If you ever get the chance to be in Norway on the 17th, you should 100% experience it!

 

 

After waking around the parades for a bit and soaking up the atmosphere, you bet I also had to decorate the TT with more Norwegian flags than usual (I do usually have at least one on the car anyway)

After this, I headed down to the park in Lillehammer, where I sat out and soaked up the atmosphere - as well as the sun-tan-rays 😂

That night it was back to the Lillehammer Scandic 🙂

The next day, May 18th, I headed down to Hamar, the biggest city in Innlandet. It was a pretty place, however I’d recommend going in the summer when more is open - they have several bars along the waterfront that just aren’t open until the weather gets warmer! 

I had a pretty chill day in Hamar, relaxing and eating my 13p spaghetti hoops and baked beans from Tesco 😂 That night I stayed in the Clarion hotel in Hamar, and begun to consider how I was going to return home at the end of the trip, with no money, which was coming up scarily fast! 

The next morning (19th), I woke up late and missed my free breakfast at the hotel. So instead I made my way to the shopping centre in Hamar where I ate a Subway lunch. It was here where I was deciding how to spend my remaining time in Norway. I had no idea what I wanted to do, only that I wanted to head south towards Kristiansand, where the ferry I’d booked out of norway was based (part 3 spoiler). Suddenly, thanks to modern day social networking, my answer arrived. 

Armed with just an address, I jumped in the TT and drove about 3 hours south - into the countryside somewhere between Oslo and the Swedish border.

upon arrival, I knew I’d made the right choice! I was greeted by an absolutely amazing person, who wholeheartedly 100% agreed that the steering wheel on British cars is in fact on the correct side 😂 (she will read this later, and she may remind me that she didn’t quite say those words in that order 😂) 

After we got the steering wheel debate agreed upon, she led me to some beautiful places around the countryside in the area - we visited an old lookout spot, complete with tunnels between rooms that you can still actually walk through! Sadly I left my phone in the car (norway is safe so no risk there), it does however mean I didn’t get any pictures of it!

After spending some great time here, we went to a fantastic steak house, which had big windows inside that overlooked an indoor horse riding arena, which was super cool! I will certainly be going back there in the very near future!! ☺️

Shortly after this, I had to say a sad goodbye to the super amazing person (for now at least), as I had to continue down to Kristiansand before tomorrow.

The views on the way to Kristiansand as the sun was setting were amazing! (Hands free body mounted picture, not taken by hand, that would be illegal 🙂)

Once I reached Kristiansand, for the final time on the trip, i slept in the TT! This is the view i woke up to.. not bad considering it was completely dark when i parked there so didn’t know which way to point the car for the best view 😁

Shortly after waking up, I made my way to the ferry terminal, which is where we will leave off part 2 and head to part 3, coming later this week - where we will discover how I managed to get a 3.2L V6 gas guzzler back home to the UK with barely any fuel money left 🙂

Ha det bra - for now 🙂 

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Jack P
Added tags and link to part 1

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Jack P said:

So you made it through part 1 ☺️ If not, then be sure to read that first, to see the outwards trip from the UK to Norway.

https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/20587-great-britain-norway-storbritannia-norge-may-2022-part-1-of-3

Now, in part 2 we will see some of the adventures I got up to inside Norway for the 7 days that I was there! 

May 14- 2022: After waking up in a real bed, at a friend’s house in Vinstra, I was well rested. After 36 hours of driving to get there, finally being able to sleep did me a lot of good! The plan for today was threefold - Visit Otta Motorfestivalen, visit my friend’s parents house so that i could jack up the TT and remove the broken undertray, and finally: Eurovision!

Otta Motorfestivalen was great, I would 100% recommend going to visit it (it will be going ahead again next year.. Road trip?) - upon entry I was greeted with an Audi S2 drifting : (video)

 

FullSizeRender.MOV 176.98 MB · 0 downloads

But there was a massive variety of cars, trucks, and even lorries on display at the event (cue the photo-dump):

(The rest of the story continues below the photos, of course 🙂 )

Following on from the show, We then made our way to my friend’s parents house where I managed to remove and dispose of my under tray. I didn’t photograph the process, but if you read part 1 you’ll remember that it got destroyed on the Autobahn! 

Vinstra itself is a gorgeous small town, about an hour north of Lillehammer. I passed some of the time there by relaxing by the water (which eventually feeds lake Mjøsa, the biggest lake in Norway). I perfected the skill of balancing stones: 

And later that evening I relaxed whilst the UK did impressively well to come 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest, beaten only by a well deserved win from Ukraine! Sadly I didn’t have a union-jack to wave at the TV as the votes came rolling in - but my friend handily provided me with a Norwegian flag 🇳🇴 😄

The following day, Sunday May 15th, Otta Motorfestivalen finished off at the Vinstra motorsports arena with some drag-racing, which was great to watch! Next year i might just have to enter the TT into the festival 😄 Ofcourse, the red S2 which was drifting yesterday managed to catch my eye straight away - it was the fastest car to run the 200m strip that day also! (Video)

 

95FAD668-6B21-4038-A563-63255C5ED905.MOV 101.08 MB · 0 downloads

After this, as the day drew to a close, I said goodbye to my friend in Vinstra and headed southwards towards Hafjell. Known for its skiiing (in the winter), hafjell is a beautiful town only around 15 minutes north of Lillehammer. It is also around a 5 minute drive from the Norsk Vegmusieum (the Norwegian road museum) - however it had closed by the time i got there, and was not due to reopen until Wednesday it doesn’t open on Monday/Tuesday. Sadly i didnt get to visit it this time - I did manage to get there last September but only for around an hour; I’ve been meaning to go back since. My sister, who has no interest in cars, declined the offer to go there when we went to Norway in February 😂 

That night in Hafjell, the employee of the local Circle K gas station recommended a good road for me to drive up to get a nice view of Mjøsa. Now might be a good time to point out that Norway is absolutely stunning - and iPhone photos simply can’t do justice to the sheer scale and beauty of the landscape, on display in every direction!

