The ever popular Viking Tour, first run twenty years ago, ties in once again with British Car Week in Gothenburg and the amazing Tjoloholm Castle Rally where one thousand classic and vintage cars from all over Scandinavia gather each year in the grounds of this 18th century mansion built by a Scottish brewing magnate.
The route takes in spectacular scenery in Sweden and Norway. Once again we'll be visiting Oslo, with a two night stop on our way north to the fjords and mountains.
Sadly the last direct ferry service from the UK to Scandinavia was cancelled in 2014 and so for this one, which will definitely be the last, we need to drive to Kiel in Germany to catch the overnight ferry to Gothenburg. This is a 398 mile journey on good roads from Rotterdam so I will be organising an overnight halt mid-way, probably near Osnabruck. This would be a gathering point for people using assorted ferry routes. Of course there may be people travelling from elsewhere, plus faster cars can easily cover that distance in one hit, so, whilst there will be route instructions from Rotterdam in the road book, the hotel cost will be an extra in case some people wish to go straight. Similarly on the return journey.
A free DVD of the Tjoloholm Castle Rally plus a stills CD of a previous tour are available on request.
The provisional tour schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 18th. Gather in hotel Osnabruck area (optional)
Thursday, May 19th. We embark at Kiel at 6pm for the overnight journey to Gothenburg. Overnight on board ferry. Mileage for day - 196
Friday, May 20th. Arriving in Gothenburg at 9.45am we are literally five hundred yards from the hotel which is a converted Victorian brewery and blessed with superb views across the harbour. It's just a few yards from the waterbus stop which makes it easy to get to the maritime museum and city centre on one of the little boats that zig-zag between the two shores. There are a restricted number of rooms with a view across the harbour so they will be allocated on a strictly first come, first served basis. Book early to avoid disappointment!
At 2pm there will be a tour of Gothenburg by vintage tram and in the evening a coach collects us for the short journey to Gothia Towers, where we will enjoy a dinner in the restaurant on the twenty-third floor. The views across the city are stunning! Overnight Gothenburg. Mileage for day – 0.5
Saturday, May 21st. We travel the short distance to the Volvo factory for a guided tour. We’re taken around on an electric ‘train’ and people are always fascinated by the robots building cars with hardly a human in sight.
After touring the factory we then visit the museum where cars from Volvo’s past are exhibited in a new custom-made building.
The afternoon is free for you to explore this beautiful city and in the evening there will be an opportunity to go on a scenic run in company with members of the British Car Club of Sweden. Overnight Gothenburg. Mileage for day (excluding evening run) – 25
Sunday, May 22nd. Today we head south to the Tjoloholm Castle Rally. We will have our own space on the field and there will be plenty to see. In addition to the cars and house there are normally air displays and an autojumble. On the DVD you’ll see our group in 2004 when we took Babs, the land speed record car, to the event and it ran for the first time in its history outside the UK. Overnight Gothenburg. Mileage for day – 90
Monday, May 23rd. We set off north for a leisurely run along good roads to Oslo, via the Saab museum at Trollhattan. Our hotel is in the centre of Oslo so you can park the car and explore in the evening. Overnight Oslo. Mileage for day – 202
Tuesday, May 24th. A guided tour of the city by coach in the morning so you can sit back and enjoy the sights. Overnight Oslo. Mileage for day – 0
Wednesday, May 25th. We set off north again via scenic countryside to the village of Vagamo. We are now in really rural Norway! However, the roads are good and traffic light. Overnight Vagamo. Mileage for the day – 145
Thursday, May 26th. Today we see some serious snow! The tarmac will be clear (see front page photograph) but the winter residue will still be deep on the higher ground. In 2008 we were amazed to see people skiing in swimming trunks (it was warm) as we traversed the Sogndal Pass and in 2010 our group started a snowball fight at the summit!
