I have always wanted to visit the North Cape and have considered it in the past by motorcycle or camper van, but it always got shelved due to the huge distances and the time it would take. Therefore when I found myself with some time on my hands (a sabbatical from work), I looked into how I might achieve it, driving would be possible but would use a lot of fuel, it would just be a there and back journey and would probably be quite boring.

So I hatched a plan to take the train as far north as possible and then cycle to the Nordkapp (North Cape). Finland was the obvious starting point as I have friends there. The most northerly railway station in Finland is Kolari, just inside the arctic circle with at least three direct overnight trains from Helsinki each week and no problem carrying bicycles.

The end point was not so clear, the Nordkapp had always been my target, but reading about the unpleasant 10km subsea tunnel, an entrance fee (that may or may not be charged to cyclists) and the hundreds of camper vans that head there – I re-assessed the situation. The next furthest north point appeared to be Gamvik to the east, and to justify it further it forms part of the mainland and not on an island like the Nordkapp. Further reading showed Slettnes fyr, the most northerly lighthouse and the most northerly road – and it sounded a nice place with the added bonus of it having a Cafe, so there was no question – my destination was identified!

Having never done a bike tour before (except a weekend on the Isle of Wight years ago) alot of planning was needed.