Hero Events
Scandinavia
Join us on a rally to the Land of the Midnight Sun, a 14-day adventure through Sweden and Norway, beginning in Gothenburg and ending in Oslo, for a mesmerising exploration of these two Nordic nations. The rally will push as far north as Narvik, via Lapland, within the Arctic Circle itself, where sunrise and sunset collide, and we will experience true midnight sun.
But this is about more than this natural phenomenon, these two countries have tremendous gravel and tarmac roads running through their sparsely populated lands, that follow the contours of other-worldly landscapes, from vast archipelagos standing resolute against the ocean, to the sinuous mountain passes watched over by Trolls. This is a rally that will write its own folklore, the question is, will you become part of the legend?
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(31/12/1985)
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(Until 30th September, then £21,295)
Scrutineering and Documentation sessions will take place on Saturday with time allowed for crews to explore Gothenburg’s historic city centre. Everyone will come together for the evening’s welcome dinner where no doubt, there will be much talk of the adventure that lies ahead.
A short run out sees the route quickly shaking off the shackles of the city before heading across open farmland enroute to the day’s first regularity. Coffee is planned in the Saab Museum in the city of Tollhattan, home to Saab cars from 1945 to 2014.
The remainder of the day is spent travelling in a generally northern direction as crews skirt the western side of Lake Vanern following some of the gravel roads for which the region is famous. The day conclude with our arrival in the city of Karlstad which was until recently home to the Swedish Rally. Sadly, climate change has now necessitated a move further north for Sweden’s round of the World Rally Championship as the event seeks the certainty of snow for which it is renowned.
As we strive to cover the ground taking us to the Arctic Circle and the Midnight Sun, the run from Karlstad to Sundsvall will see the crews taking a linear route to cover the longest daily distance of the event (just over 520kms). The route makes best use of some of the first class roads that the area has to offer in order to cover the ground quickly and a number of regularities will ensure that everyone is kept on their toes before arriving in Sundsvall, a city that sits on the shores of the Bothnian Sea.
Our route today stays parallel with the coast and takes us into some remote countryside where the lakes are never far from the road. As we continue to leave the highly populated areas behind, we’ll see more and more wind turbine that have been built on an almost industrial scale as Sweden strives to meet its green energy objectives. We will stop for lunch in the city of Umea which is now the relocated home of the Swedish Rally. The afternoon’s run crosses an area that’s notable for the number of lakes (don’t forget to pack mosquito repellent) and then we arrive at the city of Skelleftea, which amongst other things, boasts a modern multi-story hotel constructed entirely from timber.
Crews will start the day with the knowledge that by the time they reach the final control in Jokkmokk, they will have both entered Lapland and crossed the Arctic Circle. Along the way we will have visited two motorsport centres for some interesting manoeuvrability tests, one of which describes itself as the ‘World’s most northerly race track’.
After an overnight halt which really is situated in the land of the Midnight Sun, we continue to push further north. We are now in really remote countryside and that presents the route planners with challenges as there are so few roads in the area. We will stop for lunch in Sweden’s most northern city, Kiruna which is also the home of the World’s largest iron ore mine. Competition for the day ends here enabling crews to explore the attractions such as the 540m underground Iron Ore Visitor Centre, or the Abisko Sky Station. The stunning and remote scenery will entertain everyone as we head across the mountains and into Norway enroute to our hotel in Narvik where we will take a well earned rest day.
A rest day where you are free to relax, explore the city and history of Navik, or push further afield, perhaps towards the scenic and historic Lofoten Islands.
Change is in the air today and for the first time since leaving Gothenburg, the compass will point in a generally southern direction. After an early start, we will also encounter the first of the ferry crossings which form part of everyday life in most parts of Norway. We hop on and off of one of the main highways sandwiched between the mountains and the never ending islands and fjords to arrive for our evening halt at Mo I Rana.
Our journey south continues as we head inland to higher ground before following the river named Namsen to lunch. The route then skirts south of Trondheimsfjorden to arrive in Trondheim itself.
A lighter day for crews with a half day of competition that concludes at lunchtime in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Roros. The afternoon is free for crews to explore this traditional mountain village and living museum.
We head across country to the west and the Atlantic. Today’s route will discover bridges and tunnels you wouldn’t think possible as we complete a circular route via the famous ‘Atlantic Ocean Road’ to arrive at our overnight destination of Molde.
From Molde, we chase our way around or across the fjords to arrive at the foot of the spectacular Trollstigen (or Troll path), not for the faint hearted or those that suffer from vertigo. Once this challenge is overcome its on to Geiranger where you might see a cruise liner moored up at the head of the fjord, some 110kms from the ocean.
The day starts early with a ferry crossing of the mighty Sognefjord, the largest and deepest in Norway. We then take in the Aurlandsfjellet plateau snow road as we head towards lunch. The afternoon sees a loop north through some particularly impressive scenery to approach Bergen from the north.
The penultimate day of the event starts differently, today is a half day and crews are free to explore the historic city of Bergen during the morning before the event restarts at lunchtime. Once on the road, we head eastwards and across or through the extensively tunnelled high ground to arrive at the ski resort of Geilo.
Our final day starts with a manoeuvrability test before the so important final regularities where places can be won or lost. Its not long before the sights, sounds and traffic of Oslo start to appear and we reach a mid afternoon conclusion to this wonderful event on the water’s edge in Oslo.
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