Day 7 – Rauma to Turkhu

Woke early and packed up anxious to be on the way. I had no idea what the day had in store for me but I knew that I really wanted to make the evening ferry home. Not to be a pessimist but anything can happen on a bike so wanted to leave myself with plenty of spare time.

Breakfast was served at 0730 but I snuck in early so was on the road in good time. I had intended to go look a bit at the old town (Rauma is 1 of 6 medieval cities in Finland) but after 5 minutes and thought better of it, I can Google for photos later :)

Looking at the map (which for some reason my guide is publishing at a much smaller scale) I could see that taking the route they suggest would easily be 180KM+ ride. I really wasn’t too sure that I wanted to do that sort of mileage especially as I had done 200KM yesterday and it would eat heavily into my emergency time. So I decided to cut out the “scenic” bit through the archipelago as previous such diversions have proved to be rather disappointing.

About the only major event of the morning was being caught in a thunderstorm which luckily moved on pretty rapidly and from which I dried out quickly. Today had been forecast to be dull and raining which would have been great but sadly it turned out hot and sunny again.

Susie once again provided fantastic base camp support and booked my ticket for tonight despite having hardly had any sleep the night before and having to wade through the website in Swedish, way to go girl!

My “short cut” I took at lunchtime was a disaster and I ended up cycling back the way I had come but on a different road. I was able to ask some passing cyclists who put me straight. I asked them where they were off too and they said the archipelago which I had cut out. It was very beautiful they said!

Sometime in the afternoon I didn’t notice but I dropped my map. Turned around and resigned myself to a long process of backtracking to find it when after 1KM I spotted some fellow cyclists. I stopped and asked if they had seen it and the chap proudly produced and said “this one?”. A random act of kindness, thank you sir!

I kept an eye out for the Mumins as I approached Turkhu but sadly there were none to see. I stopped at a supermarket and bought a punnet of strawberries. By now I was very tired and even the fact that I was cycling behind a rather curvy girl in a bikini there was just no power left in my legs.

Passed another accident which left me rather baffled. An old gentleman had fallen off his bike and had blood all over his face and knees from where he had hit the gravel. The sad thing was that it was right next to a bus stop where a teenage lad was sitting. He didn’t seem to give a damn which I found sad, I washed the guy with what little water I had left and helped him to his feet before departing giving the teenager a heavy scowl.

Rolled into Turkhu at 1630 with just under 3 hours to spare after 155KM. Picked up my tickets at the ferry terminal and found somewhere to get some food after giving myself a body wash and rinsing out my cycling top. I smell rank.

So that’s part 3 of around the Baltic finished.

1100KM in 7 days, no punctures or mechanical problems with the bike, No saddle sore and the only pain is my left achilles tendon which has never bothered me before. No rain, in fact hardly any cloudy weather has meant that I got through an entire bottle of factor 30 just on my arms, face and legs.

Can’t wait for next time as it will involve Estonia and maybe Russia (have to do some research about that!)

Day 6 – Kristianestad to to Rauma

Slept really well last night and after a quick breakfast was on the road just gone past 0730. No sooner had I left the hotel I came across the scene of a Road Traffic Accident.

There I was motoring along on the bike path that ran parallel to the road when I saw across the other side of the road what I initially took to be an advert or sculpture. It was only when I got closer I could see that it was a white van lying on its side in the ditch with its wheels sticking up in the air. My initial thought was “wow bet that hurt” and I almost took a picture but thought it bit ghoulish. anyway as I was passing the driver’s door popped open and the driver got out followed by his passenger! I immediately stopped and rushed over to see if they needed any help but thankfully apart from being pretty shook up they gave me the thumbs up saying they were ok.

After that the cycling got a lot less interesting with the best part of 90KM spent on the same road going through endless woods with the occasional village. Not that I was complaining as the pace was fast and I had set my sights on maybe reaching Turkhu in 2 days, not 3, thereby getting home on Sunday and not Monday.

Came across a place for lunch by complete accident and had one of the best lunches so far in a little cafe next to the village shop. All the village drunks sat outside looking a right mess but the food was great.

Reached an area that if you look at the map looked like it was going to really beautiful. Turned out to be very industrial. I should have used my better judgement and taken the more direct route out but like an idiot I followed the suggested which was once again poorly marked and pointless. Decided to make my own way to Rauma and diverged from the suggested route without getting lost. Missed 2 towns (including Pori) hence saving myself not only time but knocking off mileage.

It was still a 200KM ride to Rauma where I arrived in good time to find a hotel that good value, make up a little on the 2 expensive nights I have had. Tomorrow looks doable especially if I skip some of the route as I really want to make the ferry home.

Day 5 – Vasa to Kristinestad

Making the most of a nice hotel by getting a late start. Ate a hearty breakfast and was on the road by 10.

