Helsingborg to Getterön - 12th - 17th June 2017
Arriving in Sweden - Monday 12th June
I realised that I could still use my Copenhagen card to travel the 30 kms by train to Helsingør so I checked about bicycles and there seemed to be no problem taking them on the train. I found the bicycle carriage, wheeled my bike on and strapped the bicycle seat belt around it. All very easy and bicycle friendly, the guard accepted my card and all seemed fine. But, about 20 minutes later, she came back and asked if I had a bicycle. Although I had checked that bikes travelled free on the trains, apparently not on that one and she said I should have bought a ticket for it and the fine for not having one was 1000 DKK (about £120). I told her I had checked on line etc, she asked for my ID and pondered for a while. Eventually she said that she would meet me at the station and go with me to buy a ticket for 25 DKK. So I waited for her when I got off, but she didn't turn up. The women I'd been talking to on the train said they thought she was being nice to me and was letting me off. So I cycled out of the station to look at Kronberg castle, famous for being Hamlet's Elsinore Castle. As the Danish Maritime Museum and the Hamlet Theatre are closed on Mondays I bought a ferry ticket for me and the bike, and sailed to Helsingborg in Sweden.
Once again it was a misty, grey day for the ferry crossing, so when I arrived I found somewhere to stay, sorted out some Swedish money and Lucy, who had hidden during the no ticket episode on the train, insisted that I bought a bicycle bell. She had read that there was an on-the-spot fine if you didn't have one in Sweden. I wandered up to Kärran Castle and had an evening stroll along the harbour wall to look at the wild sea and admire the stylish harbour architecture while Lucy tried to get her tongue around the Swedish language.
Fem Dagar Längs Västkusten - 13 - 17 Juni
(Five days along the West coast)
First Day Cycling in Sweden - Tuesday 13th June
I began my ride North along the West Coast (längsvästkusten) and knew I would be following the sea to Gothenburg for the next week or so. There was a 40mph wind which made it tough at times, but the sun was out, the sky was blue and the light was fabulous. I met several cyclists travelling South to the ferry including a young man from Oxford who was doing his first ever long-distance ride. He had flown to Oslo and had plans to cycle in 26 countries to raise money for a hospice in memory of his grand father. His front panniers were very wobbly and he was worried that they might fall off if he hit a pothole, so I gave him some black tape to wrap around the carrier to make the clip more secure.
I stopped for the night at a conference centre on an old airbase, with a Flygmuseum near Ängelholm. The following is for my V-CC friends.While I was there I thought that the centre would make a fabulous venue for next year's Summer Camp. Ensuite rooms, reasonably priced, (and I am sure we could negotiate a deal) kitchen areas, plenty of space for camping, cycle storage, cycle hire, great breakfasts, an aircraft museum amd cafes & restaurant on site. And of course fabulous cycling. Anyone up for it?
Over the Hallandsås - Wednesday 14th June
The Hallandsås is a ridge that rises from the coast inland and forms the border between the regions of Skåne in the far South of Sweden and Halland. People had been warning me about it so I was prepared for a long walk, but my new small chain ring came into its own and I sat back and slowly wound my way up to the top cycling through pine trees, and past waterfalls, streams, farms and stylish houses with a fabulous descent back to the flat agricultural land on the other side.
Just before I started the climb I spotted what I though was a cafe, but when I went in I discovered that it was a toy shop. Outside was an Austin A30 belonging to the owner's mother-in-law, who had it as a 50th birthday present. So while I chatted about cars and how either four or five of us had slept in an A30 back in the 1960s Lucy played in the shop. She loved it.
My destination for the night was Skummeslövsstrand, a beautiful sandy bay, and just before I reached it I saw Skummeslövskyrka, a 12th century church. The sun came out so I sat in the immaculate churchyard and enjoyed the view. Unfortunately it was locked, but some people came to change the flowers inside and let me go in to have a look. Fabulous.
Later that night I went for a long walk along the beach and waited for the sun to set over the sea. A perfect end to a perfect day.
Three days along the Kattegattleden - 15th - 17th June
The Kattegat Strait is the sea between Denmark and Sweden. A new cycle path was opened two years ago and follows the sea for 370 km to Gothenburg. It is a well-marked, well-signed route that twists through forests, along almost traffic-free agricultural roads, along paths very close to the sea and occasionally on a busy road. My first three days following the brown signs took me to Varberg via Halmstad and Falkenberg. The weather was varied and the first day was cold, windy and damp. So I was very pleased that I was able to understand the following sign.
I went in to investigate and claimed my free drink as a Kattegattsledenscyklist. It was a very welcome break. I strolled across the road to look at the stormy sea and then continued on my way.
Over the next couple of days the weather improved and even the wind dropped a bit and I left Falkenberg in bright sunshine to ride the 56 km to Varberg.
Lucy rarely comes out when the weather is cold or wet and hibernates in her pannier reading about where we are going. Although she did venture out at Varberg for an ice cream.
Varberg is a popular seaside resort with long sandy beaches that were very crowded when I cycled past them. Until 1645 this coastal part of Sweden was part of Denmark and Varberg fortress was erected in the 1280s as part of a chain of military establishments along the coast. I left the crowds, fast-food stores, restaurants and caravan parks behind and continued NW of Varberg to the Peninsula of Getterön where I decided to stay for the weekend.
I settled in to a delightful chalet B&B overlooking a deserted beach and went to explore. I walked along the beach and on my way back I admired some of the fabulous Swedish holiday homes.
I went to sleep happily looking forward to a relaxing Sunday by the sea.
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