A cold night

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21:30 :: I didn’t sleep that well last night. It had nothing to do with how comfy the Multimat mattress was, more that I couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed and retrieve a second sleeping bag!

It wasn’t that cold, a cool 5 degrees, but my sleeping bag is only rated for that temperature and I was using it just as a duvet and not sipped up inside it. This is what happens on an expedition when you’re tired – you get lazy. Lesson learnt though and tonight I will be well and truly wrapped up tight!

We filled up in Denmark as we were know that fuel is considerably more expensive in Norway. I’m sure I’ve done my maths wrong, but according to my calculations, my Land Rover Discovery has returned 38mpg, which is quite remarkable considering.

As I collected our tickets to board the Stenaline ferry to Oslo, I didn’t have time to even look at them, so it wasn’t until we actually got on board that I saw we had a cabin – what luxury, we’re certainly being spoiled and will miss the home comforts of hot showers and large beds when cramped up in the back of the Land Rovers. That said though, at least we have a bed in the back of our vehicles, in Stirling Moss’ car there were four of them. I’ve never seen a Humber Super Snipe, but I know it’s a 4-door saloon, so can’t be anywhere near as big as a Land Rover. We’ve got bags of space to spread out and get some shut-eye, where as they had to try and sleep in the back, whilst driving through a severe winter. That’s when ‘men were men’ back then.

I didn’t take full advantage of the beds as I was busy writing blogs and latest news items. I did manage to grab a shower though and stood under it for about 20 minutes, slowly warming myself back to a good temperature. As I write this Blog, we’re parked down by a small mariner cooped up in my Discovery with no heating on. Still it’s 7 degrees outside, so hardly what you could call cold.

We took a quick stroll around the ship and was surprised to see just how full it was. Apparently, visiting Frederikshavn in northern Denmark is the equivalent of us popping over to France to grab so duty-free bargains. For the Norwegians though it’s a much bigger saving and so worth the 9 hour ferry crossing each way.

I was hoping to find somewhere to lay out the maps and double-check the route, but every available flat space had a body or two spread out on it, grabbing some rest, so we retired to the comfort of our cabins, away from all the passengers on the decks.

Time for a quick siesta before we docked – two hour should see me just right. No sooner had I taken my boots off ready for a sleep, the tannoy announced that we had to vacate our cabins in 15 minutes time for the cleaners. Fare do I thought, time for a cup of tea. We made our way up to the restaurant area and ordered two teas and two slices of pizza – a nice way to supplement our diet of military rations – don’t ask where I got them from, but it’s very much appreciated – you know who you are!!!!!! After all, we are embarking on this adventure in support of Help for Heroes

The view outside looked absolutely stunning as the ship edged its way through a narrow sound between two headlands. This would be a fantastic trip to do in the summer, sitting out on deck and enjoying the views. For over two hours, we hugged the coastline, the rocks just a few hundred meters away – breath-taking.

I had hoped that we would arrive in Oslo in daylight, but at 6:30pm it was getting fairly dark when we landed. Disembarking was easy and we were soon on our way out of town. The ferry docks right in the centre of the city and here’s a dual-carriageway immediately in front of you, so getting around couldn’t be easier.

Our original plan after locating the Land Rover dealer and Oslo Torp airport was to find a quiet pub somewhere in the countryside and settle down for a few beers before retiring to the comfort of out Land Rovers. The Land Rover dealership was by the side of the dual carriageway, so that was easy. The airport, although 1 ½ hours away, was also easy to find, but could we find a pub, or even any signs of life that is? No chance, but it is a Sunday after all.

So, here I am, scribbling my thoughts down before curling up in the back of the vehicle. Tomorrow, it all starts for real.

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