nbjtours

Falkoping, Sweden

Day Fourteen 108 miles 2877ft

Today was another day of extras most of them unwelcome and some just scary. 

The rain had not stopped all night and stepping outside it showed no signs of relenting, which probably had something to do with the fact I did not start until 9.15 fully togged up in fluorescent yellow waterproofs. 

The rain then caused the first detour  , a misroute running out of town, always difficult with cycle paths etc. It only added 6 miles to the route and took me through the town of Bjorneborg, but did then give me 25 rather then 5 miles on a trunk route. It was horrible with a couple of trucks coming by, spraying muck and filth,  every few minutes, and then forcing you to hang onto the bars to keep the bike straight in their wake. 

The interesting part though is not the fear of getting hit but the noise, because after turning off the road the silence of just me pedalling calmed everything down and it was then time for the prearranged coffee stop, breathing a big sigh of relief that was over. 

  
Just as I stopped the sun came out and once again I changed out of my cold wet kit into a dry set. 

Detour number two was within an mile of this stop as we had planned to use a nice small road by a canal. On arriving at the road a smiley man with a red flag explained that they were relaying the road and it was closed to us. When Nigel explained who we were he smiled some more, so I asked why – his reply ” I have never stopped an international cyclist before!”

This detour was down a busy secondary road with the wind on the nose most of the way. Although flat it did not allow for much relaxation  

 Feeling sorry for me Nigel stopped a bit early and we had pizza for lunch opposite this church. 
With only around 40 odd miles to go  I told Nigel & Monica to press onto the site and I would see them there 

The next 20 miles were some of the most frightening I have had on a bike as going round the town , Svode, where Volvo make their powertrains the road turned from a busy trunk road to a pseudo 4 lane motorway with a hard shoulder 3 feet wide. Whilst thinking I had to get off, I simply could not and to make matters worse then had to go through a 200m long tunnel, the noise was quite deafening. 

Just after this and to my great relief there was a turning off which I was only too happy to take. Phew. There was a sign here that said no cycles  which we had not seen before. 

I then had to work out how to get to camp and after a chat with a local and then a choice of 2 miles gravel ( I had yet to do any today) or 9 miles road. I took the gravel road for the best bit of today’s ride, being buzzed by a buzzard. Seeing some storks and horses. 

 
My last mini detour occurred after I had a chat with a nice Swede and his daughter on their mountain bikes to confirm that the campsite was on top of the hill up that 12% gradient. I took his mountain bike route briefly, but he saw and turned round to let me know

  
As he said the campsite is on the top of the hill overlooking Falkoping 

Not a great days cycling, the best being 2 miles near the end, but at least it was dry after a very wet start   

I Saw some more good roadside plants today including corn cockle and knapweed which I will put together in a Scandanavian catch up later   

I did however see this below and am still looking for its close relative the money tree!

Degerfors, Sweden

Day Thirteen 131 miles 5128ft

Of all the days this week, today was the one I was most concerned about, as on top of a big mileage, the weather forecast had always been poor. 

The day dawned with a milky gray sky and although the sun did try to come out for a minute, it stayed gray  all day,  much like the sky in the TV series Wallander, which would always put you off visiting Sweden rather than see the super views we have had so far. 

As well as gray, today was easily the coldest day of the tour with the temperature ranging from only 11- 15C. We have to remember that we are now only about level with John O’Groats. This was thanks to the North wind which for much of the day pushed me along nicely. 

The day started by running alongside ski resorts on one side, on what amounted to hills only as big as the North Downs, and dairy farms on the other. A strange mix. 

  
As usual the road then climbed, but I had a very good run to coffee, which was not taken until 40 miles, as we managed to go round opposite sides of the same very long lake!

Next up came another 15 mile stretch of gravel road which as usual went up before going back down

  
This was the long and winding road today and there was one truck I saw coming the other way.  I guess that I have now ridden the best part of 100 miles on these tracks on a road bike and whilst no expert they remind me of my rally days. Making sure that you look as far ahead as possible, scanning for potholes, changes in surface colour or texture and ready to make very early, gentle changes of direction as rapid changes cause rapid falls particularly on descending. 

