Paddington's 2011 Arctic Adventures: Kristiansund

Tuesday 17^th May 2011 – Norwegian National (Independence) Day, a holiday.

The plan today had been for a half day trip, from Hareid to Bud, a marina used as a jumping off point for the trip around the Hustadvika headland another well document difficult passage. In fact the lifeboat offers an escort service to take boats around this headland. We had thought that we might be able to watch some of the celebrations of ‘National Day’, whether Bud was big enough to host marching parades we will never know, because as we approached we decided that as the weather was calm, just a bit of a swell on the sea and we knew was forecast was to go bad in a couple of days, we might as well push on around the headland, also James was suffering from a bad cold and that day I thought I might be catching it, so neither of us was very interested in partying.

We opted to take the outside route around Hustadvika, although we watched fishing boats and coasters taking the inshore route – I had had a go at plotting it but when I discovered it was fractionally longer to Kristiansund than James’ outside route and with a lot of very narrow passages with difficult navigation, I opted for the outside route staying about 5 miles off the headland. Like the Stat headland before we were left wondering what all the fuss is about these headlands, but perhaps in bad weather it would be quite a different story, also we think that most of the Norwegians are used to only having to sail through inland waters sheltered behind mountains that the open sea perhaps is rather daunting.

We reached Kristiansund in the late afternoon and could hear the noise of celebrations from the main Island of Kirkelandet, which is also where the guest harbour is situated, a 10 minute stroll to the main street and 5 minutes from a Coop supermarket and bus station. The Marina offers WC’s showers (10 kr) and an industrial washing and drying machine, cost 30 kr per token purchased from the harbour master, who spoke little English but understood a lot and was a very amiable gentle old man (I suddenly think that sounds a little odd considering we are getting older or at least James is! But he seemed older)

Our Harbour Master

On arrival we met some Swedes also going north for a second sailing season, so we invited them for evening drinks and James picked up some tips for the trip around the Lofotens.

Distance motored / sailed: 74 nm

Wednesday 18^th – Saturday 21^st May 2011

It was really nice to stop rushing and have a break, James was in need of medication for his cold which had gone on to his chest and this was provided by the Pharmacist at the local chemist. The first morning we spent sorting the boat out, I did two loads of washing and James cleaned the boat and dried bilges etc. In the afternoon we visited the tourist office where we found the most helpful staff of any where so far. We also managed to get our data card topped up and where very glad that the shop did it for us as it took them a few goes and they understand the language!

View from a bridge towards Kirlelandet, the largest of the Kristiansund Islands

On Thursday we had an email to say the new bow thrusters unit ordered by the chandler in Bergen had been delivered to a local chandlery to await our collection. James tried to offer a credit card to pay for it, but they would not accept it and just said pay for it when you are next in Bergen, even though James had told them it will not be for at least two months, it is so trusting of them and I worry that we’ll hit a ice berg and not get back.

Anyway, the chandler was on another of the four islands that makes up Kristiansund so it was a good excuse to use the Sunbaten ferry which claims to be ‘The world’s oldest public transport company in uninterrupted operation’ which has been operating since 1876. The round trip takes 20 minutes and they go every half hour during their operating schedule. The cost is 26 kr per trip or a day pass is 50 kr, so that is what we purchased and our bikes were carried for free.

'Angvik' the newest Sunbaten Ferry

We collected the bow thrusters control panel only to discover it was the new model which we had seen in Bergen. However, it fits and works and is one of the few things on this trip which is cheaper than in England having been made here. We then had a cycle up and down Innlandet which is the smallest of the islands before catching the ferry to Nordlanet where we walked around the Church but it was not open (the season has not begun) and had cycled around some of the Island. By the ferry landing stage we had watched a very busy fishmonger whilst we waited for a rain shower to pass and on the way back it was equally as busy, so I went in and we tried out their fish hamburgers (very good), fish cakes and fish balls which I would describe as fish dumplings and had to be boiled for 15 minutes, I would not bother with them again.

We had another English yacht alongside us whose skipper had just had a family bereavement so he and his crew (2 of them had only arrived two days before) were all having to fly back to the UK on the Friday, so we benefited from all their perishable stocks – just like Christmas, and I was left to explain to the Harbour Master why he had another unpaid for English boat in his marina, which might be there for a few weeks, he was very laid back about it! On the Thursday evening we had the owner & crew over for Pimms / wine, payment I felt for the goodies I was hoping to gain! Anyway, it was a very convivial evening. I was able to make potato & leek soup from their left overs, I carry on board a small pressure cooker and a hand blender with all its attachments (whisk & small food processor) which is very useful for making soups and in this cold northern climate a very good lunch whilst on the move served with some long life rolls. I also brought with me 2 truckles of cheddar cheese, which were an expensive luxury – I will admit that when I ordered them from a local butcher with a reputation for an excellent cheese counter, I had no idea how expensive they would be and anyway he did not know if he would be able to get them as it was outside the Christmas season, so I never asked for a price, however, they don’t need refrigerating as they are well wrapped in cheese cloth, so I only have to keep them in a bilge which is nearly as cold as the fridge, as the water temperature is only about 10 degrees. As yet I have not checked the price of cheese here, otherwise I might cry! But it does mean we are fairly self-sufficient here other than for yogurt, fruit & salad, veg I have in tins or the freezer.

