Monday 8 July 2013

Day 6 - Halmstad to Malmö

The last day and a big push required as I need to get stuff done in Malmö if I am to get home. A hearty breakfast and on the road by 0715

Today was going to be tough as its 150KM plus the extra I am bound to add by going the wrong way. Checking the timetables and options means I have 2 ways of getting home tonight. Option 1 is to get my bike  packed up, take it by taxi to the busgods and catch the train home. This means being packed up by 1730 so I need to be finished by 1630. Option 2 has be trying to convince the train staff I can take my bike onto the overnight train and have the bike in my sleeping cabin.

Susie rang SJ for me and they said "I might be able to do it". Decided to go with option 1 so the race was on.

My route had to be fairly direct and I had 2 towns to navigate through, Angelholm and Helsingborg. Decided to avoid Helsingborg and cut north using route 110 and it was a good decision. The road was quiet and the terrain varied with a good mix of farmland and coastal stretches. Took a couple of wrong turns which had be telling myself off rather vocally and reminding myself to "check every junction idiot". Felt a bit like Gollum\Smeagal.

Passed through the coastal village of Båstad (pronounced pretty much like Bastard) and then soon through the village of Lya (pronounced Liar). So can safely say that people living in this area are Lying Bastards :).

Once inland the countryside really stared to look like Herefordshire with rolling hills (a couple of wicked climbs). Fields full of cattle, pigs, sheep and in one case a beautiful herd of Angus beef cows looking quite out of place

Lots more touring cyclists coming the other way and again some happy to stop and talk while others seem surprised. Stopped and chatted with a couple of German ladies who were carrying incredible loads. Swear to god I saw a pair of high heels in their luggage. When I asked how far they were going theyu said they didn't know, and with that much weight I don't think very far :) Good luck though.

Navigating through Malmö and finding the bike shop that Fredrik had found me turned into a nightmare when the battery on my phone died and I lost access to both Google maps and the SMS with the address. Luckily I found it and presnted myself to the shop owner who promptly said that yes he could pack the bike but not today!! However he took pity on my plight and proceeded to pack the bike into a huge bike box so option 2, the sleeper train vanished as a possibility. Squeezed the box into a taxi and dropped it off at the busgods depot (once we found it, it's moved) and then headed to the train station.

A couple of young things manning a Samsung stand sorted out my phone and confirmed my tablet was ok (turns out the cable was broken), Had a shower and then jumped onto the express train home.

1100KM in  6 days is by far my best effort so far and to be honest I feel strong and ready for more. A little saddle sore and leg weary but I really feel myself getting into the swing of life in the saddle. However home we go and looking forward to seeing Susie again :)

Day 5 - Kungsbacka to Halmstad

As I was in a hotel and the hotel didn't serve breakfast until the ungodly hour of 0700 today was "doomed" to be a late start. It wasn't made any better when I discovered that my bike was locked up until the reception staff turned up at 0800.

On the road by 0805 and soon left the urban metropolis of Kungsbacka behind. The bike route soon picked up the Gingsteleden which proved to be an excellent route avoiding all the main roads. The countryside changed away from primarily agriculture and became more touristy as the route followed an old railway that   at one point seems to have connected a lot of the smaller coastal communities.

It being a Sunday meant I met a lot of lycra cladd weekend warriors on their carbon fiber road bikes coming the other way and one such encounter ended in grief, though happily for once not for me. Came to a bend in the route obscured by a bush so kept to the right. As I cam around the corner though I met a gaggle of Sunday cyclists coming the other way. The guys all panicked a little and moved to their right which was ok for the ones at the front. Sadly though the guy at the back ran out of space and couldn't react in time so ended up tumbling to the tarmac. Ouch!

