Bikepacking Sweden to Norway, My first Solo adventure
For some time I had been dreaming of a long distance cycle trip, when travelling in Asia in 2015 some of my favourite moments were on a bike, you get to see areas less travelled, get away from tourist traps and see the countryside as the locals do.
Due to logistics of moving luggage I never did a true point to point cycle when out there, but I loved the idea of getting somewhere, the journey, and the sense of achievement it would bring.
Next came some inspiration in the form of my friend Jim and Tom Barrow’s Tour Divide trip to America, I saw the photos, the videos, got lent the books, asked questions, got tips… Sweden-Norway became my own bite size version, more achievable, and safer to take on Solo!
Six weeks had passed since I decided to make this trip, and about 3 days before departure I finally got together the equipment I needed, including borrowed bags and a borrowed bike, a 26" wheel Titanium Cove Hummer (after finding my full suspension 29er completely unsuitable for the job!)
Day 1
At 3.45am it was time to get up and set off, flying to Stockholm begin my mission: Cycling from Sundsvall, on the coast of Sweden to Trondheim, on the coast of Norway.
It had always been the logistics of the trip that had worried me, rather than the cycle itself. Planning how I was going to pack and carry a bike on the plane, transferring it to the start of the route whilst keeping it boxed (the high speed SJ train to Sundsvall doesn’t allow bikes) and then unboxing and rebuilding the bike at the destination, even after that I was worried about having to dispose of the huge box!
As the train pulled into Sundsvall I started to relax, The tourist office offered to recycle the box for me when I picked up my Pilgrim route card, the bike was reassembled, bags loaded and I rode off to my first nights accommodation, an airBnB just outside of Sundsvall. It was within sight of the start of the St Olavsleden pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, my mission for the next week.
Day 2
I had an amazing sleep despite waking up at about 4am due to the full daylight streaming though the window! After breakfast with Lars-Eric and family it was time to load up and get going, luckily it was beautiful sun again!
About an hour after I left I saw a sign at gisselåsen inviting pilgrims in for coffee, the lovely lady made me a fresh coffee, an open sandwich and a jug of water, I signed her guest book and she recorded my details, I was the 14th cyclist this year to visit her! :)
From then on I took the route south of the lake, stopped for a paddle before arriving at Stode, a town with the white church pictured below. Onwards to Torpshammer, I bought snacks to eat by the lake, including liquorice flavour Daim ice creams, a very marmite product I imagine!
87 km done, I camped by the river, a beautiful spot I thought, forgetting that is also what mosquitos think...
Day 3
My first ever night wild camping on my own was a success, I had trouble sleeping due to the light but I didn't feel scared, I think I had tucked myself away well enough that I knew no one would see me there. As Swedes have "Allemansrätten" the right to camp and forage, it is nice to know that it is quite normal to be camping anywhere you like anyway.
In the morning I trampled back through the grass, waking up all the mosquitos from their slumber in the process. I had my porridge and coffee sitting on the jetty, and chatted to an old man on his way out fishing for trout and pike.
Onwards on the trail, today's route was much more off road, taking narrow paths through forests and fields. Some parts I had to get off and push, a fully loaded bike just doesn't roll over obstacles the same as my bike at home! I also took a wrong turn at one point and ended up in the most hideous, overgrown, 'path' I've ever been on, complete with fallen trees, spider webs and an army of hungry mosquitoes! Hauling the bike through bushes and over tree trunks while trying to swat bugs was really not much fun.
After about 30km of riding I realised to my horror that I'd somehow dropped my tent poles, I expected the bag had got caught on bushes in the mosquito zone. I backtracked for a while but stopped short of heading back in to provide the little bastards with desert. I admitted defeat and headed back in the direction I should have been going. I had a moose burger to get to!
Lunch came a bit later than expected, but after 73km it was worth the wait, here I also found a few options for the night, some campsites where I hoped I could get some tent pegs, there are a few options for using my tent without the poles, but nothing without the pegs! No luck so onwards (in the rain now) to a pilgrim house in Revsund. I explained my situation to Ruben, the owner, he said all their rooms were taken but that a lady in the village may be able to help me.
My limited Swedish let me understand that the lady was working tonight and wasn't home, I was expecting to be sent onwards in the rain to the next town but when he came off the phone he explained that she wasn't home but I was welcome to stay in her loft room, Ruben took me to her house, let me in and showed me to my room!
Showered and warm I am now sat in a cosy bed listening to the rain falling outside, maybe the lost poles weren't such s bad thing after all!
Day 4
After a cosy sleep, joined by a very friendly cat halfway through the night, I awoke to the sound of wind and rain. God bless the Scandinavian summertime! But as the Swedes would say..."Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder."- There is no bad weather, only bad clothes! So I layered up and unwrapped the waterproofs (which conveniently double as a mosquito defence layer!) Outside it was 9 degrees, with drizzle and a strong headwind that battered me all day. It was at points quite a drag! I stopped after an hour to shelter in a hunting tower and make a coffee, I saw a hare and a deer but still no bears or moose!
