Finally time came round to get my backside on the bike and going. The plan was to ride from Wexford in Ireland to Arctic Circle visitor centre and take in as much as I could along the way. The plans changed a fair bit along the way as you'll read below.
Day 1-Cherbourg to Honfluer
The ferry was due to dock at 12pm but ran 3ish hours late getting us off by 3.30 pm, this left me with a light trip of to get me to the town of Honfluer maybe 2 hours away and 200km. The short trip was nice, you hit into some small quiet towns along the way as well as a blast along the motorway. A basic campsite but at €6 its a steal, clean facilities and well ran. After setting up camp and a quick stroll in the town the rain came in fast and heavy so I retreated to my humble home for the night.
Day 2-Honfluer to Netherlands
The rain poured into the next day although I was still buzzing with excitement so it didn't slow me down too much. It was to be a few days of motorway riding so I took the route through Belgium to Holland in the hope of a not being as bored. The miles rattled off quickly enough and I found a quiet campsite not too far from the motorway. The rain had disappeared and it became a glorious evening.
Day 3-Netherlands into Germany
A lot of motorway riding to bring me to northern Germany, I found a site for the night. Grabbed some food had a quick wonder about and hit the hay for an early start.
Day 4-Germany into Denmark and then Sweden
I managed to blast into Denmark and shoot along to get into Sweden where the scenery had started to become a lot better to look at. I found a beautiful site near Angelhom in south Sweden, they ground was a bugger though, I went through several pegs on my new Lone Rider tent, they weren't being bashed in by any means. I guess being aluminium they are more delicate than the usual steel ones I have used. The local beach was amazing
Day 5-Sweden into Norway
Finally I was in Norway and I could add the little sticker to my top box
. Like a kid at xmas by this stage, after months of planning I was finally in Norway. The plan at this point was to head west and make my way towards Geirangerfjord and head north along the coast eventually to the Arctic Circle visitor centre and then maybe Lofoten if I had the time.
Sadly that plan was short lived as I hurt my back doing a bit of work on the bike. I was in agony at this point and couldn't move, I have a bad back and a handful of times as year I get/have Sciatica and the nerve becomes inflamed. Its a b@stard when it happens but usually calms after a couple of weeks. Now at this point im sitting on a bench not able to stand and worrying the trip is over. After a few hours I know im in trouble but I couldn't give up so I grab the maps and look to form a new plan. A little heartbroken I decide to change the route, the plan always was to hit the visitor centre and I decided I would trim the route to at least make that happen. The trip was for charity so at the very least I felt I had to hit the target of the visitor centre and the more scenic parts could come round at another point in time or if I felt better in a few days I could then decide to go west. Things got a little trickier like pitching and packing the tent so I downed some painkillers every few hours and stopped on an hourly cycle to stretch out as best I could.
I was determined to keep going and make the most of it, I knew I wasn't dying and I would have to shut up moaning to get on with it.
Day 6-Norway
I was getting the miles in and starting to climb into the mountains near Atna, this is where the big 10m tall silver moose statue is. I managed to get a site a little further north and found a beautiful spot by the river in a valley. The roads were super clear of snow but the mountains around offered a glorious view along the way. Lakes were snow covered and frozen in places with the odd view of some reindeer along the way.
Day 7-cheat day
After cold night of 2-3 degrees I opted for a half day riding and booked into a hotel in Trondheim, this gave me a chance to rest the back and get a good warm meal into me. As I was going to be pushing to hit the visitor centre on day 8. The scenario was epic, down at sea level the grass was green and water flowing clear whilst anything above 250 m had huge chunks of ice in the lakes and some frozen completely. Waterfalls sprang from rock faces and the vast openness was beautiful.
Day 8
Ill allow the pics to show this part off the story
All in it was 15 days with 7000km, 3 of those days were lost to the ferry to and from Ireland. I was disappointed to miss the west of Norway but I was happy to have completed the trip.
Pieces of kit that proved their worth
Keis heated gear, I had my jacket and pants. The jacket was used every day whilst the pants as I got closer north
Merino wool, t-shirts, long sleeve tops and socks. Its a game changer for long journeys, air it out for an hour each evening and you'll get days from it
Forma adv tourer boot, this is my second pair. The first are still going strong after 4 years or so but I wanted to get a fresh pair for the trip.
