• yesterday
Multiple counties, very sad goodbyes and setting off on the epic journey back home..

Get your new coffee addiction right here with our very own special roasted to order coffee from the Kinda Collective: https://www.kindacollective.co.uk

Shop our Merch: https://www.shopolli.com

#winter #vanlife #arctic

Category

✨
People
Transcript
00:00I got a feeling, I see the sparks Spreading like a wildfire
00:30Burning in the dark
00:34I got a feeling
00:38Flower down your face
00:42It's an electric buzz, I crave
00:48Do you wanna make...
00:59Princess
01:03Good morning, I found, welcome to today's vlog
01:06And the day that we are very sadly, but kind of ready
01:11To leave...
01:13Manaya
01:15Karakamp
01:17Karajok
01:19No, it used to be called Karakamp, now it's called Manaya
01:22In the beautiful northern territories of Norway
01:28In Karajok, like Chris just said
01:31It's been so...
01:33You have to go down
01:35Go on then
01:37It's been the most incredible week here
01:41And the reason I say that is because
01:43Number one, we've seen the best northern lights we've ever seen in our whole life
01:48Like, you couldn't imagine how it was
01:52A few people have messaged saying, did it actually look like that in real life though?
01:55Yes
01:57I know some people say like, they've seen the northern lights in other places
02:01Or even the UK and things, and you can see it really good through a camera
02:04That's not what it's like when you come to Norway
02:07It is bright green to the naked eye
02:10So much so that it makes the snow on the ground look green
02:14Like, it has been incredible to see
02:17And it was by far the best we've ever seen
02:20The day that we went ice fishing
02:23Was one of my favourite days ever
02:26And I know I keep saying that over and over again
02:29But it genuinely was one of my favourite days
02:32Even the night before when we went to scope out on the snowmobiles
02:35The lake and things
02:37It was just so fun
02:40And then, aside from that
02:42Just spending time with some friends
02:45That we don't get to see very often
02:47Being able to relax in the cabin
02:49And just have family time
02:51And chill and watch movies
02:53Jace and Mila playing with their friends
02:56Like they have been
02:58Has just been magical
03:00Jace going to the school
03:03With the little boy
03:05It's just been so nice
03:07The whole week here has just been so nice
03:10Jace and Mila are not even here, they've gone over to play already
03:12Straight away they're up on the mountain like, we're going to play!
03:14They got Nerf guns out yesterday
03:16Went over for dinner yesterday and they got Nerf guns out
03:18It's just been so nice
03:20And especially being able to just sit with another family
03:22From a completely different part of the world to us
03:25With a completely different way of life
03:28Just being able to just sit and chat about how they do things
03:32And just weird things like their favourite drinks
03:36And what's really popular here or what they eat
03:38And how they do Christmas
03:40And what their way of life is
03:42And what it's like here in summertime
03:44And just everything
03:46Their school and all the routines they have here in school
03:48They finished school at 11.40 today
03:50It's a school day, they finished at 11.40
03:53Decided at 8.40 I think she said
03:55And then they finished at 11.40
03:57And that's their school day, done
03:59It's just been so fun
04:01It's genuinely been so fun
04:03So interesting and I've loved it
04:05But it's time to leave now
04:07Today I think we might actually cross three countries
04:10So we're in Norway right now
04:12We're making our way to Finland
04:14We're going to spend the night in Sweden
04:16But yeah, it's time to get on the road soon
04:19We are taking a little bit longer this morning
04:21We left the other cabin
04:23About half 11, 12
04:25And then we've just been showering
04:27And getting ourselves ready and things in this one cabin
04:30And then I think we're almost ready now to leave
04:33We're going to head over to the house
04:35And go and spend a little bit of time with them
04:38Saying goodbye and things like that
04:40Before we get back on the road
04:42Goodbye
04:44Beautiful
04:46Little cabin
04:48And hello
04:50Van life
04:52Once again
04:57I guess we best pick up the caravan, eh?
