Trip to Norway, a few questions.

[Dan Wound]

Hi there, I’m hoping you guys can help me with a few questions, Torjus has been real helpful so far but I have a few questions that are more then likely answerable by the Bushcraft UK hive mind.

In short, I am off to Norway for 9 days in 3 weeks time, I have flights, travel routes, maps and equipment all covered and double checked, and awaiting triple checking, however there are a still a few queries to pose, so here they are;-

- I am flying with Ryanair, obviously parts of my gear are non flight friendly, namely knife and folding saw.

The following is from Ryan Air’s website under the heading ‘What items are Prohibited in checked in baggage’ i.e. baggage in the hold.

Guns, firearms, ammunition and weapons (including replica items), paints, Christmas crackers, items with internal combustion engines such as chainsaws, model aircraft, lawnmowers, etc., may not be carried in any baggage (whether checked or unchecked)
Note: Any sharp objects in checked-in baggage should be securely wrapped to prevent injury to screeners and handling personnel.

Would they throw the weapon thing at me even though the comment at the bottom refers to sharp items ?? As there is no mention of knives or saws at all.

Has anyone taken these items on a flight and they’re been cool as they’re in the hold ?? Or is it best to send them ahead or buy new ones when I get there (I’d rather not due to funds).

- The majority of my meals are going to be dehydrated meals (Reiter) which may be cheating a little, but better fed than not. However I do plan to fish and eat the fish, any ideas what other foods I could forage for ?? Mushrooms, Plants etc..


- Are there any restrictions on bringing dried food into Norway (usual stuff) ??

- If I need to purchase a cheap Knife, clipper or such like and a folding saw, any idea on price as I know Norway is expensive but I’m unsure how this refers to specific markets.

- Where can I buy Sterene candles ?? I’m drawing a blank on that one.

- Is laying snares going to be worthwhile (Torjus probably) ?? As I was under the impression that only hares were around not rabbits.

- Does anyone here extend their insurance policies when doing a trip such as this, previous to this, I haven’t but am wondering whether this would be wise.


NB. Sorry for such a long post, I’ll pop on over to the Inroductions forum as soon as I have chance * doffs cap *

[ilovemybed]

We didn't have any problems taking stuff through Ryanair. Food, blades or otherwise.

In fact, I bought some cheapo Frosts type knives for Chris Claycomb on the way home because he had to dash for his flight. He happened to still be in the airport when I got there so I handed him a bag of knives while he was stood in the queue for check-in, which he then put in the top of his rucksack, without even a raised eyebrow.

Knives there were pretty reasonable price. Found those Frosts type ones aplenty in many different styles in a local DIY store, some as cheap as 45 kr (about £4). In fact, I think the spoon knives were cheaper there than they are here!

You won't be able to take fuel for your stove through, but you should find plenty of firewood so you'll be ok

In terms of wild foods, it might be berry season now. Some abundant ones are poisonous though. Best ask Torjus about that! Not so many tasty rodents around for snaring but maybe bird snares? Lots of small game birds around. Or you can find the local "hag" and get her to make you tea. Eh, Torjus?

In case you didn't see it before, check out www.pbase.com/ilovemybed/norway_06/ to get in the spirit of things, and enjoy the trip!

Neil

[torjusg]

May I remind you that trapping without permission is illegal. Otherwise, spawning season for trout is on. If there are no restrictions in the intakes and streams fish will be easy to catch there. You may be restricted to modern tools though. There is a lot of fungi and berries in Southern Norway now! And there may still be some left in three weeks time.

It all depends on where you are going. If you are in area where there really is too much fish, speak the landowner (they often live on the closest farm you can see). Ask what he will charge for you to be allowed to spearfish, netfish and whatever. If he asks for much more than 200kr I would consider it unreasonably high and would go elsewhere.

Was it Bygland you were going again?

If you are on the right place to the right time you may be able to scavange some fresh materials (bones, hide etc...) from the elk hunters. They often leave a lot of good stuff behind.

Torjus Gaaren

[C_Claycomb]

As has been said, no problem taking knives, saws or axes in rucksacks as part of your checked in baggage on Ryan Air. I have just come back from my second Norway trip this summer, both via Stansted/Torp, and there were no problems for either trip. No one in our expedition of 7 had a problem.

