May has certainly been an eventful month :). For one thing, the snow finally decided to say goodbye. And we started cycling in earnest! I suppose there's more that has happened, but it's very hard to look past our amazing and frankly somewhat wild cycling trip along the North Sea cycle route!
So, last month we'd planned and booked this trip, starting on the west coast of Norway at Stavanger, and making our way over the next four days to roughly the bottom of the south coast of Norway at Mandal. A distance of a mere 300 odd kilometres :D. Add in over four vertical kilometres of elevation to gain (and then lose again) and you get the picture.
Given that up until the end of April we'd done almost no cycling since last summer, we decided to at least try and get our legs in some sort of shape :P. Which was quite a lot of fun, given the lovely weather (and good ice-cream :D). Yet, having only accumulated about 150 km over two weekends, I wasn't feeling overly confident ;).
It was thus with some mild trepidation that we packed our panniers with clothes, equipment and food and headed off to catch the overnight train to Stavanger! We arrived early the next morning to find a bit of rain and many signs of the city (just like the whole country really) preparing for the annual Norwegian National Day celebrations! We'd done our bit, bikes decorated with some appropriate ribbons and a flag :).
As we headed off from Stavanger central station to find the famed Cycle Route 1 (aka the North Sea cycle route), the rain was light and brief and soon the sun was making an appearance through rapidly scudding clouds, blown along by a relentless sea breeze. Fortunately for us, while the wind was strong, it was almost entirely a tailwind!
We stopped a few times to enjoy the celebrations at various places on the way, including a long and boisterous tractor parade! We also enjoyed looking at the various pristine fine sandy beaches with foamy surf. The water looked ridiculously cold even had we the time or inclination to actually go for a swim :D.
Stopping often to take in the view (or find our way) we finally found ourselves on the home stretch to Egersund along the old gravel track snaking its way along the old Jæren train track. The trouble with tracks though, as we experienced repeatedly over the next few days, is that the angle of incline tends to vary rather dramatically.
Still, overall the first day with 100 km was tackled with relative ease I would say :). We even made it to our hotel well in time to enjoy the local parade from our windows :). In the middle of the older part of what looked like a pretty vibrant town, our room in the Grand Hotel was quite a fun spot to observe the festivities from! We even explored the immediate vicinity in a short walk and found dinner conveniently at a waterfront restaurant but shielded from the wind :).
The next morning, after a good breakfast we embarked upon what would prove to be a shorter, but far more taxing day of cycling. That Norway is hilly is apparent to anyone who arrives pretty much anywhere in the country. That a trip along the coast requires one to negotiate inlets, fjords, rivers and promontories of rock is probably a natural extension :). Still, doesn't make it any easier!
Once we got going though, the stunning landscape did make it easier to take the mind off of the hard work somewhat :). The coastal landscape changed dramatically from the previous day's sandy beaches to the more prevalent rocks and boulders with little hamlets and villages scattered about.
One of the absolute highlights of the day was the cycle tunnel above Jøssingfjord! Sitting alongside the larger newer tunnel for motorised vehicles, this older road was complete with cavernous openings providing views down into the valley below. The sense of awe for me is somewhat indescribable I have to say. The combination of the unexpectedness of the stone tables and chairs set out in this steeply angled old tunnel with the panoramic views from the vast openings in the side was quite mesmerising!
We also met a young Frenchman on his bicycle (complete with his personal tent). He'd spent the previous few weeks cycling along the coast all the way from Oslo and was planning on spending the next few months cycling up the coast of Norway, hoping to eventually make it to Nordkapp! I cannot even imagine the mental fortitude needed to achieve that feat all by oneself!
After many miles of hills and fjords, when we did make it to the outskirts of Flekkefjord, our stop for the night, it was a huge relief :). The day had been largely overcast, which probably was for the best, helping us make good time without overheating :). A hot shower, a lovely dinner at the hotel and sleep was very much appreciated!
Leaving Flekkefjord the next morning was a bit of a struggle. A couple of long days of cycling in the legs does make things feel heavier. This was not aided by another stretch of uneven tracks with a fickle attitude towards gaining and losing elevation with little warning :|. Once we cleared that stretch though, the going got much easier :).
This was a day of avoiding the tunnels the main road was going through. Going up and over and taking wide detours into the surrounding countryside was the name of the game. Given a significantly brighter day and nice tarmac roads though, we were hitting a good stride.
A nice lunch stop at Kvinesdal was a highlight, as were the views from either side of the valley as we came down one side and left up the other :). Given that the elevation gains required were less than the previous day's, we repeatedly found ourselves hurtling down the other side before fully realizing we had crested a given climb!
The last stretch into Farsund was particularly picturesque and enjoyable as we stopped often to enjoy the view as we climbed down the spectacular Bøensbakkene overlooking Framvaren. Cycling along the fjords into the town resplendent in bright sunshine eased a lot of the tiredness from the legs! And once we'd checked into the old shipping company offices converted into a lovely a spacious hotel, we even managed a good look around the vicinity on foot!
By this point we were well past the midway point of the trip with nearly 250 km clocked. Only the shortest of the full days of cycling remaining to get us to Mandal. And the day was probably the brightest and nicest we had all trip! The first leg of the trip flew by and we'd even negotiated the longest climb of the day by the time we decided to take a short detour into Gitlevåg for a picnic lunch by the water.
Having not found any of the decommissioned seismic ships moored at Farsund, (to be fair, we didn't look all that hard), we found some on the fourth morning, moored outside Lyngdal! Reminders of a past life :).
The final afternoon took us on mostly relaxed tours along the coast line through amusingly named places like Spangereid and Lonestrand. There was a much appreciated stop for ice-cream at Vigeland and then the final stretch of grit and unpredictable steep climbs along the old postal road into Mandal :).
We made the most of the beautiful weather and explored a bit of the picturesque waterfront of the town. We were staying at Mandal Hotel which bills itself as the southernmost hotel in Norway! And regardless of the truth of that matter, I have to say the dinner was superb :).
On Sunday morning all that remained was really to make our way up along the Marna/Mandal river (different maps seem to disagree on the actual name) to the closest station to catch our train back. The route was more or less flat and the river kept us entertained with its rapids and bends.
We made it in plenty of time, and despite a rather flustered train conductor, who seemed to be rather taken aback by our need to load our bicycles onto the train before we could depart, settled into a very picturesque if somewhat long five hour journey.
The week since has been filled with memories of those rather crazy days :). I guess you know a holiday was particularly awesome and extra-ordinary when the mind just refuses to re-enter the present and more ordinary :D.
I did finally finish reading Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth. I'd wisely decided not to take it with us on the holiday. Not only because my library sourced copy is quite the heavy tome, but also because I rightly gauged that there would be no time nor energy to actually read :). But in general I also really enjoyed meandering through the tales at a pretty slow pace. Giving time to reflect on my memories of the other stories being referenced.
It was great fun finding out some new details about the history of Middle-earth, and of course much further background on the more known events and characters. It definitely is unique as a creation, with the depth of thought and the personal history of JRR's creative process that Christopher so brilliantly brings to light. I couldn't not continue reading The Silmarillion after :).