It was during the descent that I noticed such a change in colour and I managed to slow down enough before hitting a very soft patch of gravel and although getting a big wobble on, kept upright for the full 100 yards. It was only when I got to the camper that Nigel said he saw it being laid only 20 minutes before I got there!

  Today a luxury steakwich lunch was taken at 2pm after 70 miles at the top of another big climb. 
One of the highlights of the day was then a 500 ft drop over 3 miles and overtaking the camper as we came into the town at the bottom, as Nigel slowed to obey the speed limit. 

We are still in Hillbilly country as this old jalopy shows

  As it was to be a long day, a third stop for tea and biscuits was decided upon and although it remained cold the weather continued to hold off, apart from the odd spot or two of rain, unpleasantly though everything was greasily  damp with the moisture in the air. Overall as the day panned out, I think I was very lucky as this fantastic wedge shaped mountain of cloud shows.   

Saw some more nice flowers today but with very slow internet will put them up in my next Natures Corner slot. 

  
I do not listen to music whilst I ride and am often asked – well once actually, what do you think about alone on your bike all the time? It really depends on how easy the road is to ride. Dirt roads and city streets leave no time for wild thoughts, but pounding along a good straight road with nothing much to see will obviously make you think of family and work and what to write in today’s blog and being in Sweden  for so long made me think I would really like a Volvo with three large Hella rally spot lights on the front just like they do here, what do you think Line?

Having held off all day, the rain started about 6 miles from camp. What made it worse was that with 6 miles to go I saw the camper only 500 yards away, but on the other side of the river with the nearest bridge 3 miles upstream!

After such a long day, my longest cycle ever, and the second most climbing of the tour so far, and at the fastest average, I feel better than yesterday. Even Strava sent me a congrats on the day, saying I was 11 out of over 17,000 people in the world today   Such acclaim. 

After the exercise,  a proper Swedish meal of meatballs and Kopperbergs cider. 

A shorter day tomorrow,  but rain looking more likely again – we will see, only three days left in Sweden. 

Borlange, Sweden

Day Twelve 97 miles 4121ft

These were the words of the uniformed prison officer who walked up to Nigel and Monica, after they had parked up at the side of the  road waiting for me at the first coffee stop. 

We were in the middle of nowhere high up in the trees, so to be approached like this was somewhat of a shock. 

Nigel, as an ex-policeman knows the inside of gaols well, kept his cool and asked why. It turns out the area where he had stopped was in the middle of an open prison where serious offenders  have a “holiday” to get them used to the outside world. 

After a healthy discussion, the prison guard suggested they park down the road next to a lake where we could make full use of their facilities including the boat, in a less obvious and high security area. Nigel duly obliged. 

Today was meant to be a short day so we started late and I proceeded to  take the wrong turn out of Bollnas so added 4 miles to the journey. Much of this down to the fact that the Garmin has kept on freezing when asked to do both navigate and keep tabs on the other stats. Not impressive for such expensive bits of kit. 

A great road followed up and over a decent hill with the steepest climb so far at over 11%. We were therefore back in the land of the bilberry and lingonberry and as before I saw a number of Bulgarian and Ukrainian vehicles whose occupants were in the woods collecting the berries. 

   
 
After this up and down I was expecting a more pleasant ride as I rejoined the Sverigeleden route. Spot my bike hiding in the floral display. 

 
This road was anything but great as after 2 km the next 10 km uphill was on the roughest dirt road of the tour so far. So after a day of Tarmac yesterday, it was back to basics again. As you can see below not all Swedes have sussed out how to drive on gravel! 

  Stopping to take a photo of a lake, a lone motorcyclist also stopped for a chat saying how bad the road was. I was wearing my Alzheimer’s short and it turned out he was an Alzheimer’s nurse!
  