Later that evening, after safely having some 250BHP-Quattro fun on the gravel roads on the mountain, I headed back to Hafjell where I camped in the back of the TT for the first time on the trip. Yes, you did read that right - I slept in the back of the TT 😂 (video proof):

 

91E35383-801A-48A4-BD33-42342B8F8A51.MOV 105.24 MB · 0 downloads

But wow, what a view to wake up to.. wiping the fog off of the windscreen to see the beauty of Hafjell!

If you’re wandering why my side windows are completely blacked out by this point - I have some black sticky plastic covers for them for sleeping with - from the inside, its completely blacked out to aid with sleeping. But to onlookers it just looks like a questionable tint, making it much less obvious that the car is occupied.

After walking around Hafjell for a while, soaking up the sun and the natural beauty of the landscape, I headed down to Lillehammer where I checked into the Scandic hotel - which would be my new home for the next two nights!

Lillehammer really, truly, is my favourite place in the world. My first stop-off was the Toppen Skybar at the Mølla hotel. They make the best Passionfruit Martini anywhere in the world (in my opinion). And the view is stunning too!

The first day in Lillehammer was pretty chill after this, and after my stop at the cocktail bar, driving was off the cards - which is OK, as long as you’re good with walking up hills, Lillehammer is completely accessible on foot. Right the way down from the water, where the shopping centre is, up to the Olympic Park. Just bring comfy shoes!

The following day, May 17, is the national day of norway. It is a very special day where the whole country celebrates its independence, and people wear their national dress (the Bunad). There are different parades, parties, and lots of celebrating. And classic cars, too! If you ever get the chance to be in Norway on the 17th, you should 100% experience it!

 

1EF7A1AC-0F2C-4498-A019-2D1FEC183120.MOV 7.3 MB · 0 downloads

 

 

After waking around the parades for a bit and soaking up the atmosphere, you bet I also had to decorate the TT with more Norwegian flags than usual (I do usually have at least one on the car anyway)

 

CCE89425-1DD7-41F3-8FC0-2312B78714FD.MOV 17.93 MB · 0 downloads

After this, I headed down to the park in Lillehammer, where I sat out and soaked up the atmosphere - as well as the sun-tan-rays 😂

That night it was back to the Lillehammer Scandic 🙂

The next day, May 18th, I headed down to Hamar, the biggest city in Innlandet. It was a pretty place, however I’d recommend going in the summer when more is open - they have several bars along the waterfront that just aren’t open until the weather gets warmer! 

I had a pretty chill day in Hamar, relaxing and eating my 13p spaghetti hoops and baked beans from Tesco 😂 That night I stayed in the Clarion hotel in Hamar, and begun to consider how I was going to return home at the end of the trip, with no money, which was coming up scarily fast! 

The next morning (19th), I woke up late and missed my free breakfast at the hotel. So instead I made my way to the shopping centre in Hamar where I ate a Subway lunch. It was here where I was deciding how to spend my remaining time in Norway. I had no idea what I wanted to do, only that I wanted to head south towards Kristiansand, where the ferry I’d booked out of norway was based (part 3 spoiler). Suddenly, thanks to modern day social networking, my answer arrived. 

Armed with just an address, I jumped in the TT and drove about 3 hours south - into the countryside somewhere between Oslo and the Swedish border.

upon arrival, I knew I’d made the right choice! I was greeted by an absolutely amazing person, who wholeheartedly 100% agreed that the steering wheel on British cars is in fact on the correct side 😂 (she will read this later, and she may remind me that she didn’t quite say those words in that order 😂) 

After we got the steering wheel debate agreed upon, she led me to some beautiful places around the countryside in the area - we visited an old lookout spot, complete with tunnels between rooms that you can still actually walk through! Sadly I left my phone in the car (norway is safe so no risk there), it does however mean I didn’t get any pictures of it!

After spending some great time here, we went to a fantastic steak house, which had big windows inside that overlooked an indoor horse riding arena, which was super cool! I will certainly be going back there in the very near future!! ☺️

Shortly after this, I had to say a sad goodbye to the super amazing person (for now at least), as I had to continue down to Kristiansand before tomorrow.

The views on the way to Kristiansand as the sun was setting were amazing! (Hands free body mounted picture, not taken by hand, that would be illegal 🙂)

Once I reached Kristiansand, for the final time on the trip, i slept in the TT! This is the view i woke up to.. not bad considering it was completely dark when i parked there so didn’t know which way to point the car for the best view 😁

Shortly after waking up, I made my way to the ferry terminal, which is where we will leave off part 2 and head to part 3, coming later this week - where we will discover how I managed to get a 3.2L V6 gas guzzler back home to the UK with barely any fuel money left 🙂

Ha det bra - for now 🙂 

 

Fantastic read Jack! The trip looks amazing. It does make me want to go to Norway to the article circle more now 🙂

[Jack P]

3 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Fantastic read Jack! The trip looks amazing. It does make me want to go to Norway to the article circle more now 🙂

Definately!! Thank you for the feedback 🙂 it was a fun trip! 

[Steve Q]

9 minutes ago, Jack P said:

Definately!! Thank you for the feedback 🙂 it was a fun trip! 

Definitely looks it mate 🙂