The scenery is again stunning and after descending from the pass we travel along the edge of the Sogna Fjord before taking a short ferry and driving through the world's longest road tunnel to Flam. Overnight Flam. Mileage for day – 145
Friday, May 27th. Flam Railway. This is one of Norway’s major tourist attractions and the route cuts through some of the country’s wildest and most spectacular countryside as it winds its way up to Myrdal on the Bergen railway, It is one of the steepest railways in the world and starts from opposite our hotel which sits on the edge of Aurlandfjord.
After the train trip in the morning we set off via more scenic passes to Kongsberg. It’s an easy run along quiet roads. Overnight Kongsberg. Mileage for day – 170
Saturday, May 28th. A chance to relax and take a walk around this fascinating and picturesque town situated on the river and with a spectacular weir. The mining museum and superb wooden church are both ‘must visit’ attractions. Overnight Kongsberg. Mileage for day – 0
Sunday, May 29th. Kongsberg to Horten via Skien. Once more spectacular scenery. Along the way you will have opportunities to visit a silver mine museum (you can go down inside the mountain on a small train), Telemark museum (remember the film?), Henrik Ibsen’s family home, and the incredible Norwegian Naval Museum. Overnight Horten. Mileage for day – 106
Monday, May 30th. Horten to Oslo and ferry. We need to be at the terminal by 1pm but once again we’re on good roads and should have no problem reaching the ferry with time to spare. Overnight ferry. Mileage for day – 59
Tuesday, May 31st. Arrival back in Kiel at 10am. Overnight Osnabruck area (optional). Mileage for day - 196
Wednesday, June 1st. Departure for ferries and home
All Country Lane Tours are accompanied by me as well as a separate support vehicle crewed by an experienced mechanic, ensuring peace of mind should problems occur. However, in all the tours I’ve organised problems have generally been minor, and also few and far between. Old cars are very reliable!
Hotels are all good quality and are generally located so you can walk to attractions and restaurants. Several halts are two nights, so you aren’t constantly packing bags each morning.
Daily mileages are mostly low, and my allowed times for travel are normally totally beaten by even the slowest cars. In 2008 the 1925 1100cc Amilcar easily completed the entire route. The TOTAL mileage in Scandinavia is less than 1,000 in two weeks!
The trip is suitable for any car with a cruising speed of 40 – 50 mph and above, the only proviso being your cooling system needs to be tip top, for it is likely to be warm and there are plenty of hills!
This event, like all, is designed to be a relaxing holiday with your car, not just an old car rally. There is no night driving, and absolutely no competition, other than getting to the bar first! The detailed road book enables you to travel at your own pace with little chance of getting lost. Please note: This itinerary may be subject to variation in the event of circumstances beyond our control.
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PRICE?
- The ferry from Kiel to Gothenburg for car and crew
- An outer (sea view) cabin on the ferry with private toilet & shower
- Dinner on the ferry
- Buffet breakfast on the ferry
- Hotels on a bed & breakfast basis
- First night’s dinner in Gothenburg at Gothia Towers with coach pick up / return
- Guided tour of Gothenburg by vintage tram
- Guided tour of Volvo factory by blue train
- Entry to Volvo museum
- Entry to Tjoloholm Castle Car Show with reserved place for your car on the field.
- Entry to Saab Museum
- Guided tour of Oslo with lunch
- Buffet dinner in Vagamo
- Buffet dinner in Flam
- Return journey on spectacular Flam railway in reserved carriage
- Entry to Horten Marine Museum
- Ferry from Oslo to Kiel with dinner
- Detailed road book
- Marked map books of both Sweden & Norway
- Rally plates & window stickers
- Back up support vehicle crewed with experienced mechanic
- Services of an experienced tour director
- Various minor additions
VIKING TOUR MAY 2022 – ROUTE IN BLUE
This shows the route taken in Sweden & Norway, a total of 950 miles
PLEASE NOTE! ENTRY RESTRICTED TO JUST TWENTY-FIVE CARS SO ENTRY FORMS WILL BE DATED WHEN RECEIVED
THERE ARE A RESTRICTED NUMBER OF HARBOUR VIEW ROOMS AVAILABLE IN THE GOTHENBURG HOTEL AND THESE WILL BE ALLOCATED ON A STRICTLY FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS
