Two superb sunny days in a row. Quelle surpris! Thursday was mostly a tourism promo for a cycling holiday in Norway with calm winds and a perfect mix of road and off road trails. The scenery was so engaging, it was a few kilometres before I realised that I was heading north and not west. Next time a GPS! The day was a mix of lakes.

And sea

Not to mention the fjords

I dutifully stopped for lunch in Mandal, even stopped in the village of Ime (family tree stuff).

Even visited the church but couldn’t find the great grand parents graves (sorry farmor).

I’m not sure which is worse, struggling uphill over gravel paths, or doing 55kph down them – quite white knuckle with a loaded touring bike

It’s funny how encounters can be. Just when I started feeling sorry for myself and tired, I met two young Norwegian girls who started out from Nord Cap (top of Norway) and now 29 days later where finishing their journey at the southern tip of Norway.

Tonight I’m camping out somewhere in the forest next to a mountain stream. It is amazing how standing waist deep in cold water can rejuvenate one’s legs.

BUT…. the forecast for the next three days is very heavy rain starting tomorrow morning sometime- there are flood warnings out for the area so I think I shall high tail it to the railway some 40 kilometres away and hole up in Stravanger for those days – we’ll see.