Using the handlebar harness as some kind of clumbersome aerobar I managed to tuck down on the open stretches and made my way to a house advertising "Loppis och fik." A garage sale with coffee and cake, raising money for charity, I wowed them with my Swedish, they waited patiently for me to place my order, tell them what I was up to and comment on the weather, as all proper English people do!
A couple more hours passed, taking in some lovely rivers, lakes and homes. When I finally got to Ostersund, the first proper town since Sundsvall , I was delighted to see Max Burger! Probably the world best fast food (especially after the grind of the mornings ride)
In the town I went to the outdoors shop and bought myself some £25 tent pegs! They didn't have replacement poles to suit my tent and I didn't fancy spending hundreds of pounds on a new one, so my front wheel would have to do!
I was pleased to get out of the town, the bustle made me slightly uncomfortable and I looked forward to the peace and tranquility of the wilderness, I really am falling more in love with this place day after day. I clocked up 97km, not bad given the wind and wet ground!
Day 5
Today was a bastard. It was relentlessly windy, large sections were along lakeside roads that would normally be a delight but resigned me to a pathetic speed of about 13km/h on the flat.
Alternate routes signposted for walkers only gave me some respite from the wind but threw in the further difficulty of pretty, but unridable sections, which left me teetering on boardwalks and riverside paths designed for single file walkers, not tired girls pushing fully loaded bikes beside them!
I stopped at a lakeside cafe for soup and met two cycle tourers from Denmark, the marvelled at how light I was travelling and told me about trips they'd been on and places they'd recommend. Sweden was their favourite of the Nordic countries but told me about a mountain route in Norway, one to look into!
At about 2 I realised that I wasn't going to make it to Åre, so aimed for ristafallet, the official route after Hållandsgard pilgrim house is to go along the road but you'd really have missed out on one of the most spectacular parts of the route, there were bits of climbing, dragging, pushing and slipping with the bike but as you can see, it was worth it!
Day 6
"Rest Day" today was a fairly casual one, arbeit the most challenging weather wise. It started with a late wake up, partly because I decided to go off for a 1am wander to the waterfall during the night... and it was still light!
The wind was icey cold and it really felt like I was approaching a ski resort, although at 10 degrees it was still a good 25 degrees warmer than last time I was here! Most of today's section of st olavs was a little uninspiring after yesterday's waterfalls but I knew I was headed to some good views from the snowy peaks of årefjall.
Just as I arrived in town the heavens opened, conveniently close to Åre bakery ;) Jim, you have taught me well! As I got into town I saw that Åre bike festival started today, lots going on and loads of people about with way more travel than me and all in full face helmets.
I decided to give it a shot anyway, unloaded the bags and left them with the girls in the lift pass shop, they recommended a route to take and set me off up the mountain.
A lot of the lifts were closed due to high winds but I settled on a few of the blue runs, plus a bit of climbing, cos I like that, and could do it better than those downhill guys.
On the downhills they obviously beat me, but I had fun, and came out of it mostly unscathed, apart from a classic pedal in the shin injury
I stopped at a mountain top cafe and got chatting to a man who runs the igloo hotel during the winters, awesome! He said I should come and live here as they always need people in the dental industry. I've got to admit I don't really want to leave, who would with views like these!
Day 7
Probably the most amazing day of my life. 98km of riding, up and over the mountains and into Norway. I made a detour to one of swedens biggest waterfalls, which was incredible, I ate cake and drank copious amounts of coffee as there's no more shops until god know where! The route was almost completely on road, but it was a quiet stretch, with maybe only 2 cars passing every half hour.
Just before the pilgrim path turned off the road and up to the Norwegian border there was a pilgrim house where I stopped for a snack, I met a lovely couple of ladies, one Swedish and one Norwegian who were walking a section of the route, we had a nice chat and they told me all about both of their wonderful countries! They had spent 3 days walking the road I had done that morning, which seemed a bit tedious!
I set off on my own again to conquer the pass over the mountain top to Norway, I was lucky that the sun shone for me and powered by excitement, cinnamon buns and coffee the last climb was easy, through a strange boggy marshland with decaying trees covered in moss. I saw reindeer tracks in the mud but no reindeer. The border is a simple stone mound with a carved stone top. Id made it, and I even found snow!
The path across the top and down the other side was out of this world, like something from lord of the rings, I went slowly to take it all in, take photos and grin insanely to myself! I'd liked to have stopped there over night but worried about the temperature at night.
Norway is as I expected, dramatic, forested and beautiful, I got carried away with my riding, wanting to see what views were next!
It was difficult to find a place to stay, the ground here is either steep and mountainous, or wet and boggy. There is an old fort converted for pilgrims but there was no way u would get my bike up there! Eventually I found a place by a river, just before Vuku, so I pitched up and made myself dinner. Just as I brushed my teeth a deer with three tiny babies came into the clearing, I managed one photo before my phone died for the night! It was difficult to find a place to stay, the ground here is either steep and mountainous, or wet and boggy.
