Summary
Well, here we are – at the top of mainland Europe. We left Alta around 09:30 and had covered the 134 miles by around 14:00, as we arrived at NordKapp camping. Since the weather was clear and sunny, we placed our markers on a pitch with a view and set off for Nordkapp itself.
* * * * *
Despite an early alarm call, it was around 09:30 before we left Camping Alta Strand and headed towards Nordkapp Camping. The roads were now much smaller and the traffic was light.
The scenery is more dramatic and spectacular; most of the vehicles travelling North and South on E69 were motorhomes and campervans.
To reach our final destination there were two impressive tunnels to navigate. Firstly the 6.8km long North Cape Tunnel which traverses the Mageroysundet strait as a subsea road tunnel.
The second tunnel was the Honningsvag tunnel, a mere 4.5km long and just north of the North Cape Tunnel.
We then passed the town of Honningsburg which before the tunnels had been built, operated the ferries to navigate across the islands. Today there were a couple of cruise ships docked.
We arrived early afternoon at Nordkapp camping and found a nice, non-electric pitch with views across the water. It was a cold but pleasant afternoon so we decided to head straight to Nordkapp which can be a dreary and misty place to visit at times. Today was bright and clear.
When we arrived, there were hordes of tourists at the plateau and we found out that this was from the cruise ships docked at Honningsvag. A lady at the entrance to the visitor centre said we would have a quiet hour or so between boats at 5pm. We headed back to our van and popped a brew on.
By late afternoon, the tourist volume had subsided and we had some quiet time to absorb the beauty and ambience of this very special place.
The iconic Globe Monument sits on the very edge of the plateau at the top of the cliffs. Erected in 1978 it has become the symbol of North Cape. Standing by the steel globe you truly feel that you’re at the “end of Europe”.
Not far away from the Globe Monument is the “Children of the World” monument; seven large circular bronze plaques created by children from different parts of the world, unveiled in 1989.
On our way back to camp, we stopped a couple of kms out and enjoyed stunning views across to our campsite.
The nice weather continued into the evening and we cooked potatoes and kebabs in the air fryer. The “portable” air fryer and the Aferiy power station are serving us well on this trip.
After dinner, it was England vs Ghana in the World Cup 2026 – a dire game – and a finish just before midnight.
Of course the sun was now at its lowest level in the sky and was just starting to rise again. The campervan got really quite hot in the night as the sun warmed up the vehicle fabric.
I didn’t realise just how special the midnight sun would be as I expected to sleep as normal. However, it really messes with the mind. You head across the campsite to clean your teeth at 01:00 and its daylight, bright and sunny. You’ve lost the natural markers which intuitively give you an idea of the time of day.
The Midnight Sun has really been one of the most interesting facets of this trip to date.
This has been a really busy day. We travelled from Alta to Nordkapp camping to Nordkapp itself. Then back at the campsite we did the laundry, cooked dinner and then watched a painful England game before finally retiring around 01:00. Time for rest…