But...
Be aware that they may still have increased security when you go and take steps to prepare your baggage accordingly, this only applies on the outward journey. Carry on was permitted, but it had to be no bigger than 16x35x45cm, this was STRICTLY inforced and there were a lot of folks being turned away to go check in their bags, pay excess baggage etc. If you have things like billy cans in carry on, no problem, just take them out so they can be x-rayed outside your bag. The same goes for electronics, if you bunch all cameras, torches, etc in a clear bag and have them run through the scanner outside your main carry on, passing through security is a breeze (even though they were x-raying shoes, and giving everyone a pat-down).

We were in Vassfaret last week. There were mushrooms everywhere, loads of boletus (Ceps, slippery Jack I think, or another similar in colour, size etc) They were however mostly past their best due to heavy rain just before we arrived. The place was loaded with blueberrys and lingon (cow) berrys which we had in bannock. The fishing was very poor where we were and out of 5 people giving it a try only me and one other bloke got anything. The normal rules of fishing still apply! Even at the right time of year, the weather can be wrong, or there may be no fish where you are. So be careful about banking on catching dinner! While I am sure Torjus could have found more to eat up in the mountains, there wasn't a lot of bio-diversity where we were and I think you would have been hard pressed to find anything other than fungi, berrys and fish.

The Norwegians seem pretty layed back about bringing food into the country, there were no signs saying that you couldn't, unlike here in the UK. In either case freeze dried stuff is going to be fine. Its the fresh meat/fruit/veg/dairy that causes problems normally.

Shopping wise, ilovemybed probably did more than me, but on this last trip we went and had a look in a couple places, including a large Co-Op. Whould you believe that Norwegian Co-Ops sell Mora knives, Fiskars and Hultafors axes, Eagle brand camping kettles, fire stands and so forth? We also went to some kind of General store which sold Mora by the bucket for about £3.50 and Whettling(sic) axes for about £26. This kind of kit is pretty cheap there. Its just the food, clothing, petrol, and beer that is expensive!....oh yeah, you can't get alcohol in food stores, only in state run liquor stores.

Insurance wise, I got a good deal with Barclays travel insurance. I got a year's worth, that covered for hiking, canoeing and such, anywhere in Europe, for about £35. It covers me to be rescued and everything I don't know what the services are like in Norway, but thought it a good idea to have.

Hope you have a good trip! I am sure that you have your kit well sorted. On our trip with Torjus we all carried too much stuff. On the one a week ago weight wasn't an issue, but it was already getting damned cold at night, a damp cold.

[C_Claycomb]

On the axe thing. I would not go to Norway without my GB Small Forest or similar. It got used a fair bit in the summer, and even more on this last trip, felling, snedding, and splitting fire wood, cutting poles for shelters and tarp rigging, and helping with crafting utensils. This is an place where you are able to use an axe properly and it makes things a lot easier. If of course there are trees where you are going

[Dan Wound]

That's wonderful chaps, thanks for the info.

Torjus; You're bang on it is indeed Bygland, in fact I fly out next week (I wrote the previous post in MS Word over a couple of weeks) so I'll keep an eye out for elk hunters and their potential, cheers for that.

My fishing methods won't extend to anything more than rod and reel, for several reasons but mainly I'm more efficient with a rod and reel. I figured on trying the smaller bodies of water first plus intakes, stream etc. basically any features will be good and worth a chuck

Ilovemybed; Thanks a million, that really cleared that up. Sound on the fuel, I was on that anyhow. Cheap crook knives sound worth it. As for your photos, I actually can't stop looking at them anyway !! Trouble is when at work, colleagues do tend to wonder why I'm doing a cheshire cat impression !!

Much appreciated chaps. Any other tips or pointers from anyone gladly recieved.

[Roving Rich]

Hi Dan - I just got back from the Vasserferat region of Norway on Sunday.
We had no problems with knives, axes saws and fishing rods in our luggage.
There is an adundance of cheap good knives out there a-la Mors Kochanski under £5, telescopic carbon fibre fishing rods for about £10 and wetterlings hand forged axes at £25....
Small game wise - we saw nothing in a week, and as stated - trapping is illegal - I think you have to do a course even to use snares ?
Fish were also scarce, tho Chris Claycomb managed to procure us enough for a meal for the party.
Mushrooms were plentyful and of astonishing size ! And like we have brambles in woodland, Norway seems to have blueberries. - So blueberry bannock, pancakes and compote (boil in a samll amout of water + sugar+alcohol were all on the menu.
Campsites were abundant, but only recognisable from an established fire pit of rocks. Making fire was by far the best means of cooking. Firelighting easy with abundant birch, pine and spruce. The brown "old mans beard" tree lichen takes from a spark from a firesteel. And there is loads of firewood
It takes while to adjust from the UK - Camp where you like, build a fire and cut what wood you need. - The opposite of here really.

