Hello people. Rejoin the ride from Trondheim - a couple of days exploring this great city - then northbound to Namsos. Sensational scenery along the coastal route 17, island hopping across turquoise waters and a day spent on the island of Leka. A red serpentinite range makes this island unique within Norway and it was great to ride the empty roads and take in the views. We followed the sunshine to Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen where we rode the Hurtigruten (Norway´s coastal steamer) across the arctic circle to Ørnes. The day started for us at 3.30am (the time the ferry docked!) and it was a long day by the time we reached busy Bodø in the evening. Tyre troubles kept us entertained on the way - I managed to shred a tyre I´d picked up only 3 days earlier in Namsos! After a night in the ferry terminal and a four hour stomach-churning ferry ride, we arrived in Moskenes on the amazing Lofoten islands. From the village of Å, we continued to Reine and climbed a peak for incredible views over the jagged peaks, lakes and fishing villages that make these islands so popular.
From Nesland (permanent population 2!) we hiked a hot day to Nusfjord and chilled off dipping into the North Atlantic....brrrr. Fretting fisherman, bacon & egg bus shelter stops, swimming in sleeping bags and countless cod en route to Henningsvær, Svolvær and the Vesterålen islands. From Melbu, Stokmarknes, fabulous Nyksund and Stø. On board a whale watching ship from Stø, I managed to lift my green head from over the side of the boat to spot one sperm whale. The "Six-hour-sea-sickness-sail" is a more appropriate title for that excursion. Guus is definately the one with the sea-stomach. And what did we decide on the next day? A deep sea fishing trip. From Langøya we loaded our bikes into a dinghy and a local ferried us across the sea for a beach landing on the island of Andøya. Setting off from Bleik and soon hauling in coal fish and the occasional cod we finished off this brilliant trip with a fish soup onboard and some take-away catch. From Andøya we crossed to scenic Senja, rode the northern route visiting Husøy, ferried onto Kvaløya and arrived into Tromsø on Thursday.
Guus was due to meet his girlfriend Mariette at the airport shortly after we arrived. What followed was a frantic attempt to make himself appear (and smell?!) human once again. Think he succeeded....(Mariette didn´t board the next plane to return to Holland!). The hospitality of the Norwegian people continues to be incredible and we are frequently fuelled on with cakes and coffee. Current accommodation in Tromsø is top-notch thanks to locals Jon and Eric. Tomorrow I fly north to Svalbard. Guus will fly up on Thursday and we plan a return to Tromsø on the 31st. The bikes will have a rest in Tromsø as the 50km total of roads and wandering polar bears make cycling on Svalbard a less-than-ideal mode of transportation...
Until the next blog entry (hope to make it around the 1st week of September) stay safe and feel free to post comments here!
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