Medicines so far consumed on the journey:
Diclofenac 950mg
Metochlopramide 10mg
Ibuprofen 1.2g
Paracetamol 4g
Chlorpheniramine 32mg
Lansoprazole 15mg
1 x sleeping draught
Brown and blue puffs
Germaline and sudocreme
Numerous dressings
3 different insect repellants
Thursday 29 July 2010
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Day 7 Kautokeino - Enotekio - Across the Borderlands
Distance covered - 84km
Time in saddle - 3hr27min
average speed - 24.2kmph
max speed- 54.3
Odometer - 503.1km
After what seemed like an endless "night" of lying awake prostrate, listening to Hazel scratching her mosquito bites, or sores might be a better description. The arctic "dawn" today was marked by the sky actually darkening a little as a fresh stock of clouds rolled in from the nearby mountains, ready to unleash a steady supply of drizzle for our day in the saddle. Eyes peeled open, we trotted off to the restaurant, giving a cheery wave to our favourite receptionist, who we named Florence, for no other reason than that she had lovely curly ginger hair. She did seem to be the sole worker in the whole Hotel, wee Florence, and no machine. Though incidentally we did find out she goes to Goldsmiths during termtime. This is a great tip for students looking for a summer job, head for the touristic arctic circle, everything is so bloody expensive that the wages are great. And as Florence herself put it "there is nothing here to spend money on, so I save it all for termtime"
Sounds like she is having a blast up here in Kautokeino, mind you she probably gets a free breakfast. Tummys and bags duly filled with no less than 5 sandwiches each, we stumble back to our quarters to try and erase the unpleasant odour of instant noodles and insect repellant which Hazel is completely smothered in. Perhaps a case of shutting the door after the horse has bolted, but we invest in some local "Jungle Oil" which should keep the little blighters at bay. Feeling unwell from the "toxins" Hazel gets some more rest and we fail to get on our bikes before 1pm, but at least we are well fed. We wave goodbye to Florence and wobble off into the drizzle, informed that no, it will not be flat all the way to Finland.
After being warned of hills ahead, we are pleasantly surprised to find that what Florence considers challenging terrain is a breeze for us serial Tour de Norwayers. We assume our new favourite riding style....what we like to call the singing peloton. Taking in turns to lead and cut the wind, the other two riders draft in the slipstream, saving up to 30% energy, or so Hazel informs us. Ive no idea of the science, being a creative type, but i do enjoy scooting along at a cracking pace, racing down hills fast enough to carry you up the next one! The singing peloton is so called because one can settle into a comfortable pace and be relaxed enough to carry a tune (ahem) or at least Philippa can carry a tune and Hazel and I bark/enunciate along.
Songs are chosen on a purely random basis of what is in your head at that time. Now consider that we have no ipods, stereos etc, the only music we have heard over the last week has been snatches drifting out from cars and hostel corridors. So my choice of the day was "Land of make believe" by Bucks Fizz. Interestingly, I dont recall that Ive ever listened to that song in my life, but now I just cant shift it. Wikipedia it, theres a great if inaccurate description of it online! Hazel opts for Welsh favourites old Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Lord Tom Jones. Philippa treats us to a most charming and almost note perfect "Blue Moon" and before we know it we have covered 40km! Theres another delightful Norwegian picnic spot with obligatory useless map and toilet (hole in ground in hut, but still toilet roll - those efficient Scandinavians!), where Hazel chooses to eat her sandwich in the road, to "avoid" the mosquitoes. Oh dear.
There is no photos, nothing to report either, on the scenery as it was EXACTLY THE SAME as yesterday. 200km of marsh, river, scrub and mosquitoes. Oh but thumbs up for the road surface, lovely and smooth!
At long last we reach our first border! Keen to spend the 1600 Norwegian Kroner we still have about our person, we are at first disappointed that border control building is not a nice little coffee shop, but still, I take a few photos of "the border" which is a somewhat pathetic wooden fence. We stand for a while in a layby with a huge puddle, which was place in between the Norway and Finland signs. We were therefore, in a literal no mans land. Quite exciting for somebody like me, if you are obsessed with where one thing ends and another begins. We muse for a while about which countrys law we would be tried under if we were to commit a crime in this NoLand, and conclude it would fall under International Law. We refrain from murdering each other to find out, and as a dodgy looking guy pulls up near us looking for a drug deal, we pedal on. Mum, thats a joke by the way.
We continue at our heady pace....averaging 15mph feels pretty good on a fully loaded tourer! And as theres absolutely no traffic lights, junctions or other life forms, we have no reason to stop, time and miles fly by in a blur of non stop popular musical hits.
Then we find a reason to stop, obviously its coffee time! First outlet in Finland and in we go, Euros (at last! we can afford to eat!) in sweaty palms. Consume, urinate, continue.
Peloton, pedal pedal,go go, my inner monolugue sings Toe! Toe! (toe first, not heel, Im learning new cycling technique!)
And we are there.
