Scandinavia… Not a country, but a beautiful area. Scandinavia is the collective name for the following Northern countries; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Looking at history, Finland and Iceland also belong to Scandinavia: according to the Norwegian council, they also belong. All in all, Scandinavia is huge (more than a million square kilometers), while about 24 million people live there. For comparison; The Netherlands is more than 41,000 square kilometers with about 17 million inhabitants.

Of all western European countries, the Scandinavian countries probably have the most more or less untouched nature. In addition, they are countries that are easily accessible from the Netherlands. Norway is characterized by, among other things, the fjords and the Trollstigen, known to many motorcyclists. And where Sweden is known as wide and relaxing, everyone knows Finland as the land of 1000 lakes. All in all, legitimate reasons to traverse this beautiful nature in the north of Europe by means of a number of routes.

The route to the North Cape, the second highlight of this 26-part tour of Scandinavia, starts in Skaidi. Shortly after leaving the hotel you will pass a supermarket and a gas station where you can refuel and do the necessary shopping for the road. Make sure you have something with you for the road, the catering establishments are not abundant here.
Many parking spaces were planned along the route during the construction of the E69, they are abundantly present. Great plan to use it for taking a photo or to enjoy the great view.

In Oldenfjord you reach the coast and for the next 60 kilometers you always keep the water in view. Beautiful views over the water and inland rugged rock formations, great to see.

A little north you will pass Sjøsamisk Tun in Smørfjord, a small village on the west side of the Porsangerfjord. The approximately 100 inhabitants largely belong to the Sami people on the coast. Smørfjord has been a Sami settlement for centuries, and you can find cultural remains dating back to the Stone Age.
Built by local enthusiasts, Sjøsamisk Tun was officially opened in 2004. It is a reconstruction of a traditional Sami coastal settlement as seen around 1900. On the site you can see buildings of peat and also a boathouse with traditional boats etc. In the kiosk they have local products and some souvenirs and refreshments. In connection with Sjøsamisk Tun you can also follow a well-marked path that leads through the village and the countryside around it, giving you a good impression of the Arctic nature.
In addition to welcoming tourists as visitors, Sjøsamisk Tun is also a meeting point for locals and anyone who wants to learn more about the local history, customs and traditions.

Just before you drive into the Skarvberg Tunnels you will pass a silversmith, who has a summer shop along the E69, next to his silversmith in the nearby town of Tana.
What we call 'Sami silver' today is a modern expression for silver jewelry that was first produced at Juhl's Silver workshop in Katokeino in the mid-1960s.
In the beginning, this jewelry consisted only of rings, molds (pilgrim marks), silver balls and other accessories for the national Sami dress, called 'kofte' in Norwegian. Later, new models were added, based on excavations of old bronze and silver jewelery from the Middle Ages.
In addition to Sami silver, jewelery with motifs of old Sami shaman drums, rock paintings and copies of museum collections is produced here.
Nice to pay a visit here and see if there is something nice for you.

As mentioned, you drive straight into the Skarvbergtunnels, a tunnel of 2,920 meters long. The current Skarvberg tunnel is a single-tube tunnel along the Porsangerfjord. The tunnel runs through a 300 meter high ridge, about 18 kilometers north of the junction between the E6 and E69. The tunnel is part of the E69 to the North Cape and is now toll-free.
The Skarvberg Tunnel opened to traffic in 1970 and enabled the first fixed connection to the north of the peninsula. The road took on more significance from 1999 when the Nordkapptunnel opened and traffic no longer needed a ferry service to reach the North Cape.

Shortly before the coffee break, you enter the North Cape Tunnel. This is a so-called submarine tunnel. The water you go under is the Magerøysundet, a strait that separates the island of Magerøya from the mainland.
The tunnel is 6,875 meters long and drops to a maximum of 212 meters below sea level. This combination makes it one of the steepest tunnels in Norway, with a gradient of 10%. The tunnel has so-called kuldeports, automatic doors that close after each vehicle in winter to prevent the tunnel from blowing full of snow.
The tunnel was built between 1995 and 1999, mainly for tourism. The tunnel opened to traffic on June 15, 1999 as a toll road. The tunnel has been toll-free since 29 June 2012.
Every day an average of 450 vehicles use the tunnel, with higher intensities in the summer up to about 800 vehicles per day.

