Wild, untouched, clear lakes, endless gravel trails and wildlife. A few things I had hoped to experience in Sweden. Almost a third of the whole route would be ridden completely in Sweden, and so far Sweden has delivered on all of my expectations.
The Northern sector starts in Gothenburg, one of the bigger cities and I decided to have two days here to explore and prepare for the unknown wilderness. I needed an extra power bank, get my beard trimmed and maybe some spares for the bike. After some good nights sleep in a bed, a visit to the Natural history museum and some laughs with hostel friends, I was fully rested to set off for the final stretch. A little nervous, but mainly excited for what to come.
Into the wild
Immediately after leaving Gothenburg the route turned to gravel and I was greeted by deers, boars and even a fox jumped away. If this first day would be a teaser for what to come, I was in for a real gravel treat.
Just like Denmark, Sweden has many shelters spread around the country. The ones in Sweden are a bit more rustic, usually build from logs. Occasionally you can pitch your tent inside, but sometimes they have benches build in so you have to pitch your tent next to it. My first day of riding ended at a shelter near a small lake. A small fireplace, quick swim after the ride and I could even pitch my tent dry. What a start. The following days were wet and cold with a lot of rain, and I was happy to roll into Charlottenberg for a quick pit stop for groceries and where I met Phillip.
Phillip is also on the EDT, doing just the Northern part. He needed to charge some batteries and would stay a little longer in Charlottenberg before heading out again. I had seen a hiker/biker shelter cabin 45km further so we made the plan for me to go there and he would join later.
The cabin story
After riding 4 days in the cold you can imagine the excitement when I saw the route took me to a wild cabin with a wood fire and even beds. Looking forward to dry my shoes and socks, sit next to the fire and relax for the first time in a while. Well, it didn’t exactly go as planned.
After cycling 130km I arrived at the cabin, and I could see some smoke coming from the chimney and when I walked towards the door I heard some voices. ‘’Must be hikers too.’’ I knocked and opened the door to see an unexpected situation.
Candles everywhere, a girl who was screaming in a satin dress because I opened the door and a guy trying to fix a stove to cook. ‘Oh I’m sorry, i’ll just pitch my tent outside but it is nice to warm up a little here. ‘’ Not really getting any welcoming signs I decided to just pitch outside and try to dry my stuff inside a little later. I had just rolled out my ground sheet when the girl came outside, a little annoyed still by my presence. ‘’Oh you’re gonna camp here?! Then we will leave. We want to be alone and have privacy.’’, the guy added ‘’yes, you see. We need two beds because we are together but not together and only because you cycled so long we will leave but it is rude of you to camp next to the cabin. Just so you know. We will pack our stuff and leave.’’
Half an hour later, with me still outside in the rain, they had left in their separate cars. Even taking the dry firewood. I managed to get a fire going with some damp wood and a few hours later Phillip joined me. After this cabin incident we decided to ride together for a while, still laughing about how I walked into a, possibly cheating, couple’s night out.
Twice the Kona’s, twice the fun
Phillip is riding the same bike brand as me, so naturally we decided to be friends. After riding alone for almost 45 days it felt really welcoming having someone besides me to chat too. The climbs didn’t seem as long and the rain felt a little less wet. (Even though it was still very wet).
The trail went deeper into Swedish forests and towns became smaller. Luckily even the smallest town seems to have a gas station with hot dogs or a small grocery store so every 100km we could get new snacks if needed. The main snack is now ‘’Big Corny’’ bars (the peanut butter/chocolate is my go-to), Flapjacks in caramel fudge and berry flavor and the Wasa Knäckebrod sandwiches.
Riding through forest 99% of the time you see the variety of forests and how it changes slightly over time. Sometimes it was just pine trees, and then 30km further it would turn into open stretches or even dense older forests. You know what to expect behind that next hill. Occasionally a deer jumps away in front of us and we haven been fortunate enough to see two moose!!
We slept in a mix of shelters, the porch of an abandoned visitors center, and even a camper place with a heated house where we could enjoy a warm shower and toilets.
I’m now halfway Sweden and although the endless trees and long roads might seem boring, it is still an incredible experience to ride my bike here. The right to camp everywhere in Sweden, unless stated otherwise, is amazing and you get to wake up with the best views. The never setting sun makes the days long and relaxed towards the arctic circle. Not only is this ridiculously far north, it’s also where reindeers live and according to the locals I can expect hundreds along the route. Hopefully the forecast is true and the weather improves because a dry and sunny Sweden is even more beautiful.
The country just breaths wilderness and I’m very keen to explore the even more rugged places in the far north before arriving in Kirkenes.
Important stats of day 55-65
Amount of Km’s: 1136km
Amount of Elevation: 13.128m
Amount of calories: 42.084cal
————————————————
Total Km’s so far: 6133km
Total elevation: 80.664m (244 Eiffel towers stacked together)
Total Calories: 237.669cal (1251 Leffe Blond Beers)
Commentaires