Fjords, Ferries & Glaciers – Our Coastal Road Adventure in Norway

Packed up and moving on, but that spot by the lake was just incredible. Could even stay another day, it's so peaceful there, but it was nice to have a day and a half to just sit still for a minute. When you're moving and moving and moving all the time, then things get behind, and it's just nice to get caught up. So we feel like we've got everything done, and we're ready to begin the coastal road, which we're pretty excited about. So come with us, we're on an adventure together. So we're all stocked up and ready to go. Kind of excited. Very excited. Today, we begin our journey along the coastal road of Norway's wild west coast. From Steinshurt to Buda, the Norwegian scenic route, Schusterksveien, winds for over 630 kilometers through a dreamscape of fjords, fishing villages, and towering peaks. With six scenic ferry crossings along the way, it's no wonder this stretch is ranked among National Geographic's top 100 most beautiful drives. So we're about to take the ferry to continue our journey. The young fellow was, I asked him how we pay for these, because I didn't see a ticket booth, and he said, oh, I just take a picture of the license plates, they put it in the system, and it sends you a bill. But he stood there for a while scrolling, and then he's like, oh, Montana, that's in the US. I don't have that in my system, so don't worry about it, just go. I guess there's not a lot of American vehicles driving this route. It's a really beautiful area, and the weather we're experiencing is just perfect, absolutely perfect. So this is a pretty short ferry, it just crosses right here to the other side, and then we get back on the 17th. We'll start looking for a camp spot as soon as we get there. With six scenic ferry crossings along the way, it's no wonder this stretch is ranked among National Geographic's top 100 most beautiful drives. Carol and I are loving every minute of it, 630 kilometers of pure magic that feels pulled from a postcard. But we keep saying the same thing, this would be epic for the boys on their adventure bikes. Honestly, it reminds us a lot of our time in New Zealand, rugged, wild, and full of surprises around every turn. Threaded through more than 100,000 kilometers of coastline, Norway's coastal roads and ferry crossings connect towns, fjords, and islands, in a route so vast it could almost wrap around the globe. Norway's coastline is one of the longest on Earth, stretching over 100,000 kilometers when you include the fjords and islands. Driving it is a journey like no other, winding through dramatic landscapes and crossing the water by ferry six times. These ferries aren't detours, they're part of daily life here, connecting remote towns and islands that have relied on the sea for centuries. You're not just driving through scenery, you're moving through history. These roads and waters have been traveled for centuries by fishermen, traders, and explorers, from ancient Viking sea routes to fishing villages where cod has been dried on wooden racks for generations. This is a living coastline, shaped by water, wind, and time. So we just went for this hike, the start of a hike, and so we can do a U-turn. It looks beautiful. It's not on the ocean, which we wanted, but when you're coming into Canada this late, you're not gonna find it unless you have just sheer luck. It's right at that little sign right here. Quite a slope. It's a nice slope, but we'll see if we can find rocks or find a better spot. It looks like someone's hiking, but when they move, we could probably go down there. Look at that. It's absolutely beautiful. So this trail is hiking along that old piping, which the sign said was from a waterworks for the villagers who lived down by the ocean to get a nice fresh, or a nice source of clean, fresh water from up here in the mountains. So they put it in in the 50s, but obviously it's no longer functioning, and they must have a different source of water, but it's kind of neat how they worked it right down the side of the mountain from a lake up above. I don't know if you guys can see it, but there's the lake. We took the wrong turn. Elbeck Lakey. I was like, this is not supposed to be going up. This apparently goes to a beautiful view, but it'll be dark by the time we get there. So the stream goes right underneath the cabin. That's pretty neat. After exploring a bit more on foot, we head back to the truck for dinner in a quiet evening. Tomorrow marks our first full day on the coastal road, and we can't wait to see where it leads. That turned out to be a great spot right at the trailhead. Did a little hike last night, and then had a extremely peaceful sleep. We were having coffee this morning, and a local couple walked by to do the hike, and said hi, and yeah, I've marked it down on our OnX app for future reference, but sometimes we find these little gems. Carol found this one, and we were all alone in there last night. Very comfortable. So now we're heading back onto the coastal road, and we'll see what adventures we get into today, but I can assure you it's beautiful. Where are you going? Bodo. Yeah. Just