Monday 8th June - The Road to Hell....

I've been waiting to say that.

Had a great night's sleep in my little cabin - tidied it up a bit so can show you inside now ...

                                                                                                             not bad eh.

I appreciate that it sounds pretty mundane starting every blog off with a weather report but it does make such a difference to how I feel about setting off.  Once off however it really makes not a ha’porth of difference.

This morning it was raining again and very cold, 6°C  – don’t know what that is in your money Gary but believe me it was cold.   It caused me to play the thermal roulette game – I’ve got a warm set and a wind proof set but do I want to peak too soon?  I’ve still a long way to go and what if it gets colder!!!

I compromised and reverted to a pair of thick ladies tights – I won’t, for a change, state the obvious.  They are in a rather fetching dark blue and match the colour my lips go in such temperature. I do carry a disclaimer should any of my macho biker contacts catch a glimpse of them – though a) I can’t think of a situation where they might (* though see below) and b) most of them have probably got a pair on too – which states I wear them for medical reasons.  Anyway, it was a good call as the weather cycled today between.6° with icy rain and 17 with warm sun.

Sitting here writing this in my second little cabin – see later – I have fond memories of my last long trip when, after stopping to take a layer or two off in the baking sun I rolled into Paradise, Montana.  Believe you me it was a much fonder memory when, in that biting icy rain today I descended into Hell. 

I’m sure it is a nice place – Hell apparently means Good Fortune in Norwegian - but I wouldn’t make any predictions that involve it freezing over if I were you.  Arriving at the railway station is enough to make you wish you’d led a better life!

I rode up past Trondheim and alongside the Fjaettenfjord, a narrow inlet of the Trondheim ford just 12 miles north of Hell where the German Battleship the Tirpitz hid away from the Allies in the Second World War. There was a failed attempt by volunteers from the British and Norwegian Navy to sink it with Chariots - a kind of submersible torpedo which two sailors rode on – we can only imagine how terrifying that must have been to take part in.

Then rode up alongside the Namsen River, one of the longest in Norway and which is apparently great for salmon. There are hydro-electric dams on it so they have the salmon leaps around them. I stopped to look at one but it was closed and to be honest I don’t know when the salmon would use it anyway.

It had a salmon smoker and sales outlet attached to it which seems a bit underhand looking at it from a salmon’s point of view – offering a safe passage past a dam and then bopping it on the head and into the smoker! This chap was outside though and with much of the stuff I’ve seen I have no idea of his relevance to salmon.     

   

I think he’s the Norwegian equivalent of Mr McGregor cos he wasn’t too impressed I was in his garden.

I am finding it a long haul I admit. On paper, and comparing it to UK rides, 250 miles a day doesn’t seem too onerous, but here the main road, the E6, which goes up all the way is very twisty and mainly 70kph which is 47mph, can you believe it. I do stop a lot for photos and stuff as well so the 250miles today took me thick end of 8 hours.

The views again were magnificent – won’t show you too many, I guess it’s one of those “you had to be there” things.

Mind you it wasn’t all hard work. Froggie – who has at last decided it is warm enough to come out of my tank bag – and I took advantages of a sunny spell to enjoy a Co-op Salad bowl al fresco! And there was a snickers bar for pudding.

When I unpacked in the cabin last night I thought I how the heck had I managed to get that lot on the bike – I’m usually so tidy at home!.  But then I met a French guy who was also going north and I realised I was practically a minimalist beside him. He may even have had his wife with him under that lot.    

Arrived at the campsite a bit earlier today – last night it was 8 o’clock , today half past 5. Great location between the divide of a river at a place called Trofors.

 Again I am really pleasantly surprised at how good these places are and for the price – its £25 tonight.

I’ve just made coffee and got the coffee and pasta on!

The showers though are unisex. Nothing wrong with that I know but I must remember I’ve got my tights on …..