Bergen to Skogtun Camping, Norway

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Bergen to Skogtun Camping, Norway

Bergen, Norway to Skogtun Camping

We picked Skogtun Camping because it was the closest campsite to Bergen, that was not a good choice because the following day we had to drive all the way back to Bergen, past the ferry port where we arrived, so that we could continue on our way to the more scenic parts of Norway. The photo shows the very narrow steep hill that we would have had to drive down to get to the motorhome pitches that have good views at Skogtun Camping, the hill was so steep and narrow that I was not prepared to take our Hymer down it, which is quite something, I have driven a lot of narrow and steep places that few would attempt in a vehicle 2.35 metres wide and 6.5 metres long. That meant we were limited to the pitches by the entrance, acceptable but no view.

Skogtun Camping images

Click any image to enlarge

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Our time in Norway was interesting, but could have been a lot more interesting, less stressful and better organised. You might find that surprising, but it’s true. Our expectations of Norway were formed by our experiences travelling in other countries. However, Norway is different, how is Norway different? Here is my list  . . .

  • the roads are narrow, many do not have a line in the middle, basically single track
  • there are not many roads, which means careful planning is essential 
  • there are few places to stop to admire the scenery
  • steep inclines and hills both on land and in tunnels
  • metal crash barriers along most roads
  • slow travel times – due to tortuous bends and low speed limits that are strictly enforced 
  • campsites are few and far between 
  • campsites are expensive compared to other countries
  • general overcrowding, especially on campsites
  • July and August Norway is crowded with caravans and motorhomes
  • many roads are toll roads
  • the road toll system is heavily weighted against vehicle over 6 metres long or over 3,500 kg weight
  • pre-registration for tolls on roads and internal ferries saves time and stress
  • Fuel, grocery items and eating out are expensive
  • ‘right to roam’ is only for tents and hikers NOT motorised vehicles!

Would we return to Norway; definitely not. If we had know what we know now we would not have gone to Norway. Norway turned out to be very stressful on the driver and to be honest the scenery was good, but the driver cannot take their eyes off the road for even a glance around.

I’ll expand on some of the problems of driving in Norway.

There are not many roads in Norway

What I mean when I say there are not many roads is that you don’t have choices about routes. Let’s show an example to illustrate what I mean. From Lancaster to Blackpool by road Google maps offers me a selection of routes.

Google maps can suggest different routes because the roads exist; now move focus to Norway and you find that because of the mountains and deep fjords, lakes and islands there is only one practical route. We found this to our dismay after driving onto the Handangervidda Plateau to Tinnhylen Lake. Our intention was to continue our journey towards Geilo, but when we tried to work out a route the only sensible option was to retrace our route back to Kinsarvik, a waste of time. In fact the reason we selected Skogtun Camping for our first night in Norway was its proximity to Bergen, unfortunately that meant that the following day we had to drive back to Bergen to continue our journey towards the fjords.

The moral of this story is that you need to plan carefully before you arrive in Norway. Our usual mode of travel in Europe, particularly France is to look for our next night stop the morning we leave an aire, that just doesn’t work in Norway!