Just after this horrendous road all of a sudden it changed totally becoming a super smooth Armco lined race track – bizarre

  
It was near here that Nigel & Monica had the prison incident and shortly after coffee and more rough road I had a short sharp shower of rain climbing one side of a hill. It was dry the other side!

  
By this time the very late lunch stop at 3pm was taken on an old ferry jetty next to the new bridge over a lake. 

The last leg of 37 miles came down off the hills and were easier riding along the valley and across some picturesque rivers.    

 
For a change tonight the campsite is at the confluence of two rivers rather than by a lake and a still late finish at 6.30 with the most super power shower of the tour so far. Steak and mash went down well. 

The weather forecast suggests that today is the last good day of the week sadly, and the sky this evening seemed to be ushering in the clouds, with a super display of wave formation. Fingers crossed for tomorrow 

Bollnas, Sweden

Day Eleven 112 miles 5495 ft

There are some days when it is great  to be alive and cycle through some superb countryside. Today was one of those days, and as I write this blog hundreds of geese arriving in squadrons, cackling as they do so. are coming into land on the lake

A light shower greeted us on waking but this was the last of the rain we saw all day.

Starting out by the sea and running the first 5 miles or so next to it was the only disappointment, as half of that was taken up by a massive Akzo Nobel chemical plant which looked as though it made the rust red paint that covers all the houses here.

Turning inland up a river valley I had expected to climb, but the next 40 miles were a series of 400-500 ft climbs followed by drops not quite so large,  making today the hilliest day of the tour so far.

The benefit of these climbs and the increasing amount of farmland were the splendid views
As ever we also saw some fabulous lakes  either glimpsed through the trees or across the farmland. It is hard to describe how superb these sights were so here are the best ones.

  
  
Neil’s Nature Corner

Whilst no expert I do take an interest in the local flora and fauna so after a day when we all saw a lot here is an update.

Birds

The most commonly seen birds throughout Scandanavia so far have been the Hooded Crow and a couple of species of Wagtail. Other common birds seen have been Magpies and Swallows. Now we are further south, many flocks of sparrows chatter busily across the way, something we rarely see on the UK now. Other occasional views have been Eagles/ Buzzards, some Storks and the Geese on the lake here

Butterflies

We had not seen many until today but those known to me included Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Fritillary and the Small Blue.

Plants

There is more variety in everything here even though we remain about as far north as the Shetlands. There are more types of tree. I even saw apples in someone’s garden and the roadside verges are still colourful despite it being well Past the best time of year. Lupins probably naturalised were everywhere and although most were in seed a few still were in flower

Other bright spots in the verge included Harebells, Red Clover and a bright yellow member of the Dandelion family.

    
Farmers were hard at work cutting grass for silage although I did still see some green Barley and wheat some way off being ready to harvest

  
Today for the first time I actually had another cyclist pedalling the same way as me, but having pushed to catch him it turned out that He was the only Swede who did not speak English and then sat on my wheel in silence for almost 5 miles so I chose to stop to take some photos.

The other sporty types I have now overtaken a couple of times are guys out cross-country skiing training using rollers instead of skis.

A fabulous but long day again, but at present the body is holding up. It makes it so much easier in the dry.

Arriving at another beautiful campsite overlooking the ubiquitous  Swedish lake. Nigel had dinner ready as soon as I was showered and we had a great view as the sun set over the lake. Roll on another day like today.

Rest Day at Sundsvall 0 Miles

Today is the last day of summer here in Sweden and we chose well for a rest day, as it coincided with the final round of the Swedish National Drag Race Championships held on a former Cold War airstrip 20 miles out of town.

Having done the necessary housekeeping, laundry, map checks etc and leaving Monica with her wifi connection. I jumped pillion on Nigel’s bike to Sundsvall Raceway

We stayed for around three hours enjoying the noise and spectacle of a big sport here in Sweden.

As well as many big American cars, there were some great old Volvos and even a 700 bhp Morris Minor. 

I suspect a Swedish speciality was the drag racing skidoos which were pulling over 250kph over the line. 

