28 DEPARTURES TRAVEL OUT THERE Breaking the Ice Armed with a free spirit, winter tyres and merino-wool socks, Debbie Pappyn joins a convivial caravan on an icy adventure across out-of-this-world Nordic scenery. Photographs by David De Vleeschauwer Above: driving on icy roads en route to the enigmatic North Cape, Europe’s northernmost point “DON’T FORGET TO PACK your Arctic boots and nerves of steel,” joked a friend when I told him we were joining one of the most isolated rallies in the world. An 8,000km swirl through ten countries completely immersed in an intense and deep winter sleep. Our ultimate goal: from Hamburg via Denmark and Sweden to reach Norway’s North Cape in one piece, then returning to Germany via Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The Baltic Sea Circle rally is not
From left: a gentleman’s agreement: no GPS, just a good old-fashioned road map; participants drove solo, in couples or as groups of friends craving adventure about having the most expensive car or about being the first or fastest. It’s all about making the journey in style, handling small roads covered in black ice with dignity and driving through snowstorms as if you did it every day on your commute to work. The Hamburg-based Superlative Adventure Club never dreamed that it would be able to replicate the success of its summertime Baltic Sea Circle rally – now in its tenth year – when it launched its first winter edition in 2018. “Its success lies in the otherworldly landscapes and rough adventures in a practically empty Scandinavia,” explains co-founder Daniel Kaeger. “During summer, the Lofoten are infested with mobile homes.” Every edition attracts a good mix of nationalities and teams of all ages and backgrounds. People drive from Switzerland and Italy or Belgium and France to the starting line in Hamburg. There’s a real sense of excitement on a sunny but cold February day on Hamburg’s harbour. Sixty cars and teams are lined up, ready to hit the frozen tarmac. Road books with tips and suggested itineraries It is not about having the most expensive car or about being the first or fastest. It’s all about making the journey in style (nothing is compulsory) are handed out and GPS trackers installed (solely for the purpose of following the teams live online). Thomas, a dentist from Stuttgart, is our first ride, one of several enthusiastic chauffeurs who’ve agreed to give my photographer husband and me a lift. He is driving solo in his Mercedes 4x4 but is teaming up with two other cars filled with friends. There are no hotel reservations, just a rough plan of what route to take in the direction of the first of two SAC-hosted gettogether locations. Some teams camp and barbecue, others choose luxury hotels and have four-course meals every night. Itineraries also vary, whether it’s heading straight up north via Sweden to the North Cape, or first to Norway’s rugged Lofoten archipelago. The views are magical everywhere, with azure water and yellow-painted fishermen’s houses 29 DEPARTURES
