0500 and the promising's of a cracking day ahead.
0800, tent dried and stowed, time to go. Sunny but still cool in the shade I rode along the leafy glen beside a very good fishing river (so I was told), back to the junction where I re-join
NSCR.
About 3k of pleasant riding brought me to a road junction in Hauge where there was another KIWI supermarket, fresh bread rolls, two bananas, a packet each of cheese and salami. Yes, alright, and a small sticky bun did accompany me for part of the way.
I was aiming for Rekefjord and the old route 44, supposedly a very scenic road. As I crossed the bridge at the head of the fjord I passed a large yellow roadwork sign, alarm bells were ringing deep in the dopamine deprived mush of my brain! A few hundred metres further along the rocky sided Rekefjord was another big yellow sign, no mistaking this one! Road Closed, No Traffic 0600 - 1800 Mandag - Fredag. Backing the sign up was a 2mtr high security fence closing off the whole road. No transgression on this one!
About turn, back through Hauge and onto the new route 44. No cycle track or cycle lane even! Not being a keen 'roadie' made the 43k ride somewhat unnerving, big trucks roaring by a few feet from your shoulder, cars squeezing past. I pulled in at a couple of the bigger picnic stops for a break from the traffic and eventually rolled into Egersund around 1500.
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| View from the road as I was going into Egersund. |
In the information office was a Harald, a jovial character who appeared to know just about everyone in Egersund! He was three years younger than me and had been doing his army service in North Norway at the same time that I had been in that area with the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Training Cadre of HM Royal Marines.
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| Harald playing at working! |
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| A DIY salad with chilli lox (salmon), not forgetting coffee. |
Tuesday 18th June. Steinsnes Camping. On a mission today. Apart from packing three months supply of Parkinson's medication, I was carrying a sealed pre loaded syringe holding a three monthly slow release implant. I was happy enough to self administer but the needle is the diameter of a drainpipe and I preferred to have it administered in controlled
surroundings by someone doing it on a regular basis.
I was cycling into town to see if Harald could point me at a Doctor / Nurse who could do the job but as I approached the route 42-44 junction I saw the Sykehus sign. A hospital, I'll give that a try, the worst they can do is say no!
Reception were good, the girl looked down a list and pointed me at a corridor with seating along one side, "At 0900 ring the bell on door three". 0900, bell duly rung; a nurse in white scrubs called me in, when I explained what the score was and showed her the injection kit she said that she wasn't authorised to give those injections, she asked me to wait again while she went to see her superior; two minutes and another lady in white scrubs arrived she asked if I had proof that the stuff was actually mine, no problem, as I ferreted through my stuff to locate a photocopy of my prescription and passport to confirm identity; once she'd taken a copy of the scrip for their records she explained that she was a specialist cancer nurse and the senior oncologist had ok'd the procedure and that they used the same stuff with their patients. Ten minutes later I was back on my bike pedalling into town.
Another chat with Harald, I asked him to recommend a cycle repair shop, as over two weeks ago I'd broken the thin plastic chain wheel protector and wanted a replacement.
Bike sorted I was free to have a look at the harbour and old town; touristy things done it was time for a proper food re stock. A huge co-op store took up a large portion of a shopping precinct and had a great choice of goodies but remembering that I was going to have to carry anything not eaten, apart from a packet of biscuits I kept the shopping to a minimum.
Wednesday 19th June. Steinsnes Camping, Egersund - Brusand Camping. Another short-ish but hard graft day! and I do believe it will be my last one of such ferocity!!
I'd just about got all kit packed when it started raining, just a brief shower though and soon over.
On the road before 0800 all was quiet; 2k of cycle track to the main road, over the pedestrian crossing to another cycle track and follow the signs. The route led onto a disused railway which had been graded and resurfaced to make a cycle way running parallel with the new line. More short steep gravel surfaced hills but with fantastic views and lupin lined cuttings.
The following are views from the old rail line:
The old rail track came to an end at Hellvik to be followed by 2.5k of minor road. A sharp left hand turn brought me back on to steep gravel, a bit of intuitive navigation selected straight on rather than what looked to be the more frequented bend to the left. The trail had some impressive undulations which were a struggle even to push the bike up. There were information boards at various points along the route, unfortunately only in Norwegian, however, the scenery was amazing, high rock outcrops, numerous lochans, wet land; the place was like Rannoch Moor on steroids! 7.5k of steep ups and high speed downs. A gate seems to bar the way as the trail comes off the higher ground but is only secured with some twisted wire, the track leads through a flower nursery and it seems as though the owners would like the trail closed off. A further 4.5k of flat trail by the sea brings you to a big Co-op store and a little further Brusand Camping.
The rain had started up again and was looking a bit more serious in its efforts; I'd managed to tuck my bike under the eves of the toilet/shower block and decided to leave it there while I cooked tea, fingers crossed for improvement!Sat at one of the picnic benches, its end in shelter under the building eves, was a young lady busy rolling a cigarette, she also voiced unfavourable comment about the weather and had got soaked getting to the site and putting her tent up, she was going to have a ciggy then a shower to warm up.
Evening meal was soupy noodles with cheese, cherry tomatoes and sliced red bell pepper.
Conditions had improved somewhat so tent up, gear in and get sorted, a final brew and bed.
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