Its an hour later in Finland, for no particular reason, other than that they decided it is. Enontekio, also known as Hetta and Enodak (yes, go ahead, give your town three different names!)
Hotel straight out of the 60s, sandwiches for dinner, Hazel flat out on a cocktail of antihistamines and sleepytime tablets. Welcome to Suomi.
Time in saddle - 3hr27min
average speed - 24.2kmph
max speed- 54.3
Odometer - 503.1km
After what seemed like an endless "night" of lying awake prostrate, listening to Hazel scratching her mosquito bites, or sores might be a better description. The arctic "dawn" today was marked by the sky actually darkening a little as a fresh stock of clouds rolled in from the nearby mountains, ready to unleash a steady supply of drizzle for our day in the saddle. Eyes peeled open, we trotted off to the restaurant, giving a cheery wave to our favourite receptionist, who we named Florence, for no other reason than that she had lovely curly ginger hair. She did seem to be the sole worker in the whole Hotel, wee Florence, and no machine. Though incidentally we did find out she goes to Goldsmiths during termtime. This is a great tip for students looking for a summer job, head for the touristic arctic circle, everything is so bloody expensive that the wages are great. And as Florence herself put it "there is nothing here to spend money on, so I save it all for termtime"
Sounds like she is having a blast up here in Kautokeino, mind you she probably gets a free breakfast. Tummys and bags duly filled with no less than 5 sandwiches each, we stumble back to our quarters to try and erase the unpleasant odour of instant noodles and insect repellant which Hazel is completely smothered in. Perhaps a case of shutting the door after the horse has bolted, but we invest in some local "Jungle Oil" which should keep the little blighters at bay. Feeling unwell from the "toxins" Hazel gets some more rest and we fail to get on our bikes before 1pm, but at least we are well fed. We wave goodbye to Florence and wobble off into the drizzle, informed that no, it will not be flat all the way to Finland.
After being warned of hills ahead, we are pleasantly surprised to find that what Florence considers challenging terrain is a breeze for us serial Tour de Norwayers. We assume our new favourite riding style....what we like to call the singing peloton. Taking in turns to lead and cut the wind, the other two riders draft in the slipstream, saving up to 30% energy, or so Hazel informs us. Ive no idea of the science, being a creative type, but i do enjoy scooting along at a cracking pace, racing down hills fast enough to carry you up the next one! The singing peloton is so called because one can settle into a comfortable pace and be relaxed enough to carry a tune (ahem) or at least Philippa can carry a tune and Hazel and I bark/enunciate along.
Songs are chosen on a purely random basis of what is in your head at that time. Now consider that we have no ipods, stereos etc, the only music we have heard over the last week has been snatches drifting out from cars and hostel corridors. So my choice of the day was "Land of make believe" by Bucks Fizz. Interestingly, I dont recall that Ive ever listened to that song in my life, but now I just cant shift it. Wikipedia it, theres a great if inaccurate description of it online! Hazel opts for Welsh favourites old Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Lord Tom Jones. Philippa treats us to a most charming and almost note perfect "Blue Moon" and before we know it we have covered 40km! Theres another delightful Norwegian picnic spot with obligatory useless map and toilet (hole in ground in hut, but still toilet roll - those efficient Scandinavians!), where Hazel chooses to eat her sandwich in the road, to "avoid" the mosquitoes. Oh dear.
There is no photos, nothing to report either, on the scenery as it was EXACTLY THE SAME as yesterday. 200km of marsh, river, scrub and mosquitoes. Oh but thumbs up for the road surface, lovely and smooth!
At long last we reach our first border! Keen to spend the 1600 Norwegian Kroner we still have about our person, we are at first disappointed that border control building is not a nice little coffee shop, but still, I take a few photos of "the border" which is a somewhat pathetic wooden fence. We stand for a while in a layby with a huge puddle, which was place in between the Norway and Finland signs. We were therefore, in a literal no mans land. Quite exciting for somebody like me, if you are obsessed with where one thing ends and another begins. We muse for a while about which countrys law we would be tried under if we were to commit a crime in this NoLand, and conclude it would fall under International Law. We refrain from murdering each other to find out, and as a dodgy looking guy pulls up near us looking for a drug deal, we pedal on. Mum, thats a joke by the way.
We continue at our heady pace....averaging 15mph feels pretty good on a fully loaded tourer! And as theres absolutely no traffic lights, junctions or other life forms, we have no reason to stop, time and miles fly by in a blur of non stop popular musical hits.
Then we find a reason to stop, obviously its coffee time! First outlet in Finland and in we go, Euros (at last! we can afford to eat!) in sweaty palms. Consume, urinate, continue.
Peloton, pedal pedal,go go, my inner monolugue sings Toe! Toe! (toe first, not heel, Im learning new cycling technique!)
And we are there.
Its an hour later in Finland, for no particular reason, other than that they decided it is. Enontekio, also known as Hetta and Enodak (yes, go ahead, give your town three different names!)