After coffee you drive further towards the North Cape, another 30 kilometers to the most northerly spot in Norway! These last 30 kilometers are kilometers to enjoy. Great views, height differences, it is really fantastic driving. It may be a bare plain, but it is breathtakingly beautiful!

In the last kilometers to the North Cape you will pass a large parking lot where you can start the walk to Knivskjelodden. Knivskjelodden is a headland on the island of Magerøya, just off the north coast of Norway. It is the most northerly place in Norway and the 'mainland' of Europe in the broad sense (including islands just off the coast). It is located about a mile to the north than the much more famous North Cape (on the same island). In contrast to the North Cape, Knivskjelodden slopes gently down to the Barents Sea and can only be reached on foot via a 9 km long hike marked with cairns. So if you feel called to come even further north than the North Cape ... park and walk!

Then the time has finally come, the North Cape. Imagine a place in the far north, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. This place is the North Cape in Western Finnmark in Northern Norway. From here, only the Spitsbergen archipelago lies between you and the North Pole and the sun shines for 2.5 months at a time; from mid-May to the end of July. Many visitors admire the midnight sun or the sunset over the Barents Sea from the North Cape Plateau.
The first tourist was the Italian priest Francesco Negri, who visited the North Cape in 1664. Today, the journey to the North Cape is quite easy and more than 200,000 people follow in his footsteps every year during the two to three months that summer lasts here. The cliff plunges 307 meters straight down into the sea. The visitor center, Noordkaaphal, has several exhibitions here every year. Here you will also find the chapel, St-Johanneskapell. It is the world's northernmost ecumenical chapel and a popular place for weddings.
Actually, the North Cape is one big viewpoint, a great experience. It still gives a special feeling, at the most Northern place in Europe. Well, almost then ...
Obviously, a photo must be taken of or near the Globe. The globe was erected by King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway in 1873 to mark the cliff. The thing has now become the landmark of the North Cape.

The return journey is on the same road as the way there, there is little choice. The first kilometers are again phenomenal with beautiful views. After about 14 kilometers you can turn left towards Skarsvåg. In Skarsvåg you arrive, after a short walk of about 20 to 25 minutes, at Kirkeporten. This rock formation is a geological wonder; a gap several meters wide in an overhanging cliff in the form of a large gate.
The midnight sun shines through this gate between midnight and two in the morning. The view of the rock formation 'Hornet' is breathtaking. To get there, follow the 2.5 km trail that starts at Kirkeporten Camping and Nordkapp Turisthotell. The walk there and back takes about 45 minutes.

A refueling stop and a coffee stop are planned in Honningsvåg. After enjoying the coffee you can walk through the town or visit the North Cape Museum. This is a small museum with personal contact and a nice atmosphere. You can find the museum in the center of Honningsvåg, a few minutes from the Hurtigruten quay, cruise quay and the bus station. There are guided tours in Norwegian, English and German. Every year about 10,000 people from all over the world visit the North Cape Museum. The North Cape Museum presents and documents coastal culture and fishing industry in Finnmark, but it is also a local museum for the North Cape Municipality. The museum presents at least 5 different exhibitions every year. The North Cape history and museum team built the museum which opened in 1982. Since 1997 the museum has been owned by the Noordkaap municipality.

After Honningsvåg it is time to find the hotel and also the end point of the route. You drive through the Nordkapptunnel again and turn onto Fv715 not long after. Almost at the end of this road you will arrive at Hotel Repvåg. A nice hotel with a bar and a restaurant, so the experiences on the North Cape can be discussed while enjoying a beer. For a small fee you can also sweat in the sauna.
There is a campsite signposted for campers near the end point: Repvåg Camping og Kafe.

Have fun driving this route!