Week 7. 12th to 18th July. Stavanger, Norway to Tønder, Denmark – 509 miles
Saturday, 12th July 2025. Stavanger to Ualand – 60 miles
Today, Hayley is feeling better, but still tired. There is still this very nasty chesty cough which really brings her down, but generally, she is feeling better. We shall see how the day goes. It’s very hot this morning… At last, the European heatwave has reached us. We leave quite late and find we can’t get any water for our tank at the campsite, it’s off.
We have no idea where we will be staying tonight, so we like to keep our options open by having the van fully prepared. There is another service point nearby, but we see a rather rough-looking van, empty their toilet down the grey waste (that’s a no-no) and then stick the freshwater hose inside their toilet cassette to rinse it out!!!! (That’s a VERY big no-no). We decide to find somewhere else.
A 15-minute drive away, there is a large motorhome servicing company who have provided a point for free use, very kind. All good here. We get a full service, and we are back on the road.
We pick up some groceries and set off in the general direction of Kristiansand, where we are due on Tuesday. Hayley finds a campsite on route – Lega Camping.
It is wonderfully quiet and rural, and we settle into a spacious private pitch and enjoy the afternoon warmth.
Despite Hayley feeling better, she can’t be bothered cooking properly, so we have one of our freezer dinners (bought for when we are ‘in the wilds‘ of Norway!) It’s disappointing as these things usually are, but it’s jazzed up with a bit of wine and cheese afterwards. Not too bad, especially with the view, which is even better with the warm sunny evening.
We sit out and play chess with a cup of tea. Del has yet to beat Hayley.
Sunday, 13th July 2025. Legåveien to Lindesnes – 72 miles
Just an update on last night. Del beat Hayley two times in a row at chess. Not bad considering he has lost to her probably 6 times!!!
It’s day 10 of Hayley feeling yuck! We have had a wonderful night here, very quiet and so peaceful, and we both slept very well. We have a big hearty breakfast before setting off.
Del has had a look at the map over breakfast and stuck a pin in an interesting place on the Norwegian coastline. We are heading for the southernmost point of Norway, called Lindesnes. We can go to the campsite there, but we decide to go to the paid parking spot first, which is next to the Lindesnes lighthouse, not only is it the most southern of Norway’s lighthouses, but it is also the oldest.
It’s not a bad drive, and the weather gets hot and sunny for the last thirty minutes. We go through many tunnels and navigate the usual twisty roads that are the hallmark of Norway. We arrive at our place for the night and pick our spot. There is a strict rule here about campers being 4m apart, and by all accounts, it’s enforced; we shall see. We pay and take a walk around the Lindesnes Lighthouse Museum. It’s a beautiful sunny day with a good breeze. Hayley is still a bit wheezy, so we take it all nice and slow for her. Fortunately, the walks are not too taxing.
The coastline is amazing, very striking, but when the weather gets bad here, it becomes even more striking. There are lots of photos and videos showing just how bad it can get here. It’s a gentle walk up to the lighthouse, which sits on a hill and inside the hill, there is a maze of tunnels and rooms that lead to what looks like gun placements. They are so well preserved, and one of the rooms has been converted into a photo gallery.
We spend a good couple of hours here; it’s a fascinating place with some extraordinary coastline views. We make the descent back to Jess, it’s hot.
We do a bit more manoeuvring to ensure we have the 4m gap between us and our German neighbour, who seems to have taken charge in making sure people observe it.
A very nice day in a very nice, interesting place. Traditional dinner tonight of meatballs! Well, when in Norway and all that.
Monday, 14th July 2025. Lindesnes to Øvrebø – 53 miles
It has been a long day today, all 53 miles of it. We leave Lindesnes late after a rather nice, hearty breakfast. The weather is fabulous, upper 20s all the way. We stop to do a van service and a small shop. Del has a Zoom call booked for work, so we stop at a very pretty parking spot for the 45 minutes of the call.
The Norwegians are starting their summer holidays this week, so the roads are busy, and any town that’s near water is busy.
