Tag Archives: Scandinavia
Tuesday Train – Iron Ore Train in Narvik, Norway
Millions of tonnes of iron ore are exported every year from Sweden via Norway. The reason? Sweden’s Baltic coastline freezes in Winter and therefore the ice-free Norwegian port on the North Sea is vital to continue trade. Each laden train can weigh up to a staggering 8,600 tonnes with the lore-class locomotives pulling 68 trucks. […]
Tuesday Train – Lulea in Sweden
This was to be the first leg of us traversing the whole Iron Ore Line from Lulea to the ice-free port of Narvik. We were going as far as Gallivare, to then continue 2-days later. We hadn’t figured on track problems however, ending up only getting as far as Boden and then having to take […]
2022 Gone, 2023 Beckons
Freedom to travel is a wonderful gift and the release from Covid shackles was a blessed relief. For any traveller, it was like a release from prison. Toulouse & Andorra Travel wise, the year got going in April with a journey to Andorra via Toulouse. My mate Hamish and I took a train close to […]
Scandinavian Tour Part 5 – Narvik in Norway
The North Atlantic port of Narvik is right at the end of the Iron Ore/Ofoten line from Lulea on Sweden’s Baltic Coast. You can read parts 3 & 4 of my tour to read about our journey there. My fourth visit to the strategically important town was my first from east to west, with my […]
Monday Morning Blues – The af Chapman Youth Hostel in Stockholm
I recently paid a visit to the Swedish capital, known as the Venice of the North. Consisting of a series of islands, it is home to a unique youth hostel, a full rigged steel ship named the af Chapman. Built by the Whitehaven Shipbuilding Company in the UK and launched in 1888, she undertook voyages […]
Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part 4 – From Sweden Into Norway
Kiruna to Narvik When my travelling companion and I were learning geography at school, we were taught all about the Swedish iron ore industry and how a train line was built to Narvik so the ore could be exported. You see, the shallow Swedish Baltic Sea port at Luleå that was the main route out […]
Monday Morning Blues – Riksgränsen in Sweden
I recently passed through Riksgränsen on the train on the way to Narvik in Norway. Riksgränsen is a popular ski resort in Sweden, just 709 metres from Norway. The train station is Sweden’s highest at 1,228m above sea level.
Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part 3 – Iron Ore in the North of Sweden
I left off part 2 with us being stuck in Boden waiting for a rail replacement bus to take us to Gällivare. To our surprise our ticket collector travelled with us and proceeded to give us a guided commentary on the journey. As bus journeys went this was not too shabby! The three-hour journey sped […]
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Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part Two – Luleå in Sweden
Luleå The bus journey from the Finnish border would take 90-minutes and flew past despite the frequent stops, the small settlements acting as brief interruptions from the golden forest and lichen covered rock. We soon found our hotel and then took to the Baltic coastline. Luleå in Norbotten County is a key export centre for Swedish […]
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Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part One – Finland
After over three years of hoping, we finally had to give up on the idea of taking the trans-Siberian Express across Russia. COVID and the unjust & appalling war put paid to our journey from Baltic to Pacific, from Helsinki to Vladivostok. So what to do with our flight to Helsinki? We decided to head […]
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Wilbur's Travels 