Tuesday the 3rd of August
84km traveled in 4hours 11minutes
19.5kmph, max 46.7
For once I wake first- this trip has confirmed I am not a morning person. I attempt porriadge mph max (thankfully Phillippa's up to help as well now) and sucessfully master the perculator for coffee.
Having had again dragged down yesterday's average with the dratted off road sections and needing to walk the last 2km into the city we elect for a light day nipping down the coast to the seaside resort of Byske. Alice has been clutching the scandinavian camping brochure (German version) and proclaiming it's host of delightful attractions for some days so is thrilled!
There is the standard stop start both at the hostel and then negociating our way out of the city. Cykelsparet has a habit of misssing out crucial signposts, although Phil has latterly pointed out this maybe mischievous road workers rather than sparet himself.
We eventually find ourselves pedaling with good pace out of the suburbs when we are zipped past by a young swede on a road bike. I bite my lip and resist my urge to sprint after him knowing my knee will not be grateful. So we persist with our current pace and lo! start to reel him back in- he doesn't even pull away up hill! Sadly he nips right before we can catch back up and we continue on sparet's signposting to the left... which leads us back on to our favourite E4. Aware Sparet does occasionally take us on to the motorway we get on and start pedalling, again the double carriage narrows to a single with us penned into a half metre wide stretch bordered by a sharp drop into rubble and the other a rumble strip then traffic. After about 5k we have our daily obligatory E4 picnic stop and consult the map surprised at Sparet's recommendations.
It would now appear we should have pursued the road bike rather than turn left- naughty sparet signposts! With the central reservation there's no u-turn option so it's a further 15km before we can get off and detour backwards back to the route. Needless to say the 15km are a tense business and with some relief we get off. A quick swig of water and recheck of map before we are off when the road bike comes into view- clearly enraged three girls on such slow bikes have beaten him with their motorway shortcut.
We sucessfully find ourselves back on sparet 20km later (so much for the nip down the coast!) and are flying along keen to get to Byske for lunch. I come over a bit funny and vomit my lunch down my leg whilst pedaling, I look up for the others and to my disgust they have hit the off road section and are whizzing off into the horizon. Quick wet wipe and chewing gum later and I attempt to whizz off road.
Off road is not the correct phrase however, for the next 20km of road are undergoing swedish road works. This would seem to involve digging up the entire section of road and covering unequally in rubble and then tarmacing a section at a time with no diversions and only one traffic flow controlling device- documented below.
For once I wake first- this trip has confirmed I am not a morning person. I attempt porriadge mph max (thankfully Phillippa's up to help as well now) and sucessfully master the perculator for coffee.
Having had again dragged down yesterday's average with the dratted off road sections and needing to walk the last 2km into the city we elect for a light day nipping down the coast to the seaside resort of Byske. Alice has been clutching the scandinavian camping brochure (German version) and proclaiming it's host of delightful attractions for some days so is thrilled!
There is the standard stop start both at the hostel and then negociating our way out of the city. Cykelsparet has a habit of misssing out crucial signposts, although Phil has latterly pointed out this maybe mischievous road workers rather than sparet himself.
We eventually find ourselves pedaling with good pace out of the suburbs when we are zipped past by a young swede on a road bike. I bite my lip and resist my urge to sprint after him knowing my knee will not be grateful. So we persist with our current pace and lo! start to reel him back in- he doesn't even pull away up hill! Sadly he nips right before we can catch back up and we continue on sparet's signposting to the left... which leads us back on to our favourite E4. Aware Sparet does occasionally take us on to the motorway we get on and start pedalling, again the double carriage narrows to a single with us penned into a half metre wide stretch bordered by a sharp drop into rubble and the other a rumble strip then traffic. After about 5k we have our daily obligatory E4 picnic stop and consult the map surprised at Sparet's recommendations.
It would now appear we should have pursued the road bike rather than turn left- naughty sparet signposts! With the central reservation there's no u-turn option so it's a further 15km before we can get off and detour backwards back to the route. Needless to say the 15km are a tense business and with some relief we get off. A quick swig of water and recheck of map before we are off when the road bike comes into view- clearly enraged three girls on such slow bikes have beaten him with their motorway shortcut.
We sucessfully find ourselves back on sparet 20km later (so much for the nip down the coast!) and are flying along keen to get to Byske for lunch. I come over a bit funny and vomit my lunch down my leg whilst pedaling, I look up for the others and to my disgust they have hit the off road section and are whizzing off into the horizon. Quick wet wipe and chewing gum later and I attempt to whizz off road.
Off road is not the correct phrase however, for the next 20km of road are undergoing swedish road works. This would seem to involve digging up the entire section of road and covering unequally in rubble and then tarmacing a section at a time with no diversions and only one traffic flow controlling device- documented below.
I'm trying to enjoy myself off road but can't get any speed up with my duff knee to nip over the bumps, and now a flat tyre! Thankfully the others had already doubled back to see what was taking me so long. We pull into a grassy clearing between the ominpresent pines and while the mosquitoes and flies descend replace the inner tube. A short trot down the wooded path is a lake and it seems as good a time as any to go for a dip. The water is ironbrew coloured and there are reeds hiding under the surface, it is not a nice swim. Phillippa sensibly has only got her feet wet.
Out we get and on again past the steam rollers ironing out their freshly laid tarmac. Fresh tarmac is suprisingly nosiy to cycle on and to sticky to get good pace up. I was worried should we have to stop that we may get stuck!
Out we get and on again past the steam rollers ironing out their freshly laid tarmac. Fresh tarmac is suprisingly nosiy to cycle on and to sticky to get good pace up. I was worried should we have to stop that we may get stuck!
We make it to Byske and hit Alice's eutopia of camping resorts. Tents pitched we head straight for the beach. Articifcal sand to lie on and a floating pier into the water, the freshwater. This isn't the sea it's an estuary, thankfully no reeds but pitiful waves and it is very shallow- only waist height at 5min walk out.
After a dinner of cream chesse macaroni with lemon tagine vegatable on the side (thank you for the paste Mum) we hit the showers and get ready to hit the campsite's nightclub. Much excitement at the tents at the prospect of a night on the tiles. I have a quick fringe cut from Ali and the dresses are on, field hospital undertakes it's first tour surgical procedure- removing a splinter from my hand, and then we are ready to go.
The campsites resturant is the club's venue and it's entry price is 100kr (8quid!) Disgusted we turn on our heels and hit the kiosk. We have a crazy night back on the beach with a mint nogger (feast), bottle of coke, packet of crisps and some sweets. Wild times. Sugared up we head back to the tents for sweet slumbers.
Swedish road works
Alice and Phil absorb camp information
Therapist Colby operating in field hospital
Nogger on the beach
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