North of the Arctic Circle

HFF and a good weekend to all Ipernity friends!

HFF folks!

Winter afternoon at 2 p.m.

HFF folks!

Letterboxes in Honningsvåg

Early April may see spring in southern Norway but in the north it is still very much winter- with days getting longer rapidly.

Honningsvågfjellet

E69 in early April. The road to Nordkapp had just been reopened after several days of high wind. Risfjord ( taken out of the bus, not clear enough to be shown full size)

Winter landscape on Magerøya island, somewhere along the way to the North Cape.

Sværholthalvøya seen from North Cape

Sculpture by Eva Rybakken on the Nordkapp plateau

On a very icy winter afternoon behind Nordkapphallen- shoe spikes were a must.

In winter conditions (which can last into May) all vehicles going to the North Cape have to drive in convoy behind a snowplough. The convoy starts and goes back at set times, at all others the road at the turnoff to the North Cape is closed. Bei Winterwetter, das bis in den Mai andauern kann, müssen alle Fahrzeuge, die zum Nordkap wollen, im Konvoi hinter dem Schneepflug fahren. Hin- und Rückfahrt sind zu festgelegten Zeiten, ansonsten ist die Strasse zum Nordkap ab der Abzweigung gesperrt.

seen from Honningsvåg

A snowstorm closing in over Honningsvåg. Just a moment earlier the sun was shining-(see clickable note:

MS Vesterålen weathered a force 11 storm in the shelter of Tanafjorden. We met her - 8 hours late- just off Honningsvåg trying to catch up her delay.

Arctic steam fog over Magerøysund. Frostrøyk forms in arctic regions when very cold air meets warmer water.