Day 7 - Somewhere outside Nyköping to Stockholm

Well my plans to share the melon with my German neighbors came to nothing as they went off for a walk, so i ate the melon myself and very tasty it was indeed. Read until the light became too dim and then settled down to sleep. Was briefly woken when the occupants of the rather dilapidated caravan next to my pitch cam home. There was some sort of discussion between them and the Germans plus a couple of dogs barking but I paid no attention and fell asleep again

Woke at 0400, finished off the little food I have left and packed up the tent. Was on the road by 0530 just as the sun was poking its way over the trees. The road to Stockholm is one i know well from here as I have cycled in this area a few times and Trosa which is just around the corner is somewhere I sometimes cycle to on a Sunday

The roads were deserted and few cars passed me as I slowly made my way back to familiar territory. I passed this way back in July 2009 when I cycled from Stockholm to Malmö and found a couple of roads that I took back then that I haven't had the chance to explore since. It bought back memories of how things were for me back then and how my legs ached. I even remember that this area was where I had to disappear behind a stack of felled logs to liberally apply some shammy cream to my cycling shorts.

All the villages were asleep, nothing was open. Reached the ferry Skänssundet only to have missed it by 2 minutes, this seems to be a repeating pattern as i missed my previous ferry by 2 minutes and both of these ferries left at 0800. So made a quick cup of soup and waited. On the other side chatted with a young German cyclist heading back to Hamburg and we discussed  routes. He was heading to Västervick which is nice enough but having just cycled from Vadstena and the Göta Canal I suggested maybe that was a nicer route, problem with the Swedish East coast are the large E roads

Found a delightful cafe that had just opened at 0900 on road to Tumba so had a quick bite to eat. Once i hit the out suburbs of Stockholm is was just head down and cycling as fast as possible to get home. Dropped by the Gamla Stan store where I had bought my Brompton 2 years ago to report that it had worked as planned to do touring with it and to get some idea why the gears weren't working so well. Turns out i need to keep the bike a lot cleaner, something that i am pretty bad at doing, so will have to give that a go and see if it makes a difference

Made it home, had a shower and then we all went out for a celebratory full English breakfast at the new Greasy Spoon on Södermalm. Great to be home and to see Susie again though I must admit I am really tired

618.8 KM in 7 days of which 2 of them were basically half days (the first day just getting to Bredang and the day I arrived in Vadstena. When I look at the mileage its basically the same that I was doing on a full sized bike with no load but this time on a folding bike with 18" wheels and full camping gear. So I am pretty happy with what I have achieved

As always though I am left with a feeling that I could have done more, I was just getting into my rhythm and now its time to stop. And as always I am left wondering what's next and where I can go with my little bike and what adventures I can have. I feel both happy and sad every time I come home. Sad that the adventure is over for another year but happy to see Susie and home

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/C75FWD1WJib

Day 6 - Söderköping to middle of nowhere outside Nyköping

Awesome idea to spend the night in the little room. Tent dried out nicely and my powerpack got a decent charge. Was well awake before dawn. First though i gave my room a good clean and repacked the bags and in the process found 2 things that i had misplaced. Filled the flasks with boiling water and on the road by 0630.

Decided today was going to be a slower day and was determined to examine the route a bit closer and not just barrel down the roads suggested by Google maps. After yesterdays cycling aloing the Göta Kanel i was hoping for something similiar today especially as i have actually done this route before when i came the other way from Stockholm to Malmö

First of all i ignored the suggestion presented and took off blindly down the Kanel following it all the way to Mems where i was able to cross over using a lock. Then i spied the signs for the "Kust Linjen" and knew that I could effectively follow these and forget Google completely as this the official bike route to Stockholm

Glorious cycling. Briefly stopped for a coffee and met 2 German cyclists heading to Stockholm. Was able to pass on my advice of camp sites and the route to use as well as things to see in Stockholm

Lovely lunch in Nyköping as a cafe that Susie and i found years ago. Nice big healthy salad, feels like forever since i have had such good food. Bumped into my German friends again briefly before heading off

Called in at Nynäs Slott a lovely old estate just close to where i camped for the night. Chatted with the lady in the shop, turned out she was a tour guide (though not doing any tour guiding atm of course because of Covid) and we happily exchanged travel stories. She said i should write a book, maybe i will :) My German friends popped up again and said hello

