Day 75 - Repvag, feels like the world's end



13th June 2018



Today we said farewell to the E6 which we have been following for most of our route since leaving Lofoten.  The further north the road goes the narrower and quieter it becomes.  It traces a superb route through the fjords and mountains of the far north west and it has been a joy to ride.  We are now on the E69 which takes us all the way to Nordkapp.

The start of today's ride continued to take us along bleak, high moorland until descending to Olderfjord where we joined the E69.  What a magnificent stretch of road, carved into the hillside adjacent to the sea.  You have to hand it to the Norwegians, they are master road builders, tunnellers and excavators.  Wintry showers continued but with increasingly long spells of sunshine. 

At one point, as I was battling a crosswind, a cyclist came around the corner waving his arms around.  I thought it was a little foolhardy to be riding no-handed in the conditions.  As he came closer it looked like he was doing a no-handed wheelie.  Only when I got close did I realise he was on a mono cycle, wearing reindeer antlers.  Incredible, I imagine he's come from Nordkapp but have no idea where he is headed! 






Some who set off for Nordkapp fall by the wayside...


Others find themselves distracted by unexpected silver shops along the way...


On arrival, Repvag Camping seemed to be one of the bleakest places on earth but this evening is the sunniest we have had in over 2 weeks and we have a gorgeous view through our windscreen.









Finally, Jacqui captured me practising my reindeer herding technique on arrival...


An exciting day tomorrow, but first I need to negotiate the infamous Nordkapp tunnel.  This connects the mainland to the island of Mageroya, on which Nordkapp is situated.  It is 7km long and descends 260 metres.  Which means that coming out requires a similar amount of climbing, 3km at 8% apparently.  It is also very cold and gets foggy!  I will sing my way through! 

Comments

  1. Helen Blake13 June 2018 at 11:31

    You need a good tunnel song - only 1 can think of is Tunnel of Love by Dire Straits. But sure you can think of more to get you thro that v long unpleasant sounding tunnel. Nearly there brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rachel13 June 2018 at 23:27

    Careful Santa doesn’t lift you out of retirement with those herding skills.

    Fab photos! Hope you are now dripping in silver, ma! X

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown14 June 2018 at 00:17

    Going Underground by The Jam?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown14 June 2018 at 06:22

    Bit of a struggle for songs. I can only think of Fun boy 3's tunnel of love and Arcade Fire's Neighborhood 1 (tunnels). The second might be a bit too bleak. I only hope Nordkapp isn't a bit of a disappointment after all that effort.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Martin Bradley15 June 2018 at 09:08

    Bit embarrassed to post this, but, I have an internal jukebox and sometimes things just come out at random. The principle tune ended up being the theme tune to The Banana Splits!! Remember them?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Unknown15 June 2018 at 09:24

    I do. I also remember the Dickies 100mph version, although ou might not have been able to pedal to their version at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous18 June 2018 at 04:54

    Just your average day in North Norway then, uni-cyclist's spotting and reindeer herding :)

    Regards

    Kevin (SGL)

    ReplyDelete

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