05:00Better pick up the caravan, hey!
05:03Hey, hey
05:05Guys, look at these two beastly vans here
05:07I'm sorry, what?
05:09They are beasts
05:11We were just speaking to them
05:12They are Swiss
05:14Swiss, I was about to say Swedish
05:16They're a Swiss family
05:18And their van is so nice
05:20Let me see if I can show you the other side of the van
05:23From around here, look at that
05:25Look at that
05:27Beast
05:29Beast
05:31Right, come on then, go back
05:33Keep going
05:35Keep going
05:42Keep going
06:13This is the beginning
06:15Of flying in the unknown
06:17Tell me what you see
06:19Tell me where you wanna go
06:21We can be anything
06:24We can be anything
06:28We can be anything
06:36We can be anything
06:42We can be anything
07:06Okay, okay, okay
07:08So we're still in Norway
07:09We've done about 150km towards the border of Finland
07:12It was snowing extremely bad
07:15The roads were getting a bit hairy
07:17As you can see, the van is completely covered
07:22As is the caravan
07:23Look at this on the back of the caravan
07:26I don't know what this is
07:27This is a little awning strip
07:28That protects the awning rail from getting full of like
07:33Dirt and gunk
07:34But it seems to have popped out
07:36I'll pop that back in a minute
07:38But look at the state of this
07:40Complete whitewash
07:41You can't even see the
07:44It's so thick
07:45It's like a good centimetre thick that
07:47Can't even see the plaques anymore underneath
07:50Madness
07:52Anyway, we're just stopping for fuel
07:56Look at the state of this
08:00Stopping for fuel
08:01And hopefully we're gonna get into Finland in the next
08:0415-20 minutes
08:05So the route we've got to take is
08:06From here in Norway
08:07We cross into Finland
08:09Into what I call the panhandle of Finland
08:13It's kind of like a narrowish strip of land
08:16I say narrowish
08:17It's wide
08:19But it's a narrowish strip of land
08:20Between Norway and Sweden
08:21We cross straight through that
08:23And then jump straight out into Sweden
08:25Which is hopefully what we're gonna get done today
08:27So we'll be spending the night in Sweden
08:30And then that will be it basically
08:32For the rest of this trip
08:33In Scandinavia
08:34And then we'll be in Sweden
08:35Until we reach the very bottom
08:37Denmark
08:38Germany
08:39One step at a time
08:40Let's get ourselves some fuel
08:42And get back on the road
09:04Let's go
09:343
09:352
09:361
09:37Go
10:34So we just stopped for the evening. We are literally parked in the forest in the middle
10:43of nowhere somewhere in Finland. I had to think about where we were then. The time obviously
10:49when you're in Finland goes forward another hour but we're just going to ignore that tonight
10:53because tomorrow we'll be going back another hour when we enter Sweden. Anyway, we're making
10:58dinner and we're having a good old chip butty. We're taking it back to Britain. We've had some
11:09great food the last few days but we're taking it back to Britain and we're having chips,
11:14cheese and salad cream butty and if you haven't had it don't knock it because it is
11:19the best combination ever. The younger two are not having it. Well actually Mila might have some
11:25but I've made Aurora some like spaghetti pasta or dish with like a tomato base sauce so she's
11:31having that. Whilst it's all making though. Oh thanks babe. No, this is not for you.
11:37I got this. I don't even like energy drinks. I don't like them. The other ones got wasted
11:44but we tried the pink and the purple one of these so it only felt right to try the winter edition
11:51and I'm really intrigued because it says it's iced berry and cream flavour. Let's open it.
12:01Right, let's see if you can actually taste some berries. Iced berries and cream in this bad boy.
12:10Oh my gosh, smells like sherbet. What? It's quite big that. It is big. Smells like sherbet. Oh my gosh, it's ice blue.