Beer by the way is extortionate ! Over £5 per pint. I highly recomend the reindeer salami and tho very non "PC" whale meat is delicious - (try it while you can ?)

Have fun
Rich

[Dan Wound]

Chris; That's excellent mate. Exactly the sort of stuff I was hoping for. I'll buy a few bits out there, basically have a nose around when in town, I'd been given the heads up on beer prices already (funny how many people mention that and mention it first, can't think why )

[Dan Wound]

Hmmm I seem to be out of synch with my reply times, ah well, worse things happen at sea !!

Rich, thanks again mate, a veritable bouty of information is now contained in this thread. Bannock is of course on the menu, as are the blueberries, hadn't thought of compote mind you, would have had that one down as limited to posh restraunts !! So I'll give that a whirl.

Too true about it seeming to be the opposite from over here, although I have some land that I can use it's of a particular size and doesn't really allow for any wanderings, hence Norway has been on my mind for a good while now, and lo and behold it's a week away.

I will actually try the whale meat although I understand the political connotations of it, I also believe in experiencing the roots of our ancestors, plus I hear it's damn tasty !!

From what you guys have said I'm actually going to wait till I'm over there to get the last few things on my checklist, prices seem fair.

I'll be keeping a log and will have a camera with me so once compiled and if appropriate will post it up upon my return.

[ilovemybed]

Chris; That's excellent mate. Exactly the sort of stuff I was hoping for. I'll buy a few bits out there, basically have a nose around when in town, I'd been given the heads up on beer prices already (funny how many people mention that and mention it first, can't think why )

The beer Guinness was 65kr per pint - about £6!

When we all flew back, I had about seven hours to kill in the airport. Naturally I bought a book and headed for the bar.
Despite the fact I only had a few jars a sandwich, interspersed with several coffees, I still spent about £45 in that place! And that was only because the barmaid took pity on me, and as her boyfriend ran the place she felt comfortable giving me discounts. That, however, barely made up for the fact she already had a boyfriend

[torjusg]

Everybody seems to think that game is scarce in Norway, in fact it isn't. But big game probably accounts for a larger proportion of the overall biomass than in the UK. Anyway, arctic hares are a lot more common than they seem, but they are indeed varying.

Just so you know it!

Torjus Gaaren

[C_Claycomb]

Torjus, I am telling you, the bits of Vassfaret that we saw were as baren as the moon compared to any one of the areas you took us through! We had 9 people all looking around, several with some tracking experience. Everybody remarked on how few birds there were, and how little sign there was of animal life. We found the tracks of one elk, on a bit of logging road, all week. There were droppings here an there, but all were bone dry and old. No beaver, only one pile of grouse droppings found, no signs of squirrel, a few old fox scats, but that was about it! It is possible that most of the animals were higher up, or that the moderate level of human activity in the valley (holiday cottages and huts) kept the critters away.

and as ilovemybed hints...the Norwegian ladies are gorgeous, though sadly there aren't so many out in the bush

[Dan Wound]

On a fishing tip, did you find spinners, plugs or natural baits more successful ?? I'm of course prepared with lures already and natural bait, well that'e easy, but just was wondering if I could get a head start.

[ilovemybed]

On a fishing tip, did you find spinners, plugs or natural baits more successful ?? I'm of course prepared with lures already and natural bait, well that'e easy, but just was wondering if I could get a head start.

We laid a long line with some worms, and the fish seemed to like them, just didn't hang around to tell us how much!

We certainly had plenty of success on spinners - a simple brass vibrax was deadly in Torjus's hands!

Thanks to perishing line (thanks for not telling me you'd used it in sea water dad...) and probably a bit of neglegence, I didn't keep hold of any one lure for too long to tell you which of mine, now all retired at the bottom of Norwegian lakes, was most successful...