Hotel straight out of the 60s, sandwiches for dinner, Hazel flat out on a cocktail of antihistamines and sleepytime tablets. Welcome to Suomi.
Tuesday 27th July Alta to Kautokeino
127km covered
Cycling time 6hr24
19.7kmph average speed
57.8kmph max speed
Odometer 419km
Weather - overcast, rainy patches, slight headwind
Terrain - long climb out of Alta (another 8% incline) through gorge with numerous waterfalls (scenic highlight of the day), second half of journey through rolling hills up on moutain plateau - finally some decent cycling terrain!!!
Aiming for an early start after our first night in the tent, we set off around 7am with a big day ahead of us. Spirits were high - we'd had our first rest day, slept fairly well (Phil and Ali anyway), the weather forecast was in our favour and we had sponge cake for breakfast - what more could three girls ask for?!?! A few things apparently....
1. Rain set in quickly and was on and off for most of the day - costume changes exceeded 15 over the course of the day.
2. We soon realised the foolishness of our choice of breakfast food, finding we had to stop for sandwiches after less than 15km to refuel...won't be trying that again!!! (We bought museli in Kautokeino, despite staying in a hotel that night should we find ourselves in similar circumstances again...). We did have a lovely little coffee and cake stop at the only "town" on the way...consisting of the cafe, a souvenir shop and a few huts for guests to sleep in...interesting what constitutes a town in Norway....
3. Those mosquitoes mentioned earlier just wouldn't give up!!! Our route followed the Alta river, and the large areas of water combined with higher temperatures meant the bugs were out in force!!! Poor Hazel.... whilst Ali and Phil had a few obligatory red spots, Hazel erupted into red welts covering her legs, as well as a nasty bite on her eyelid, which seemed uncontrollable despite the best efforts of Field Hospital. By the time we arrived in Kautokeino, a town of 2000 inhabitants, it was clear that a campsite would not be an option and we booked into the only hotel in town (breakfast included of course!!!). Unfotunately there was little to be done - even after anti-histimines, anti-inflammatories and the various creams we're carrying, the "burning legs" just wouldn't be tamed. This led to a sleepless night for both Ali and Hazel sleeping on the closely positioned twin beds, as Hazel spent most of the night thrashing about wrapped in a wet towel in a desperate attempt to ease the itching, whilst Phil managed to pass out on the foldout bed for almost 10hrs of much needed sleep!!
We did attempt to blog that night, but after a dinner of two-minute noodles in the hotel room, and the obligatory endless tea and coffee (luckily with a kettle in out room), we were past the point of tired - the early start and high kms had taken their toll, and it was lights out before 9pm!
Cycling time 6hr24
19.7kmph average speed
57.8kmph max speed
Odometer 419km
Weather - overcast, rainy patches, slight headwind
Terrain - long climb out of Alta (another 8% incline) through gorge with numerous waterfalls (scenic highlight of the day), second half of journey through rolling hills up on moutain plateau - finally some decent cycling terrain!!!
Aiming for an early start after our first night in the tent, we set off around 7am with a big day ahead of us. Spirits were high - we'd had our first rest day, slept fairly well (Phil and Ali anyway), the weather forecast was in our favour and we had sponge cake for breakfast - what more could three girls ask for?!?! A few things apparently....
1. Rain set in quickly and was on and off for most of the day - costume changes exceeded 15 over the course of the day.
2. We soon realised the foolishness of our choice of breakfast food, finding we had to stop for sandwiches after less than 15km to refuel...won't be trying that again!!! (We bought museli in Kautokeino, despite staying in a hotel that night should we find ourselves in similar circumstances again...). We did have a lovely little coffee and cake stop at the only "town" on the way...consisting of the cafe, a souvenir shop and a few huts for guests to sleep in...interesting what constitutes a town in Norway....
3. Those mosquitoes mentioned earlier just wouldn't give up!!! Our route followed the Alta river, and the large areas of water combined with higher temperatures meant the bugs were out in force!!! Poor Hazel.... whilst Ali and Phil had a few obligatory red spots, Hazel erupted into red welts covering her legs, as well as a nasty bite on her eyelid, which seemed uncontrollable despite the best efforts of Field Hospital. By the time we arrived in Kautokeino, a town of 2000 inhabitants, it was clear that a campsite would not be an option and we booked into the only hotel in town (breakfast included of course!!!). Unfotunately there was little to be done - even after anti-histimines, anti-inflammatories and the various creams we're carrying, the "burning legs" just wouldn't be tamed. This led to a sleepless night for both Ali and Hazel sleeping on the closely positioned twin beds, as Hazel spent most of the night thrashing about wrapped in a wet towel in a desperate attempt to ease the itching, whilst Phil managed to pass out on the foldout bed for almost 10hrs of much needed sleep!!
We did attempt to blog that night, but after a dinner of two-minute noodles in the hotel room, and the obligatory endless tea and coffee (luckily with a kettle in out room), we were past the point of tired - the early start and high kms had taken their toll, and it was lights out before 9pm!
