The North Cape is a cliff at the end of Europe, or so the tourist board would have it. In truth, the peninsula of Knivskjellodden, a little to the west, reaches slightly further north, and the mainland has points farther still, but the plateau of Nordkapp at 71 degrees north, a sheer 307 metres above the Barents Sea, is the place everyone comes to. A steel globe stands at the edge, and a visitor centre, partly carved into the rock, sits on the plateau with a restaurant and exhibitions. Honningsvåg is about thirty kilometres back down the road.
The last stretch of the ride is a long climb across bare tundra, with views of cliffs and sea on both sides, and the wind can be fierce enough to move a bike on its stand. There is a charge to enter the plateau, which covers the visitor centre and the parking, and in summer the car park fills with coaches, campervans and motorcyclists who have come from all over Europe to take the same photograph. Early morning or late evening is best, when the crowds are thin and the midnight sun lights the cliff.
The midnight sun here lasts from mid-May to late July, with the sun staying above the horizon throughout the night, and the long, low light is what people remember. In winter the plateau is dark and often closed by storms. The cliffs are home to puffins, kittiwakes and other seabirds, and the sea below is full of fish and the occasional whale. Fog is common, and it can swallow the view completely, so a clear day is a gift.
The visitor centre has a cafe and shop, and the food is expensive but warm. The road to the cape is open in summer, from about May to October, and in winter it is only passable in convoy and sometimes closed. Pack a warm layer and windproof gloves, because even in July the temperature on the plateau can be close to freezing.