Day 2 - Nykoping to Vastervik

Not a bad nights sleep though I have had better. I think somebody tried to come into my room about 21.30 because my handle was rattled. Then the kids upstairs started singing and playing guitars so it was time for the earplugs.

Woke at 6.45 so repacked the bags and went for breakfast. On the road by 7.35.

What a day!

Rain, wind, more rain and complete lack of places to stay kept me on the go for almost 14 hours. The countryside though was green and pleasant with lots of dairy farms dotted around.

The mystery of the missing road was solved when I found that the cycle path that I had followed the day before had taken me around a bank of trees. Of course the turnoff was the otherside of these trees and therefore that's why I completely missed it.

Also it was good I did as it was 70km to Soderkoping and I didnt get there until lunchtime. I seem to have underestimated the distances so I need to be careful about overcommittimg myself. There is a fair distance between towns which can be exhausting at the end of the day.

The road from Soderkoping was elusive (I getting to hate towns) and it took me 45 minutes to eventually find it thanks to a young lad selling icecream next to the Gota canal. The road was very pretty but the rain and drizzle hardly stopped all afternoon.

Evetually made it to Gamleby where I started to look for somewhere to stay. Had a meal at a pizzeria and they phoned around and found me somewhere to stay. Only problem is I was unable to find it and ended up cycling along the E22 to Vastervik where Susie had phoned ahead and booked me a room.

A bit pricey but it was just what I needed. A warm bath seemed to solve the muscle ache in my lower back and after quickly washing my clothes I went to bed.

Distance covered: 203km
Time on bike: 10 hours 35 minutes
Average speed : 19.20 kmph
Max speed : 45.07 kmph