Today is our last full day in Norway. Tomorrow we are leaving on a 2:30 pm ferry from Kristiansand to Hirtshals, northern Denmark. Because the roads are narrow and twisty, it feels like a long, long drive to our campsite for the night. We arrive at 4 pm. We are staying at Bjønndalen Camp, in the town of Øvrebø.
On the way there, we have noticed that the roads around here seem to get used for ‘doughnuts‘, the practice of spinning your car around on the spot at full acceleration, thus wrecking your tyres, and making a hell of a noise! And they do this for fun.
It’s very popular here in Norway and very much so in this area. Almost every town and major junction shows evidence of this practice. Anyone interested in trying this, here is a short video to get you started. Have fun!
For an hour or so, we sit in the sun planning the last week or so of the trip. We can only afford 3 to 4 nights in Denmark, as it will take a good 4 nights to get to Calais. We have put a provisional plan in place, which will be flexible enough for any change of plans, as long as we are in Calais on the night of the 23rd July for the ferry home the next morning.
Today, Hayley feels that she has made some progress. She still has a cough, but much less today. It is such a shame for her, and for us both, as she has been ill for 11 days! Even during the ‘recovery’ days, she has had no energy to do anything, as she is so tired fighting off whatever infection had been left behind after the flu that she had caught, a good half of the Norway trip has been wiped out.
Other bad news, we have also discovered that we have no red wine, just a cheap Hungarian white! Just as well, really, as the price of alcohol is through the roof here in Norway. For example, a 6 pack of simple pilsner beer, nothing special, £14.00!!!! As for wine, forget it, you’ll need a small mortgage for that!
We end the evening with a rowboat on the lake. There are boats free to use, and the sun is just starting to set, there’s no wind, and it’s lovely and quiet, so why not…
We take turns rowing the boat; it’s a bit old, but it floats, and it sounds nice gliding along in the still evening water.
Back at Jess, we have another glass of Hungarian white and watch the sun set behind the Norwegian pines across the lake. Not a bad end to our Norway experience.
Tuesday, 15th July 2025. Øvrebø, Norway to Hirtshals, Denmark – 105 miles
Today, we are leaving Norway and moving across the sea to Denmark. The ferry leaves from Kristiansand in Norway, arriving into Hirtshals in Denmark 4 hours later. We have had a nice stay here in Øvrebø. Last night Del could hear cars ‘doughnutting‘ in the distance!
We do a full van service, and we set off at 10 am. The ferry is a 2:30 pm, so we plan to do a little sightseeing in Kristiansand. It’s only a 30-minute drive and we find a parking spot for our size of van, just, which is just a ten-minute walk into town. Once we get parked up, we set off. It’s cloudy but warm.
The town was a fishing port, but is now popular as a cruise ship stop. Today, there is a huge cruise ship in, the AIDA Nova, a German cruise liner.
The town is packed with an extra 5000 people milling around. It’s very busy.
We have a good walk for the hour and a half that we have. We check out the Marina and the town centre. It’s a very clean and tidy place, but very busy. We need to be checking into the ferry an hour before, and we are getting fed up with the crowds, especially when we go into he cathedral and find that it is rammed solid. Never have we seen a place this full of people. We’ve had enough. We want the fields, lakes and fjords back!
Before we leave the parking spot, we have a quick sandwich as we have about 30 minutes to spare. Once we get cleaned up, we are off again and soon in line for the ferry to Hirtshals.
We drive into the belly of the beast of the Stavanger Fjord ship, quite a beast.
We are directed to our place, and that’s us for the next 4 hours. The ship is absolutely crammed. It’s the start of the summer holiday, so the ship is just heaving with families and screaming kids!!!
There is also a very limited supply of seats, so some are forced to pay extra just to get a seat. Very crafty. After paying our fee, we get a seat in the lounge for £14.00 each and sit out the ferry after an average lunch. We watch a bit of Netflix stuff to kill the time, which does go quite quickly, and soon we are being called down to the van and rolling off into Denmark.