Monday 26th July Honningsvag to Alta aboard the Hurtigruten!
Km covered - lots, but on boat and coach!
Having already completed the Alta - Nordkapp section of our challenge during the Northbound cycle, we decided to save our legs and not waste time re-cycling old ground going south back to our starting point of Alta.
So we hitched a ride on the good ship Hurtigruten, a lovely vessel which doubles both as a cruise ship around Scandinavia for elderly American tourists in tracksuits, and as a local ferry which gets folk from town to town a lot quicker than on twisty mountain roads!
Just our luck.... there's an all you can eat buffet for breakfast! Hustling our way through the oldies we tucked into a smorgasbord of delights for the entire 3 hours of our ferry ride from Honningsvag to Hammerfest. It should be noted at this point that 90% of all our meals on the trip so far have been sandwiches, constructed during breakfast buffets and smuggled into our panniers, wrapped in numerous napkins! The original reason this blog was called "sandwiches to sicily" was because Philippa and Alice met whilst delivering sandwiches on bikes together at Darwins Deli. It was planned that after leaving Darwins, sandwiches would stop being such a feature of everyday life. Perhaps exotic local cuisines would be sampled! But no, why spend money at restaurants when you can get filled bread packages for the next two days at breakfast for free! Lovely little waitresses turn a blind eye! At first we kidded ourselves that they didnt know our game......
Anyway so we progressed speedily through blue seas to our destination or Hammerfest, a charming little town (or very large conurbation by Northern Norways standards) on a nearby headland, approximately halfway back to Alta. After so much isolation in bleak mountainscape it was quite pleasant to be somewhere with humans, and even a brand new cinema, ahem, sorry, KULTURSENTER!
We boarded a bus and after doing the classic trick of falling asleep, hitting head on window, wake up, repeatedly for 3 hours, we were back in Alta! As it was glorious sunshine we braved a campsite, and got introduced to the local wildlife, a delightful swarm of mosquitoes who decided they liked us so much they would follow us across Lapland for the next few days........
Having already completed the Alta - Nordkapp section of our challenge during the Northbound cycle, we decided to save our legs and not waste time re-cycling old ground going south back to our starting point of Alta.
So we hitched a ride on the good ship Hurtigruten, a lovely vessel which doubles both as a cruise ship around Scandinavia for elderly American tourists in tracksuits, and as a local ferry which gets folk from town to town a lot quicker than on twisty mountain roads!
Just our luck.... there's an all you can eat buffet for breakfast! Hustling our way through the oldies we tucked into a smorgasbord of delights for the entire 3 hours of our ferry ride from Honningsvag to Hammerfest. It should be noted at this point that 90% of all our meals on the trip so far have been sandwiches, constructed during breakfast buffets and smuggled into our panniers, wrapped in numerous napkins! The original reason this blog was called "sandwiches to sicily" was because Philippa and Alice met whilst delivering sandwiches on bikes together at Darwins Deli. It was planned that after leaving Darwins, sandwiches would stop being such a feature of everyday life. Perhaps exotic local cuisines would be sampled! But no, why spend money at restaurants when you can get filled bread packages for the next two days at breakfast for free! Lovely little waitresses turn a blind eye! At first we kidded ourselves that they didnt know our game......
Anyway so we progressed speedily through blue seas to our destination or Hammerfest, a charming little town (or very large conurbation by Northern Norways standards) on a nearby headland, approximately halfway back to Alta. After so much isolation in bleak mountainscape it was quite pleasant to be somewhere with humans, and even a brand new cinema, ahem, sorry, KULTURSENTER!
We boarded a bus and after doing the classic trick of falling asleep, hitting head on window, wake up, repeatedly for 3 hours, we were back in Alta! As it was glorious sunshine we braved a campsite, and got introduced to the local wildlife, a delightful swarm of mosquitoes who decided they liked us so much they would follow us across Lapland for the next few days........
Tuesday 27 July 2010
Sunday 25 July 2010
Day 4 Honningsvag to Nordkapp to Honningsvag
Sunday 25th July
65.61km covered in 3hrs33 (max speed 67.0kmph average 18.4kmph)
Weather: Glorious Sunshine, no wind!
Terrain: Steep and winding
Day 1 of Lapland's infamous 10day summer! Start the toughest ride yet (hindered with back ache and knee pain).
Most challenging ascents yet, up hill all the way to the most northerly point of "civilisation" in the world. Greeted by hideous visiting centre, a la Land's end. But are allowed in for free by nice toll boy.
Sandwiches greedily consumed overlooking the bluest sea we'd ever seen.
Refueled we begin the fastest and most twisting descents of our lives (so far!). All aches and pains forgotten as we hit 40mph with joy! Surrounded by the most breathtaking views.
Day 3 Repvag to Honningsvag
Saturday 24th July
55.14km covered in 3hr02 (max speed 46.2kmph, average 18.1kmph)
Weather: Windier still. Dusting of showers
Terrain:Up down, and submarine 9%
Any sense of time is gone in the land of the midnight sun. We awake (was there an alarm), tounge furred and head very fuzzy from beer, wine, and was it schnapps?