Day 8
My day started down by this river, cooking up my porridge and coffee with delicious Norwegian mountain water and admiring the view. As I'd got a bit ahead of myself I decided I had earnt a chilled out day. Only 41km and with frequent stops to sit in the sun!
Although I didn't do as much climbing today the hills I found were shorter and steeper than in Sweden so I had to start my onward journey with a big push up from the valley. After about an hour I got to Vuku, and a shop! The first one since Åre about 130km away in Sweden.
After grabbing some food that wasn't porridge I sat by the river for a bit, soaking up the sun and stuffing my face :)
This part of Norway was more agricultural, very green and the air was full of the sound of cowbells (and flys) The next waypoint was stiklestad, the place where King Olav was killed in battle. There is a church, monument and visitor centre here if you're that way inclined.
Just before my accommodation for the night was a beautiful trail down through the forest to a rivers edge, this was one of those times I was right to have taken the footpath route :)
At the Munkeby Herberge (pilgrim hut) I met a lovely Swedish couple who insisted I had coffee and cinnamon buns with them, we chatted all night and I found out that she is coming to Brighton in September to visit a friend and walk the South Downs way! Small world!
Day 9
Today was TOUGH! (Apart from this breakfast, which made a lovely change to porridge!)I think the combination of fatigue from the last weeks riding, never ending hills and incessant drizzle made today particularly tiring. Even after a good breakfast at Munkeby I didn't have much energy and the constant ups and downs of the Norwegian hills were sapping my strength.
It was another day where there would be no shops or towns so I had to carry the food I needed, water isn't an issue because the mountain streams provide a ready supply of drinkable water.
About an hour in the rain started as a fine mist but got heavier as the day went on. I stopped and sheltered under the entrance of a church in a small villiage I passed, having porridge and an instant coffee in the hope of waking myself up a bit.
The man in Munkeby said he thought it was about 40km to my next stop, after about 60 the route turned up into the cloud covered mountains and into something I didn't want to see at this stage... muddy, boggy, mosquito infested forest singletrack.
Those of you who ride with me will know there's two things I really dislike riding in, gloopy mud and wet roots, and this trail had both, plus narrow plank boardwalks, long grass and huge sticks from some tree felling. It was not what I needed after a ride that was already 20km longer and hillier than expected, especially on a loaded bike!
When I arrived at Ersgard I showered and ordered the pilgrim soup, perfect comfort food after a long day! I'd arranged to stay in the pilgrim cottage, I had the place to myself and it was super cute and cosy, there's no electricity or running water, But I sat, under a blanket, surrounded by candles with my log burner roaring, listening to the rain falling outside, and I couldn't be more content! :)
Day 10
My last day of riding :'( It was again a rather hilly day, but it wasn't raining! My first detour of the day was to the railway station at Hell. A photo opportunity not to be missed!
On the way I was happy to see a Coop shop, shops it seems are a rarity in Norway! I was less happy when I found it was closed on Sundays. They even respect the sabbath in Hell! All I had left was a packet of dried noodles, two sachets of instant porridge and a sachet of chocolate flavoured protein recovery shake powder. It was going to be another hungry day!
The route for cyclists was very different to the walking route today so I relied almost completely on my garmin to keep me on track. I went along a road for a while, there was some kind of farmyard vending machine which I hoped might sell eggs, but it only sold potatoes :(
Once off into the mountains again there were some more big climbs, I stopped at a high lake for my noodles, it was eerily still with only bird song and the distant sound of cowbells.
From then the trail went downhill past a beautiful meandering river, which then turned to waterfalls as the road dropped down further.
I passed a small village before more uphills through the forests, I started to see a few bikers so I knew I must be getting closer to the city. Two men on carbon hardtails caught me up on one of the hills, they rode with me for a couple of km, asked about my journey and how it was carrying the extra weight, sadly they turned down my offer of them to find out for themselves with a bike swap for a while!
As we got near the end of the uphills they pulled ahead, leaving me excited for a nice long downhill to Trondheim. I was so excited that I overshot my turn off but ended up down by a beautiful lake. so it wasn't all bad. This is where I decided to stop for my second delicious food stop of the day, porridge mixed with chocolate protein powder. Mmmm! Desperate times.
The detour, however beautiful, did mean the ride was longer, and more uphill than expected, adding an extra 15km to the day.
Once I rejoined the pilgrim route I was into civilisation. Beautiful, clean, peaceful, Norwegian civilisation... Sushi by the harbour and a ride through a wonderful cycle lane system took me to the centre of Trondheim and Nidaros Cathedral. I had reached my goal! The resting place of St Olav. I got my final stamps in my pilgrim passport and collected my certificate. Job done!
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and sightseeing, Trondheim is a gorgeous city and the views from the cliffs at Lade over the fjord this evening were incredible . Ive fallen so madly in love with Scandinavia over the past 10 days. What an truely breathtaking adventure it has been! When can I come back?!?
