We left our forest cabin feeling refueled and refreshed and onwards towards Kristiansand on the coastal route. Although it was had a lot of ups and downs, it was very manageable…the sun was shining and the sky was blue, so all was well in the world again. This route was probably one of the prettiest we have ever been on in our cycling tours, so it more than made up for the terror of the E39 road yesterday. Had a lovely mid-morning break by a lake and we had to force ourselves to leave as we were very tempted to have forty winks in the sun.
We had a whole day of amazing scenery and sunshine. You turn one corner and think “wow” and then 2o minutes later it’s different but equally wow. Hard to describe how breathtaking it all is.
One final monster hill climb to our AirBnB, which was slightly outside Kristiansand town itself, but we didn’t care – we were here! Used all the facilities to cook a proper diner with potatoes and veg as well as do all our washing and plan our route for the next few days. It’s a never ending cycle …pardon the pun!
One of the things we both commented on earlier was that we are so glad Norway wasn’t the first country on our trip, which had been the original plan until we realised there is no direct ferry transport from the UK. Arriving in Holland first and having a month of cycling in wind through Holland, Germany and Denmark has made us fit enough to tackle the Norwegian hills. I think we would have been scuppered without this training. Apart from yesterday’s low when we started the day on low energy and morale, we have managed the hills surprisingly well…and something I think we are both very proud of! Next up is Tour de France….I am more than well equipped with my new chunky thighs!
Nigel rounded off the day with a few beers…but the name didn’t entice me enough to have a drink so I decided to abstain!
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