It’s a warm but cloudy evening here in Hirtshals. We don’t have far to go as we have booked into a campsite just around the corner called Kjul Camping. At £37.00, it is the most expensive on the whole trip so far. It’s very nice, though with big spaces and a short half-kilometre walk to the beach. As soon as we get settled in, we take the walk to the beach. It’s a fabulous view, very nice. There are day campers on the beach in vans, which you can do, so we will probably give that a go for breakfast tomorrow.
Back at Jess, we sit outside with a cool drink and watch the sun set. It’s a nice warm evening, a bit cloudy, but it’s nice to sit outside in the fresh early evening, still air, listening to the birds. Lovely.
We have no idea what or where we are going tomorrow. We need to have a think as we only have three, maybe 4 nights at a push here in Denmark.
Wednesday, 16th July 2025. Hirtshals to Løgstør – 66 miles
We have had a very pleasant stay here in Hirtshals, very nice. We do a full service at the campsite, as we have no idea what we are doing or where we are staying. ‘Wild camping’ is not generally allowed in Denmark, unlike Sweden and Norway, but we feel we need to be prepared for anything.
This morning we shall have breakfast on the beach. There is a short drive to the beach here where you are allowed to day camp. It’s a very long, wide, white sandy beach, which runs from the port of Hirtshals to… no idea… It seems to go on forever. We have a quick coffee on Jess, buy some Danish pastries from the local camp shop and set off.
It’s a lovely warm morning, the sun is out with a few scattered clouds. The short drive to the beach is about two minutes. There are a few people here already swimming and just enjoying the morning sunshine. Once parked, Del gets the coffee pot on and very quickly we are sitting in our chairs enjoying the sunshine, the coffee and the Danish pastries… Well, why not…?
Time to move on. Del wants to go to Rubjerg Knude to see the sand dunes and the old lighthouse that was set back and rebuilt because the land was eroding. There is free parking there, and if we want to, we can stay overnight. First, we need to do a shop. We are running very low on supplies, and we still have a good week and a half to go. We find a very clean and new Lidl on the way to Rubjerg Knude and do a good shop, which costs a fortune. Yes, Denmark can be expensive as well…
We arrive at the carpark at Rubjerg Knude. There is plenty of space. There is a tractor that pulls a trailer where, for a small fee, he will take to to the base of the sand dunes. It’s quite a ride and doesn’t go where we expect it to go. There are a few moments when we thought the trailer would tip over as it gets pulled through unmade tracks and small sand dunes.
We have safely arrived, and to get to the lighthouse, you have to climb a sand dune. It’s quite steep and requires some effort to stop yourself sinking into the very fine powder-like sand.
Once we get to the top, the view is spectacular and well worth the effort. There is a fantastic view of the northern Danish coastline and the North Sea. The lighthouse, which is now abandoned, still stands tall. Traces of the old one are still evident right at the edge of the sandy cliff.
The walk back is easier and less ‘dangerous’. Back at Jess, we have a light lunch and set out for the town of Løgstør, which is about an hour and a half away. Hayley has found a parking place in the marina in the small town.
It is a lovely drive to Løgstør. The Danish countryside may not be as spectacular as Norway and some parts of Sweden, but it is lovely. Lots of green fields and wild meadows. Smashing, and the roads are great to drive on, so it is a rather pleasant drive.
There is plenty of space for us in Løgstør. There is not much here, but it’s tidy and very smart. We are right next to the marina. For £24, you get everything you need. Water, electricity, showers and there is a launderette that we will take advantage of later, but for now we are off for a short walk.
We like it here. We have done the laundry, done a deep clean of the van, had a walk in the tiny town and along the marina wall, all before dinner on board. The weather is warm and sunny. Today has been our first full day in Denmark and we like it…!
Thursday, 17th July 2025. Løgstør to Hvide Sande – 112 miles
It’s a hot, bright, sunny morning. By Saturday, we have to be in Germany in order to get to our ferry in Calais on time, so our time in Denmark is unfortunately short. Today we are going to do a long drive. Tonight will be our penultimate night in Denmark.
After a short breakfast, we pack up and set off. Hayley is at the wheel again, now that she has recovered. She is still tired, but she can manage a drive. Denmark is flat compared to Norway and Sweden, but it is very smart, very pretty and lovely to drive through. Generally, the roads are great, you get the odd one or two dodgy ones like anywhere else.