12:16The drink's actually ice blue. I feel like I need to put this in a cup to see. A glass.
12:26Why are they so strong? Hey baby. Why are they so strong? That's the best one though.
12:34Can I try? No, definitely not.
12:40It's good. I kind of get the cream a little bit. It's like cream soda type thing.
12:46Well, obviously you're not going to give her any. Oh wow. Do you like that? Yeah, it's quite good.
12:52Do you want a drink?
12:55That's really nice that. Well, it's still got that aftertaste. I think she wants a drink. It's still got that
13:00very strong energy drink like taste at the back of your mouth but it's probably the best.
13:06Actually, it's not the best. I don't like energy drinks at all but the one that I actually do
13:11really like. Which is that monster one that tastes like sherbet? Is it the dark pink? Yeah. I'm not
13:17recommending it. I'm not advising you guys to go and drink it because they're terrible drinks.
13:22They're not good for you but Chris sometimes used to get them. He doesn't anymore.
13:26No, you've not had energy drinks in ages but that that pink one tastes like sherbet and it was
13:31took all I had not to glug it whenever you let me taste it whenever I just tasted it but yeah.
13:38I don't think I could drink that but this is sugar-free. Well, it's not like yeah but sugar-free
13:43is not always good is it because then it's got some sugar substitute to it.
13:48Anyway, dinner time. So, I don't know what this looks like. Probably not the best but let me tell you
13:57chips cheese and salad cream sandwiches with a bit of chip spice is the nicest combination
14:05is the nicest combination. It's so good. Like genuinely delicious. Try it. If you haven't
14:13already tried it, try it and let me know what you think. Okay, so welcome to tonight's night stop.
14:25I think that is a lake. I'm pretty sure that this is a lake. Obviously, the lake's frozen so
14:36so all should be well doing this.
14:42This might be one of the most silly things I've ever done but
14:46it's too tempting not to go and see.
14:50Whoa, okay, the snow is getting deep.
14:58But there is definitely animal tracks there.
15:01A lot of animal tracks. Whoa, okay, that is where I'm going to stop because that is very, very deep
15:09and I don't even know if I can get out of it. Oh dear.
15:18That's the vans.
15:22Whoa, yep, losing my leg more and more every second. I'm sure I can hear something.
15:28Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me. I don't know why I thought that.
15:37I thought I heard like a moose grunt in front of me or something but it was you opening the door.
15:43I know, I'm totally like dead.
15:46Yeah, okay, I'm not going to do that again. We'll stay up behind the barrier.
15:54I know I'm totally like dead.
15:56What are you doing down there?
15:58I wanted to just have a look at it.
16:00There's a wolf behind you.
16:02Shut up.
16:10Yeah ok, I'm not going to do that again.
16:12I'll stay up behind the barrier.
16:20That was pretty cool though.
16:22That was a bit scary. I'm not going to do that again.
16:24What did you do?
16:26You know the lake that's outside the door here?
16:28I walked down the embankment towards it
16:30and when I got to the very bottom of it
16:32my legs went all the way through the snow
16:34up to my waist.
16:36And Isabel really quietly opened the caravan door
16:38and there's loads of paw prints
16:40in front of me on the lake
16:42so I thought that I could hear those noises
16:44in front of me, not behind me.
16:46And Isabel went, Dad!
16:48And I literally jumped out of my skin.
16:50It was so bad because I was already frozen
16:52because I thought there was a moose or something on the lake
16:54in front of me that I couldn't see.
16:56I was well scared for a second.
16:58I literally jumped out of my skin when Isabel went, Dad!
17:00You shouldn't do that though.
17:02You shouldn't walk out.
17:04You don't know how frozen the lake is.
17:06Yeah true.
17:08Night guys!
17:10Love you!
17:12Love you sweetheart, night night!
17:14I've got something for Isabel actually, come here.
17:17Yeah, you should not do things like that.
17:19That was silly.