go past there and into lane number one in the middle. Okay, thank you. Lane number one in the middle. So it's Bodo. We're on the boat. Let's go up on the deck and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This route we're on has about four or five different ferries. They're not long. This one's only 15 minutes across, but it's a great way to get on the water and just experience the ocean and the beauty of this place. This one doesn't have an upper deck. It's just a wheelhouse on either side with a kind of foggy window, so I guess the other option is to just stay in your truck. It's a really short crossing, so we opted for the truck. Safety information is posted in the passenger launch. Smoking is not permitted on board. but a bunch of you wondered about the truck size, as did we. You know, is our truck gonna be too big for the coastal road and for all the ferries? But the truth is we actually feel pretty small compared to some of the vehicles we're pulling in beside, so there's literally full-size motorhomes that are at least double our length and much higher and wider, so we're good to go so far. Yeah, they're all over the place. Hoping there's enough room on this ferry. If not, I'm sure there's another one coming today, so it's not too much of a big deal. Oh, I think we'll make it on, but it'll be tight. There'll only be a few cars or RVs behind us, just like last time. There was, what, like five more? Yeah. But it is a beautiful drive going along the coastline and trying to really soak it in because this whole trip, we keep on reminding ourselves we'll probably never come back here again. We'll go to other parts of Norway and explore it on the off-season, Lord willing, but for now, we're just soaking this in and enjoying our time together on this beautiful road trip. We'd be one of the last if we make it on. Like, those are some big RVs. I'm just gonna go and lock this up. Oh, no. Let's see, come on. I think we're good, yeah. I don't know. See how far up that motorhome went? Yeah. He wants him over there and he's gonna put bigger machines on this side. So, awesome, maybe one more. So, we made it on. I think they have a deck up there, so let's go check it out. Pulsa, you had him on the ship, what a treat. Well, that was a nice crossing, absolutely spectacular scenery, and it wasn't too windy today, just a nice, cool breeze, so we're back in the truck and we're gonna continue up the coastal road and see how far we get. We may look for a camp spot in a couple hours or we may take another ferry, but we've met a lot of nice people so far. Some of you in today's video were asking, does the Ross Monster with American plates create some attention? And yeah, it definitely does. It's a great conversation starter. So, we're having a blast so far and enjoying the trip. We're getting lots of tips and suggestions of where to go and what to do. So, we're trying to make notes of it all and we'll see where we end up. So much moss on the rocks. You go up here and then you just try to see where people have walked, and then you walked into the forest and then you follow the forest and you have to cross the stream at some point, and then you go up on that side. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. You can see the ferry we're gonna be taking tomorrow. What a beauty campsite. I love sites with the little hiking trails. After a day in the truck, you get to stretch your legs, see the back country of where you're at, hopefully see wildlife. Oh, there's some sheep right here. You can hear their bells. So cute. Wow. That must be the waterfall going off that way. Well, it's a pretty stunning waterfall right behind me. A short hike from the camp spot where Carol just found on Park4Night. Didn't say anything. It said that you could hear a waterfall, but didn't say anything that you could hike out to it. Look at this place. Amazing. That's a hole. Barkly this one is. The second time I've done that where I think, oh, it's just gonna be a little hike to kind of a meh view. And then it turns out to be spectacular and just breathtaking. Super special to do it with Pete here in Norway. What a cool thing to do like when you're overlanding or camping to just go and take a walk and we separate a little bit. We each are curious about different things, rocks or plants or just the view and have our own thoughts. It's just really fun. So we're camped right there off the side of the road and there's the trailhead. So we're finding out that there's a lot of trails just right where you park. And those are the best. I was laying in bed and then I woke up and looked outside and the sky was just all pink. It's almost one o'clock in the morning. Isn't that just beautiful? Just love it. Oh, so it's 1.26. I thought it was 12.26. Isn't that just amazing? This morning we set out on foot along a narrow trail winding through the forest, hoping to get to the base of this stunning waterfall. It's peaceful here, almost timeless. But the road calls. Just a short drive to the next ferry and then we're off again, chasing the curves of Norway's wild and beautiful coastal road. We had a great sleep at that