Safe Return Doubtful

At just short of five months, Rua is ready to head to the Arctic. 

He has settled into van life much better than I could have hoped for. The fine weather of the last couple of weeks has helped. We spend several hours of the day in the large garden above New Ing, and during the others he has been with me in work in the bar, welcoming the exhausted hikers as they arrive. 

This week I have taken him down to the river for a couple of swimming lessons. In the first, which I caught on film, he ran in, swam, but panicked a bit. The second time round he was much more hesitant, though with the encouragement of a young family that were there, he was away. 

This year I will work just for three months here at the Lodge. Last year I returned for September, but I always knew I would be heading back north, where the summer is so short, so to return for September would not work. 

With a concern for the pup’s training, I had originally booked the ferry to Shetland, but I  the call of the wild Arctic has been too much. Shetland was cancelled and I booked Le Shuttle for 13 July. The train will work better than the Hawich-Hook crossing this time, as I need to get an Animal Health Certificate, which is easier to pick up in Folkestone, and at Rua’s age, I think a six hour crossing in the van is too long for him. 

From Calais we will head to the north of Denmark and cross by ferry to Gothenburg, and then drive up to north of Trondheim. I plan to be there by Saturday 18th July, which is a major International rugby day, and from then on daily driving will be very much lighter. 

At the end of my three Schengen months (90 days) I have two options; either to head down to the Balkan countries which aren’t in Schengen, or extend my visa in Sweden. At the moment I favour the latter, and then spend the next three months, autumn becoming winter, in Finland and Sweden, though I don’t have to make a decision on that for a few months. That would be most likely, back in Cumbria in early January after the New Year rush. 

I’ve been doing some research on various destinations along the Norwegian coast, which are some of those that I didn’t visit in 2024, and includes, hopefully, a visit to Gunnares on Rolvsoya, in the very far north, if I can manage to get on the ferry which is chiefly for locals only, even if I have to wait around. 

Much more on this to come of course..