Also met a lot of other touring cyclists coming the other way. Some stopped to chat (a couple from Germany and a guy from Norway) but others just waved and cycled on. I realize that there is a lot to be gained by stopping and swapping tips on what lies ahead, what to see and what to avoid. The best encounter was with a fellow Brit (hi Martin) who was quite a character. Seems he works for 6 months then goes off cycling so he was on his way slowly North. Was able to tell him all about what to expect down to Helsinki :) A lot of trees for sure and crappy gravel roads.Cool thing about him is that he carries nothing electrical, doesn't even know what time of day it is let what day it might be :)

Arrived in Halmstad only to find that they are hosting the womens european football championships so finding a hotel was going to be an issue. After 141KM though I wasn't  in the mood to to try that hard I have to admit.

Took a stroll around town but not much to see. A lot of SVT trucks around and the torget was full of tents.

A great days cycling though

Saturday 6 July 2013

Day 4 - Uddevalla to Kungsbacka

Very pleasant stay at the hotel, slept like a rock and woke up too early. Was all dressed and down for breakfast half an hour early only to find it all locked up!! Back to the room and watched some MTV.

A late start but at least my computer now works ever since I changed the battery in the unit that transmits. Still didn't help me with my navigation though. Why is it that you come to a dead end only after going down a big hill!!

The first 15KM was urban scrawl and industry but eventually I crossed over to the island Orust for a wonderful 45KM ride through magnificent countryside. The road wound up and down and changed between countryside and coast which made for very interesting riding so it was sad to leave it all behind and cross back over to mainland.

The ride down to Göteborg was pleasant enough and I obviously had chosen the right road as I had a continuous stream of day bikers on carbon fiber bikes coming towards me. They actually aided me in navigating as all I had to do was keep looking out for them and where they were coming from. Eventually found a bike path which lead me through the last 20KM of urban and industrial landscape.

Göteborg itself I had been too so I didn't loiter as I was keen to find somewhere to stay. Called in at the tourist information and they recommended Kungsbacka as it was on my way and had a vandrahem. The ride was pleasant enough and I easily found the place. Unfortunately it was 8KM outside of town in the wrong direction and had nowhere near where I could eat so I headed into town and stayed once again in a hotel.

All in all a great days cycling and the 150KM felt really easy, the best day so far.

Friday 5 July 2013

Day 3 - Mariestad to Uddevalla

I thought tonight was going to see me reach the West Coast but I seem to have read the map wrong. Uddevalla is an industrial town on a river just in from the coast so I guess I get to see the seaside tomorrow. Once again though I am getting ahead of myself.

Up at 0500 and crept around trying not to make too much noise. Out on the road by 0600 and this time it looks like the rain might hold off.

Bike computer is still not working and my tablet refuses to charge so I am going to have to rely on my phone for navigation. Checked the route Google gave me and again it goes via the E20 so I took myself down the back roads and after 10KM chanced upon what turned out to be the best signed post cycle route I have ever taken. All the signs were large, easily seen and pointed in the right direction, a rare event in Sweden as the signs are often faded, behind foliage or pointing vaguely the way you should go only to vanish at the next junction.

The ride was wonderful as the trail took me through pretty villages, farmland and forest. Not a car in sight! I bet a retired couple from New Zealand cycling in the opposite direction and we had a good chat. Seems they had come up from Prague and apologized for the crappy bikes they were riding but the intending leaving them in Stockholm which was their eventual destination. Told them to avoid the route I had taken and they told me they intended to follow the Götakanal which on reflection is what I should have done! It would have meant repeating part of my East coast trip but would have been very pretty. we also had a good complain about the pathetic attitude of Swedish Rail which doesn't permit bikes which seem´s an incredible oversight.

Reached Lodköping, had a break and then took off into the countryside to avoid route 44 which looks like a very busy dual carriageway. Went past a military airfield and saw a jet take off which was pretty cool. Countryside was great though Google maps failed me on one occasion as I ended up in a farmyard. The way ahead had actually been dug up to to lay a cable spo maybe it wasn't there fault. Not too much harm done as it wasn't far back to the proper route.