As usual everyone spoke English, and when speaking to the guys in the paddock, they were always very keen for you to have a closer look at their machinery. Some of the engines were putting out over 3000bhp. Great fun.

Apart from a short shower, the weather today was good again which allowed us to take Monica into town for a meal, as ever outside in the town square.

Back at the campsite, It was good to have a chat with Caroline back home the UK and catch up, whilst I was on the beach admiring this fabulous moon shining over the Baltic sea.

  
The campsite is lit up this evening with candles outside each caravan or tent as the Swedes traditional way of saying goodbye to the summer.

Tomorrow the bike awaits!

Sundsvall, Sweden

Day Ten 110 Miles 3963 ft 

Total distance completed at end of leg 2 Northern Sweden 1019 Miles

We finally left Lappland altogether yesterday,  so no more reindeer, however the further south we have gone the colder it has got, but we are still further north than the Faroes. 

After yesterday’s travails in segment three the plan was for an easy day down the river valley to the coast, but as is customary the day does not necessarily go to plan, with several factors slowing down each segment. 

  
We left our exclusive campsite before 9 with the rain having given way to a cloudy sky. 

During the first segment I fully learnt how to construct a Swedish road. For the next 35km the road alternated between unmarked new Tarmac, types 1 or 2 gravel or semi prepared old Tarmac. I did manage to cycle all of it apart from a couple of  50 metre sections on foot and.spent many moments looking down at the sisal marker running the length to judge the edge. 

In addition to this I was pulled over twice by the advanced guard Vehicles for wide loads carrying wind turbine blades (pretty impressive this close to ) , the first chap added ‘I see you have the wrong bike for these roads’ well it was a main road was my reply. 

  
First stop overlooking a lake was reached in the dry although by this time the head wind was getting up.  

As I was about to leave you could see the rain coming in across the valley so togging up for a wet segment and reluctantly exiting the camper in drizzle Nigel said “come on  dig deep this is what it is all about”

The next 2 hrs it took to do just 29 miles were horrible, with the drizzle giving way to big rain and the wind continuing to blow. 

Despite wearing everything marked waterproof, by the time I got back in the camper I proved that this is just a sales gimmick – to make matters worse it then stopped raining

The great thing about using the camper as support was the fact that I was able to change into dry gear for the final leg and with the temperature below 10c for the first time leggings were donned 

The rain may have abated but the wind continued to blow 

Nearing the coast the countryside changed a little and I was able to get onto smaller roads following the Sverigeleden ( Sweden’s cycle route) to enjoy the cycling more, rather than hold on to the bike hard every now and again as a timber lorry went passed spraying me with muck and debris. 

Here are a couple of fun shots. A minion post box line up and then some serious rubber burn out marks. These are common throughout the land, even more so than in the UK and must be a favourite pastime of the Swedish petrol heads. 

   
 The final part of the stage took me through the outskirts of the industrial town of Timra and through our first big city since Rovaniemi,  Sundsvall. It was here I bumped into the first cyclo tourists I had seen for some time a couple of young Germans, who were doing a lap of the Baltic self supported, they said with some jealousy that they had seen the camper earlier, as they were wild camping the whole way. 

  
Reaching the campsite at almost 7 pm was the end of a long, slow day and my body is much relieved to be having a break tomorrow after five 100 mile plus days in a row, and over 1000 miles of the trip completed.  

Ramsele, Sweden

Day Nine 126 miles 3732 ft climbed

Today was not meant to be a special day,  but it will be one that I remember for some time. 

The campsite that we had stayed at Lycksele was one of the best we had ever seen, with the standard of facilities better than many five star hotels so although our stay was brief we gave it a big thumbs up. The view below is looking back to the campsite from the opposite side of the lake. 

 Unlike the forecast, the skies cleared and the morning ride was enjoyable,  if not dissimilar to yesterday’s In that what comes down must go back up, so that the first segment climbed back up to over 1600ft in steps that went up 100 or 200 ft a time then back down 50 ft so that it was difficult to get a rhythm. 

With the sun shining again things look just fantastic.    

