Baltic trip

Since our last big trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2005 we were determined to do another long Journey. Several options were considered but a trip round the Baltic taking in the Arctic Circle was agreed largely because it was flat!


Route
Arbroath to Harwich - train
Harwich to Esbjerg (Denmark) - ferry. This is 17 hour trip so we took a cabin.
Esbjerg to Nyborg – biked following Danish cycle route 6.(detailed maps of the cycle routes in Denmark can be found on -  HYPERLINK "http://www.dcf.dk" www.dcf.dk )
Nyborg to Copenhagen- train
Copenhagen to Helsingor - bike
Helsingor to Helisingberg (Sweden ) -20 minute ferry journey
Helsingberg to Norrkoping- biked following the old route 4. This zig zagged around the new motorway (E4). The old road had very little traffic and so was ideal for cycling.  Our route took us to Lake Vattern and on part of the Gotta Kanal.
Norrkoping to Stockholm -train
Stockholm to Lulea- Flight.
Lulea to Happaranda –bus
Happaranda to Pello – biked following the river Tornealven
Pello (Finland)  to Oulo – bike following route E08
Oulo to Turku- biked following the coastal cycle route established by the Finnish cycle federation.  ( HYPERLINK "http://www.cyclinginfinland.com" www.cyclinginfinland.com)
Turku to Aberdeen – flight.

A total of 2300 kms were covered cycling with one night camping in the Arctic Circle. Every three or 4 days we had a day off to do some sight seeing. On the days we cycled we averaged 80 kms a day. We left home on  2nd June and were away for 7 weeks.


Accommodation


We mainly camped using a Helliberg two person tent with large porch that held our 6 panniers with ease. On the days we were not cycling we indulged ourselves by stopping in a hotel or hostel.

In Denmark we tried to use “nature camps”. These are a network of farms that allow camping in one of their fields. If you are lucky, as we were, the farmer allows use of his shower and toilet.  You can only use these sites if you arrive on foot, on a bike or in a canoe!  They are a cheap and friendly way to camp. (more details from the Danish Cycle Federation(  HYPERLINK "http://www.dc.dk" www.dc.dk )

Generally official campsites in Scandinavia are clean tidy with good facilities.
However, once up “north” they are few and far between. One day we cycled 135km to the nearest camp site.

Snagnets (little snags)
 
We did not have many problems apart from one of us falling off and having to buy a new set of peddles.

Having said that, we did have some real problems with Swedish railways. They seem to be, at best, unhelpful to cyclists. We were attempting to get into Stockholm on a train but received confusing and contradictory messages. “Yes we could take bikes.” “Yes there were only three trains a day on which bikes can travel.” “Bikes are forbidden.” and bizarrely “If you cycle 50km to the next station you may be able to take bikes on the train”!

We gave up and sent the bikes by a bus company, “Gods Bus” (Goods Bus) that specialises in freight.  We found this to be the best way to transport bikes in Sweden. Whilst our bikes were in celestial hands we travelled by conventional train.

Scandinavia has a very short summer and lots of events and festivals are squashed into the season. It is best to check locally what is happening as festivals/events can disrupt your plans. Our arrival in Pori (Finland) coincided with the annual international jazz festival. The only accommodation we could find was in a temporary overflow camp site next to the sports arena. Our night was disturbed by drunken festival goers and impromptu musical performances. Still it could have been worse: it could have been a heavy metal festival!

 Language
Language was not a problem. Everyone in Scandinavia learns English as a second language from the age of 10.  This acted as a disincentive for us to try to speak the local language. We know that this process is helping the trend towards a homogenised Europe and the flattening of cultural differences but for lazy cyclists like us it was one less thing to worry about.

However, we did make some efforts to converse in the native tongue. Finnish was the most difficult language we encountered. On one occasion we had camped outside town and were catching bus into the centre to see the sights. As we waited for the bus I rehearsed a phrase that translated as “two, city centre, please”. The bus came, I stumbled out my phrase to the driver who looked up with a wry smile, paused and said in perfect English, “Nice try”.  We did not know whether to be pleased or not.  

Highlights

There were many. Here are some:
Campsites beside the Baltic provided stunning views
Wild flower meadows round every corner
Contrary to the write up in many guidebooks some of the towns we stopped at were delightful and charming
People were very friendly and helpful
Saw an Elk
Saw reindeer in Lapland
The weather was ideal for cycling. Temperatures around 23/24 centigrade and often there were clear blue skies. Only had three days when we had to cycle in the rain.
Being told by the secretary of the Helsinki Cycling Club that his favourite cycling holiday was in Scotland.
Denmark is a cyclist’s heaven. There is an extensive network of dedicated cycle routes.  These routes often are on tracks beside the road.  Cars give way to cyclists at junctions!  For Jeremy Clarkson Denmark would be hell.

Missed bits
There is an archipelago off Turku that is made up of 6000 islands called the Ahvenanmaa (Aland in Swedish) islands. There is a 300 km cycle around some of the islands utilising bridges and ferries. We were told by several different people that it was a “must do” ride. 

The Gotta Kanal runs from Gottenberg on Sweden’s west coast through to the east coast near Stockholm. This canal utilises Lake Vanern and Lake Vattern and many other natural water ways on its route.  We met several Swedish cyclists doing the whole length. 


Brian Batson
Rita Ward