Sorry for butting in but Galilee did kindly offer to answer any questions about touring Norway in this thread.
I'm on the ferry in two weeks and just have a few questions - if you got every question answered there'd be no point in going!!
So....
1) Will there be midges (the little flies that bite in the evenings) in the Fjord area at this time of year?
2) How keen are the police on speeding in the rural areas, and do you have speed cameras?
3) Are the Vinmonopolet the cheapest places to pick up a beer? We'll like a few with us just in case one of overnight stops is miles from a bar!
And any other good Norway specific advice would be great.
Thanks
Slarty
1) Yes some, and less by the coast than in the woods and mountains (especially near still freshwater), but the worst time is when they hatch late spring/early summer.
To overcome this:
- camp somewhere with a bit of wind.
- sleep in a tent with mosquito net
- light a fire or smoke a ciggy.
- cover up exposed skin
- use spray or rollon on any exposed skin. Most supermarkets has these ('myggspray' and 'myggstift' in Norwegian).
2) The police is VERY keen on catching speeders, especially motorcycles. The general speed limit is 80km/h be VERY careful when it is reduced in small villages. In Norway there are LOTS of speed cameras, but they takes the picture from the front, so no worries for bikers. Besides, only the actual DRIVER can be fined, and if the driver can't be identified on the picture, the fine isn't valid.
3) Beer can be bought in most supermarkets, you only have to go to vinmonopolet for the extra strong stuff and for wine and spirits.
Note that in some places, esp. along the west coast, only a selection of shops sell beer, and some places they stop selling beer in the evening (18:00 or 20:00) even if the store is still open. This is unfortunately up to local politicians to decide. Any male over 18 should be able to tell you where to get beer.
In SWEDEN you have to go to 'Systembolaget' to get real beer, they only sell 2,5 and 3,5% alcohol beer in the supermarkets there.
Enjoy your trip!
Too Freud to rock'n'roll, too Jung to die.