Three cups of tea and we are away to Honningsvag. The forecast promised sun but instead overcast. It seems pretty dry and calm. So leggings but no waterprrofs. Up the hill, look at the sky to the north- looming dark clouds.... waterproofs on and gaffer trouser clips. Sliver shoes looking pro.
Wheels spinning, hangover slipping away. It's only 55k, it's nothing.
Wind starts up, no tail wind today just blustering across. I'm grateful for the crash barriers hugging the side of the road. The right side of the road. Incidentially was any one else unaware Norway isn't in the EU?
The hills are fun- I'm aiming for the polka dot jersey. Reindeers a plenty, with bells on. They race alongside us.
There are three tunnels awaited on this section, on the way to the first we wiggle around an inlet wind screaming down towards us. Leaning fully in. I hear Alice wobble off behind me but she doesn't fall- crash barrier.
Into the tunnel. It is awesome! 7 k long, 3.5k down, 3.5k up at 9%. No speed limit. But we're too cautious (I've already melted my brake pads down) so we slow down, brakes on- arms getting numb. Just imagine a road bike at full pelt!
The climb starts, lung busting, ever up......... and then the light, and now blown sideways again by the wind.
Take shelter eat our bread and butter (surplus from last night's soup course)
Two more tunnels, gusting inlets inbetween. Out of the third tunnel and Hello Honningswag!
Shall we go to Nordkapp tonight? No the hang over and solitary meal have taken their toll, to bed.
55.14km covered in 3hr02 (max speed 46.2kmph, average 18.1kmph)
Weather: Windier still. Dusting of showers
Terrain:Up down, and submarine 9%
Any sense of time is gone in the land of the midnight sun. We awake (was there an alarm), tounge furred and head very fuzzy from beer, wine, and was it schnapps?
Three cups of tea and we are away to Honningsvag. The forecast promised sun but instead overcast. It seems pretty dry and calm. So leggings but no waterprrofs. Up the hill, look at the sky to the north- looming dark clouds.... waterproofs on and gaffer trouser clips. Sliver shoes looking pro.
Wheels spinning, hangover slipping away. It's only 55k, it's nothing.
Wind starts up, no tail wind today just blustering across. I'm grateful for the crash barriers hugging the side of the road. The right side of the road. Incidentially was any one else unaware Norway isn't in the EU?
The hills are fun- I'm aiming for the polka dot jersey. Reindeers a plenty, with bells on. They race alongside us.
There are three tunnels awaited on this section, on the way to the first we wiggle around an inlet wind screaming down towards us. Leaning fully in. I hear Alice wobble off behind me but she doesn't fall- crash barrier.
Into the tunnel. It is awesome! 7 k long, 3.5k down, 3.5k up at 9%. No speed limit. But we're too cautious (I've already melted my brake pads down) so we slow down, brakes on- arms getting numb. Just imagine a road bike at full pelt!
The climb starts, lung busting, ever up......... and then the light, and now blown sideways again by the wind.
Take shelter eat our bread and butter (surplus from last night's soup course)
Two more tunnels, gusting inlets inbetween. Out of the third tunnel and Hello Honningswag!
Shall we go to Nordkapp tonight? No the hang over and solitary meal have taken their toll, to bed.
Day 2 Skaidi to Repvag
Friday 23rd July
75.48km covered in 3hr21 (Max speed 62.2kmph, avg speed 22.4kmph)
Weather: Strong winds (worse than yesterday)
Terrain: Exposed coves with blustering crosswinds
Sleep-in. Checkout at 12noon. Breakfast (lunch made). Shoes dried through combination of sauna and radiator overnight. Heavy rain predicted, easing in the late afternoon. Elected to spend the morning (and most of the afternoon) hanging out in the hotel lobby waiting for weather to clear. Resulted in Hazel formulating method to prevent soaking of shoes as experienced yesterday by utilising the huge role of duct tape purchased in Alta. Unable to describe the resulting effect - see photos. Needless to say, our sporty look was added too quite significantly, and we set off with high spirits at around 3:30pm for Olderfjord where we planned to spend the night.
Despite the lessning cloud cover, the winds did not abate, and we found ourselves hammering along with a massive tail/crosswind; whilst at times this certainly added to our speed, for the most part we were hampered by the winds and spent the majoirty of the 22km to Olderfjord leaning heavily into the wind. Ali's worst fears were realised on this relatively short stretch, and for the first time I did not find myself falling behind as Ali battled with the wind and her concerns of being swept clean off the road.
Arriving in Olderfjord, we were told there was no room in the hotel or camping areas, and that we would need to carry on to the next town (Repvag) approximately 43km away! The number of coach tours who appeared to be in town were clearly frustrating our efforts to have a hassle free journey north...in the words of hungry Hazel "Why don't they just catch a cruise?!?". Needless to say, Ali was less than impressed with this (only) option. In an attempt (successful I might add) to remove the surly expression from Ali's face, Hazel and I promptly ordered a serve of reindeer, mediterranean pasta, and tomato soup (dreamy) to fill the aching bellies before we pushed on though the wind and rain (clearing slightly as we headed north).
