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Norway 2007: The Fjords - south of Sognefjord |
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Monday 25th June: Mandal - Skjernøy (about 8 km) |
Ja, vi elsker dette landet,
som det stiger frem,
furet, værbitt over vannet
(In English: Yes, we love this country as it rises forth, rugged, weathered, above the sea)
So begins the Norwegian national anthem.
After cycling 3000 kilometres from one end of the country to the other we too had developed a love for this long land that stretches from the treeless North to the warmer South.
Each day had been different yet each day had been the same: wonderful scenery and marvellous cycling.
All of the places where we stayed overnight, whether in our snug tent or in a hut, are places that we now remember fondly.
The people we met along the way were - without exception - helpful and friendly.
Is this starting to sound like a visitnorway.com commercial? Yes, but for us it was all true.
We enjoyed being - for a short time - part of a culture that seems to have got a lot of things right.
But all things come to an end. Our bodies were tired and our holiday was coming to an end. It was time to go home.
The view from the bridge to Skjernøy
The island of Skjernøy
Our southernmost point: Farestad on the island of Skjernøy
Karen's diary:
The tent was heavy and wet with dew this morning and we packed up amidst a cloud of ferocious biting insects. We rode down to the isle of Skernøy in the cool of the early morning. It is a very pretty island, rounded and bouldery and dotted with quaint villages and holiday cottages. Skernøy is connected to the mainland by a steep, high and narrow bridge; as we crossed it we could see dozens of little islands in the sparkling, blue sea. Soon we reached the village of Farestad; we had only come about 8km from Mandal but it was a big achievement - we had reached the southernmost point of our journey. Brian took his shoes off and dipped his feet in the water to make it official. We took each other's photo and changed into cooler clothes - the sun was getting high and the temperature was rising. We both felt very happy as we headed back to the mainland - as though the hard work was done.
We were a little bit mistaken. The road went up and down like a rollercoaster but we just laughed it off... at first. We didn't take the main road from Mandal to Kristiansand because it looked far too busy, so we followed the coast road through the holiday villages. It was very pretty, all headlands and islands, jetties and sailing boats - but the road itself was ridiculous. One hill followed another, all of them very steep, with no rests in between. It was quite amusing for the first half-hour but very hot, tiring and annoying after that. At last we rejoined the main road and found an excellent bike-path for the last 10km into the city. It is very safe and takes you right into the city centre. We quickly found the railway station and bought tickets for the afternoon train to Oslo. I went to the supermarket for more food, and found a massive display of strawberries - very cheap, very ripe, and smelling so delicious I couldn't resist buying some. We ate them as waited for the train.