13/08/2025
We decided to get the Ferry to Norway and opted for the Hirtshals to Kristiansand crossing. There were many options but we were driven by cost on this leg of the journey. I even put a spreadsheet together to compare the various options, including fuel costs, ferry costs and time taken.
The problem with this route is that it involves putting more miles on the van, I’ve seen some attempts to put a “depreciation per mile driven” value on motorhome travel and it looks a bit scary. In fact it would probably put you off driving anywhere. The way we see it, these vehicles are designed to be driven, in fact many people have issues because they don’t drive them enough. We aren’t intending to sell in less than 7 years (all things going to plan, which of course is a big assumption over that time) so depreciation by mileage will probably be superseded by depreciation due to age at some point, and we cant change the aging process, much as we’d like to.
Hirtshals
We discovered, as we walked around the town, that motorhomes park everywhere here. Nearly every car park had motorhomes in it either waiting for the ferry or having recently disembarked. Possibly some were just visiting Hirtshals as part of a tour of Denmark, its certainly worth visiting in it’s own right.
Overlooking the harbour where more motorhomes parked
We made our overnight base in the ‘Autocamperplads’ by the train station. It’s a barrier operated car park with toilet waste and grey water disposal. There was a hosepipe for water but as it was close to the waste disposal we assumed it was for rinsing toilet cassettes. We did see some people using to fill their fresh water tanks. Not us, we decided that we could wait until we got to Norway.
Entry to the parking has to be paid in advance (100 Kroner) to open the barrier. Instructions then told us to scan the barcode on the ticket but the barrier opened without us having to do anything. The following morning the barrier also opened automatically to let us out. Maybe the barcode is only used if you want to enter and leave several times in your stay.
We put the water on to heat up for well deserved showers and wandered down to the harbour area. On the way down we passed a board with suggestions for walks which we perused and then ignored in favour of a more random stroll. Fishing boats, charter boats and pleasure craft occupied the harbours while there were separate docks for three different ferry companies; Smyril Line, Color Line and Fjordline. The fish restaurant by the harbour was busy with people enjoying the outside seating in the warm sun. Down on the beach we saw people swimming in the sea and got distant views of the lighthouse.
Color Line Ferry
We were sailing with Color Line at 12:15 the following day so we had a bit of a lay-in followed by a bacon sandwich for breakfast, made with Danish bacon – of course – from the local Lidl just around the corner.
We decided to fill up with fuel in Denmark so that we didn’t have to find a fuel station when we got to Norway. The un-manned self-service at the Uno-X only asked me to select a pump and didn’t ask me to put my card in before filling. Very odd. I stopped the Belgian who was about to put his card in the machine, worried that he would end up paying for our fuel. He was also equally perplexed that we’d managed to get fuel without using our card. After a bit of confusion I managed to pay and it was the correct amount on the receipt – phew! We left the Belgian to wrestle with the machine. No wonder we’d been waiting in a queue for some time.
Then we made our way to the Ferry port, we followed the Color Line signs in a bit of a circle to take us back to the main road which appeared to be the only way to access check in. The ferries for Kristiansand and Larvik leave at around the same time so were given a ticket with a “K” on it to hang off the (non existent) rear view mirror. We had originally wanted to sail to Larvik to save us some miles but the Kristiansand ferry had a much bigger ‘camper discount’ when we made our booking.
Waiting at check-in
Once onboard we found our way to the outdoor seating so we could watch as the ferry left port. Color Line give you the option of booking seats (at an extra cost of course) when you book the ferry. I had declined the option. Fortunately for us there was plenty of seating around the ship. I can understand booking a seat for longer journeys as you get reclining ‘couchette’ type seats if you pre-book, but it seemed unnecessary for the three and a bit hours it was going to take us.
Leaving Hirtshals
The ferry is slightly smaller than most cross channel ferries and divided into smaller areas with duty free shopping, several lounges, a couple of bars, a restaurant and a self service cafeteria. With three hours to kill and no wifi (that’s another thing that costs extra) we wandered around a few times exploring the ship.
After a very calm and sunny crossing we finally sighted land, lots of small rocky islets looking perfect for fishing. When I checked the tidal range of Kristiansand it was less than half a meter which surprised us, it must be very sheltered from the big tides of the oceans.
Declaring our Alcohol
We had witnessed a couple of vans loading up with alcohol at our parking the evening before. One in particular looked to be ‘hiding’ their beer behind other items in their lockers. That’s the story we made up anyway, it may well have just been the most practical way to store it.
We had looked closely at the duty free limit for entering Norway using the very functional app, ‘KvoteAppen’, which allows you to calculate your limits, declare any excess and even pay your duty before going through customs.
We had a little over the limits and as I like to follow the rules I completed the form to pay our duty. You have to give a time for going through customs so it’s best to complete it shortly before arriving. The receipt has a lifespan of two hours. It doesn’t have any personal information on it and once you have paid you go through the green channel so you only need to show the receipt if you are stopped.
Needless to say we weren’t stopped. The customs officials appeared to be focussing on small trade person’s vans rather than bothering with foreign tourists.
Norway, we’re here and ready to explore!