A sleepless night and a dramatic journey to Hamningberg
As a single person, I can sometimes miss an exciting night where you have more fun things to do than sleep. However, perhaps something more fun than when the wind howls so that the motorhome feels like it's going to topple over. After a sleepless night where the roof hatches were almost torn from their mounts, I got out of bed early and decided to drive to Hamningberg. This turned out to be one of the most memorable drives I've done.
The road to Hamningberg is perhaps the coolest I've ever driven on. I've ridden a lot of narrow roads, especially in Norway, but this one really takes the prize. Narrow as a cycle path at home and without railings, it wound its way through a landscape as dramatic as it was beautiful. One moment it was calm between the rocks, only to be met by storm-force gusts the next second. The road is 28 km long and 3 meters wide, at best. If you consider that a normal small parking space is 2.5 meters wide, you will get some perspective.
It felt like driving on a road to the end of the world - which it almost is. Hamningberg is as far northeast in Norway as you can drive by car.
Hamningberg has a fascinating history. During the 19th century, it was a thriving fishing community with upwards of 250 inhabitants. Here, people lived closely tied to the sea and fishing was the hub of daily life. During World War II, many villages in Finnmark were destroyed, but Hamningberg escaped - the German troops retreated without burning the place down. After the war, the village was gradually depopulated and in the 1960s it was completely abandoned as a permanent place of residence. Today, the old wooden buildings remain as a living museum.
Once in Hamningberg, I was met by an almost deserted old fishing community. There was a strange beauty in the silence where time seemed to have stopped. After admiring the place and the rugged nature, I drove the same way back with the wind as my now constant traveling companion.
The journey continued back the same way I came from yesterday morning all the way from Hamningsberg to Tana river as there is no possibility of a round trip. When I reached the same area I entered Norway from Finland, I turned north towards the Nordkapp. The autumn colors once again began to paint the landscape in dull, beautiful hues.
After a while the landscape changed dramatically and the road took me to high altitudes where the Nordic tundra spread out – desolate and silent, like a no-man's land.
After searching for a while, I found a hiding place for the night, protected by a rock wall, so the wind is at least somewhat dampened. So now I spend the evening here in my RV ready for tomorrow's adventure.
