Day 6 – Visby to Stockholm

A great nights sleep followed by a lazy breakfast. No hurry they morning as I am catching the later ferry to Nynashamn.

Got to the ferry port in good time and purchased my tickets, the trip over was uneventful and the cycling back to Stockholm was a delight as it didn’t rain. This time my cycle computer didn’t pack up on me (though It’s had it’s last chance, I am going to replace it!) 85KM back to Stockholm and this time I went back a slightly different way coming back through different suburbs from when I came down 6 days ago.

Helped a couple of ladies who had a broken bike and had a little chat about cycling. Arrived at home to a big smile from Susie.

Nice to have had a few days away cycling but it’s great to be home.  

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Day 5 – Burgvik to Visby

A good nights sleep saw me on the road early for the first time of the trip. The countryside was beautiful and slowly changed the further north I went as the rocks receded and the greenery gradually came back. Looking at the map last night I had thought that it was going to be a short day but it turned out that it was 110KM!! Also looking at the map the last 30KM into Visby looked crap as it followed the main road. However it turned out to be quite nice with a combination of wide cycle paths and detours into the villages either side of the main road.

Some wonderful cycling along the sea and through some pretty villages. Spoke to a fellow cyclist who was having a rest and about the first I have seen all week in cycling gear. Turned out that he worked 3 days a week in Stockholm and the rest of the time from home. Gave me an idea, or I should say it reminded me, that maybe the way to make this all work is to work remotely. Will have to to look into it more but it would be a way to do it, I must make fundamental changes to my life because all work and no play is making Steve a dull boy that’s for sure.

Arrived in Visby and retrieved my fleece. Determined not to spend another night in a vandrahem but at the same time didn’t want to spend a lot of money. Found a hotel with a good deal. Wandered around the town taking in the sights. Ended up chatting with 3 Brits who were stuck on Gotland unable to get back to their ship because of fog. Seems they were all RV operators helping to survey an underwater pipeline. Back at the hotel I just chilled and watched TV. Very relaxing way to end the trip.

Day 4 – Gangvik to Burgsvik

Today waqs going to be either very easy or very hard. It’s a good 180+ KM to Visby if I follow the route and dont cheat so I either aim to do it in one long day or break it into 2 easier ones. As I am in no hurry I chose the easier option.

My early start wasnt that early as I lingered over breakfast talking to Per and Kikki. A lovely down to earth couple. Further delay caused by a flat tire which turned out to be a leaky valve (they bend so easily!!).

Took a detour through a field and slightly backtracked to check out the amphitheatre that I had been told about the previous evening. Really quite impressive. The route south started off very green and much like yesterday. Rained on and off and was quite cold. Was hoping to have lunch at a place recommended by Per but like most things its closed this early in the season.

Had a bite to eat in a bus shelter but it was no lunch, just something to tide me over until I could find something a bit better. Arrived in the most southern tip of Gotland and as luck would have it I found somewhere. Out in the middle of nowhere I saw quite a bit of traffic coming and going from an unmarked road. Turned out it was a film crew doing a shoot going back and forth to a pensionat (sort of rustic hotel with chalets and bunk beds. They were doing lunch so I had my fill before hitting the road.

Arrived at Burgsvik at about 1600 and decided to call it a day at 105KM. Still too far to go and again what was the point. Followed the signs to a place that was marked as doing accommodation only to find that it had been closed for the last 3 years. As luck would have it 3 young lads were doing it up with the idea of running it as a business this summer. They let me stay even though they aren’t officially open yet. Had the use of a large self contained apartment. They had little idea of how to run a business so I wished them luck. They overcharged for what I had but not by much so I told them what was the going rates were for a vandrahem. They don’t even know how much they are going to charge or how they are going to market themselves (vandrahem, hostel, hotel, B&B?). I was going to chat with them later in the evening but after eating the worlds worst falafel I fell asleep. Slept from 2100 until 0630 though the room was a bit noisy because of the fridge. 

Day 3 – Bungge to Gangvik

It’s pouring with rain this morning so I was forced to delay my departure until almost 1000. So not going to make massive mileage today. In fact I did about 115KM, I say “about” because my computer was playing up again and didn’t start working until my bike fell over :)

Had breakfast and chatted with the owner. Told me that the vandrahem is only 7 years old and prior to being a vandrahem it had been an air force base for female observers. It explained the barrack like layout of the rooms and buildings along with the weird but oh so familiar road layout.

The riding today was just wonderful. The rain stopped and the sun tried to come out from time to time. Stopped off at the church at Gothem to look at the paintings. This is the largest church on the island and dates back to the medieval times. The inside had many original paintings from the 14th century.

Most of today’s riding is on forest roads which were a bit rough so it wasn’t surprising that I burst an inner tube just before lunch. Met my first cyclists though they were no more than day trippers. They had a motor home nearby and were just pottering about. Actually had the whole conversation in Swedish, they were from Norway and were very impressed :)

Over lunch (chicken pasta in a cafe that was a converted old school) I looked over the maps. Finding somewhere to stay could be a problem as it looked like places are still not open for the season yet. In the end I rang Gangvide Farm and they confirmed I could stay for the night.

When I arrived I was met by the farmer who was extremely friendly. He showed me where I was going to stay and initially I thought he was pulling my leg because he took me to the barn and pointed to a pile of hay. Then I saw the ladder and realised there was a room which was very cosy

I was then given a guided tour of the farm and it was explained that they had recently quit growing potatoes and now ran a tourist place with cabins. He had done a great job and some converting some of the old buildings into various purposes such as a cinema, jazz club etc. He also gave me a glass of home brew ale very much like mead and then showed me his collection of American cars. A very enjoyable evening.