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Published: June 19th 2008
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I arrived in Bergen last night after 2 and half days of cycling from Stavanger in a huge downpour. The final 10km or so into the city was all downhill and more like riding down a river. A kindly norwegian helped me to the central hostel as she saw me struggling with my map that was fast turning into liquid and straight into a warm shower! I made some friends in the hostel and ventured out later to watch a bit of the European championships over a single beer (already an expensive night! except my friends paid for it, so I have to buy them 5 beers back if they ever come to scotland).
Well I count myself lucky - up until that final 20km it was the first time since Germany that I'd actually had to cycle in the rain, and I knew I was getting a dry bed at the end of it so it didn't matter. It seems like the bad weather may be set to continue for the next few days at least. Bergen is a bit like Scotland - famed for it's rain!
Anyway the route north from Stavanger hasn't been quite as exciting
as the previous days. The first island Karmøy turned out to be a long suburban sprawl for the first 20km then gradually got a bit wilder. I was lucky to find one of the few wild patches that first evening (i hadn't made good progress into a headwind - thankfully since then it's a been a tailwind) behind a rocky mound and next to a field demarked by what looked to me like Viking stones. Maybe I was camping on an old viking burial site, and certainly it was knobbly enough under my sleeping bag to be that. Fortunately by some great stroke of luck the knobbles fit my body perfectly and I slept pretty good. I also enjoy the last real bit of sunshine that evening...
Onto the next day and more ferry and bridge crossings through 3 more islands. Actually they got more scenic, a bit like north west scotland, rugged and rocky, with huge mountains in the distance, but not as remote with houses every so along the road. But the weather was definitely taking a turn for the worse, getting colder and looking distinctly like rain. I pushed on late that night over two huge
suspension bridges and got caught in the beginnings of the rain. Fortunately I got a nice place for the tent and put it up before the rain really got going that night.
The morning was dry again then with sporadic showers to Bergen before the final downpour.
Well I haven't had a chance to look around much as yet. It's a dramatic location though, nestled between 500m mountains and the harbour, a stones throw from the hostel looks nice. It's also incredibly touristy and there are more fjord tours than you could possible imagine.
Today I'm trying to assess my options for getting back to the Uk, but not before I press on to some of the big fjords first!
Stats
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Day 25- Preikestolen to Åkrahamn - 16/6
Dist (miles): 34.73
Ave speed (mph): 11.7
Max speed (mph): 35.5
Time on saddle: 2h58
Day 26- Åkrahamn to Sagvåg - 17/6
Dist (miles): 78.15
Ave speed (mph): 11.6
Max speed (mph): 32.5
Time on saddle: 6h43
Day 27- Sagvåg to Bergen - 18/6
Dist (miles): 37.78
Ave speed (mph): 12.2
Max speed (mph): 31.5
Time on saddle: 3h05
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Tot: 0.147s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 25; dbt: 0.1221s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
charlotte
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I am quite impressed, I allow; see you soon!