Del is in need of a strong coffee, not feeling his best today, so we stop at a Circle K, which is very popular here at petrol stations. A very tasty coffee and a… yes, a Danish pastry. We are heading for Hvide Sande, which is on the long thin strip of land on the west coast of the country, a very popular holiday destination, especially for the Germans. It’s easy for them as the border is only a couple of hours’ drive.
We make a stop at a beach in Hvide Sande that has some wind turbines on it. You can go right up to them. There is a nice day park right by the beach, and after a three-minute walk, you are standing right under one of these beasts.
They are huge, close up, and when they are underway, they make quite a noise as they cut through the air. The beach isn’t too bad either, very popular.
We are now looking for somewhere to stay the night. There is one parking place at the docks in Hvide Sande which has a fish and chip stall that, according to all the reviews, says that it’s the best. We shall see about that. We park up and order one fish and chips with all the trimmings.
Yes, it wasn’t too bad at all. We cleared the plate and thanked the lady for a good job!
Tonight we will park in another area of the port with an excellent view of Ringkøbing Fjord. Very nice, it is too. We leave Jess and set off to explore this popular holiday destination. It’s very busy. We have had the fish and chips, now it’s time for a local item, the Polser.
Basically a hot dog with fried onions, mustard and ketchup. Hayley is not a fan, but Del loves them. We find a little microbrewery here and stop off and try a four-flight of beers. You choose 4 from the 11 on offer. We sit in the sun and enjoy them.
They are served in small glasses, and we sit in the sunshine enjoying them. Lovely. We finish off the afternoon with an ice cream. We have eaten some junk today!
Back at Jess, we just relax. Del does a bit of homework and some photo processing for his photo site (do have a look). Suddenly, there is a tremendous storm, thunder, rain and hail. Probably the biggest, sharpest, loudest storm we have had in Jess in 7 years, and in the blink of an eye it is over to leave a nice clean fresh evening. We have a light dinner and play an escape game.
It’s been good today, shame our last day here in Denmark is tomorrow. So soon…
Friday, 18th July 2025. Hvide Sande to Tønder– 84 miles
We are woken up early this morning. For the second day, it’s hot in the van in the morning. Denmark is giving us good weather at the moment. Our journey will continue south today. We are heading for the town of Ribe, which is by all accounts the oldest town in Scandinavia. Del wanted to go and see some old Viking stones, which are a UNESCO item of interest, but was talked out of it as it was too far east, the wrong direction.
After breakfast, we set off. We enjoy driving in Denmark. The roads, for the most part, are very good, and they have a low speed limit, which makes trundling along in your motorhome enjoyable, watching the scenery go by, which is lovely.
We get the last parking spot in the town of Ribe and do the short walk to the town. It certainly is very old and very nice, but because of its status, it is very busy with a lot of tourists eating in some very expensive restaurants. We have a good walk around the town and enjoy the cathedral, which, despite its age, 800years, is very bright and clean.
Back on the road, and we are going to the town of Tønder, which is just a stone’s throw away from the German border. Again, a very nice drive. Hayley has found a nice, cheap place to park just out of town and next to a campsite. We get a lovely spot in the sun, with electricity and superfast wifi. The UK has a long way to go in this regard. Wifi in places that we camp in is free and super fast. Mobile reception, for the most part, is 5G and really fast, and it works everywhere. There was only one place in the middle of Norway between two huge mountains where it was patchy. We have been in tunnels of many kilometres and had internet. The UK is way behind…
Once we get settled in, we sit in the sun with a beer and then take the short walk into the town. Tønder is absolutely beautiful, better than Ribe.
It is so peaceful and laid back, with lovely shops and places to eat and drink. Wonderful. Del can’t help but have another Danish hotdog or Rød pølse. Delicious.
Back at Jess, we have a glass of prosecco in the afternoon sun, watching the campsite fill up as the day goes on, followed by a smashing dinner.
Denmark… Very short, but sweet…. Tomorrow Germany…
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