Welcome back to another Trucking Adventures diary!
Last time, we travelled from Rotterdam to Hirtshals in Denmark with a load of Halloween Treats. This time, we’re starting where we left off, but our journey is taking us across the sea and into Norway. Our destination is Bergen, and we’re carrying 25 tonnes of shock absorbers.
Not quite as exciting as Halloween candy, perhaps, but someone has to make sure the parts get where they need to be. That’s where our trusty Mercedes-Benz Actros comes in!
We’re starting in Hirtshals, a Danish port town that’s an important connection for ferry traffic heading to Norway. Rather than driving all the way around the North Sea, we’ll be taking the ferry to Kristiansand. From there, it’s time to get back behind the wheel and make our way through the Norwegian countryside.
Looking at the route, we’ve got several hours of driving ahead of us once we reach Norway. And if there’s one thing that makes a journey through this part of Europe interesting, it’s the landscape. We’re not just dealing with long stretches of motorway here. Norway is famous for its mountains, winding roads, fjords and tunnels, so there’s plenty to look forward to.
First, though, we need to get our truck and cargo onto the ferry. Let’s get this journey underway!
Leaving Hirtshals behind, we head towards the ferry terminal. The first part of the journey is relatively straightforward, but there’s still a bit of preparation to do before we can relax. We’ve got 25 tonnes of shock absorbers in tow, and we need to make sure everything is ready for the crossing.
Once we’ve boarded the ferry, the truck can take a break from the road for a while. It’s a different kind of travelling compared with spending hours behind the wheel, although the ferry crossing is simply another part of getting the delivery where it needs to be.
Our destination on the other side is Kristiansand, on the southern coast of Norway. From there, we’ll continue west towards Bergen.
The crossing also gives us a chance to think about what lies ahead. Driving in Norway can be quite different from travelling through the Netherlands, Belgium or Germany. The scenery is more dramatic, the roads can be much more winding, and tunnels are a regular feature of many routes.
And, of course, there’s the cargo to think about. Shock absorbers might not be the most glamorous load in the business, but they’re important components. A delivery is a delivery, and our job is to get the goods to their destination safely.
Before long, we reach Kristiansand. It’s time to leave the ferry, get back onto Norwegian roads and continue our journey towards Bergen.
The sea crossing is behind us. Now the real driving begins!
Once we’re on the Norwegian mainland, the scenery starts to make this trip feel very different from our previous journeys.
We’re heading to the western side of Norway, travelling through the fjords! We need to pay attention to the bends and changes in elevation on this route. This isn’t where you can simply drive the truck down a motorway and forget about everything else.
Driving a heavy truck means thinking ahead. It’s a bit like chess, maybe? Corners require care, and it’s important to keep a sensible speed when the road starts to twist and turn. There’s a reason truck drivers need to stay focused, even when the scenery is tempting enough to make you want to look everywhere except the road!
Then there are the tunnels.
Norway has plenty of them, and they become a familiar part of the journey as we make our way towards Bergen. Some stretches of road take us into the mountains before bringing us back out into the daylight. Each time we emerge, there’s another view of the surrounding countryside waiting for us.
It’s one of the things I enjoy about these longer drives in Euro Truck Simulator 2. The journey itself becomes part of the experience. You’re not simply trying to get from one marker on the map to another. You get to travel through different environments, and the road can change considerably along the way.
The fjords are another highlight. These deep inlets, surrounded by steep hills and mountains, give Norway a landscape that’s quite unlike the flatter parts of Europe we’ve driven through before. Even when we’re concentrating on the road, it’s hard not to appreciate the surroundings.
Of course, we’re still working. We have a delivery to complete, and admiring the scenery won’t get those shock absorbers to Bergen any faster.
So, we keep moving, taking the bends carefully and making our way through the tunnels as the kilometres gradually disappear behind us.
After leaving Kristiansand and travelling west through Norway’s mountainous landscape, we continue towards Bergen.
By this point, we’ve experienced quite a different kind of trucking journey. We’ve started in Denmark, crossed the sea by ferry, arrived in southern Norway and continued through a landscape filled with winding roads, tunnels and fjords.
It’s a good reminder that not every delivery needs to involve hundreds of kilometres of motorway driving. Sometimes the most memorable routes are the ones that make you work a little harder behind the wheel.
Bergen is our destination, and there’s still a delivery to complete. After all those bends and tunnels, it’s important not to lose concentration just because we’re getting closer. The final stretch deserves just as much attention as the first few kilometres out of Kristiansand.
Our Mercedes-Benz Actros has carried us across the country with its load of 25 tonnes of shock absorbers. Now it’s time to get the truck and trailer where they need to be and finish the job.
And there we have it. Another delivery completed, another country explored, and another journey added to our growing collection of virtual trucking adventures.
We’re still working towards the bigger dream of running our own transport company. Every job gives us another opportunity to build experience, explore new routes and take on different kinds of cargo. We’re not there just yet, but there’s plenty of road ahead of us.
For now, it’s time to wrap up this trip. We’ve left Denmark behind, crossed the sea and travelled through some of Norway’s most distinctive landscapes to reach Bergen.
Thanks for joining me on this journey! I’ll see you in the next Trucking Adventures diary. Until then, keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down!
I'm Amethyst, 31, and from the Netherlands. I've always had a passion for adventure in roleplaying games. Being able to immerse myself into these universes allowed me to escape the trauma's of my youth. Now I want to share my gaming passion with all of you!