17:21But we are in the depths of winter so it's more than likely
17:23that the lake is totally fine.
17:25But you went out there alone and you don't know that.
17:27I'm very naughty.
17:29Anyway, we are in the middle of
17:31a Finnish forest
17:33in what I would call
17:35the Finland panhandle.
17:37What did I call it on the way here?
17:39Because there was a sign.
17:41Something Lapland.
17:43But this area of Finland is called Something Lapland.
17:45It's an area of Finland between Norway.
17:47It's on a sandwiched rectangular piece of Finland
17:49in between Norway
17:51where Karajok is where we were
17:53and the very top of Sweden
17:55which is where we're going to be heading tomorrow.
17:57But we just found the most perfect spot tonight.
17:59We literally pulled into
18:01an off-road trail
18:03which then leads to this big open space
18:05where the trees have been cut down
18:07and it looks like a rest area
18:09basically that's been made.
18:11But it's just wicked.
18:13We're totally on our own in the middle of nowhere.
18:15You just can't beat that.
18:17You can't beat that feeling.
18:19Although you should feel a bit
18:21scared being on your own out here like that.
18:23But because you know you're in Scandinavia
18:25you know it's super safe everywhere.
18:27Super safe up here.
18:29So you don't feel nervous like that.
18:31Even if I was on my own here
18:33I'd still sleep with the full lights off on my own.
18:35No issues and I would not be worried at all.
18:37I've just walked all the way out to the road
18:39which is far
18:41and there was no torch on my head. It was pitch black.
18:43I couldn't see anything. But I wasn't frightened.
18:45Because you know.
18:47You stood right in front of me chatting your head off.
18:49I'm trying to read my book.
18:51This is what I get every night. Literally every night.
18:53Flipping another book.
18:55She's been polishing books daily.
18:57I read a book a day.
18:59Sarah's a really good reader. She reads fast.
19:01She's polishing a book a day.
19:03I'm just reading The Surrogate right now.
19:05The Surrogate by Frieda McFadden.
19:07That's basically all she reads is Frieda McFadden.
19:09I read it yesterday.
19:11Oh my gosh. What was it?
19:13This is how much Sarah reads.
19:15I'm starting to get jealous of the Kindle.
19:17It's called One by One by Frieda McFadden.
19:19Quite good.
19:21I'm seriously starting to get jealous of the Kindle.
19:23That's how much she reads at the minute.
19:25I really love it.
19:27You know that weird thing I get on my nose.
19:29I get a sore patch on my nose there.
19:31I haven't had it for
19:33a long time.
19:35I can just feel the itch.
19:37You always get it this time of year.
19:39Then we go to Dubai in the hot sun and then it goes again.
19:41I thought it would have come
19:43earlier.
19:45Much earlier in the season since we've been in the Arctic for so long now.
19:47Think yourself lucky.
19:49You're getting old.
19:53You hate it so bad
19:55when I say you're old, don't you?
19:57I'm happy to take you to an airport
19:59and send you back.
20:01I'm happy for you to take me to an airport.
20:03I'll happily fly home
20:05and you can drive 40 hours.
20:07No, I'm staying here.
20:09On my own in the peace.
20:11You wouldn't dare.
20:13I could never get rid of you.
20:15You take yourself back to Dubai.
20:17I'll still pay it rent.
20:19Right, right.
20:21Like you're the right.
20:23We're going to have an argument now
20:25so we'd better turn the camera off.
20:27Thank you guys so much for watching.
20:29We are officially,
20:31although it really does make me feel
20:33very sad to say this, especially when I've been outside
20:35watching the Aurora tonight with the girls
20:37and just feeling all those magical
20:39feels that this part of the world gives me.
20:41Like I said, I would 100% definitely stay here
20:43all year round, but
20:45we're officially on the way back to the UK
20:47and we are
20:49on our way south. We have not driven
20:51south for a lot of weeks.
20:53I actually feel really sad about it. I do, really sad.