Went through the Hunneberg Ecopark which is one of just four in Sweden (though they are planning on another 21). High on a plateau the idea is to let everything grow naturally and eventually return everything to its natural form. The road up was 90 degrees I swear and had my heart beating like a rabbit by the time I got to the top. The park was very pretty though and I think its a great idea.

The urban sprawl that is Trollhättan, Vänersborg and Vargön would have been next to impossible to navigate  in a timely fashion so thank god to Google which saw me through fairly effortlessly. The road to Uddevalla was likewise good except for the headwind which I had to contend with for the last 3 hours.

Uddevalla itself doesn't look anything special and has no hostel so forced to stay in a Best Western. I think I might even stay for breakfast and have a slower start tomorrow because today was at least 160KM which makes 530KM in 3 days by far my biggest total.


Day 2 - Arboga to Mariestad

I am a bad boy as I didn't get to write this last night. By the time I had arrived, found the hostel, showered, eaten and bought lunch for tomorrow it was time for bed. However I am getting ahead of myself.

Up at 0500 and a quick check on the weather wasn't encouraging. Heavy clouds that looked full of rain drifted heavily in the sky and it looked ominous. Crept around the kitchen as quiet as I could so I wouldn't wake up anybody. I think it was successful because as I ate my muesli there was a chorus of snoring coming from the bedrooms.

On the road by 0600 with my first destination of the day being Örebro. Arrived there at 0800 soaked to the skin and cold so headed for a coffee shop to warm up. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places but I couldn't find any and had to settle for a good old fashioned konditori which served a wicked bulla :) While I was warming up and dripping onto the floor I took the time to check my route.

I have a big confession. I spent 700SEK on some excellent cycling maps of my route but instead elected to navigate using Google maps. I mean how inaccurate could they be? Good job I checked the proposed route as it had me going onto the E20 which is something I most definitely cannot do. 30 minutes pouring over the maps didn't really shed much light on just how I was to get to Mariestad, in fact it looked like the E20 had basically been built over the original road and despite the abundance of secondary roads leaving and joining the E20 I simply couldn't find any that didn't require detours of 20 to 30KM. Memories of going north and the cursed E4 came to mind so in the end I elected the lesser of tow evils which meant a wide detour via Gullspång.

The ride there was ok though the weather still wasn't great. The road was good though and little or no traffic so I was happy enough. Some the villages were pretty.

Arriving in Gullspång my computer decided to stop. Not a huge problem but it is nice to know how far you have come and how slow you are going so you judge arrival times. Route 26 wasn't so pleasant and at times I was forced to hug the shoulder. Luckily I had packed my visibility vest so I felt safe enough. Didn't have to stay on the road too long because soon various holiday properties, caravan parks and seaside villages appeared which meant there was a network of connecting roads I could use.

Passed through Sjötorp which is the official start of the Götakanal and eventually arrived in Mariestad at about 1630. An epic 190KM ride which on top of yesterday makes this my highest total todate for 2 days.

Mariestad has a charming old town and a good Indian restaurant. It also has a charming old Vandrahem right on the harbor which is where I crashed for the night

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Day 1 - Stockholm to Arboga

Up at 5 and on the road just gone 6 on what promises to be a different biking experience from before. Keeping within the spirit of doing the coast this year I have decided to explore the west coast. Only problem is that with no way of taking my bike on the train I am going to have cycle the width of Sweden to get there!

First decision is which way to go as lake Malaren is to the West of Stockholm. go North via Västeras or so South by Eskilstuna. In the end I decided to go north as the roads seem less busy.

2 hours and 40km into the ride I had been able to weave my way through the labyrinth of the northern  suburbs and found my self crossing into Uppland and the town of Bälsta. The road west from there took me through some wonderful countryside and some very unusable bike paths including the bed of an old railway that must have predated the line that now runs from Stockholm to Västeras.

By late morning I was getting a little tired but it was too early to stop for lunch so i grit my teeth and kept going eventually arriving in Västeras after 120km. Took a long break to recharge the batteries and then headed out through a fairly industrial landscape (distribution centers for ICA take up a heck of a lot of space).

