travel

Day 16: Gullspang to Lesjofors

| tom@Childsi

Julien set out today knowing he would have to cover a lot of miles. He is aiming to reach Mala in the next couple of days, a town around 300 miles away from where he started the day in Gullspang.

He started out by cycling around 50km to Kristinehamn. From here on it looked like a straightforward route to get to Storsjön and Filipstad.

However Julien soon discovered that the main road ahead of him had been closed off and so he had to cycle along a motorway with cars hurtling by him!

He left the motorway as soon as possible. After about 7 miles he pulled off onto a dirt track that ended up being the entrance to someone’s driveway!

After a while he made it back onto a small dirt road and saw a sign for Lamas, a town he recognised from his map. However the route to Lamas was down another dirt road so instead Julien decided to stick to the road he was on.

This turned out to be a bit of a bad decision. Julien got lost for quite a while and ended up cycling in a big loop. After a while the tarmac ran out and Julien was again back on a rough road. However by this point he had covered so many miles that he didn’t want to turn back.

So he persevered and eventually saw some signposts that confirmed he was heading in the right direction. But the quality of the road became even worse and Julien considered getting off his bike and walking!

However he cycled on and after passing a random airbase he found a better road. Unfortunately though he came across the mother of all hills and had to struggle along in bottom gear.

After ploughing on he made to Filipstad. Here he spoke to some friendly people who were very interested in where he had been cycling. Talking about his trip reminded Julien of why he undertook the journey in the first place.

The locals pointed Julien towards Lesjofors about another 40km away. He pushed on but when he made it to the town he could not find a campsite anywhere.

After wandering aimlessly for another few miles Julien eventually found a very basic campsite right by a main road where he has set down for the night.

So overall Julien covered a huge 101 miles today and although it was a bit of a struggle he says this is all part of the adventure!

Here is the Google Map of the day and please visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving site. Thanks!

Day 15: Falkoping to Gullspang

| tom@Childsi

Julien reports that he had a great day yesterday!

He started out a little earlier than usual to recover from the 110 miles he cycled the previous day. Julien started the day by cycling to Skovda to have some breakfast. He then took an alternative route to the main A road to Mariestad.

This took a little more time but Julien says it was worth it for the picturesque views. Apparently he saw many red barns and farmyards!

He finally got to Mariestad at around 4 and had a slap up meal in a Russian run Italian restaurant.

Julien then continued on the main road and arrived in Gullspang after about 35km. He pitched his tent by lake Vanern and enjoyed taking in a stunning sunset.

Here is the Google Map for today. Please also visit the Child’s i Foundation and sponsor Julien on his Just Giving page. Thanks very much!

Day 14: Varberg to Falkoping

| tom@Childsi

Today was Julien’s biggest day yet as he covered an insane 110 miles!

At the start of the day Julien was not intending to go quite as far as this but he discovered that the distance between campsites in Sweden is very large!

Julien started out this morning by cycling on a dual carriageway alongside cars and trucks – not a nice start to the day.

He stopped at Kinna and asked one of the locals if it was ok for him to be cycling along what was essentially a motorway.

He was told that cyclists often use the road and sure enough later on he saw a little old lady cycling along the same route!

When he made to Boras Julien stopped in for lunch at a Swedish Chinese restaurant that  wasn’t too great!

Julien realised that the nearest campsite to Boras was only another 10 miles away. As he felt he had more energy in him he decided to push further on past Herrljunga and head towards the next campsite another 50 miles away.

Unsurprisingly he got very worn out along the way but was committed to going the full distance to get to the campsite, have a shower and have somewhere decent to stay for the night.

When he made it to Falkoping Julien was so tired he had to get off his bike and walk it along for the next few miles.

A friendly local saw that Julien was struggling a bit and gave him directions to the campsite and money for a shower – I guess Julien did not smell too great at this point!

Julien is hoping for a smaller day tomorrow but is still aiming to cover around 70 miles.

Here is Google Map number fourteen and as always please take the time to visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving page. Thanks!

Day 13: Grenna to Varberg

| tom@Childsi

Julien didn’t have a very eventful day today as the ferry ride from Denmark to Sweden took around four hours he only ended cycling about 10 miles.

He set out from Grenna early this morning, arriving at the ferry port at 8.20. However he then discovered that the first ferry didn’t depart until 2.30.

So he made his way back to Grenna and had a big lunch before heading back to the port and taking the ferry ride across to Sweden.

Sitting out on the ferry Julien managed to get very burnt but at least he was able to rest up a bit having cycled around 1000 miles over the last twelve days!

After disembarking Julien cycled to the nearest campsite in Varberg. He chatted to some friendly locals who gave him some advice on his route through Sweden.

Thankfully the landscape should be a bit flatter for Julien now he has reached Sweden.

Although there are some hills coming up they are nowhere near the size of those he had to cycle over in Denmark.

Julien hopes to make it to Boras tomorrow or perhaps slightly further if the cycle paths are of a good standard.

Here is the day’s Google Map. Please also visit the Child’s i Foundation and sponsor Julien on his Just Giving page. Thank you!

Day 12: Vejle to Grenna

| tom@Childsi

Today has been Julien’s most tiring yet, he covered 90 miles most of which were over very large hills.

