A walk through the dunes, along the beach and back through the site was most enjoyable, sunshine, a fresh sea breeze, spot on!
I found the 'permanent' caravans on the site quite interesting, in that the owners had erected a solid structure as a conservatory/extension to the basic van. I must do a bit of googling to find out more; there were also cabins of varying sizes for hire as well, the cheapest around 500nk
Brusand site was a nice spot, clean, tidy and looked to be well maintained but the feeling among the tourers and lightweight campers was that the owners were interested in what you were spending and that was all. For example, in the 'kitchen' dining room, usually frequented by the likes of me and some motor cycle tourers using smaller tents, there were two cooker rings built into the worktop above a refrigerator. Great you might think, however nothing was wired up! In the washing up room there were two large sinks and a good supply of hot water, good; there was also a good quality cooker, four rings, oven and grill but to use it you had to feed it money (There was a notice saying you had to get a token to feed the cooker and electricity was not a gift!!) It's the only site where I ever came across that kind of thing. To use the showers cost 10nk for three minutes of hot water, though that wasn't uncommon. When I have to pay over 100nk for the use of a patch of grass to put my tent on I expect something more than just lavatory and washroom (may be that's just me!). My usual way of overcoming having to pay for a shower was to get into a wash cubicle early, strip off and run all the hot water I need for a full sponge down. At Brusand the first evening I used my own stove; the following morning (early) I was poking around and in the laundry room discovered that a key was used to override the coin box so I borrowed the key to run the cooker while I boiled my coffee water. I was planning to see if the key was there that evening but was invited to eat with Lydia, the ciggy rolling truck driver from Germany who had been sheltering under the eves the previous evening. We were camping in the same area close to the facilities, while car/motorbike borne campers were way down the site, near the beach but miles from the toilet block etc.
In the afternoon the weather started to deteriorate again, the site did have open Wi-Fi so I sat in the dining area and logged on; it was looking like showery weather for the foreseeable future!
Oh well, can't do anything about it, I'll check last thing as the forecast is updated regularly.
Lydia was travelling by train, coach and thumb and during the next couple of days would be heading back towards Oslo.
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| The 'kitchen'/dining room. |
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| Lydia. |
Around 1800 Lydia went off to put rice on (the meal was to be rice and tomat salat, the rice flavoured with soy and curry paste!). I was able to supplement the meal with sliced red pepper, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Lydia was a star, along with the rice and excellent tomat salat she had two cold cans of Tuborg!!Friday 21st June. Brusand Camping - Vanderheim Hotel Svere, Sandnes. Another wet night. 0700, cloudy and rubbish forecast; sit it out or go? Another coffee. Around 1015 thought that's it, I'm off.
A rapid pack and load up, by 1100 I'm on the road again, a late start but there are a number of B&B's listed around Obrestad, I'll find something!!
High humidity and warm but ok for riding. The route took me inland a bit through arable farming land and into Vigrestad before cutting back towards the coast.
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Wee church near Ha.
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Some parts of the route seemed a bit contrived but I guess the object was to avoid as much of busy route 44 as possible. At least the short sections of the 44 where the routes came together did have a separate cycle track.
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| Art at/on Obrestad Fyr. |
Another ten minutes or so and the lady of the house returned. Full! She kindly did some ringing around but two others were also full and a third was asking a lot more than I was prepared to pay.
Press on!! Time for a plan! Follow route 1 via Orre to Friestad, right hand junction to Klepp, bound to be a B&B or cheap hotel!
Rain now like stair rods! No point sheltering all of me is wet! I ask a few folk in the town centre about accommodation, without exception all say the nearest (affordable) is in Sandnes. Only another 10k or so the lady said. Unfortunately the 44 (route she recommended) was now an express way, no bikes!! Eventually I found a road sign with a destination I recognised, Bore and Voll. Escaping Klepp put me on, I hoped, the last lap for the day. Now 2100 I was in no mood for messing, I had the address of Hotel Svere, the Sandnes Vanderheim, went into the first open store I came to and asked. A customer just leaving the store looked at the soggy piece of paper, took out a phone the size of a small television and keyed in the address, "You don't have a smart phone"? "Smart, mine's as thick as two short planks"!
Quickly marking in the route on the almost pulp map (Jo that 'space age' pen you got me years ago, writes upside-down underwater, ideal for this job!), the hotel was only about four streets away!
Found it, booked in, stowed bike in back office, moved in and got free coffee off reception! Turn the heating up and spread kit to dry, finish coffee, shower, bed. 75.2k.
Saturday 22nd June. Vanderheim Hotel Svere, Sandnes - Mosvangen Camping, Stavanger.
Last lap!!
All clothing etc dried, a first class breakfast to set me up for the day, some good coffee. It should be around 20k to Stavanger, by the main road would be shorter and quicker but the express way system forbids cycles on the carriageway.
The NSCR has a subsidiary route running into Stavanger as the original route bypassed the town heading instead for the ferries linking the route to Bergen.
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| Artistic architecture in Sandnes. |
I was able to pick up the way by cutting down a side street, turning left, following the road until signs directed me else where. There were certainly some twists and turns through housing estates and at one point I was back alongside the rail line into stavanger. I really needed a better map with a wider view of the city and its environs.
Stavanger is locally known as Norway's Aberdeen; while riding from Sandnes the route passes many oil related work places from rig maintenance to high tec R&D companies.
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| Rig repairs on way to Stavanger. |
Three and a half hours and 19.9k later I'm at Mosvangen Camping
quickly putting my tent up before the threatening sky opens up!
Well, I've done what I set out to do, ride from my door to Stavanger.
So far I've pedalled 2912.3km (1820miles).
Some time in hand, relaxation and sight seeing time!!
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| See, I told you some of the roads in Norway were steep!! |
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| Oil money shows in Stavanger's outskirts. |
Sunday 23rd June. Mosvangen Camping, Stavanger. Warm and sunny, what a change! The city centre is fairly quiet even around the Cathedral.
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| Stavanger Centrum. Cathedral on right. |
Some folks out and about enjoying a Sunday stroll while others are a part of the cafe scene.
A few photos and a walk through the old town, mostly high end shops, a great tourist trap but well worth a visit.
One of Antony Gormley's men; there are a bunch of them scattered around the city.
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| Part of Stavanger's old town. |
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| A street in the old town . |
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| Bronze, Boy on a pony, a gift to the city. |
Back to the tent for a bite, a brew and enjoy the sun.
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| Mosvangen Camping. |
Monday 24th June. Mosvangen Camping, Stavanger. Cloudy bright, thought I'd make a quick visit to the centre and see what a Monday brings. I wanted to call at the tourist info office for a particular brochure but the place was heaving, Two liners worth of folks all seeming to want information at the same time!!
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| Cruise ships come to town!! Oceania on the left. |
That's it, off back for a ride round the lake and perhaps an ice cream!
More dirty weather brewing, time to think about flitting to the Vanderheim, get stuff washed and dried; need to contact a bike shop to blag a box to stash my bike in for the flight back.
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| SUS (Stavanger University Sykehus), St Svithun Hotel, Vanderheim and Air Ambulance Base. |
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| Magne, Manager at Bike Brothers. |
Busy days!
Tomorrow is bike packing day, along with as much camping kit and clothing as I can stow and still carry!Time to fire this off to Louise for the last few photos then fly back on Tuesday! I feel a party
coming on!!
Job done, bus to airport 0712. Flight 0900 local time, due Dyce 0905 UK time; a five minute flight! there's time travel for you!!
Last remnants of my wee bike ride to be done when home!! Bye for now.
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