Plowed on through the hot afternoon and eventually after 180km arrived in Arboga where Susie had kindling rang ahead and booked a room at the Vandrahem. Shower and a meal and in bed by 2030, another busy day ahead tomorrow

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Day 3 - Riihimäki to Kuovola

Today was destined to be a tough day and it certainly didn't disappoint.

I calculated that today was going to be about 130KM which didn't seem too difficult. However due to a slight change of plan I didn't plan on staying in Kuovola but instead catch the 1722 to Helsinki with the intent of meeting up an old friend who I hadn't seen in 11 years.

I didn't sleep so well as I was way too hot and bed so narrow I thought I was going to fall out! So I was glad when the morning arrived so I could get up, have breakfast and hit the road. So by 0630 I was on the way aware that I had a deadline to meet but with a 3 hour margin felt comfortable that I could make it.

The morning ride was through endless farmland with farms that are looking a lot better than the ones from the first couple of days.Seems that the reason for all the abandoned buildings I am seeing are caused by many factors. Firstly the life of a farmer is not that appealing to the younger generation. Hard to find a wife in the large sprawling communities many are heading to the cities Secondly land is so cheap that farms are being bought up by the neighbors and the land merged into bigger and bigger farms with no need for the buildings.

Reached Lahti by 1030 which I deemed to be just under half way. Had a break with something to eat and drink before setting off on what proved to be a very frustrating attempt to get out of Lahti. Big towns are a nightmare for cyclists particularly ones trying to find the small roads so that they can avoid the traffic, Conflicting signs, no signs at all or signs pointing the wrong way all contributed to me taking almost an hour to get on the way. Plus Lahti is a large and sprawling city so the cycling was pretty boring with large roads everywhere.

I eventually found the road I needed when the one thing that all cyclists hate arrived. A headwind. Already tired from the 300KM I had already cycled it was a real struggle to make any progress. I had over 20KM to cycle into the wind and it really drained my energy reserves. With no obvious short cuts I just had to grin and bear it.

The countryside was very much the same as this morning which was a little disappointing as the maps showed lots of lakes and the guide I was following was saying all sorts of things to look out for. Apart from a few churches, summer houses and glimpses of lakes through the trees it was very familiar. Of course the fact that I was knackered and had my head down didnt help me appreciate the scenery that much :)

Reached the outskirts of Kuovola at about 1500 so still plenty of time. However the complete lack of any signage meant that it was going to be tough to find a car free way into town. Then I discovered a function on my phone that I hadnt seen before (I am no power user, a phone is for making phone calls no?) I bought up the map function and found I could type in my destination and ask for it to find me a route for cyclists. Awesome! 45 minutes later I arrived at the train station where I picked up my tickets and settled down to wait.

Very glad this is the end because after today I dont think I could face a day 4 :) Was great to back on the road but today was 165KM which on top of the rest makes it over 400KM in 3 days over some pretty horrendous potholed roads with virtually nowhere to eat or stay for long distances. Bike held up well but more importantly I feel good. My legs are sore but still strong and I had no problems with my butt or joints. Need a good massage though


Sunday 28 April 2013

Day 2 - Porras to Riihimäki

Up at 5am and a lovely breakfast of cheese, yogurt, apple juice and coffee. Just what I needed to face the mornings bike ride.

The countryside soon turned from farming land to forest and a 14km preserved stretch of the Oxen road.which was a joy to cycle except that the hills were a killer!!!

Today though was destined to be a short day (106km) as there is basically no where to stay between Riihimäki and Lahti the next town afterwards of any size (which by the way has no where advertised to where I could stay). so I decided to play it safe and finish early.

Reached Hämeeninna around lunchtime which is where the Oxen road ended. A very nice little town with a medieval castle and some museums. Lots of coaches were disgorging scouts and girl guides who were all assembling with banners and drums for some sort of parade.This area is famous for its barracks and garrison so they could well have been preparing for some sort of commemoration. However I had no time to stay so headed for a hotel to get something warm to drink and recharge my camera battery which had expired.