20:55Usually when we leave the Arctic or we leave
20:57a long trip like this, I'm just buzzing to get home
20:59because I've been on the trip long
21:01and I'm ready for change. I don't feel like
21:03that this time. I genuinely
21:05feel sad. Like I feel like we should have gone to Tromso.
21:07Yeah, I do as well.
21:09Now that I'm out, I do.
21:11I feel annoyed that we've not gone to Tromso.
21:13I didn't feel like I would. We're not off the route
21:15to Tromso yet. Tomorrow we will be.
21:17But we're still on the route to Tromso
21:19right now. Are we actually?
21:21Yeah. I also feel
21:23super sad about the fact that we've left Karajok
21:25because our
21:27friends there have just been the best
21:29we've had the best week there
21:31ever. It is so
21:33nice to be back in the van, I'm not going to lie.
21:35I love being in a cabin
21:37but I
21:39100x love being in the van.
21:41How much has Jase loved it as well?
21:43I'm going to insert a picture now of Jase and his friend
21:45because, well I'll
21:47cover up his friend's face just for his own privacy but
21:49look at the hair!
21:51His hair is exactly, how crazy
21:53is this? Jase and his friend
21:55actually look alike.
21:57And they've got the same birthday.
21:59They were both born on the same day
22:01and
22:03they look, I'm going to cover up his face just for his
22:05own privacy but I will insert a picture and you guys
22:07will see what I mean. It's actually crazy.
22:09And they met totally by chance.
22:11All because
22:13when we came out of
22:15Nordkapp in 2023 in this van
22:17we were just looking for a campsite that night
22:19because we really desperately needed one and
22:21the one campsite that was open
22:23was Minaya
22:25in Karajok
22:27and it was called Karakamp back then
22:29but we've stayed friends and they've chatted
22:31ever since all that time ago
22:33So
22:35they met by chance and now they're
22:37best friends which is really cute. It's really sweet.
22:39And then we've had the best time ever, absolute
22:41best time ever this last week. It's literally been the
22:43highlight of the trip as usual and we also saw
22:45the best Northern Lights we've ever
22:47seen there as well. I already said that this morning.
22:49But every single year, have we said that?
22:51Each year we've been now. It's always been
22:53that one piece of land that has given us
22:55the best Northern Lights experience ever.
22:57And it's always been on the night we should believe in
22:59but we extended. Yeah, really weird.
23:01How weird is that? Really weird. And also the fact that
23:03that whole town, Karajok
23:05holds the record
23:07for the coldest temperature recorded
23:09in Norway. Minus 51.4
23:11degrees Celsius.
23:13Which is mad. It's just a hot spot
23:15for magic activity.
23:17It's a real
23:19the semi-parliament space there and so it's
23:21got a real, the whole place
23:23has got a really magical feel from the Sámi
23:25people that live there. Well it's a Sámi
23:27town. They all speak Sámi.
23:29They're all Sámis.
23:31And the Sámi believe that
23:33the Northern Lights are the spirits
23:35of ancestors and things like that.
23:37And I love that. I love that
23:39you get such powerful auroras there
23:41because of that. Do you know what I mean?
23:43Yeah. It just is a very
23:45magical place. It's definitely a
23:47place where we would look to buy
23:49property as well.
23:51We've got our Sorcellet and
23:53Sorcel. I'm going to call it Sorcel. We have to call it Sorcel.
23:55Sorcel. I can't pronounce it properly so it's Sorcel.
23:57Sorcel and Karajok.
23:59Silly as
24:01she said, she pronounces it
24:03Sorcel. Sorcel.
24:05Yeah we said Sorcelet and she was like, really?
24:07I'd pronounce it Sorcel so
24:09I guess it just depends where you're from.
24:11Anyway guys, thank you so much for watching this video
24:13and we will be seeing tomorrow
24:15at five o'clock. Goodnight.
24:19Goodnight.