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Cycling Scandinavia 2016
  • Owen Peters
  • Owen Peters

Cycling Scandinavia 2016

A 28-day adventure by Owen Read more
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  • Owen PetersCycling Scandinavia 2016Traveler
    1

    Day 22 - Coasting on...

    June 3, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a quick calculation the night before, we realised that the lightning storm had set us back a bit more than we thought. So today needed to be a big push, with a planned distance of 90km, to keep us on track to reach Denmark by Friday night or Saturday morning.

    Aside from the distance, we also had the 25 degree heat to contend with. But we did a good job of getting out of our camp quickly, being generally well organised with tent-packing and breakfast.

    The day before was also a long ride in the sun, so I was struggling to find the energy this morning for the first time in the trip. I was.more driven by will power than anything else for the first hours - struggling to keep pace against a headwinds even on the flat route.

    By 2pm we were rolling into Halmstad for lunch, having covered 55km already. It was a later lunch than planned, as we were following the winding coastal path, and also got lost finding our way into Halmstad (the biggest city that we have cycled into so far)

    After a long stop at a Subway, we pushed on with the last 35km and managed to do it in one ride - no doubt helped by the food and cooling weather. We were still following the coastal route, but we were led a bit in-land and back across farmland before arriving in the town of Basted and finding our (much better) campsite.    Read more

  • Owen PetersCycling Scandinavia 2016Traveler

    Day 23 - Swedens' final hurdle

    June 4, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Leaving Bastad, we had one more mountain to conquer before a flat, final run to the Danish border. It turned out to be one of the highest and longest climbs of the whole trip, which made for a fitting final challenge for Sweden.

    In fact, the Swedish half of the ride proved to be a kind of 'greatest hits' for the country. We had the mountain, followed by cycle paths along fields and farms, road cycling and forests. We even came close to an 'E' highway on a few occasions, but mercifully avoided it.

    Our final stop in Sweden was Helsinborg - the biggest city we had yet seen, but made enjoyable by the extremely well-developed inner-city cycle paths. After that, we were cueing to cycle into the lower hold of a ferry, chased by freight lorries.

    We read that it was possible to get a nice meal on the ferry, at duty-free prices, but the food turned out to be comparable to an Ikea fast-food hot dog. We ate one, all the same, then rolled off the ferry and round the coast to our campsite. As the campsite was full (and full of sniffy, elderly local campers) we opted to head into the lively town of Helsingor. There we found a Cafe for dinner and some celebratory drinks ahead of our final ride to Copenhagen.    Read more

  • Owen PetersCycling Scandinavia 2016Traveler

    Day 24 - And finally...Copenhagen!

    June 5, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We didn't stick around in our cramped campsite, and instead went into the town of Helsingor to grab a Danish breakfast (Apple Strudel in my case, which is the closest thing I could find to a savoury option).

    Following breakfast, we were cycling onto our final path, which runs along the coast and all the way into Copenhagen. It was a nice, relaxed final ride with some great views of the sea, dotted with sailing boats, bathers and SUPs.

    Aside from a stop for lunch, the ride was fairly consistent and soon we were wheeling onto the cycle lanes of Copenhagen city; joining the crowds of local cyclists in one of the world's most bike-friendly cities.

    So that's it! We made it to Copenhagen, through 4 countries and across hundreds of miles.

    Nothing left now but to enjoy the city from our luxurious Air BnB flat, and figure out how to get my bike home with me.    Read more

  • Owen PetersCycling Scandinavia 2016Traveler

    Day 25 - Epilogue: Cyclists in the City

    June 6, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    There's not much to note for our single, whole day in Copenhagen. We spent the morning enjoying the comforts of our Air BnB apartment. This included lying in as best as we could (which was made difficult because of the heat and lack of curtains), eating a proper breakfast and sorting out our belongings that were liberated from our panniers.

    Heading into the city at midday, we were on the hunt for packing materials for the journey home. Simon needed a suitcase and I was looking for a bike box and gaffer tape. This proved to be a lot trickier than expected, as we had arrived in Copenhagen on 'Constitution Day' weekend and all of the shops were shut. Simon decided to on a different solution for his baggage and I managed to scavenge a small bike box and some clingfilm from the supermarket to wrap it with.

    After getting back to the apartment we wrestled with my bike, mummifying it with clingfilm and plastic sheeting kept from the previous train journey through Stockholm before strapping it into the box. After that we headed back out and straight to the same Indian Street restaurant that we enjoyed the night before, and finished the night with a final drink.    Read more

  • Owen PetersCycling Scandinavia 2016Traveler
    1

    Day 26 - Epilogue: Flying Home

    June 6, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    With Simon missing his phone, and any means of contact with Jilly who is flying in to Copenhagen to join him on holiday today, we both hopped in a taxi to the Airport. I was on my way to a homeward flight, and he was having a recce while taking the last opportunity to plan a meeting with Jilly using my phone.

    I was really impressed to see the amount of bikes travelling alongside our rush hour traffic - maybe as many bikes as cars, if not more. For most of the journey, they were travelling faster than we were, but we made it to the airport in good time for the two of us to do what we needed.

    I got my bike checked in, wandered the airport lounge and boarded the flight; then fought through border control at Heathrow and bumped my way onto a Heathrow express train with my bike.

    The next stop was Paddington, where I unpacked and re-built my bike in the station, to the point where I could wheel it. I also re-arranged my ticket so that I could travel home with Catherine. She has had her first day in her new job as a Building Surveyor, going through an Induction in London, and I am re-joining civilisation until the next trip.    Read more

    Trip end
    June 6, 2016
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