Actually in hindsight I don’t think it was a good idea because it’s so much hotter and my timings are all out by 2 hours (I explain later what I mean by that).

The morning ride was tough going and I really struggled to find the right pace. My Achilles was very sore and stiff for the first couple of hours which dropped my morale a little. Then I started having all the normal problems of indifferent sign posting, inattention and just plain mad map reading. Ended up going down dead ends and missing turns on at least 3 occasions in the morning session which combined with my Achilles and the fact the roads were terrible out me in a bit of a foul mood. Why the hell was I doing this I kept asking myself.

Once I got out of the forests the roads got a lot better and the map reading came a little more straightforward. I found the right pace for my ankle and the distance mileage started to mount up. Was a very pleasant second half to the morning rolling through endless farmland surrounded by arable crops of every description. Came to an area where they grow all the cucumbers and tomatoes that stretched for miles down a road that I swear was dead straight for 30KM.

Stopped for lunch at a cafe and this is where I paid the price for starting out late as they no longer were doing lunch. Had to make do with a pizza (that was actually very nice, either that or I was starving). The village had a war memorial which was the first I have seen with the graves of what looked to be Swedes who died fighting the Russians. I must look it up and see what it was all about, I wonder why the memorial is here.

The afternoon ride was hot with temperature bouncing around in the high 20’s. Had to stop frequently to apply suntan lotion as I sweating profusely.

Got lost again going around a little town which I then compounded by going the wrong way and ending up at an industrial harbour, not happy at all.

A day of ups and downs that ended up in Kristinestad which seems to be quite a popular tourist spot. The 2 main hotels are owned by the same guy who charges a fortune so settled for a reasonable priced room in a 1960’s style motel. Cheap, clean and with free internet I am not complaining.

Day 4 – Pietarsaari to Vasa

Took it slow this morning as I wanted to make the most of the nice hotel that Susie had booked me. Despite the pain in my Achilles it was a very pleasant evening last night spent talking to a Swedish and Dutch chemical dry cleaner technicians. Don’t people have weird jobs!

The cycling today was just fantastic. Rolling countryside with farms and tidy little villages with hardly any major roads. Finland is so beautiful with its mixture of lakes. forest, sea and summer houses. It sounds silly but I spent a good 30 minutes talking out aloud to an imaginary audience explaining just how wonderful everything was. Actually if I was to be honest I really miss my Susie and would so love to have had her with me. I was even doing the calculations of how much mileage she could do (not a lot) and how much we would get to see.

Passed the battlefield at Oravainen which was a pivotal battle in the Finnish War of 200 years ago. In fact I cycled through a battlefield that was a continuation of this war last year just outside Umea. Not much remains but I came across a few monuments. I wonder how history will remember my tiny contribution to history on Tumbledown?

Lunch was at one of the many ABC service stations that are dotted along the E8 that I am following, They do a cheap 11€ lunch that actually is good value in a country where food is expensive.

Arrived in Vasa in good time so decided to make the most of being in a big city (not many left) and checked into a SAS hotel. Washed my bike kit for the first time in 4 days and rested my Achilles. Still have 400KM to go so making the most of a little luxury.

Day 3 – Kolajoki to Pietasaari

Nice early start from the hostel after a strange breakfast which I don’t really know what it was that I ate. All I know it came in individual packets and you made it by adding boiling water. I thought it was porridge but it didn’t really have the right consistency.

Again on the road early and the morning ride was great. Weather is cooler and the sun isn’t so hot. Discovered that just out of town are sandy beaches that stretch from kilometres in all directions. Built on these beaches are loads of camp sites, cottages and hotels some of which I am sure I would have been able to get a good deal on. To think I could have had a room overlooking the sea last night!

Reached Kokkola in good time after a very pleasant ride. Only one problem and that’s I have picked up my first injury of the trip. Normally by day 3 by complaining about have a sore bum but this year the new shorts Susie has gotten me absolutely rock and I have had no problems with being saddle sore at all. No the problem this year seems to be my left Achilles tendon which started to ache. Stopped at an chemist and got a cold compress (which is currently in the fridge) and some athletic tape.

The afternoon ride was supposed to be through some islands and the guide book made a real big deal “you find yourself in the Seven Bridges Archipelago – a beautiful pearl of a seascape dotted blah blah blah” Well I reckon most of it was behind hedges because apart from when I stopped for lunch at an old harbour I didn’t see a whole lot of water I must say.

Susie had phoned ahead and got me a good deal at a hotel so luxury tonight. I have internet (so will try and upload some photos) and later I am getting a 45 minute massage for 25€ which is cheap. Hopefully he can help with my tendon.

Mileage today was 138KM

Day 2 – Kempere to Kolajoki

A great days cycling through some really lovely countryside.