Arrived at the camp, only 100 SEK so a good bargain. Toilets and showers included though no kitchen, thats ok though as i have plenty of boiling wateer and was prepared. Good book, nice food and a chat with my German friends as they are camped next to me. Last night in the tent and home tomorrow. Plan to make an early start and head up to Tumba and jump on the Pendeltag. Will be nice to see Susie and maybe go for a nice meal somewhere

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/PON72sY4Gib

Day 5 - Vadstena to Söderköping

Last night was just lovely, watched sunset and listened to the pitter patter of the rain. My end of the harbour was very quiet with only the occassional dog walker so i was able to sit under the trees and watch Vadstena go to sleep

A good nights sleep though i woke often. Not that i am unfortable but its just a sleeping back is so restrictive in allowing to move around. I did sort out my pillow problem by using my clothes in stuff bag plus the inflating pillow so all good there. Woke at dawn to the geese honking and a lovely sunrise 

My plan lastnight before going to bed was to stop here in Vadstena for another night and then catch the train home on Friday. However after chating with Susie and with Covid still out there and the fact i have 2 (3 if i need it) days to get back we decided that maybe i could cycle back

So having had breakfast and feeling strong and in positive spirits I set off with Söderköping as the destination for the day. 

45 minutes down the road in the middle of nowhere at about 0800 i had a puncture in the rear tyre. I was supprised its taken as long as this to get one as my Brompton has given be cause for concern with its tyres but i was really hoping that these marathons that i have on would be good enough. Nevermind I thought i have a couple of spare inner tubes so stopped to fix the puncture. Big problem. 

The Brompton has a unique design to its gearing which means to remove the back wheel  you need to undo the gears and remove them first. They are held on by a custom nut and a small chain like cable with an adjuster on it that you unscrew. The cable then parts and you can remove in before undoing the nuts, gears and eventually the back wheel. No matter how much i tried i could not for the life of me get the adjuster to undo so i could remove the cable. Looked at the YouTube video a dozen times to see what i waa doing wrong and there was nothing i was doing that looked wrong

I had no choice but to walk back the way i had come and wait for a bus to take me to Motala. Then i had to wait for the bike sho to open before the owner (thanks Mats!!!) supplied me with wisdom, condolenses and tools. He was able to use some grips to get the adjuster to undo and then left me too it. I was able to remove the wheel, replace the tube and put everything back together (during which i found that the bike shop had put a couple of the nuts back on upside down). Pumnped up the tyres according to sugested PSI (which by the was far higher than i had them before which is probably why i got the puncture and a reason why its been such hard work!). The gears are very fiddily to calibrate so again watched a video and experimented until the gears worked. I still need to look at the other gear changer but at least i have back what i started with

The route down to Söderköping meant I had to pass through Linkoping but before getting there i was to pass through some lovely countryside. Farmers are out in force with the combine harvesters collecting the wheat and it was down one of these country lanes that my back pack went flying into a ditch. I forgottent to attach the complete set of bungies and hence it wasnt secure enough. Luckily no damage but a few kilometers later my route took me down the side of the Göta canal where losing my rucksack would have been potentially disasterous!. The route down to Berg was an absolute delete. My tyres at the right PSI, the level path and no traffic meant i was flying. My average speed was 50% higher than previous days

At Linkoping i was able to buy a couple of more insrtant meals from XXL before following the route to Söderköping and checking into the camp site there. Was a bit miffed that they wanted to charge 290 SEK for my tent. They had a vandrehem but that cost 680 SEK but then they said they had a room in one of the old out buildings for 350 SEK so i took that. At only 60 SEK more (cost of a coffee nowadays) i was able to plug everything in to recharge as well as sit at a table and write my blog in peace and quiet. 

So what started out as a high and then hit a pretty big low has turned out just fine. Now just need to decide how to get home

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/GHOgUejtFib

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/SNSL1tltFib  

Day 4 - Tjallbo to Vadstena

Today was not destined to be a big day as Vedstena had been my target after 2 days. So completing it in 3 was in one way a bit of failure but being honest with all the issues i have had to face im petty happy with making ii in 2.5

Not a bad sleep but not brilliant, woke twice during the night for a pee which is a habit i really must try and break. Also my plan of just peeing in the bushes all went to hell as somebody else had moved into the tent area across from me. 