 Note the colour of the houses in Sweden – most are the rust colour with white features, the next favourite being a yellow ochre colour. Other colours being very rare. 
The other thing that seems quite common is that you do not get rid of your car you just park it in the corner of your garden. I saw one house that must have had ten or so Saab 96 versions scattered around in different states of decay. 

Many lakes have diving platforms and the like, but the best raft I saw was below,all ready for candlelit evening meal in the middle of the lake! Note Scandanavian Gazebos have both filled in and mosquito net options so you can eat outside and not be eaten yourself.   

The countryside still mostly is forest with the odd small farm and I did see a red squirrel today. 

I also had an emergency stop when I heard a bang on my helmet and something on my head. Thinking it was a stick or twig I tried to get it out unsuccessfully, so had to stop to take my helmet off, together with a live,  but probably stunned bumble bee. Having  been stung in a similar incident a couple of months back, I thanked the little chap for sparing me. 

The segment to our planned  lunch stop in Asele ( pronounced Orseller) was a rolling one with not enough downhill. I also knew that we were yet to be at the halfway point for the day, but Asele was the only real town on route so choice was limited. 

We found a nice Konditerai where as ever the lady spoke good English. 

It was here that on leaving she asked where I was cycling to and after having told a story about a local priest who cycled the length of Sweden with some of his parishioners said ” you are cycling in the rain then”

The second half of the day was due to be 60 miles split into two with a tea break. Having kitted up for rain, following the lady’s advice, I got to the the camper dry and ok at the agreed halfway point, although did pass plenty more lakes  

 Chatting with Nigel, we said “hope the rain holds off as we may get away with it” these became fatal words. 
The next 10 miles were fine but with supposedly 20 miles to go it started to rain a bit. That was ok, but when the signs took me right instead of left I started back on a dirt road again. 

By this time the rain became torrential ( weather warnings etc) and I thought I was probably off route with at least 15 miles to do on a dirt road, the rain seemingly just getting harder and praying I did not get a puncture.  

 This was the only shot I dared take and most of the time it was much worse, as iPhones and water do not mix well and I needed to try keep in touch with the outside world. 
A few cars passed going the other way and what they thought of this mad Englishman beating down the road in the rain who knows, but any tiredness I had felt until then evaporated, as I dodged most of the potholes, really enjoying the challenge, although at the same time hoping it  would end soon as those 15 miles took an hour. 

Well it did, and with 5 miles to go I hit the main road and soggily pedalled on. Meantime Nigel had had his own dramas as the campsite was now closed for the season. Fortunately the owners live nearby and were just locking up as he arrived. Because of the dire weather he managed to sweet talk them into opening everything just for us. 

I nearly arrived 15 minutes before I did, but took a wrong turn 100 yards from the entrance, which added another 3 miles in the rain. I did then arrive completely soaked through, but feeling genuinely elated at completing such a difficult and long day in fine form, running straight into my exclusively readied shower, although finishing at 7.30 after a 8.00 start was not ideal. 

We even had time this evening to wash the bike down and lube the chain to stop it rusting. 

An amazing end to the day and 126 miles covered. This ride was always going to be a challenge but they are not always the ones you expect. 

I write this as the rain continues to batter down and we hope the forecast for light rain tomorrow comes good. 

Lycksele, Sweden

Day Eight 107 miles 4141 ft

The plan today was to get to Lycksele and that’s where I am writing this from so on the face of it the day went well. In reality it did fall into four separate segments and I ended up doing 107 miles not 113. 

  
Getting up from our wild camp the first noticeable change was the fact that the sun was shining already, unusual as for the past week it had taken until  after 10.30 for it to burn off . Today would be different. 

Segment one was one of the best of the trip so far and started with a climb on the main road past Yokahama Tyres Arctic Falls winter tyre testing grounds ( in the middle of nowhere) for 5 miles and then back onto a dirt road over the mountain. 

This was no baby road either as after little way in, a sign read Lyksele 164km – our destination. 

