Talked to bikers in the ferry lane at Hirtshals, they were doing a four day tour of central Norway. One of them recommended I include an additional road on my tour the E44 from Flekkfjord to Eglusund. Talked to other pair of bikers in thwe line called Ron and Knut, one English the other Norwegian, I'll let you work out who was who !! They were returning from an aborted tour of the Rhine valley in Germany. Ron was having problems with sciatica causing his leg to go to sleep. They both live and work in Stavanger and so invited me to ride up that way with them. I agreed. On the ferry to Kristiansand (Colourline cost euro 69) you have to secure your own bike ad so there were plenty of helpers to assist when I was having trouble with the ratchet straps.
Changed some pounds for Norwegian Kroner, you get about 10 to the £ and then slept fitfully till we landed at 04:15. Followed Ron and Knut on the road to Stavanger, they had been very helpful explaining all about how motorbikes go free on tyoll roads, police attitude towards bikers, and the need to keep religiously to the speed limits. If you are caught doing 10 Km/hr above the speed limit it is an euro 800 fine, if you are caught speeding at a school area it is a euro 3000 fine, and if you cannot pay they confiscate your vehicle and deport you. Fairly draconian, but people do keep religously to the speed limits, especially the slow ones where there may be schools. The speed limits are very low, open roads are 80Km/hr but as sson as you get into developed areas it drops to 69km/hr or even 50km/hr. Nice speed for travelling on a bike though, not too much wind noise etc. Cold morning so had heated grips on and it was warmer in the tunnels than outside. Parrted from Ron and Knut at Flekkfjord and went on the coastal road. The views are really spectacular, to say they take your breath away is an understatement.
Arrived at a rest area /viewing point at Jossinfjord and read the plaque that commemerated an incident in 1939 when the British attacked a German tanker called the Altmark which was carrying british prisoners of war captured by the germans during naval operations.
The Norwegian support for this attack (they were neutral at the time) is commemerated by the term jossing in Norway which means to stand up against aggression. I keep stopping to take photos and then around the next bend there is an even more magnificent scene.
Decided to cook tonight so bought pasta, tomatoes, pasta sauce, onion etc. Stopped at a place near Sand and pitched next to a Swiss couple. Got out my trusty Leatherman to chop up onion, and found out that it is very sharp as I took a sliver off the end of my thumb. went to bed early as tired from lack of sleep last night and slept through till 8:00am. In morning weather was awful, clouds hanging in the conifer tyrees at the sides of the valley. So wated for break in weather and broke camp and off again.
TOR
No comments:
Post a Comment