Lastly ill add a video below, there's a lot more pics and snippets if you fancy a watch.
Ride safe
Anthony
Day 1-Cherbourg to Honfluer
The ferry was due to dock at 12pm but ran 3ish hours late getting us off by 3.30 pm, this left me with a light trip of to get me to the town of Honfluer maybe 2 hours away and 200km. The short trip was nice, you hit into some small quiet towns along the way as well as a blast along the motorway. A basic campsite but at €6 its a steal, clean facilities and well ran. After setting up camp and a quick stroll in the town the rain came in fast and heavy so I retreated to my humble home for the night.
Day 2-Honfluer to Netherlands
The rain poured into the next day although I was still buzzing with excitement so it didn't slow me down too much. It was to be a few days of motorway riding so I took the route through Belgium to Holland in the hope of a not being as bored. The miles rattled off quickly enough and I found a quiet campsite not too far from the motorway. The rain had disappeared and it became a glorious evening.
Day 3-Netherlands into Germany
A lot of motorway riding to bring me to northern Germany, I found a site for the night. Grabbed some food had a quick wonder about and hit the hay for an early start.
Day 4-Germany into Denmark and then Sweden
I managed to blast into Denmark and shoot along to get into Sweden where the scenery had started to become a lot better to look at. I found a beautiful site near Angelhom in south Sweden, they ground was a bugger though, I went through several pegs on my new Lone Rider tent, they weren't being bashed in by any means. I guess being aluminium they are more delicate than the usual steel ones I have used. The local beach was amazing
Day 5-Sweden into Norway
Finally I was in Norway and I could add the little sticker to my top box
. Like a kid at xmas by this stage, after months of planning I was finally in Norway. The plan at this point was to head west and make my way towards Geirangerfjord and head north along the coast eventually to the Arctic Circle visitor centre and then maybe Lofoten if I had the time.Sadly that plan was short lived as I hurt my back doing a bit of work on the bike. I was in agony at this point and couldn't move, I have a bad back and a handful of times as year I get/have Sciatica and the nerve becomes inflamed. Its a b@stard when it happens but usually calms after a couple of weeks. Now at this point im sitting on a bench not able to stand and worrying the trip is over
. After a few hours I know im in trouble but I couldn't give up so I grab the maps and look to form a new plan. A little heartbroken I decide to change the route, the plan always was to hit the visitor centre and I decided I would trim the route to at least make that happen. The trip was for charity so at the very least I felt I had to hit the target of the visitor centre and the more scenic parts could come round at another point in time or if I felt better in a few days I could then decide to go west. Things got a little trickier like pitching and packing the tent so I downed some painkillers every few hours and stopped on an hourly cycle to stretch out as best I could.I was determined to keep going and make the most of it, I knew I wasn't dying and I would have to shut up moaning to get on with it.
Day 6-Norway
I was getting the miles in and starting to climb into the mountains near Atna, this is where the big 10m tall silver moose statue is. I managed to get a site a little further north and found a beautiful spot by the river in a valley. The roads were super clear of snow but the mountains around offered a glorious view along the way. Lakes were snow covered and frozen in places with the odd view of some reindeer along the way.
Day 7-cheat day
After cold night of 2-3 degrees I opted for a half day riding and booked into a hotel in Trondheim, this gave me a chance to rest the back and get a good warm meal into me. As I was going to be pushing to hit the visitor centre on day 8. The scenario was epic, down at sea level the grass was green and water flowing clear whilst anything above 250 m had huge chunks of ice in the lakes and some frozen completely. Waterfalls sprang from rock faces and the vast openness was beautiful.
Day 8
Ill allow the pics to show this part off the story
All in it was 15 days with 7000km, 3 of those days were lost to the ferry to and from Ireland. I was disappointed to miss the west of Norway but I was happy to have completed the trip.
Pieces of kit that proved their worth
Keis heated gear, I had my jacket and pants. The jacket was used every day whilst the pants as I got closer north
Merino wool, t-shirts, long sleeve tops and socks. Its a game changer for long journeys, air it out for an hour each evening and you'll get days from it
Forma adv tourer boot, this is my second pair. The first are still going strong after 4 years or so but I wanted to get a fresh pair for the trip.
Lastly ill add a video below, there's a lot more pics and snippets if you fancy a watch.
Ride safe
Anthony