Slept well last night and was on the road by 0700 though the walls are paper thin, hope i didn’t keep the neighbours awake with my snoring! Finding the way back onto the route was fairly straightforward. Quiet little villages on the way, got a huge smile from a lady who was cleaning up the town centre with her 2 sons. Later on I was very tempted to stop at the druid summer solstice celebrations going on at Lumijoki but the day was too young for a prolonged pit stop.

Took a wrong turn at Siikajoki which cost me a few extra KM but nothing like yesterday. I missed a crucial turn and ended up being about 3KM further away than I reckoned. Easily done. Also some of the route was on gravel roads which I really really hate though they were nowhere as bad as the roads I encountered in Sweden.

My planned stop at Pyhänkoski didn’t happen because there was nowhere to buy any food. Really lovely countryside with a winding river with rapids. In the lazy and hazy summer afternoon it was idyllic except for the insects, how can something so small cause such mayhem!. Ended up cycling all the way to Kolajoki for a grand total of 178KM which was way more than I had wanted to do.

Found a hostel though it wasn’t signposted anywhere. Popped around to the local supermarket and bought some supper which I made in the kitchen.  I need to ensure I am carrying at least 1 meal if I intend to have staying in a cottage as an option.

Day 1 – Kemi to Kempere

Well today was supposed to be a really relaxed start to the trip with nothing too hard. Destination was going to be Oulu with maybe a little extra if the wind was in the right direction.

Had a good start as the directions from the both the Oulu and Kemi tourist board was simple. There is no official bike path they said so just follow the main road.

Ok but do you know how unpleasant it is to cycle with trucks the size of a supermarket whizzing by no more than a meter away!

Turned out the tourist board (both of them) don’t know crap about the road from Kemi to Oulu as actually I reckon a good 50km of the 100+km route is on either cycle/cycle friendly roads.

Only problem is that I missed one of the turnoffs and went on a massive 27km detour the wrong way. Now that doesn’t sound much but on a bike that’s an hour of effort and I was quite mad with myself when I realised just how far I had gone wrong. Next year I am getting a GPS!

The cycling was actually fast (main road) but pretty non eventful with nothing particularly fantastic on the way to see. Lots of trees and a few nice rivers but essentially was just a big road.

Lunch was at a pizza joint manned by the inevitable immigrants who seem to the be the only ones willing to man crappy restaurants on the side of obscure roads or in crappy towns in Sweden or Finland.

Time I got to Oulu I was ready to stop for the day but nothing seemed worth stopping for so I carried on to Kempere where once again I found a “gem” of a place to stay. Guess if was the old artillery gun parked in the car park, the 1980’s decor or maybe the fact that the tables have Christmas place settings in July, but hey at 30€ I am not complaining. Shame that you can’t get a proper shower for this price, reminds me so much of the $1 a night hotel I once stayed in when in Vietnam. The lady who ran the place hardly spoke any English but her side kick was Swedish and I could at least order some food which she cooked to perfection.

So here I am writing this while eating some salmon and watching Bladerunner. Life is good

Back to Kemi

Having cycled 2800KM to Kemi getting back takes 24 hours, bit of an anti climax really. However I am getting ahead of myself. Had a really bad night as a) it was too hot and b) I didn’t want to over sleep (fat chance). Up at 4.30am and bless little Susie but she also got up and made me some tea and toast. Out the door in good time to catch the 0700 ferry to Turku.

For those of you who live in Stockholm I don’t know if you know but the local council have done everything they can to kill off the rabbits from the roundabout at the end of Sveavagen. Sadly they seemed to have succeeded however riding through Haga Park at 0530 I am happy to report that the rabbits are thriving there. so many young ones from this spring, was very sweet:) Watership Down

The ferry journey was very uneventful (which is good, eventful would imply its sunk or something similar). I opted for a shared cabin (27 EUR compared to 22 EUR for a deck seat) and ended up having a cabin for myself (list price 84 EUR) so I was happy. Tried to catch up on sleep but it wasn’t to be so watched a bit of TV and messed around on the laptop. Ate too much at the buffet.

Ferry arrived exactly on time so made my way to the train station and got my ticket. I had opted again for the cheap option of a shared sleeper birth and ended up with 2 teenage Finns as room mates. Did my feet smell that bad when I was 16? To be honest though I am sure I got my own back with my snoring :) Only problem was that the train split at Tampere so I had to baby sit my bike to ensure it got on the right part of the train. Ended up not getting to bed until 0100.

Breakfast at 0730 and ended up chatting with Finnish lady who was heading home for a couple of weeks. Her father had just died.

Arrived in Kemi at 0925 ready to hit the road not really quite believing i am back again

Steven Cocks is fundraising for SAMA (82)

Steven Cocks is fundraising for SAMA (82)