The ferryman awaits

You may have noticed the Norwegian coastline is crinklier than a pine cone. That's why we have fjords, which is kind of the attraction in the first place, but that also means you'll frequently need to get across those things.

That brings us to the subject of ferries, which will feature prominently in your plans. As we're about to embark on the mother of Norwegian ferry crossings, this is as good a time as any to step back and demystify the topic a bit.

Recap: It's June 29, 2019, and we're about cross over to the Lofoten islands, fabled and, for me, saturated in memories and sentimental value. To get there coming from the south, you have three options — the long ferry crossing from Bodø to Moskenes, a shorter ferry crossing from Bognes to Lødingen, or simply driving. The islands are connected to the mainland and each other now, so unless you're sick of driving at this point you don't have to get on the water at all.

I opted for the Bodø-Moskenes ferry, because (a) we're all sick of driving and (b) it's epic. Besides, traveling by ferry isn't an interruption or inconvenience, it's a pleasant part of the trip.

So how does it work? It's pretty much self-explanatory.

  1. If for whatever reason you haven't already mapped the route and seen the ferry crossing, you'll know ahead of time by the road signs with a picture of a ferry on them. (Just in case, Norwegian for ferry is “ferge”.) It's not as if you'll get caught by surprise and drive right off the dock.
  2. When you arrive at the dock, there'll be clearly marked lanes. Someone in the ubiquotous high-vis Norwegian coveralls will wave you to the right lane; if not, go to the one with cars in it and pull up behind the last in line. (If you're on a motorcycle, you get a special lane or just wait to the side. Look for the cluster of BMW adventure bikes. There's always one.)
  3. At the time, payment would usually be collected while you wait or after you board; someone will come up to your car, you swipe your card, and you're good to go. This is no longer the case, more on that below.
  4. When your boat arrives and is docked, just follow the directions of said high-vis overalls.
  5. If your car is a manual shift, park brake on. Otherwise you'll have an exasperated visit from someone in a high-vis jumpsuit. Norwegians do exaseperation. Follow directions and don't bring that on yourself.
  6. Sit back and enjoy, or take a stroll up on deck and enjoy the view. Just don't dawdle when it's time to get off, or you're have some disapproving looks when you finally amble down to the car deck to find impatient locals blocked by your car.

If you're on a motorcycle, you'll need to strap the bike down. Many bring their own straps for this, but the ferries all have tie-downs on board.

Now, payment and prices. Recently all ferries have moved to contactless payments, which works with either an automatic tag system or by billing based on your license plate. If you're renting, the rental company should either be able to set you up with the AutoPASS or the tickets will just be billed to the rental company and then passed on to you. If you want to buy the AutoPASS yourself, you can do that at AutoPASS.

Prices depend on your mode of transportation. Vehicles are billed by length; cars below 6 meters (24 feet or so) are the baseline. If you're in a massive camper van (which, explain — have you seen the roads you'll be negotiating?) or you're towing your accomodations, you'll get dinged double. If you're on a motorcycle, it's, I don't know, cheap. If you already know what you'll be driving, you can calculate the rate for most crossings using AutoPASS's online calculator.

I've always like the ferries, myself. It's a break from sitting on your ass. As a kid I used to look forward to standing on the dock staring down in the water at the kelp and mussels growing on the timber supports, looking for fish and imagining dropping a lure in there. At ebb tide you have the sea scent of salt, exposed seaweed, and tide pools, and there are always gulls. Once aboard there's usually a cafeteria or kiosk, depending on how long the crossing is, where you can get anything from coffee (everywhere coffee) and hot chocolate to hot dogs (everywhere pølse) to ice cream (everywhere iskrem to waffles to little packets of fish jerky because why not, you're in Norway now.

By all means take the tunnels and bridges when you can, but don't avoid ferries altogether. They're part of the experience.

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