Day 0 - The route (boring but requested...)

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The Route

As chaotic as my trip appears I do actually have a route planned - I just have not committed it to paper yet. A boring task, but I suppose it makes sense. Its just not interesting to write about. I will use the godawful map facility on the blog site. Given the power of google maps I would have expected better than a straight red line between points, but it will give an idea. One thing I am less clear on is timescales so maybe I'll learn something by doing this too.

The current route plan in words then is as follows (although subject to change.)
a
1.Ferry Newcastle to Bergen, Norway
2.Bergen
3.Bergen Hardanger fjord and Hardangervidda plateau areas (where I am now)
4.Up by road and ferry to the Sognefjellet road (in itself a marvel) which leads up to Jotunheim massif, the highest mountains in Norway where I shall stay a day or so.
5.Ride across to Alesund.
6.Down the coast through the roads and fjords (served by ferries) back to Bergen.
7.Bergen to Stavanger - similarly along the coast.
8.Stavanger to Kristiansand
9.Ferry from Kristuansand to Hirthals, Denmark (Note: If it is still raining by then I may skip step 8 and get the ferry straight from Stavanger to Denmark.)
10.Ride to Arhuus and meet up with Jan, whom I met skiing
11.From Arhus I will be making my way across Germany to Strasbourg. This will take a couple of days.
12.Meander through the black forest to Austria and into the Tyrol region where I hope to hike for a couple of days.
13. Briefly skirt Italy before heading down the Croatian coast to Dubrovnik. I am planning on taking some R&R here for a few days.
14.Ferry from Dubrovnik to Bari, Italy
15.Ride across the heel and toe of Italy to reach Sicily where I plan to spend a few days - Etna and the like.
16.Ferry to Tunis.
17.I will probably stay 1-2 weeks in Tunisia - in particular riding the old pipeline road into the Sahara.
18.Back up to Tunis to get a ferry to Marseille.
19.Ride through France home (I may pop in and see some people in Chamonix en-route.)

You will note that there is only reasonable detail for Norway itself. Well noted...

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