Off to Finland next week

Really didnt think I was going to get away this year for a bike ride. A combination of work and the fact I havent had much chance to get many training rides in meant that I hadnt made any plans.

Anyway Susie said I really should try and get away as I needed to have some "Me Time" so I thought what the heck why not.

So I have booked the ferry for Saturday and an overnight train to Kemi so I will be back where I left off last year by early Sunday morning. I hope I dont over sleep though cause the train goes a long way after Kemi, in fact it goes way up North into lapland!

Just need to get some more cycle gear which Susie will grab for me tommorrow and then I am off! Can't wait :)

As for how far I get I dont really care. Once I am in Kemi and heading South I will try and make it to Turku but thats not really important. I have 8 days of cycling so I will just have fun and see what happens :)

Day 14/15 – August 23rd and 24th - Travelling Home

Getting back tool 2 days primarily because I couldn’t plan things to be too close to each other.

Having arrived in Kemi yesterday I could have in theory taken the train down to Turkhu (if I had left Haparanda earlier). But this would have been a close call and frankly it was nice not to have to stress out and rush.

Train left at 0830 and an hour later we arrived in Oulu where I had to wait until 1545! The reason for this wait was because of engineering works being carried out on the route south and as I had a bike I couldn’t use the replacement bus service.

Not that I really minded but it meant I was not able to catch the night ferry to Stockholm. The Tourist Information office were more than happy to let me sit with them and use their internet. It was quite a relaxing afternoon.

I must say that I was very impressed with the Finnish trains. Comfortable seats, good choice in the buffet car, power and radio channels at each seat and the very ingenious way of storing bikes. There was a special area that allowed bikes to be stored along with skiing equipment and that everything could be locked up and made secure so you didn’t have to worry about anybody walking off the train with your bike.

Arrived in Turkhu late and was up early to catch then ferry to Stockholm. It was a lovely crossing and I splashed out on a day cabin so I was able to crash out and sleep and little and read my book in peace.

Once I got back into Stockholm I cycled home and Susie and Fredrik surprised me with a huge welcome :) They had gone to a lot of trouble and organised a cake as well as having a special plaque made for me so that I will always remember this trip.

What a great end to what has been a great 2 weeks of cycling

Day 13 – August 22nd 2010 – Haparanda to Kemi

30KM of easy riding along a bike path punctuated by my only conversation with fellow cyclists that I didn’t start :)

I was stopped by a couple of Finnish Sunday cyclists and we chatted about my journey from Stockholm and they told me all about their club. Was nice talking to some real enthusiasts. They told me that Finland was great for cycling as they have so many bike paths unlike Sweden which only has them in cities. Maybe I will come and do some cycling in Finland one day.

Arrived in Kemi and could only see the one hotel that is close to the station. Suits me fine as its clean and reasonably priced.

Going to get my ticket for tomorrow and then chill.

Will be nice to see Susie on Tuesday

Day 12 – August 21st 2010 – Töres to Haparanda

Done it!!

Great nights sleep in the huge hotel where I was the only guest. Managed to take a peek in one of the other rooms and just like mine it was huge! Each room contains a single bed and is about 30m2 and some with kitchens.

The ride was easy enough but some of the roads were just awful. The last half of the day just seemed to drag on for ever especially as the scenery was so monotonous. It was really hard work not to keep glancing at the mileage because it was depressing how slow I was going.

For some reason I kept looking for bears :) I have seem hardly any wild life at all in the last few days. Have the hunters shot everything or does nothing really live in these vast forests? I wonder if my squeaky bike and crunching of my tyres frighten everything away.

Reached the Finnish border but I was still some 20KM short of the end because the route went some way north to avoid the E4. As a result I dropped in at a historic fishing village at a place called Kukkola. They had a restaurant but I was far too shabby to eat there so I carried on.

Stopped at the first hotel I came across (it turned out it was basically the only one in town itself) and it seemed I’m not the only one who stops off here. They put my bike in the “bike cupboard” which is the unofficial home of the bikes and gave me a room with a bath.

Had lunch and got a few things from the Konsum before retreating to my room to chill.

110KM today

Total for the 12 days has been 1611KM with an average speed of just over 20KM an hour and a maximum speed of 60KM!!

