Interesting

Category: Norway 🇳🇴 (Page 1 of 4)

How overlanders are ruining overlanding in Norway (and elsewhere)

Kasper Høglund, a Norwegian who lives full-time in his Land Rover and works as a photographer, steps up and calls out overlanders how are driving off road in Norway, which is not permitted and illegal.

Unfortunately, the problem of overlanders (and others) not taking responsibility for their actions, and being short sighted, are ruining it for most everyone else.

As Kasper puts it in his video description »

There’s been a growing issue with more and more roads closed off for travel in Norway the last years. And throughout my traveling up north this summer a lot of my former favourite spots was now closed for good.

Apps like Park4Night and social media presence from people doing illegal and stupid driving over here is making the overland scene tougher for everyone.

For years I’ve never done anything but kindly reminding people about the strict off road laws in Norway. But these two guys pushed to limit enough to piss off locals enough to contact me directly to address this.

These guys with over a hundred thousand people following them and million of views does have a huge impact to a small town with a few hundred people living in it.

If you agree with him, follow and support Kasper (and others) who are doing what’s right before selfish a**holes ruin it for everyone.

How Overlanders are Ruining Overlanding

Note: Clicking the above image will load and play the video from YouTube.

Norway has some 300 soaring mountain staircases

(Source BBC / Credit: Morten Falch Sortland/Getty Images)

  • Preikestolen is among Norway’s most hiked trails, with 331,000 visitors reaching its exposed top in 2019.  Its stone stairway was built by Nepalese Sherpas.
  • Around 300 stone mountain stairways have been built in Norway over the past two decades.

Mike MacEacheran / BBC Travel »

In many ways, the location and the sublime views from Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, near Stavanger in south-west Norway are irrelevant, because what is important is the journey to get there. It is a hike up an expertly engineered and well-maintained stone staircase that is as much of a marvel as the finale itself.

There’s an ancient beauty to the stairway and it comes from the fact that Preikestolen – like nearly 300 other natural stone staircase projects in Norway purpose-built over the past two decades – has been crafted by teams of Sherpas from Nepalese communities living in the shadows of Mount Everest.

There was a time when Norway’s mountain paths would only see a handful of local visitors. But social media has changed all that, and over the past decade, the country has seen such a dramatic spike in overseas travellers keen to Instagram its viewpoints that something has had to give.

 

The 15 Northernmost Capital Cities of the World are all in Europe

15 Most Northern Capitals in the World are all in Europe

15 Most Northern Capitals of Europe (via MapPorn)

At a latitude of 64.1466° N, Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital city. Only Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, which sits at 64.1814° N, is further north than Reykjavík. However, Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Geographically, Greenland is part of the continent of North America.

  1. Reykjavik, Iceland (Latitude » 64.1466° N)
  2. Helsinki, Finland (60.1699° N)
  3. Oslo, Norway (59.9139° N)
  4. Tallinn, Estonia (59.4370° N)
  5. Stockholm, Sweden (59.3293° N)
  6. Riga, Latvia (56.9496° N)
  7. Moscow, Russia* (55.7558° N)
  8. Copenhagen, Denmark (55.6761° N)
  9. Vilnius, Lithuania (54.6872° N)
  10. Minsk, Belarus (53.9006° N)
  11. Dublin, Ireland (53.3498° N)
  12. Berlin, Germany (52.5200° N)
  13. Amsterdam, Netherlands (52.3676° N)
  14. Warsaw, Poland (52.2297° N)
  15. London, England, UK (51.5074° N)

In comparison, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada sits at a latitude of 45.4215° N.

Facts » Reykjavík is the only Western European capital without a McDonald’s or a Starbucks. The only other European capital without a McDonald’s is Tirana, Albania. Rome, Italy is Starbucks-free.

*Russia, is so vast, being the largest country in the world, and most of it within the continent of Asia. However, some consider Moscow, geographically at least, within continental Europe.

Top 30 countries ranked for adventure (2021)

The US News and World Report has again ranked countries according to how well they break from the norm and fulfill people’s wanderlust and desire for adventure.

The top 30 adventure rankings for 2021 are »

Continue reading

Changing conditions for visa-free travel to EU for non-EU nationals from December 2022

From December 2022, non-European Union nationals who do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area, will need to request prior authorisation to visit Schengen countries.

You will be able to apply online for authorisation via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

The ETIAS authorisation is not a visa. Nationals of visa liberalisation countries will continue to travel the EU without a visa but will simply be required to obtain a travel authorisation via ETIAS prior to their travel. ETIAS will be a simple, fast and visitor-friendly system, which will, in more than 95% of cases, result in a positive answer within a few minutes.

An ETIAS travel authorisation does not reintroduce visa-like obligations. There is no need to go to a consulate to make an application, no biometric data is collected and significantly less information is gathered than during a visa application procedure. Whereas, as a general rule, a Schengen visa procedure can take up to 15 days, and can in some cases be extended up to 30 or 60 days, the online ETIAS application only takes a few minutes to fill in. The validity will be for a period of three years, significantly longer than the validity of a Schengen visa. An ETIAS authorisation will be valid for an unlimited number of entries.

The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a necessary and small procedural step for all visa-exempt travellers which will allow them to avoid bureaucracy and delays when presenting themselves at the borders. ETIAS will fully respect this visa-free status; facilitate the crossing of the Schengen external border; and allow visa free visitors to fully enjoy their status.

The exact date on which these changes will come into force is not yet clear.

More »

Four of the most remote places to visit in Europe after travel restrictions are lifted

UK-based outdoor and clothing equipment brand Montane and Wired for Adventure teamed up to put together a short list of the most remote places to visit in Europe.

Ollie Rooke, writing for Wired For Adventure »

Ushguli – Georgia

While there’s some debate as to whether Georgia resides in Europe or Asia, we simply had to include this small settlement. A collection of tiny villages located at the foot of Shkhara mountain (5,193m), Ushguli sits at 2,100m above sea level and is therefore one of the highest inhabited settlements on the continent, but it’s also one of the most remote. »

Hoy, Orkney – Scotland

Although Hoy is the second largest island in the Orkney archipelago, a small clutch of islands off the coast of Scotland, it’s still tiny by most standards. Despite covering just 55 square miles and housing around 400 people, this diminutive island draws intrepid travellers to its shores with the lure of adventure at the edge of the UK. »

Kirkenes – Norway

Tucked away in the far north-eastern corner of Norway, the small town of Kirkenes lies at the very edge of mainland Europe. Just a few miles from Norway’s only land border with Russia, and 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the area is transformed into an icy wilderness during winter. And it’s this time of year that is best to visit, when travellers can observe two unique natural phenomenon. »

Faroe Islands, Denmark

Standing all alone in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands are undoubtedly one of the most remote places in Europe. Made up of 18 major islands and countless smaller ones, the Faroes’ closest neighbours are Scotland and Iceland, both located over 200 miles from its shores. »

Read the whole article on Wired for Adventure »

 

« Older posts

© 2024 Downshift

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