Day 72 Grense to kirkenes 60km. After a spectacular day yesterday swimming talking to campervan people and relaxing on the rocks in the sun, getting up at midnight to watch the midnight sun not set we felt ready to leave Grense and start the next phase of our journey . We got up at 6am and headed straight to the Hurtigrutin boat to see if we could get onboard. We had heard about it but had reservations about being onboard a cruise ship. Thankfully we could so we booked a cabin and are excited about travelling by boat the Tromsø where we will then bike down the Atlantic coast of norway. We are pretty excited to be able to travel by boat past the northcape and explore Norway's fiords. Bring on stage 2 of our sabbatical.
Day 73
Hurtigruten cruise. Spent the day relaxing, eating, and exploring different ports. Went for a 1 hour ride in Hammerfest which is Norway's most Northern city.
Feeling very privileged and content.
Got off the boat at midnight after a spa and a delicious dinner of reindeer and nemo. Airbnb in Tromso.
Day 74
Norway you continue to impress. Tromso to fiordgard on the Euro velo 1. Fiords, fishing cottages, waterfalls, peaks, islands, snow. It was like being in Milford sound, the bay of islands and coromandel all at the same time. We rode 60kms to a free ferry to Senja. We got off the ferry and saw Richard and Elina Usher. We would have been keen to get some intel of them but they were doing hurried on to the ferry so we just said a quick hello and they were gone. Pretty cool to be on the other side of the world and see familiar faces. Then another 15km with three tunnels to Fjiordgard. One tunnel was 2,7km and freezing cold We had a rear flasher light but no front light. We will get ours out tonight for tomorrow. We were hoping to climb Mt Hesten but the rain came in so we will try in the morning. We are in a shelter with 2 French boys, one German girl and a Colombian guy. This section of our trip is going to be quite different we have already seen about 10 other cyclists 🚴♂️. I guess that's what the eurovelo is like ! We are enjoying planning our own days and making the riding more about the adventure and scenery than getting from a to b. We are so happy to be here Fish and chips for dinner and in bed by 7 30pm. Life is good 👍
Day 75 Fjiordgard Shelter to Bleik 100km
The weather had improved so we got up at 4am to climb Mount Hesten. It was only a 2 km climb but wow what stunning vistas. It truly was spectacular. We were very spoilt with the weather. We headed back down had breaky in the sun then set off for the ferry ⛴️
Another stunning ride with lots of tunnels and incredible scenery. Stopped off at Skaland to buy some bread and ended up getting free coffee and wifi. Life is good. We made it to the ferry in GRYLLEFJORBEN in good time but the ferry was delayed so we chatted to some lovely local cyclist and charged our phones and ate. Got off the ferry at andenes and cycle to the start of the Mount Royken walking trail. The walk and view were nice but the mossies were back so we weren't particularly impressed. We pushed on to Bliek as we knew it was going to rain and wanted some kind of shelter. Unfortunately the campground was full and offered both shelter so we pushed on a bit further. Luckily we found a ski lodge with a verandah so put the tent up under the cover of the verandah. It was cold and the bugs were back but it was sheltered from the rain. It poured down all night so we were very happy to be where we were.
Day 76 verandah out of Bliek to Stokmarknes. 132kms A grey cold wet day. Nice enough scenery but a bit swampy and we were determined to get further South for when the bad weather arrived. Rode a bit with a couple from Belgium. Had a coffee with them. Stopped off for a delicious fish soup. Lots of bridges and one ferry. Love camping. Great campsite and facilities chatted to fellow cyclists.
Day 77 122.5kms
Slept in until 6.30am. A cloudy day but not raining. What a day ! Once again mind blowing scenery. Bits of Milford sound, samoa, West coast of nz and Coromandel. Stocked up on supplies in Svolvaer. Made a side trip to Henningsvaer. What amazing amazing scenery. High rocky peaks with climbers on them. Beautiful blue ocean and lots of little islands. A little great barrier/ Bay of islands wow. Found the most magical campsite on the rocks over looking the ocean. Bliss. What an amazing place
Day 78 campsite to Lofoten Beach campsite Ramberg 90km
The forecast was for rain in the afternoon and the traffic was busy yesterday so we decided to beat them both and get up at 4am ! Lucky we did as by 11am it had started to rain. The morning was once again pretty stunning with some white sandy beaches and massive rocky peaks everywhere. We checked in to the campground feeling pretty happy to have knocked out 90kms before lunch. We got the tent up had a shower and lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing in our tent listening to the wind and rain outside! Yucky 🤮! So happy to have a dry place to cook and eat.
Day 79
Rain rain wind rain. Spent the day running the trails around here in the rain and wind. Loved it. Climbed Mt Royten and even managed to get some clear breaks in the weather so we could appreciate the incredible views from the top. Found a Cafe with good coffee and pastries and a supermarket . Splashed out on fresh salmon for dinner as well as cider and cheese and crackers. Another wet and windy night in the tent with a wet floor. A new tent has been ordered online and we will pick it up in the UK.
Day 80
Wet wet wet ! Inside day updating the blog and eating.
Day 81
The weather finally played ball and stopped raining so we were up at 4am and rode to Rein to climb the 1900 or so stairs up the Reinebringen. Caught ferry to Bodo which tool us on a 6 hour cruise of the outer lofoten islands. We even saw a puffin.
Day 82
Bodo bike box hunting. Bus trip
Day 83
Bye Bye Norway 🇳🇴 😢
This stage of the trip has totally been the icing on the cake 🎂. As we didn't know how long the European divide trail would take us we weren't sure if we were going to have time to do this or not . We are so happy that we got to do it. Norway has been so stunning and beautiful. The people have been so friendly and respectful and the infrastructure for bikes has been next level. We have felt safe and at ease in Norway and have loved the incredible experiences we have had.
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