Breakfast of museli and and a hot drink (also refilled both flasks with boiling water, my little pot does a great job btw) and i was ready to leave. I really need though to have a system because things were all over the place this morning. Everything needs to have a place and i must put things back in their place as soon as i have finshed with them otherwise i can never find them again! This morning it was my knife, fork and spoon set followed later by my cycling gloves!

On the road by 0900 and the cycling was glorious. No major roads and just village after village, farm after farm. Having spent the last 4 weeks in a "husbil" (Recreational Vehicle, mobile home) it was great to see so much varied landscape with woods and farms. Everything was looking really pretty

No camels today (or lamas) but did go past a Swedish Infantry regimental depot that was displaying one of its old personal carriers by the side of the road and there was a presistent roar of jet engines which i know comes from a Swedish Airforce base near by as i passed iot years ago when i cycled to Göteborg. So today had a definite military theme that was complimented by a visit to the Gota canel at Mortala

Dug by hand by 58,000 Swedish soldiers in the early 1830's this canal connects the Baltic sea with Göteborg. The locks are all in working order and the canal is stuill used today by tourists. In fact as i sat there a boat came through looking to go down the locks

Motala is the start and finish of the "vatten runden" which is something i have been trying to do for years. A 300 km "race" around lake Vattern is concidered one of the Swedish classics (along with the Lidingo Loppet and Vasa Loppet, running and skiing). I have been signed up for it at least 3 or 4 times now and each time failed to start either because of conflicting arrangements or because of Covid. This year i was signed up but the start was delayed until September which would have meant cycling a lot in the dark. As i had planned to use the Brompton (most ppl use carbon fibre road bikes) i estimated at least 18 hours to get around. Having just done the same distance from Stockholm (all be it on a heavier bike) in about 25 hours I think I am being a little optimistic. Still at least i got to do a few KM to Vadstena

So the plan was to stay at the camp site but as they wanted to charge me as much as a stay in a Vandrehem i thought to hell with that and went into town. Called in at the tourist information and got a complete list of places to stay and started to ring around. Many didnt answer, some did saying they were closed because of Covid and others were fully booked. Eventually i asked around at the castle ("slott") and was told that i could pitch my tent down by the harbour where there was a service house with showers, toilets and electricity. Even better it was just 40 SEK so i pitched my tent and headed into town

Looked up the top place to eat and it wasnt where i was expecting it to be. It wasnt anywhere near the tourist end of town or the hugely expensive spa that has now replaced the rather basic hotel we used to come to 25 years ago. Very nice food run by a young crowd of enthusiastic waiters and chefs i blew all the money i had saved on the switch from camp site to harbour but didnt regret it for a second.

Was about to look around an informal get together of classic cars (that happens every wednesday during the summer) but it started to rain so headed back to the tent. Lets see how it goes tonight. Maybe tomorrow I get a bed somewhere 

 Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/Xi2NKf6LDib

Day 3 - Skebokvarn to Småängens Camping, Tjällmo

Great nights sleep though i did wake early. Breakfast was some museli and i was able to put the unused Oatley in the water bottle from yesterday. I also tried using the hot water in my new flask to see if had kept the heat and it made a decent cup of tea so that was a success. Packed and was on the road around 0700, took a lot more care with the rucksack to avoid the hassle from yesterday. Pretty sure it was caused by the sleeping mat not being central. Everything pretty much dried overnight (though the bike clothes were just a little damp). 

Arrived in Flen and was very happy that I had decided to stay where I had because the hotel looked like it seen better days. The road to Katrineholm was a big road but traffic was thankfully light and what traffic there was gave me a wide berth. No way I could have done this yesterday

Katrineholm had a Biltema, i road right past it and didnt remember until i was well past that I should have tried to pick up a three legged stool! Still i was able to do some shopping at an ICA MAXI and bought a bunch of student food. Pasta, pasta sauce, beer and instant noodles in anticiaption of not finding anything decent tonight. Stopped off also for a coffee in the center of town and was able to get my small flask filled with boiling water

Decided to take the slightly longer but more scenic route thus avoiding hopefully any big roads. Was an excellent choice as the cycling was just great. Still a problem with hills and gears and to this was also added my first gravel road which is frankly a nightmare on the Brompton. The front wheel was all over the place and the bike felt very unsteady so going was even slower. Rained a litte but was generally overcast. Big problem with flies, they are all over me when i stop or go slow so was not pleasant.

