Another cracking days riding Wim. You are certainly putting in the miles.
Yup - it’s “a long way round”, Steve…
Day 4
Hit the road after my morning coffee, and was pleasantly surprised the scenery started to open up. Not so much dense forest anymore, but more arable land interspersed with woods and lakes.
Around midday, having previously been surprised my satnav sent me on a 10 mile stretch of gravel roads (thanks Tiger for giving me confidence) I stopped for an al fresco lunch.
Then on I went, more lakes and forests (predominantly Spruce, Pine and Birch)
Just before I got to the Höga Kustenbron (bron means bridge to you and me) my satnav decided to play silly buggers, so it took me a while to actually get to it - but when I did:
Just gorgeous.
Only 30 miles to go, so I enjoyed some more lovely roads.
Now in digs, enjoying a beer.
Looks stunning..!
How’s the Speed camera/ policing of the roads Wim? ( asking for a friend…)
General biking acceptance ?
Fuel prices ?
Beer, food and accommodation costs….
Weather looks perfect.
Great photos.
Cameras only face the front of vehicles , so that’s good news…
People appear to be very bike-friendly.
1,17 GBP a litre…
All reasonable, I think. You can buy beer in supermarkets, not expensive, but no more than 3,5% proof. Any alcohol stronger than that is sold in dedicated, state-regulated shops.
I have indeed been very lucky with the weather - looks a bit off for the next couple of days though…
Day 5
I woke up to an overcast, angry sky and rain. Fortunately after breakfast the rain had stopped, so I set off on wet roads. Those dried off a couple of hours in, so all was good again…
Until I hit this - a 12 mile stretch of fresly laid, deep, not compacted gravel… Not my idea of fun, but hey-ho, just get on with it…
After that it was easy going again, just enjoying the scenery. Bike is now filthy though…
Home for tonight, cheers!
Yep riding on gravel can be a bit unpredictable. Pleased you navigated it without problems. Although I guess it slowed you down a bit.
It certainly did!
Cheers for the updates, really enjoying them
Day 6
I left my lodgings pointing North again, and the first two hours were very pleasant, although at 13C significantly colder.
It then started to drizzle, but still not too bad.
The drizzle soon matured into heavy rain though, which was not so nice, as I still had 3 hours riding ahead of me.
My boots (1,5 years old, goretex lining) are completely sodden, and my rain gear (jacket, trousers, new and first time to use them) leaked everywhere. Bit of a nuisance.
Anyway, I oughtn’t complain, as this is the first rain I’ve had on the bike this year…
I’ve now entered Finland, but sadly too wet to stick a new flag on the topbox…
Just to know: The weather in Finland has started to cool down (and become more unstable) from the end of the week. Next week, almost the entire country will stay below +20C during the day. Until now, the weather has been quite warm since Midsummer.
I’m pleased to see that the Dutch do understatement as well…
A bit cooler isn’t so bad - I just hope it’ll be not as wet as today… I’m just outside Tornio now.
Are Norlands Guld sponsoring your trip?
What’s the cost of accommodation Like?
I pay on average € 80 a night. You can go cheaper if you’re ok sharing bathrooms. Obviously more expensive is an option too…
Yes, there was a kind of ‘‘late summer storm’’ here yesterday & heavy rains were all over the country and especially north of the Bay of Bothnia (where you were; Torneå). Good timing :). The wind can still be a bit strong on Sunday.
Did you spend any nights in a tree (Sweden)? Or ever done that? Like this one? They have several ‘‘tree-hostels’’.
I did not, actually. I had a look at the one in your video, it’s in Harads (Ewan Mcgregor stayed there on his last trip). For the price of one night in one of those I can stay a week somewhere else…
Yup, pretty windy today. I’m in Ruka, near Kuusamo now.
Day 7
Today I reached the northernmost point of my journey, the Arctic Circle. I crossed it in "Santa Claus Village… "
My route from there would take me East, then South. Fortunately the weather was not as wet as yesterday - just a tad damp and dreich, with the occasional shower.
I also encountered some locals:
And more pretty scenery.
Some nice roads today, all very enjoyable. Home for tonight: