Tuesday 10th July 61 miles to Sortland

I feel privileged to be able to cycle up these islands on a day like this. The sun has been shining, the views have been stunning. As I cycle I can hear the seabirds, listen to the waves and smell the salt in the wind.
I started with the short cycle into Svolvaer where there was a proper bakery and cafe so treated myself to a roll and coffee - enjoyed it but the coffee was just the pour yourself kind from the pot- not the fresh cafeteria kind and the cinnamon roll was doughy in the middle.

Then it was north to Fiskebel and a ferry onto Hadseloya and the next island in the chain. Took the recommended scenic cyclists West Coast route - quiet and beautiful. Then another long bridge onto Langoya and up to not Scotland but Sort land.
I met a Belgian cyclist making his way to the North Cape on the ferry (probably faster than me) and saw a lot of cyclists, often in organised groups, coming the opposite way. Now the Belgian and I were cycling in shorts: no Jersey or jacket needed. Everybody else seemed to be geared up for a snowstorm.

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Monday 25th.71miles

I returned to Ulsteinvik from my detour campsite. I went into the Remix supermarket, which looked remarkably like a Lidl, although being Norway, the prices are higher. Then it was the main road to the next ferry at Hareid. There was a shared route cycle path which was nice, but I got off it to give space to a group of nursery age children who were walking along holding hands in lines of 3 . Coming off the ferry, my road became busy. Alesund not far away is a surprisingly large place and I hit the dreaded E39 the main arterial road/duel carriageway going North. There are cycle paths and between mio and me we got through.( Though why mio took me off the cycle path, hrough an industrial estate only to return to the same road is questionable). My route then led me along quiet roads up a fiord side, round it and back down the other side. Then I cycled 3 sides of the square which made up a peninsula in order to avoid a large tunn...

Sunday 10th Jun

I seem to have a lot of gear to take with me. Plus a lot of cables and leads, for phone, camera, etc. I leave for Orkney on Wednesday with Keith then am booked onto the overnight ferry to Shetland on Saturday. Will cycle as far north in the U. K. as roads allow, then I take the Loganair flight to Bergen on Wed. 20th Am taking my warm but bulky Norwegian sleeping bag - if I can fit it somewhere!

Monday 9th July 63 miles to just before Svolvaer

Mist to begin with. Aimed for Leknes which was on my route, I thought it would be a small fishing town-wrong... it was a town made up of shopping malls! In retrospect I can understand this; it will be dark in the winter, so not having to leave a heated complex makes sense. Sat out the mist and had a coffee. Then it was the quiet Eastern route around the island of Vestvagoya passing other cyclists on route. I met one organised group with a leader who told me that I must detour to see Henningsvaer, an old fishing town on the point. So I did. A bit of a tourist trap, but old traditional buildings and still fishing going on. More racks of dried cod heads! A couple of tunnels today- including one which went under the sea between two islands which I was not keen on. Actually the scenery would have been the same if I had been cycling around Achiltibuie...

Cycling North

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