Had a nice break at övra hävla bruk an old iron foundary from the 1600s that closed in 1920s. It had been restored and there was a guide there who very graciously filled my water as i had ran out (should have filled it in Katrineholm). Must have drunk 3-4 litres today and hardly peed at all. I also had been completely unable to find anywhere to eat, the only options such as small cafes had been closed because of Covid so I made myself some instant noodles using the water from Katrineholm and my new cookset. Worked a charm. A couple of ladies on another table hearing i was English struck up a conversation about how small my bike was. Turns out she recognised the model as her daughter lives in London where they are used for commuting. Saw Lamas and Camels today at two different farms

After a few hairy experiences on the gravel road i eventually made it back onto tarmac and headed for the campsite. Stopped again briefly at 1430 to take my medicine and get something to drink and again just before i reached the campsite to pick up some desert for my meal tonight. Sent a picture of my dinner to Susie who wasnt impressed. Cards, carbs, carbs and carbs so tomorrow i will have to do better

Checked in and found a nice spot. Had to put on my anti mosquito face net and it actually worked a charm while i put the tent up. Tried really hard to do it properly this time but we will have to see how things go tonight. They have a really nice service house so was able to recharge all my devices and cook myself some dinner. Even had enough pasta for a seciond portion which i have put into my collapsible bowl (has a lid that screws on seals) so maybe thats something i can eat tomorrow. 

Looking at my Strava stats my average speed is 10km an hour so its really slow. I also supposedly burnt 3500 calories and considering how tired i feel i can believe that. Going to do a Swedish lesson now and then to bed. Tomorrow is a much more relaxed day so maybe its time to slow down just a fraction and enjoy the time away

Lessons for today 

1 - My bike hates gravel

2 - i need to concentrate on my food and water intake

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/f9JKzYJaCib

Day 2 - Bredang to Skebokvarn

Well that didn't go well

First of all I wasted a couple of hours after it started getting dark on map playing Civ 6. Was fun but i was to pay for that lack of an earlier night

Woke at 0300 bursting for a pee which isnt easy ijn a tent. Had misplac|\ed my glasses (stuff was all over the place though i had tried to have a system and keep things organised. Then i had to get dressed, put on my shoes, navigate my way of the tent which was wet from the heavy dew and then mack my way to the toilet block being careful not to trip over tent guide lines in the dark. By the time i got back i was well awake and i hadnt really gotten to sleep when dawn arrived along with the birds. Fitbit says i got just over 3 hours sleep

Eventually gave up and went for a walk in search of something warm to drink as my thermos was warm at best and made a lousy cup of tea. Found a cafe as Bredang center so sat their and surfed the web as I had time to kill. I hadnt realised that recetion didnt open until 0900 and i hadnt paid.

So a long list of things to fix over the next few days

1 - there is a reason why guide lines need to be tight. mine were too loose hence the tent got wet

2 - always leave the vents open to avoid condensation

3 - hammer the guide lines better especailly when ground is wet and muddy

4 - get something i can boil water in

5 - get a bigger thermos

6 - get a small chair, cant sit in the tent

7 - need food containers especially for liquids 

Anyway was on the road just after 0900 and made slow but steady progrilk.ess. Got a bit lost getting out of Stockhol as Google doesnt do the best at finding route. Did some shoping at Biltema to try and find some of the more obvious stuff (out of stock with the little 3 legged chair i wanted). Got a bit lost going through Sodertalje but evetualy found the road i was destined to follow for t which io am carryhe rest of the day

Rucksack needed to be adjusted a few times so i bought some additional bungies lets see if they make any difference. Bike is really heavy compared to when i have ridden it with out sall the gear which made progress very slow. Also i really suspect that the gears are not working and that I only have access to half of them. So i am down to 3 gears and it fels like the high ratio set so anything but the mildest of hills was a killer. A lot of walking and pushing the bike which with its little wheels isnt the easiest thing.

Terrible lunch at Jarna but i had to get a rest and eat. Had a brief stop and shop at Gnesta as i needed to take some medicine and thought i would kill to birds with one stone and buy some small mineral water so could take the medicine and keep the bottle for my oat milk which i could just imagine bursting in my rucksack.

