New territory and the Atlantic Ocean Road.

It was another sluggish start for us after another night of over indulgence, Joyce and the boys were up early but I didn't surface till 10ish😔, and again driving early was not an option so we had a leisurely morning getting things ready and enjoying the glorious sunshine that we woke to. The weather has been brilliant for us on the whole, shorts on every day so far and we are getting a bit of colour about our faces arms and legs now.







We were going our separate ways today, Bjorn, Ina and Fina were heading east as they were going to Sweden to fish some of the lakes there for pike. We were heading north then east along the Atlantic Ocean Road and starting to head along towards Trondheim. So after lunch we said our goodbyes and all left the campsite. Bjorn had advised us to have a look at the museum in Bud, there are lots of old wartime bunkers and guns still in place and they do guided tours so this was our first stop. This part of the coast was exposed to the blast of sea wind and although lovely and sunny it was baltic, not a day for hanging around. Unfortunately the museum was shut and that was a real pity. So, back on the road and we drove along this stunning stretch of coastline. There mountains on one side and lovely beaches and coves on the other and at the end is the famous section which is used in lots of car advertisements and has also just last week been the scene of filming for the new James Bond movie that is currently being made.

This is another of Norways National Scenic Routes. The scenery is very reminiscent of some parts of the Hebrides, or the far north west of Scotland. This road was completed in 1989 and basically links the the island of Averoya to the Norwegian mainland. There are 8 bridges in total linking the little archipelago of islands at one side and at the other a really deep tunnel that passes below a fjord linking that side of the island to Kristiansund. One of the bridges in particular is quite spectacular, its steep and curves round during it length so from some angles it looks quite impressive, there are walkways beside the bridge and people fish off these catching the many Saithe and Pollock that are in the deep channels below, its probably the easiest shore fishing in the world. The tunnel is impressively steep, its 6km long and the drop down into it is a 10% gradient for about 2.5km, then the same back up the other side. The tunnel has a maximum depth of 250 meters and is one of the deepest undersea tunnels in the world. After a few wrong turns in Kristiansund we finally made it back onto the E39 and managed to cross the Halsafjord and found a nice wee place to stop for the night.

We needed to stop early as tonights tea was slightly more complicated and I was chef, we were having the Haddock we caught yesterday in beer batter. It all went to plan and we enjoyed a superb and long awaited piece of Norwegian fish. It hit the spot perfectly. After a game of Snakes and Ladders the boys got to bed, and I have been catching up on the blog which was allowed to slip a bit there due to late night fishing and even later night drinking. We are now up to date again, though I need to wait till the morning to get pictures uploaded. I am tired and need a proper sleep!!

We are into new territory in more ways than one now, obviously we are in new areas but also, we have been on the road now for a while, this is ~I think our 26th night in the van. The longest we have ever done previously was 23 nights last year in Ireland. We are all getting along just fine I think, the boys seem to be enjoying it and Joyce is happy too. It's a great adventure and Norway is not disappointing us. Sadly night 26 is almost exactly one third of our holiday gone but we cannot be downbeat about that....another 53 nights awaits....😁😁