waterfall camp. We marked it on Onyx Off-Road. Just another one of those magical places that Carol found, looking around, doing her navigating. And of all things, you could hear it. There was no indication of a waterfall or a beautiful hike on anything that we did research on, but you could hear a waterfall in the background. So we just started walking and it was spectacular. And it's only, what, 20 minutes drive or less from the ferry, so we're now on the ferry and we're gonna continue our journey up the coast. Some folks came up to talk to us while we were waiting for the ferry, as has been happening all along this route. In fact, everyone here in Norway, but all of Europe, have been extremely friendly and helpful with all your information. But they told us, they asked if we had been to a place called Seven Sisters, which we unfortunately missed. It was about two hours back. And I don't think we would have had time, just the way the timing was, that it was getting towards evening. But anyway, if you're on this route, check that out. It looks like another beautiful hike. But it is almost overwhelming because everything here is spectacular and beautiful. So anyway, we're gonna take this ferry through a few islands back onto the 17, the coastal route, and keep working towards what we now know is called Buda, not Bodo. It's spelled B-O-D-A-O with a slash through it. Buda, that's where we're going. Overlanding across Europe so far has been absolutely amazing. Every once in a while, we wanna get out of the truck, grab a coffee at a local coffee shop or a restaurant, get some food, and do some work. So that means we're connecting to public wifi in cafes, sometimes on trains, in airports, all kinds of different scenarios, which aren't all that safe. In fact, they can be very dangerous, unencrypted, and can expose our data. Just got an email saying the truck has been fully cleared. What we use is Surfshark VPN to protect our data, protect our laptop, our phone. We can even do online banking on our phones and other laptops as long as we're connected through the VPN because it's fully encrypted. So no matter where we connect, our data is secure with Surfshark. There's no risk in trying Surfshark with their 30-day money-back guarantee. And the best part is Surfshark protects the whole crew. Unlimited devices, one simple app. Go to surfshark.com slash epic trip or use the code EPICTRIP at checkout to get four months extra. Or just click on the link in the description and start protecting your online world today. It looks like you can walk on the deck here. Oh, that'd be nice. Yeah, there's some people up there. A lot of people on their cars, so it's probably a short one, but we could at least get a view. Not bad for a morning coffee. Such a beautiful day. We've had really good weather this whole time, which we're super thankful for. Can't ask, can't ask, I can't even think of the word. I couldn't ask for anything better. I need more of my coffee. Didn't see the sign coming into this tunnel at all. We're in another tunnel. This one's about three kilometers long. Cool inside, these things. If you're ever, hot summer day, if you ever need it to cool down, the inside of these tunnels are quite cold, actually, when you get in them. Then you come to this place here. That's it. Okay. But in here, all to the right, is the second biggest glacier in Norway. Oh, I see that. And can you hike up there, or how do you get up there? Yes, that's what we do. Oh. Oh, that's offloading, has to stop for maintenance. So, we just gotta wait for the next one, probably only a half an hour. You're easy, right? You go where the wind gets you, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There and there, and there's some fish in there, and then they do this bash. We're sitting at the ferry terminal, and a boat came in, but it had to go for maintenance. There was something going on, so they offloaded it, and then it left. So, we're gonna be delayed here for about an hour. They're saying around two o'clock, or yeah, around two o'clock. So, it's not a bad place to spend an hour, though. The scenery here is amazing. The water's crystal clear, and just absolutely beautiful. Part of a delay, though, is that we get to meet all kinds of wonderful people. So, we met a gentleman named Oscar, and he's going to hike on a glacier to do what they call the midnight hike. But he's given me a whole list of really neat things to see if we make it to Lofoten Islands. We had a gentleman come up and say, hey, I just started following your family. He's from the Netherlands, and he started watching when we got to Antwerp. So, he was really surprised to see us here, and our videos are usually a week or two behind where we actually are. But that was fun to talk with him, and we just met someone from France, and yeah, it's just a lot of fun. Everybody gives you their favorite places to go, and makes it so you don't miss out on anything. Have a good day. So, we're coming into the next port, but in the background, you can just barely see it, but there's Norway's second largest glacier system. So, hopefully, as we drive up the road, we'll be able