Light was certainly not an issue, but wind became a big one as we rounded numerous small inlets along the jagged north Norway coast with horrific winds racing down the valleys out to sea. Finally arriving in Repvag after some arduous stretches of coastline, we were told once again all rooms and camping grounds were full, and that we should continue to Honningsvag....another 55km further north!!! At this point it was close to 8:30pm, however we figured that with a bit more food in our bellies we could probably make it...after all it had only taken us 3.5hrs to cover 75km! So we settled into the hotel for all-you-can-eat buffet dinner of soup, fish and potatoes, with fruit (jam) compote for dessert. The friendly hotel staff promptly advised that there was E. coli in the water and we were restricted to tea and coffee (not that we minded too much). After enjoying the warmth for an hour or so, we were beginning to doubt our decision to push on, and thought we would try again for a campsite, at which point we were advised that we could pitch our tent in the vicinity of the hotel, with use of hotel bathrooms as required. "Satisfatory outcome". We began to scout around, and flattened an area of grass in the middle of the small cluster of houses that comprised the tiny fishing village. At this point a very kind man (who we would later come to know as Rene) insisted that we stay with his friend (behind whose house we were planning to pitch our tent). We subsequently made ourselves at home (dumped panniers on the floor), and then headed up to Rene's home/office where we drank far too much for our dehydrated bodies (particularly given we were unable to re-fill our water bottles!!) A night of conversations alternating between English, Norwegian, Finnish and German, we had a few laughes before exchanging contact details and finally heading to bed sometime after 1am, with best intentions of leaving first thing.....Slightly sidetracked by the fisherman who had kindly leant us a room (whose name we still don't know!), we indulged in a glass of red wine with our host, before crawling into our sleeping bags at close to 2am....sky still bright as day....welcome to Norway!
75.48km covered in 3hr21 (Max speed 62.2kmph, avg speed 22.4kmph)
Weather: Strong winds (worse than yesterday)
Terrain: Exposed coves with blustering crosswinds
Sleep-in. Checkout at 12noon. Breakfast (lunch made). Shoes dried through combination of sauna and radiator overnight. Heavy rain predicted, easing in the late afternoon. Elected to spend the morning (and most of the afternoon) hanging out in the hotel lobby waiting for weather to clear. Resulted in Hazel formulating method to prevent soaking of shoes as experienced yesterday by utilising the huge role of duct tape purchased in Alta. Unable to describe the resulting effect - see photos. Needless to say, our sporty look was added too quite significantly, and we set off with high spirits at around 3:30pm for Olderfjord where we planned to spend the night.
Despite the lessning cloud cover, the winds did not abate, and we found ourselves hammering along with a massive tail/crosswind; whilst at times this certainly added to our speed, for the most part we were hampered by the winds and spent the majoirty of the 22km to Olderfjord leaning heavily into the wind. Ali's worst fears were realised on this relatively short stretch, and for the first time I did not find myself falling behind as Ali battled with the wind and her concerns of being swept clean off the road.
Arriving in Olderfjord, we were told there was no room in the hotel or camping areas, and that we would need to carry on to the next town (Repvag) approximately 43km away! The number of coach tours who appeared to be in town were clearly frustrating our efforts to have a hassle free journey north...in the words of hungry Hazel "Why don't they just catch a cruise?!?". Needless to say, Ali was less than impressed with this (only) option. In an attempt (successful I might add) to remove the surly expression from Ali's face, Hazel and I promptly ordered a serve of reindeer, mediterranean pasta, and tomato soup (dreamy) to fill the aching bellies before we pushed on though the wind and rain (clearing slightly as we headed north).
Light was certainly not an issue, but wind became a big one as we rounded numerous small inlets along the jagged north Norway coast with horrific winds racing down the valleys out to sea. Finally arriving in Repvag after some arduous stretches of coastline, we were told once again all rooms and camping grounds were full, and that we should continue to Honningsvag....another 55km further north!!! At this point it was close to 8:30pm, however we figured that with a bit more food in our bellies we could probably make it...after all it had only taken us 3.5hrs to cover 75km! So we settled into the hotel for all-you-can-eat buffet dinner of soup, fish and potatoes, with fruit (jam) compote for dessert. The friendly hotel staff promptly advised that there was E. coli in the water and we were restricted to tea and coffee (not that we minded too much). After enjoying the warmth for an hour or so, we were beginning to doubt our decision to push on, and thought we would try again for a campsite, at which point we were advised that we could pitch our tent in the vicinity of the hotel, with use of hotel bathrooms as required. "Satisfatory outcome". We began to scout around, and flattened an area of grass in the middle of the small cluster of houses that comprised the tiny fishing village. At this point a very kind man (who we would later come to know as Rene) insisted that we stay with his friend (behind whose house we were planning to pitch our tent). We subsequently made ourselves at home (dumped panniers on the floor), and then headed up to Rene's home/office where we drank far too much for our dehydrated bodies (particularly given we were unable to re-fill our water bottles!!) A night of conversations alternating between English, Norwegian, Finnish and German, we had a few laughes before exchanging contact details and finally heading to bed sometime after 1am, with best intentions of leaving first thing.....Slightly sidetracked by the fisherman who had kindly leant us a room (whose name we still don't know!), we indulged in a glass of red wine with our host, before crawling into our sleeping bags at close to 2am....sky still bright as day....welcome to Norway!
finally sunshine!