He set out from Vejle this morning and had a chilled ride to Horsens where he tried to find somewhere for lunch but kept ending up on an industrial estate!

So he delayed lunch for a while and continued on to Aarhus, one of the largest cities in Denmark.

Julien says that Aarhus was a really nice place to visit and he saw an interesting sculpture exhibit there.

He also found nice a café to eat in and met some lovely Danish people who were very interested in his trip (and who are hopefully reading this entry tonight!)

After lunch Julien took the coastal route and enjoyed the beautiful views along the Danish seaside. Unfortunately though the large hills kept coming especially around Kolindsund.

With all the ups and downs Julien was extremely worn out by the time he reached Grenna where he found a great campsite to stay in for his last night in Denmark.

After a good rest Julien will catch the ferry to Sweden tomorrow and continue on his way to Nordkapp.

Here is the Google Map for today and also a Google Map of the Journey so far.

Please also take the time to visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving page. Thanks!

Day 11: Flensburg to Vejle

| tom@Childsi

Julien set out towards Denmark early this morning and had to contend with awful weather all day.

To avoid the rain Julien stopped in at Flensburg and found some cover which he shared with many wet Germans!

After a while it became clear the rain was not going to stop, so Julien decided to carry on his way and the sun did make a brief apperance just before he crossed the border.

He found a beautiful scandinavian style beach just on the edge between Germany and Denmark but soon after he had to cycle across some serious hills and deal with the undulating Danish landscape.

There was some respite in towns like Aabenraa and Haderslev which are at sea level, but outside of these towns the hills rose up again and it was back to riding in a low gear!

As it continued to rain heavily Julien stopped in at cafe in Kolding and watched his bike get soaked outside!

Julien told the owners of the cafe that he was planning to cycle on to Juelsminde but he was told that the town was much futher away than his map indicated.

Instead he was advised to cycle to Vejle. Just before he reached the town Julien faced a massive drop and reached around 20mph in a thunderstorm – not very nice!

Once in Vejle Julien found a decent campsite to set up in for the night and is pleased with the progress he has made so far, estimating that he is currently a day or two ahead of schedule.

Here is Google map number eleven. Please also visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving site. Thanks very much!

Day 10: Dageling to Flensburg

| tom@Childsi

Julien set out from Dageling early this morning and managed to clock up an impressive 80 miles by the end of the day.

He stopped in for breakfast at Itzehoe which sounds like a nice little place before taking a river crossing and carrying on past Rensburg and Schleswig to Flensburg.

It took Julien a while to find a campsite to stay in for the night as many of those noted on his map didn’t actually exist! In the end though he settled down in the area around Flensburg.

Julien has now covered around 800 miles in total. Unsuprisingly he is experiencing some pain in his right knee which has been made worse by the many hills he has cycled over in the last few days.

Julien plans to have an early breakfast tomorrow before pushing onto Denmark, which he is really looking forward to visiting.

This is partly because of its reputation as a good place for cyclists but also because he wants an end to the poor campsites he has had to stay in in Germany!

Here is the Google Map for day ten. Please also visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving page by clicking the buttons on the right. Thanks very much!

Day 9: Brake to Dageling

| tom@Childsi

It’s day nine for Julien today and he started out from Brake early this morning catching the ferry across the Wesar river. Julien tells me he loves a ferry ride in the morning!

He then continued on to Beverstadt where he had a good German lunch and saw a number of schoolchildren disobeying their angry teacher!

Julien cycled over many hills today so he had a bit of a problem with both his knees. He also got a bit lost again (I am starting to sense a theme!) this time around Lambstedt. After a while he made it to a more major route to Wischaften and took another ferry along with a load of trucks and cars.

Julien then made a final 12 mile push to get to the campsite in Dageling where he is staying in for the night. Apparently the place is occupied by a few people who look like they have been there for too long!

Julien estimates one more full day in Germany heading towards the northeast around Schlesig and Flensburg.

Here is the Google Map for today and as always please visit the Child’s i Foundation and Julien’s Just Giving page. Thanks!

Day 8: Leer to Brake

| tom@Childsi

Julien has now been on his on his massive cycling trip for one week and I am glad to report that he had a much better day today.

Julien set off from Leer early this morning and as he cycled along was stopped by a German film crew who were keen to get his views on how German farmers were being affected by the closure of a nearby bridge!

Needless to say Julien had little opinion on this, but managed to give a short response in English. Whether the story will make the news in Germany tonight we will never know!

After leaving Leer Julien found himself on a zigzag route. So far he has found cycling in Germany to be quite different from in Holland. The cycle paths are much shorter in Germany than in Holland where he was riding along straight roads for miles at a time.

Julien stopped in for brunch at Westerstede and thankfully was able to order a hearty German breakfast despite the language barrier!

He then continued on to Wiefelstede and Rastede and cycled through a lovely forest before making it to Brake where he is camping for the night.

Tomorrow Julien plans to cycle around Hamburg and Bremen and hopes to reach Itzehoe.

Here is the Google Map for day eight and please take the time to visit the Child’s i Foundation and sponsor Julien on his Just Giving site. Thank you.