Day 11 – August 20th 2010 – Piteå to Tore

Up at 0500 and on the road by 0600. No wind and no rain so it was a great day for the weather.

There is no doubt that I am very tired having cycled everyday with even 60KM on my one day off.

The ride from Piteå to Lulea was pretty plain with nothing of any interest. In fact I struggled all day to take any meaningful photos of nice scenery as there wasn’t really much to see.

Didn’t pay attention at one point and took a wrong turn onto the E4. The result was that I had to walk back on the hard shoulder as I couldn’t cross over to the other side because of the central reservation.

Lulea was a nice break and came right in the middle of the days ride. Was a miracle I didn’t get lost getting across the city because some of the sigh posting was very iffy. I was also a little too early for lunch so I carried on planning to eat the other side.

Of course I didn’t find anywhere for 2 hours by which time it was greasy truck stop on the side of the E4. Still the food was filling stodge and set me up for the afternoons ride.

At one point the map and the sign posts where in complete contradiction. I can only assume that the route that the map had marked had been ruled as not being allowed and thus it had been re-routed. The offending length of road was a blocked off chunk of road that must have been the original road before the E4 was opened. This road was blocked at both ends but the local lads had found a way onto the road. Thus it was covered with old beer cans and burnt rubber from all the doughnuts that they had performed.

The re-routed and my map eventually met up and the last 15KM for the day were by the hardest. It was horrid undulating forest road covered in those little stones again. Had to munch lots of my food to get the energy to do the last stretch.

Very unusual hotel. It was just closing when I arrived and I seem to have the whole place to myself. Breakfast is in the fridge so I can leave when I like tomorrow.

160KM today. Tomorrow is Haparana

Day 10 – August 19th 2010 – Skellefteå to Piteå

I do like Vandrahems :) Was a quiet night and the bed was very comfortable. I think it must be the good nights sleep in conjunction knowing that I am not being ripped off by a hotel. I’m still upset with the crappy Scandic in Umeå.

Anyway after a slight late start (breakfast was served at 0700) I left Skellefteå heading for Piteå. Actually if truth be known I wanted to go further as Piteå to Tores looks a long way and as the weather is getting more Autumnal I don’t want to risk cycling long distances in rain/cold.

Anyway the wind was still with me today and it was hard going. Combine this with some truly crap roads (8KM of little stones just itching to give me a puncture) and the fact that I have less and less energy every day made for a miserable morning. Then I remembered I had some kryptonite gel in my bags so I took a squirt and that did the trick.

Arrived in Piteå just after 1400 so grabbed some lunch and then went looking for somewhere to stay. I had passed the Vandrahem earlier so headed back there only to find they were full!!! They were able to point me to an alternative hostel which is where I am now. However I almost had a disaster when the young lad forgot to give me some sheets and a towel!! I certainly didn’t want to have to dry myself with a tee-shirt and then sleep in all my clothes. I was able to catch him in the car park so disaster was averted at the last minute.

The place is a bit strange. I think its an old barracks, it certainly has the feel. In fact it looks like an old barracks that was converted into student accommodation that is now used as a hostel. It has a washing machine so I have been able to wash my clothes (not that I have many). Raided the local supermarket so I have made myself some dinner and have everything I need for breakfast tomorrow.

110KM today

Day 9 – August 18th 2010 – Robertfors to Skellefteå

Best night yet, the vandrahem was a real find.

Sadly for the third morning in a row I had a flat tyre. On top of that because of rim damage the tyre kept popping out of the wheel hub. This means that I am going to have to watch the air pressure very closely and not over inflate the tyre.

The wind today was horrendous. It was mainly blowing from the East and therefore I was either cycling into it or had it coming in at an angle all day. Combine this with no energy made for a tough ride.

The scenery remains beautiful but it would be nice to see a bit of a change. Endless farmland and woods is getting a bit boring.

Refused to pay the extortionate prices that the big hotels were charging and ended up at the Vandrahem which is run by the church. A nice benefit of that was that I had to cycle a little out of town and in the process went past an area called Bonn Stan which is an area containing dozens of house from the start of the 19th century. The houses are all over 200 years old and quite a unique sight to see so many in one place.

140KM today which combined with yesterday made it 220KM from Umea. I was right to split it into 2 days