We managed to get the hotel to serve breakfast just after 8:00am instead of 9. In fact, we had to get over to Fjällbacka for 9am as Fred was going to meet us at the harbour with a reporter from a local paper. We made it over in time and after posing for some photographs the reporter asked us some questions.
Photographs and questions over it was time to hit the road again. We headed off to Grebbestad some 7.5 miles (12 km) as the crow flies. From there we moved on to Tanumshede. As we cycled the weather started to get better. The clouds began to disappear and the sun started shining through. Only problem was, my feet were still soaking wet.
After reaching Tanumshede we headed for Lur, crossing over the E6, the motorway from Gothenburg to Oslo. By now we were in bright sunshine and so we were felt able to remove our waterproofs. After reaching Lur we found that we had taken a wrong turn and so had to head along the side of the E6 so we could reach our next port of call, Skee. The traffic was fast moving so we had to travel single file.
At Skee we stopped for a while at a service station where we met Pete with the van. I managed to sit down for a while and removed my shoes and socks. I wrung out my socks amazed at how much water they had soaked up. There was a lot. So much for my SPD shoes being waterproof. Anyway, when I put them back on again they didn't seem so bad. I know it's not a good thing putting wet gear back on but when needs must... Was just nice not to have to feel my feet squelch in my shoes again.
Break over we headed off in the direction of Hälle. The road was largely tree lined and had many lakes lying just to the side of the road. There were quite a lot of hills to climb on this road but, to be honest, with scenery like this around, you didn't mind so much. Before we reached Hälle, though, we changed direction and headed for Näsinge. This would be our final change of direction before crossing the border into Norway at Svinesund.
We reached Svinesund just after 4pm and stopped at the Svinesund Center. The center overlooked the Iddefjord which divides the west coast of Sweden from Norway. I'd never seen a fjord before and it was quite a sight. When we crossed from Fiskebäckskil to Lysekil a couple of days before we passed the Gullmarn fjord but it was away in the distance and so we couldn't see much. This was much more like it; steep tree lined hills leading down to the water's edge. Stunning!!!
There was a restaurant in the Svinesund Center so we decided to have one last feed in Sweden before we headed over the border. The food in Norway would be more expensive so we thought we better make the most of it. We paid 125 SEK (£10-12) for the buffet that was laid out. And what a feast it was too. I kid you not, this was one of the best looking and tasting buffets I have ever had. Steak, chicken, sausages, salad and so much more. We were famished after cycling for around 6 hours and so we loaded up our plates. Definitely a meal to remember.
Hunger sated, I went outside to sit on the veranda and gaze at the fjord. I removed my shoes again and tried to let my socks dry in the breeze. The sun was still fairly high in the sky but the was a breeze coming from the direction of Norway. It was nice to just sit and take in the scenery for a change instead of glance at it while we were on the move. The bridge we were going to cross is actually the old bridge. They redirected the E6 to go over the new bridge but there is still a lot of traffic flowing over the old one which is probably good news for the Svinnesund Center.
The bridge was under repair and so was down to single lane with traffic lights determining which side of the bridge got to cross. Luckily there was a pavement which meant we could walk across with the bikes. Pete, on the other hand, had to wait in line with the traffic. The view from the bridge was even better than the Center. You could see both up and down stream. It was a long way down to the water too. Again, the view was incredible. The sort of sight you could never tire of looking at.
On the other side of the border we all met up again at a service station before starting the final leg for today on to Sarpsborg, some 15 miles (25 km) away. By now it was after 6pm and we were tired and saddle sore. Sarpsborg couldn't come quick enough. The countryside was unremarkable, in stark contrast to Sweden. To judge Norway on this would be silly though as we all know what kind of lanscapes they have.
We reached Sarpsborg just after 8pm. The sun was beginning to set and as we entered its bounds we passed through and industrial area. There was a river which had a pretty impressive weir, perhaps used to power something. To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed with the place so far. As we cycled through the streets it felt more like home than Scandinavia. I don't want to be unkind as we probably didn't see the best parts of the place.
Eventually we found the hostel and were pleasantly surprised. It was a lovely looking place and the rooms were nice too. We had travelled some 75 miles (120 km) today and I was shattered. I had a shower and then watched CSI on TV before falling asleep.
3 days of cycling down... 1 more to go.
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