2am still light!!
Day 1 Alta to Skaidi- snow, sandwiches and saved by sports direct
Thursday 22nd July
88.48km covered in 5hr02 (max speed 48kmph, average speed 17.5kmph)
Weather - Torrential Rain and strong wind 8 degrees celsius
Terrain - mountainous, exposed plateau, max gradient 9%
I awoke with a start as I do everyday, at exactly 5.30 uk time, a mild wave of panic washing through me at the fear I may have be late for my seven am start at Darwins Deli. As I am always late, this panic is something I have learned to deal with. Today however, on closer inspection of my surroundings, I discover I am in a hotel room in the arctic circle, it s bright outside as in fact it did never get dark, leaving my circadian rhythm in complete disarray. The fear of being late for work is of course immediately allayed, but replace by a slight fear of cycling further north into the arctic in heavy wind and rain. After a big breakfast and a slow start we wobble off, loaded down with supplies discreetly slipped into panniers a breakfast. As the rain is not too heavy we decide not to wear waterproof trousers. Oh with hindsight how differently we would have dressed! Things go well and we progress through our first 10km or so happily, climbing steadily from beautiful seaside roads up the mountains to about 400m above sea level. We are in the granny gears and the bikes and us are happy. As we climb higher away from civilization the rain and wind decided to play wih us a little bit, hail hits the eyes and a strong head and sidewinds try to push us off the road, as do he huge arctic lorries and warm coaches of beady eyed tourists, our only companions on these lonely roads. We stop for a flapjack break at a "service-station" which only sells reindeer antlers and furs. Perhaps we should have invested. At his point we are soaked through, waterproof jackets and socks will only put up with so much. The only way to keep remotely warm is to keep cycling, there is nothing in sight, not a building, tree nor human. You would not know isolation like this existed in Europe. We were hoping and praying for some sort of roadside cafe in which to shelter, but we had make do with half a pasty on the side of the road. We have cycled 40km without a shred of civilization. We are within walking distance of snow. This really is the arctic. When soaring high in the sky over Norway on Wednesday I had spotted the patches of white on the empty barrenlands, but reassured myself they were just rocks. Still, we will not go thirsty. After the pasty we realise we are actually in danger of hypothermia and must not stop moving again! We slog on, praying for a town. After 40 long slow km more, we are rewarded wih the small town of Skaidi. As we begin the beautiful long descent toward the ski(!) resort, a smile on my face as I get above 20mph for he first time in 80km and I spot a glorious chalet hotel, shining like a beacon on the hillside. Safety and warmth beckon, the feeling of relief and joy worth every bloody mile. We are given a discount and peel off our sodden thermals (he best £7 I ever spent in Sports Direct Colliers Wood!). Dinner is of course, sandwiches. Battered by their long journey from our breakfast table, but the most satisfying meal ever. When we were at the top of that mountain, and we thought we would have to put up the tent just to shelter and survive, I never thought I would feel this warm, and this dry again. Magnificent. I'll never again complain about dragging a trailer of sandwiches through the snow up Morden Rd.