  
I do not know if you have seen Into the Wild, but this did feel a bit like that  as from the moment I left the road and started climbing further up to over 1500ft I saw no one at all for about an hour and a half and I was on my bike in my Lycra in the middle of Northern Sweden. 

  
All this on awesome gravel roads too 

   
 
The ups were long, but bombing down them running within the car tyre tracks at up to 30 mph certainly concentrated the mind, especially when mixed with a pothole or a thicker bit of gravel. Extreme road biking and a bit more of a challenge than just riding the road. I was glad to have my new Giant Defy disc braked bike as it gave so much more confidence in moderating the speed.  Great fun. 

  
Even this far out the odd house popped up, we guessed mostly holiday homes but there were some derelict ones too. 

Being remote,  I did come across several reindeer again today and a small fox who was wandering next to the road but ran a mile as soon as it saw me, unlike our Kentish vermin,  who are used to humans. 

  
The river crossing above was especially pretty and it was here that Nigel and Monica had waited just incase I had got too remote in the wilderness. I always carry my space blanket  ( thanks to Brian Fraser) and like all over Scandanavia  you can get 3G on your phone, so I was not that adventurous except in my own mind! Funny how 3G doesn’t work in Hadlow!

Coming to the end of this segment, we ran into a small village, where I saw one chap wandering out his house, brushing his teeth at 10.30 and a lady hanging out the washing, but they had a great view out over the village’s personal lake ( there were about ten houses)

   
 
These IKEA like photos over their lake also showed the change in the weather. 

Segment two

After over 30 miles effectively off-roading, we finally got onto a bigger road, so the plan was to do the set 30 miles ready for lunch, so it was a big surprise the see Nigel after only 27 miles. 

He shook his head- not good- when the Swedes redo a road, they dig it up, chuck huges lumps of gravel down and keep the road open before tarmaccing it ( in this case next year). 

The alternate route. after getting this far, was around 70 miles extra and the roadworks went on for 14 km. Deciding to give it a go. I managed a mile before a lorry went past too closely, so on the grounds of safety, referring to my Chef de Mission Nigel, we decided that the only way forward was to cheat as the road was just uncyclable, even the camper kept to just 15. 

A bit disheartened, as this means I will not have cycled all the way. In the end, common sense, safety and practicality must be taken into consideration. After all I am not cycling over the sea crossings and the total distance missed was only around 9 miles. 

  
Segment three after lunch saw the wind swing round behind me and I had s superb tear alongside a lake keeping the bike over 20 mph for almost 10 miles before another big climb. 

A quick cuppa and the final segment saw the wind change to head on again before the promised rain arrived, slowly at first, but then hard enough to make me stop, put all my lights and waterproofs on  So the final hour was a damp one to a very large. but very deserted campsite. It does have great showers though. 

All in all, a very varied day, the best, the worst, the quickest and the wettest segments of the tour so far. 

The forecast is mixed for the rest of the week, so my gear is in the drying room ready for action!

Day Seven 111 miles 3210 ft

I had to start today’s update with a photo I took last night at 10.30ish from the back of the camper

  
Leaving once again in a cool mist for    the first section, with arm warmers on, the best sites were early on, with the highlight being the world famous? Svartbyn tractor museum, which as you can see had tractors lined up, rusting away in the garden. There were probably twice as many on the other side too. 

  
The road here was ok but I then had a 15 mile section on the main E10 North – South road which although not that busy, had massive timber trucks passing every 3-4 minutes, which was most unpleasant, except for the lovely pine smell they left behind 

Turning off this road, which had followed the river, the road to Boden was a rolling affair between lakes, rivers and hilltops, as ever looking stunning in the sun. 

  
At the 30 mile coffee stop we decided to push onto Boden for the next rendezvous and grab lunch in civilisation – a full 36 mile section. 

Strangely,  we then came across a 4 km section of the otherwise fully tarmaced road, which was still dirt or should I say golf ball sized lumps of granite more suited to road foundation than top surface. Nigel had reccied the road and was waiting at the start of it to warn me. 