to get a better view of that. But this whole area is spectacular. The mountains are amazing. Gotta go and get in the truck. Crazy, after two to three ferries with some of our new friends that we've made, it feels weird that now some of us are going in different directions, but it's kind of like when you're following a car on a highway for a super long time, and then they turn off, and you're like, oh. Super excited, my little friend. So, anyways. Yeah, so this is exciting. That was just breathtaking. I'm a little tired today from scenery overload. That was a lot. It just blows your mind. ♪ Country lane, coastal plains ♪ ♪ Endless views that we're passing through ♪ ♪ Making our way to a distant place ♪ ♪ Just us two, somewhere new ♪ ♪ Watch the sky fade into the night ♪ ♪ With you in my arms, nothing can go wrong ♪ ♪ We'll fall asleep on a starlit beach ♪ ♪ Just us two, somewhere new, somewhere new ♪ So we just exited the last ferry for today, and it's the last ferry on the coastal road going north. We are gonna take one out to Lofoten, but that's it for this. Now we have about a two-hour drive up to the end, the official end, which is Buda. And then we'll decide where we go after that. So we're hoping to find a camp spot before we get there, though. And we have to get some groceries and a bit of a few things. We pull off the coastal road for a quick break at the Brassett Rest Area. But it's more than just a place to stretch our legs. From here, we're treated to a sweeping view of Engelbreen, one of the most accessible arms of the mighty Svartesand Glacier. It's a breathtaking sight, ancient ice tumbling down the mountainside, ending just hundreds of meters above sea level. That makes it the lowest-lying glacier in all of mainland Europe. The name Svartesand means dark ice, a nod to the deep, almost luminous blue of the glacier's frozen core, a color born of centuries of compressed snow and time. Even from a distance, it's humbling, a quiet reminder of creation's patient, powerful artistry. This is a really dark tunnel. It feels like you're on a ride at Disneyland. BC had a lot of tunnels, but these are long tunnels. This is insane. Yeah, I've never seen so many tunnels in my life. We were able to fuel up, get some groceries, and then we found this spot. There's a couple other vans parked here. Right along the ocean, you cannot get a better spot. The weather's been incredible. The views are off the charts. So we're very happy, and there's something about this place. It starts to grow on you. We're feeling really comfortable here. You don't want to leave. Here's the onX off-road map of the world. I'll zoom into Norway. You can see the blue dots lining the west coast about halfway up the country. These mark the route of the coastal road. Here's where we set up camp for the night, a beautiful oceanfront spot just off the main road. These roadside pullouts are scattered all along the route, and in most of them, you're allowed to camp freely for up to two nights. By evening, traffic fades, and by nightfall, it's gone, leaving only silence and the raw beauty of Norway's rugged coast. I love how garlic just elevates the meal so much. The aroma, just amazing. Good morning and good night to us, almost. So I believe I was talking to you guys last week or the week before about getting a new frying pan. I wanted to buy a bigger one to cook our meals in, but then I decided I'm going to stick with this one, so I reteach myself to cook for two. Let me know if you guys struggle with that, too, going into emptiness or just having more meal time with just the two of you after the kids are growing up and doing things on their own and maybe not necessarily eating every meal with you. So, yeah, let me know your tricks and tips. That'd be really helpful. It's just mind-blowing how many wildflowers there are. It's so quiet. I had pulled in off the road here and gone straight in with all the other vans, and then I saw this patch of sand and then wildflowers, and your own trail's going off to the ocean. Right now, it's 11.32. After crossing the Arctic Circle, we're now officially in the land of the midnight sun. That means 24 hours of daylight. Tonight, the sun dips low, then seems to travel along the horizon before rising again just a few hours later in a beautiful golden 3 a.m. sunrise. Amazing to think the sun set right here, and now at almost 3.30, 3.28, the sun is already coming up. Join us next week as we take the ferry across to the stunning Lofoten Islands, a dramatic chain of jagged peaks and fishing villages rising straight from the sea far above the Arctic Circle. Known for their striking mountains, white sand beaches, and deep-rooted coastal culture, the Lofoten Islands are often called the crown jewel of Norway. We'll climb to epic viewpoints, explore storybook villages, try the local food, and soak in the raw beauty of one of Norway's most spectacular archipelagos. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don't miss the next adventure. A big thank you to our Patreon family. We appreciate your support of the channel. And as always, thanks for watching, and we'll see you down the road.