Friday was a fairly restful day, we did manage an afternoon walk up to a viewing point above our Island of Kirkelandet and alongside their old reservoir system and then out for a view over the way we had approached Kristiansund.

Statue seen at a lake on our walk

Views of our approach to Kristiansund, as seen on our walk.

Bike problems: during the winter my bike had been in for a professional service and had a new rear wheel, tyre and brakes fitted so I expected to have trouble free cycling at least for a while and certainly the 15 mile I did in Holland seemed fine. However, when James got the bikes out in Kristiansund he was worried that one of the rear brakes was rubbing on the tyre so he took it off and filed in down and cursed putting it back. Then on our first ride I had complained that the rear tyre felt difficult to turn, so James promised to look at it before our planned long ride to the Atlantic Road on Saturday. On Friday evening he had a look and said the opposite brake to the one he had work on had worn the tyre down to the metal threads, we have on board a tyre which states it is the right size although it clearly looks too big, however, James decided to try and put it on and of course it would not fit, so then he had to replace the old tyre and said it would get me to a bike repair shop. The old harbour master marked on the map the spot on another island where there was a bicycle shop. The next morning my tyre was flat, this meant that I had to push my bike to catch the first ferry of the morning – 09.30 on a Saturday and then up the hill on Nordlandet Island to the bike shop, who said come back at 11 am. So we continued walking up the hill and found a big out of town shopping mall, where we could get a coffee. Soon after 11 am the bike was ready and as luck would have it the ferry was on its way back in as we arrived at the docking area.

We had time to go back to the boat to collect our things and return to the bus station for the 12.30 bus, which would take us across to the Island of Averoya through the 5 km tunnel. The driver said he would drop us at the nearest point to the Atlantic Road; unfortunately this bus did not actually go the Atlantic Road whereas the next one did. Anyway, due to a lack of Norwegian and knowledge of place names, we thought it would be fine, as the tourist office girl had marked a circular route which she said was about 20 miles, first mistake was not to know that a Norwegian mile is equal to 10 English miles! Second mistake was the town we were dropped at was 2 Norwegian miles from the Atlantic Road up and down many hills. However, luck was on our side, as we pushed the bikes up the first hill out of the town (our bikes have Union Jacks stuck front and back) a man mowing his lawn saw me and asked where we were going and when I said to the Atlantic Road, he look aghast and said it was miles, he then insisted on putting the bikes in his van and driving us the 13 miles to the other end of the Atlantic Road so we could cycle it back. All we know of this savour is his name Dag and that he had been in London in early May and has been an Ipswich Town football supporter for 40 years when he saw them play with George Burley in Norway as a youth and got all their signatures. Dag refused any money for his fuel so I gave him our card with email addresses and told him to contact us if he was ever in UK again and that we would then try and get him Ipswich Town tickets.

Dag – My Hero view from the Atlantic Road

The Atlantic Road is a stretch on the highway 64, the road is 8,274 metres long and goes from Vevang in Eide to Karvag in Averory. It was opened in 1989 replacing a ferry route and includes eight bridges, one of which: Storseisundet bridge raises itself up above the flat islands to give room for the shipping lane to pass under towards Averoy and Eide. Steep on each side, it turns in towards the next island, majestically. Hulvagen Bridges creep up across the ocean linking various small islands. Here the incoming waves break when the storms are at their height, but this is also where the leisure anglers gather when conditions are good – this part of the road can present unusual traffic hazards when a cod lands on your windscreen and the angler backs out into the road to secure his catch!

The above is taken from a description in a tourist brochure. The Atlantic Road has now become Norway’s eighth most visited nature-based tourist attraction and was named as the worlds best road trip Dag told us that it has been used in many car companies advertisements and also Fifth Gear did a programme featuring it.

Carol cycling up the Storseisundet Bridge

We enjoyed the cycle ride back to Karvag – only 5 miles and then waited nearly two hours for a bus and the last of the day, but it did mean we could get lunch at a nearby filling station while we waited. Had we known better we could have left Kristiansund on the 13.15 bus and been dropped at Karvag or on the other side of the Atlantic Road to just cycle one way as we did in the end; without Dag I don’t think we would have made it at all. We were pleased to see when the bus passed Dag’s summer home that he had got his lawns mown before the rain came, so he won’t be in trouble with his wife! Dag works in the fish processing industry and it was interesting to hear how profitable it is for the Norwegian economy. He said all the fish farms that we see around almost every corner of the Fjords as we sail them are very profitable and the fish virtually all go for export.

We enjoyed our stay in Kristiansund and it was lovely to have a break from all the rushing. However, we shall be back into rush mode to get to Bodo for the end of May, just under 400 miles to go.