The Arctic Circle

Heading to the Arctic in a Ka isn’t Charlie’s idea of a good holiday. “It’s too cold,” she has quipped, “I don’t want to go to a cold place on vacation, I live in a cold place.”

I can’t really argue with that argument, and of course being from a desert town in California, the United Kingdom is going to feel cold! I guess I could perhaps mention in passing that the Arctic will be much colder. –30°C, perhaps even colder – than the United Kingdom, but we’ll be okay, Kermit does okay in winter conditions.

But just because Kermit copes with the British winter reasonably well, doesn’t mean he’ll cope with Norway, Finland, Sweden and similar countries – at least, not without a few modifications.

At the moment, with the intention to visit the Arctic in the winter of 2005, and it being subject to a few bits and pieces, this is only a pre-planning exercise. But you’re welcome to my thoughts!

ColdKa?

The cold will affect many aspects of the Ka, and some of my thoughts are here.

The Route

Originally, I had decided to trek up to Mo i Rana, it being the closest touristy place to visit. However, after some very helpful advice, this trip will change, and I’m now planning on heading up to Rovaniemi, in Finland.

But to detail the original trip for now, there are two options: the long way, or the short way.

Mo i RanaL – The Long Way: Through Europe

From York, we’ll need to head towards the south coast, hop across to France, then through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and finally Norway!

The round trip for this route will be approximately 3,700 miles.

If Kermit can average 40 mpg, and fuel is around 75p per litre, this will cost us £315 in petrol.

In terms of driving, it’s probably ten full days drive. That’s nine nights living out of motels, so you have to add that cost in again.

Mo i RanaL – The Short Way: Via Bergen

From York, we head north to Newcastle, then catch the ferry to Bergen. A return ferry trip is just over £400, but this includes three nights (two on the way there, one on the way back).

The total mileage driven during the trip is a much more manageable 1,500.

Again, at 75p per litre and 40 mpg, this will cost us around £128 in petrol.

In terms of time, it’s two nights to get to Bergen, and you set off for the Arctic refreshed on the morning of the third day. I figure on three full days to cover the 700 miles to the Arctic Circle.

Rovaniemi – The Long Way

Rovaniemi is a town used by many of the motoring manufacturers to test their products in the extremes of winter. This is perfect for my purposes, because it gets cold! Much colder, it turns out, than sticking to the eastern side – thanks to the Gulf Stream, I suppose.

However, it’s further. Depending on the precise route, it is as much as a round trip of around 4,200 miles.

At 75p per litre and 40 mpg, this would cost around £360 in fuel.

Questions – Maybe You Can Help?

Have you done something like this before, or do you live in an extreme climate? If so, I’m interested to hear what spares we may need, and what is likely to need replacing before we go, or during our trip!

The above is very much up in the air, and owing to the high cost of the trip, I am currently toying with the idea of sponsorship, and raising money for charity. If you have any ideas, or you want to tell me that I’m bonkers, please contact me – I’m interested in your opinion, advice, or otherwise!