88.48km covered in 5hr02 (max speed 48kmph, average speed 17.5kmph)
Weather - Torrential Rain and strong wind 8 degrees celsius
Terrain - mountainous, exposed plateau, max gradient 9%
I awoke with a start as I do everyday, at exactly 5.30 uk time, a mild wave of panic washing through me at the fear I may have be late for my seven am start at Darwins Deli. As I am always late, this panic is something I have learned to deal with. Today however, on closer inspection of my surroundings, I discover I am in a hotel room in the arctic circle, it s bright outside as in fact it did never get dark, leaving my circadian rhythm in complete disarray. The fear of being late for work is of course immediately allayed, but replace by a slight fear of cycling further north into the arctic in heavy wind and rain. After a big breakfast and a slow start we wobble off, loaded down with supplies discreetly slipped into panniers a breakfast. As the rain is not too heavy we decide not to wear waterproof trousers. Oh with hindsight how differently we would have dressed! Things go well and we progress through our first 10km or so happily, climbing steadily from beautiful seaside roads up the mountains to about 400m above sea level. We are in the granny gears and the bikes and us are happy. As we climb higher away from civilization the rain and wind decided to play wih us a little bit, hail hits the eyes and a strong head and sidewinds try to push us off the road, as do he huge arctic lorries and warm coaches of beady eyed tourists, our only companions on these lonely roads. We stop for a flapjack break at a "service-station" which only sells reindeer antlers and furs. Perhaps we should have invested. At his point we are soaked through, waterproof jackets and socks will only put up with so much. The only way to keep remotely warm is to keep cycling, there is nothing in sight, not a building, tree nor human. You would not know isolation like this existed in Europe. We were hoping and praying for some sort of roadside cafe in which to shelter, but we had make do with half a pasty on the side of the road. We have cycled 40km without a shred of civilization. We are within walking distance of snow. This really is the arctic. When soaring high in the sky over Norway on Wednesday I had spotted the patches of white on the empty barrenlands, but reassured myself they were just rocks. Still, we will not go thirsty. After the pasty we realise we are actually in danger of hypothermia and must not stop moving again! We slog on, praying for a town. After 40 long slow km more, we are rewarded wih the small town of Skaidi. As we begin the beautiful long descent toward the ski(!) resort, a smile on my face as I get above 20mph for he first time in 80km and I spot a glorious chalet hotel, shining like a beacon on the hillside. Safety and warmth beckon, the feeling of relief and joy worth every bloody mile. We are given a discount and peel off our sodden thermals (he best £7 I ever spent in Sports Direct Colliers Wood!). Dinner is of course, sandwiches. Battered by their long journey from our breakfast table, but the most satisfying meal ever. When we were at the top of that mountain, and we thought we would have to put up the tent just to shelter and survive, I never thought I would feel this warm, and this dry again. Magnificent. I'll never again complain about dragging a trailer of sandwiches through the snow up Morden Rd.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
Day 0 Kew to Alta
0545 Shower
0620 Load up Ali's parent's Van with bikes and panniers
0700 Van makes in to Heathrow
0730 Ali checks in early in order to ensure seat away from the imminent screech conversation of Phillipa and Hazel
0745 Phil and Hazel arrive at Heathrow via Piccadilly line
0750 Hazel and Phil check in
0810 Breakfast. Hazel spills coffee over Ali's Mum
1020 Fly to Oslo. Hazel sleeps. Phil makes the acquaintance of Norwegian and brushes up her phrases.
1500 Fly to Alta. Sleep. Ali is sat next to phelgm ridden boy eating chocolate. Does not sleep.
1745 Girls and bikes arrive safe and sound.
1900 Bikes reassembled. Ali suffers coffee induced panic attack "There's a spring missing. It won't work without it. I need to eat something". Her fears of trip cancellation are sated by Hula Hoops. Spring is found.
1910 Photo shoot outside airport. Ali and Hazel realise leggings are see through and entirely inappropriate for public consumption. Team elect for night in hotel due to exhaustion.
1915 cycle through Alta to find hotel, Ali and Hazel wearing aforementioned leggings. Painstakingly slow duel with 9 year old girl on mountain bike en route.
2000 Check in a Park hotel. Blows day's budget but swayed by free waffles and herbal teas.
2100 Carbo load in authentic Norwegian Italian Pizzeria kebab house.
2330 Bed, still light outside.
0700 Van makes in to Heathrow
0730 Ali checks in early in order to ensure seat away from the imminent screech conversation of Phillipa and Hazel
0745 Phil and Hazel arrive at Heathrow via Piccadilly line
0750 Hazel and Phil check in
0810 Breakfast. Hazel spills coffee over Ali's Mum
1020 Fly to Oslo. Hazel sleeps. Phil makes the acquaintance of Norwegian and brushes up her phrases.
1500 Fly to Alta. Sleep. Ali is sat next to phelgm ridden boy eating chocolate. Does not sleep.
1745 Girls and bikes arrive safe and sound.
1900 Bikes reassembled. Ali suffers coffee induced panic attack "There's a spring missing. It won't work without it. I need to eat something". Her fears of trip cancellation are sated by Hula Hoops. Spring is found.
1910 Photo shoot outside airport. Ali and Hazel realise leggings are see through and entirely inappropriate for public consumption. Team elect for night in hotel due to exhaustion.
1915 cycle through Alta to find hotel, Ali and Hazel wearing aforementioned leggings. Painstakingly slow duel with 9 year old girl on mountain bike en route.
2000 Check in a Park hotel. Blows day's budget but swayed by free waffles and herbal teas.
2100 Carbo load in authentic Norwegian Italian Pizzeria kebab house.
2330 Bed, still light outside.
Day T-1. The bike boxes
Phil and I have a series of epic journeys across south London in order to pick up bike boxes from Apex cycles. I bring my skateboard along as a makeshift trolley which makes life a little easier, but not with the amount of ill considered street signs and road side cafe tables!
We aim to walk to Clapham junction but end up at Queenstown Road. We are both glad Ali is coming with her more superior map reading skills.
Then back to Clapham for the bikes. Home again to pack. With some difficulty our massive tank like tourers are squeezed into whippet racing bike boxes, involving much disassembling. Bed at 0350.
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