Weather was a mix of rain, sunny spells and a head wind which really sucked. Combine that with the gears, the heavy bike and lack of sleep from last night meant i was reallt struggling. I realised that my original plan for Katrineholm wasnt realistic so started to look for alternatives. One campsite in Malmkoping but it was a diversion and would add more for tomorrow so i decided to find a room. Third time lucky and i found an empty Vandrehem at a good price.

Dried out the tent, had another go with my hydrated food this time with boiling water and actually it was very edible. Washed my bike kit and got an early night, my plans are now all shot to hell as my mileage expectations were based on my other bike carrying little gear. This is a whole different ball game 

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/FIa8UHuzAib

Day 1 - Stockholm to Bredang

 Not a huge day today as I didnt get away until after lunch and i had to run an errand and drop some paperwork off as the accountant. It was also raining pretty hard so sat with my accountant and drank a cup of tea while we waited for the rain to stop

Loaded the bike using the Brompton back on the front and a rucksack on the back attached in a rather ingenious way i saw somebody who was touring the world. Quite simple when you think of it. Problem with the Brompton is that its a very small bike and the back rack cant really be used by anything unless it is quite thin as your heals keep hitting it on each rotation. The trick is to put a rucksack on the back and have it at an angle so that the heals miss. To do this you put about 8 inched of broom handle through loops under the seat. Attach the broomhandle with a strap so that it wouldnt move and then drape the rucksack handles over it. Then using the 2 straps on the rack at the back loop under the backup and over and attach to the rack. Then take another bungy and attach it to the rack and loop around the back in the opposite direction. This may the back is fixed at top by the broom handle and at the bottom by the bungies and as they are in opposite direction the counter out any pull that might be applied

Next thing is that bike is certified to carry 135KG (or so i read somewhere) so i was very keen not to overload. Also the bracket on the front is plastic so the front back cant be more than 10KG plus it cant be piled hight as the handle bars will hit it everytime you turn a corner

So up front went the tent, sleeping back, bike lock and a little bit of food. In the rucksack went clothes, heavy food, cooking and eating utensils, washbag, medical kits and electronics. Picked it up and stood on the scales and before food it came to 125KG so that gave me an idea of how i could add

Found Bredang campsite easy enough ad set the tent up for the first time. I had bought some instance camp food (just add boiling water) and a few extra bits and bons so was looking forward to an enjoyable evening. Bredang had a kitchen but all that was there was a microwave and a hotplate so i had to improvise by boiling water in the microwave (which didnt go so well) so my dinner was pretty chewy

Tent went up easy enough and didnt make a complete fool of myself. Blew up the mattress and my pillow, unfurled my sleeping bag and settled in for the night. Im 58 and not slept in a tent since Susie and i used to go camping in the mid 80s so what coud possibly go wrong.

Had a nice chat with my German neighbours who were behind me and seems they are going up to North cape and was planning on taking the E4 up and then come back down through Norway. Warned them that the E4 is a really boring road and suggested instead the E45 which is the one we used on our RV holiday last week 

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/8wZAkJuwAib

Well 2020 was a bust but 2021 I have plans

2020 will go down as the year we all stayed at home particularly in my household as my wife is vulnerable as she has multiple medical conditions. That being said we did squeeze in a trip in a rented RV and explored the north of Sweden by driving up the middle. We actually took the route I had planned to do on my bike back in 2019 before Susie had her gallbladder removed and I rented the bike ansd rode from Brighton to Penzance. Anyway I digress

2021 we also rented an RV and carried on our exploration of the north. This year though i have had both of my Phzier jabs so i have been vaccinated (at least against the know variants as of time of writing) so while we were away the wife suggested I took a week to do some cycling as it has been sometime since I have been away.

So this year i am going to do some experiments using both my Brompton and to try camping for the first time. Will require more of a load but will give me options i havent had before such as being able to camp and cook my own food. The whole point of getting a folding bike was so i could have more options with travel. For instance i would like to restart my around the UK trip but to do that i need to either rent a bike or take my own, taking my old folding bike makes so much more sense. Also with Covid-19 still very much about avoinding crowded areas and using a tent makes a lot of sense