The afternoon was very different as I am no longer on the Oxen road. Only 80km north of Helsinki it was a lot more built up with roads and major highways so I was zig zagging all over the place avoiding the big roads. Arrived in Riihmäki in good time to find a hotel and have a decent meal. Also seems that Turo saw my post about me being in Finland so the plan now is to head to Kouvola and catch a train at 1722 to Helsinki so we can catch up. Going to be tough though because it 130km so I better not get a puncture :)

What I did come across today though were military cemeteries from WW2. This was unexpected but then I remembered that Finland was attacked and invaded by Russia in the winter of 1939\40. Finland had actually broken away from Russia in 1917 and declared independence and now Russia wanted the country back using the pretense that Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) was only 40km from the border. The war was fairly short, a little over a hundred days, but it saw a vastly outnumbered Finnish Army made up of mainly civilians without uniforms fighting a highly mechanized Russian force with air supremacy, Almost 70,000 Finns were killed or wounded in the fighting along with 323,000 Russians in what was one of the coldest winters on record. See Finnish Winter War for more details.

Early to bed because I am up early as breakfast is at 0600

Day 1 - Turkhu to Porras

After a horrendous night on the ferry coming over from Stockholm today turned out to be a glorious day of cycling.

I had decided to buy a berth in a shared cabin because last time I did that in 2011 I ended up with the entire cabin to myself. This time I wasnt so lucky. After going for something to eat I got back to the cabin to find that it was full and that 2 of the other 3 sharing were already asleep. Not wanting to waken them I just slipped into bed after brushing my teeth but this meant I had no ear defenders. BIG MISTAKE. The 4th guy in our cabin was a rather large Russian named Andrias and he turned out to be a big snorer!! It was a wet snuffly snore with particularly loud element that not only kept me awake but the other Russian "sleeping" beneath him, I have no idea what the Russian for "for gods sake stop snoring" but I heard that said a few times during the night to varying degrees of success. If it wasnt the snoring it was the party goers in the corridors so between them it was a long night. I eventually gave up at about 5am and got up. Might as well see some of the glorious islands around Turkhu than listen to the snores. Shouldnt have bothered though because there was a fog and therefore couldnt see anything.

Was off the ferry and on the road by 0730 and eventually found my way out of Turkhu heading for Tarvasjoki along the pre historic Hame Oxen road. This is a road that is hundreds of years old and winds through Southern Finland, used extensively by the vikings its of great national importance It started at the 700 year old cathedral in Turkhu and will take me to Hameenlinna.

The country side was very rural and full of farming and farmland. Reminded me very much of England the area around Hereford where I have done a lot of exploring in my bike. The only major difference being the lack of hedgerows here in Finland and of course the style of buildings. Talking of which, many of the farm buildings are really old here in Finland. Actually that goes for a lot of the building ive seen both today and back in 2011 when I cycled the west coast. Unlike Sweden which has kept modernising the buildings many of them here in Finland are originals. Its like cycling through a living Skansen, one huge open air museum. What is sad though is that many farms have merged and the farm lands taken over by bigger farms leaving the original farm to slowly decay. So many abandoned farms and buildings.

By lunchtime was starting to look for somewhere to stay for the night. I am very early in the year, actually the season hasnt started yet, so almost all the youth hostels and camp sites are closed. So I was tempted to head for Forssa as this is an industrial town with a couple of hotels. In the end though I risked going to a place that I had tried calling but nobody had answered the phone which was a museum\cafe\ accommodation complex in Porras. Luckily they were open and they had a room, in fact I had the whole house as I am the only one here. Even better they took pity on me as the closest place to eat was a 32KM round trip and made me some dinner. Very nice young couple and a lovely stay.

So a good first day. 131KM and it looks like I have about the same to do for the next 2 days. Lots of aches and pains because this is the first time in almost 2 years since I have done this but it feels good. Nothing broken and looking forward to another day on the road.