Having learnt my lesson from yesterday, but Refusing a lift, as to cycle on this would only lead to more punctures. I then swapped my cycle shoes for trainers,  so I could walk the rough bits, but get back on where the gravel was ok to ride on. 

Here there were more farms and pastureland and the landscape was softer. 

No reindeer today for the first time in over a week 

Boden as ever was a clean and tidy small town with not a stripey top in sight. 

  
Having a wander round we found a super pavement cafe and had lunch, which I followed up with some Apple Cake with an overgenerous helping of vanilla cream ( Nigel and Monica were good) as the waitress felt sorry for me. 

It is incredible to think that we are still as far North as Iceland and we sat outside in the shade as it was too hot in the sun. 

Whilst in the queue I got chatting to an old man (they nearly all speak English here) who said that a mad friend of his cycled from Nordkapp to Gibraltar on a unicycle to prove he was not crazy. And some think I  am nuts!!

Sign of the trip so far seen in Boden. Caption entires on a postcard please. 
 
With the weather still good and only 27 miles to go before the proposed campsite. Nigel and I agreed to take advantage of the camper and good weather and that as long as I was ok just before the campsite we would crack on another 15 miles and wild camp to reduce tomorrow’s 130 miler when rain is threatening in the evening. 

So I am writing this in the camper, parked up 100 yards off the road having eaten, showered and locked out the insects for the night, after cycling 111 miles today with a similar distance to a campsite tomorrow- fingers crossed it stays dry. 

Overkalix, Sweden

Day Six 103 miles 2927 ft

The last day in Finland was the coolest start so far, with a thick mist and low cloud keeping the temperature down until almost midday. This was also the first day wholly outside the Arctic Circle too. 

Leaving the campsite at an ok 9am, saw the first 16 miles all on cycle paths,  again summing up the very positive attitude the Finns have to bikes. 

Having to turn off the cycle path I then had an up and over ride between two river valleys with plenty of straight roads round each corner. On average around 1 1/2 miles long, see below, one up, the other down. They all look up when cycling though. 

   
 
As usual toast, jam and coffee by the roadside after 30 odd miles, was  today accompanied by a treat of a croissant, before more of the same roads down until we crossed the border into Sweden. 

No dramas,  though I did hit a dragonfly, pretty heavy things too. The forest floor is still covered by bilberry and lingonberry plants and I did spot an infamous Red Campion for the first time, but the birch leaves are starting to turn indicating autumn is on its way. 
   
 
After lunch the route took us off the main road as desired, but disastrously the maps do not indicate if the road is Tarmac or dirt. 

Unfortunately, this road had had a fresh dressing of large chippings and after only 500 yards I got a rear flat,  managing to repair this whilst spitting out mosquitoes. I got going again, only to last around a mile more before both tyres cried enough just 50 Yards From the turning off. 

I staggered  round in my shoes on the  gravel then with two flats and only one inner tube left had to call Nigel for spares by this time 20 miles  up the road. So seeing an opportunity to break the motorbike out again on the dirt, he was only to happy to oblige. 

Nigel cracked open the Evernden Cycles emergency kit and together with the track pump, opened up the throttle and had some fun as he turned into Monty Pythons Bicycle Repair Man

   
 
After a 40 minute wait ( Monica insisted that he put on all his gear) when only one car passed, Nigel arrived and the bike was returned to full health. 

Once again though, a 20 mile stretch of unmade up road beckoned but this was much better and smooth enough for me to hit 30 mph+ downhill missing the potholes. 

  
The final fun of the day was getting on the Sandudden Ferry across to the our destination Overkalix, where the local petrol heads were out in force, one very nice modified 1950s Volvo pulling a superb burn out which must have cost him almost a new set of tyres. 103 miles had taken 10 hours after the various delays, but a good days work. 

   
 
The next three days are probably the longest combined of the tour so an early start awaits and sadly the dry weather looks set to break tomorrow or Wednesday. 

Thank you for your messages of support keep them coming, they mean a lot.