Safe Return Doubtful

I woke this morning and pondered for a while that I may have chosen the wrong course. I came here to avoid the heat of the European summers. By 9 am it was 27C, sunrise having been 4:16 am, it had been still, an overnight low of 16C, and the heat had grown steadily since then.

On arrival at a stopover point I consider a few things. Up until this week, one had been to be able to open the side door to the sun, to warm the van up. Now it’s the opposite, to avoid it. But with the sun up for 19 hours, that’s not easy. Another consideration has been to stay out if the wind – until this week that it’s, and now, again, it’s the opposite.

Fortunately by mid-morning a breeze got up, and the day was a lot more pleasant. The occupants of the other vans were sitting in their swimwear in the sun, I don’t like to do that, and lay reading in the shade until 10. Roja thinks he might like to lie in the sun, but that’s lasts about 5 minutes, and he retreats, panting.

I had exhausted the hiking on Runde, so we moved on, to its larger neighbour, to the east, Hareidlandet. It’s 64 square miles. I’m at the south end of the Møre og Romsdal county (or province) now, having entered from the county of Vestland when I left Leikanger a few days ago.

I filled up with water, which is being used in greater quantities in this period of warm weather. These sort of services, usually along with a chemical toilet disposal, are available for free in most towns.

I had researched some places away from the coast, on the higher ground surrounded by mountains in the centre of the island. In this weather the place looks wonderful, and there are plenty of options to park a van, though it is an unsealed road, which will put off many, especially motorhomes. I chose one next to a stream, which Roja has been playing in when he has any downtime.

It was not until midday when we arrived, and immediately took on a hiking loop around Løsetvatnet lake. It was just less than 10 kilometres but with only a couple of hundred metres climbing, perfect for the weather, with lots of bathing opportunities.

Towards the end I passed through the few holiday homes that make up Løset village. There’s a lot of snow here in the winter, and for three months at least, the road isn’t clear, so no one lives here all year. The homes, or cottages, are really pleasant; I often find myself envying the owners for a few moments, then realise that I have made a decision not to return to one place again and again, that wouldn’t suit me, and I have the prefect residence, with excellent views most nights, and its mobile. I can get to places where there are no homes at all, and they are often the best.

Back at the van I chatted with an older Norwegian couple who were having a barbeque lunch. They told me the National holiday would make the sort of place I travel to, most likely very quiet, as people like to stay in their towns and villages to celebrate, rather than go away.

I have not had the confidence to get on my bike until this afternoon. I decided it was time, the gravel roads with practically no vehicles are perfect for a trial. I’ve done a few test rides in the last three years or so, and though I managed them, they weren’t comfortable, the biggest problem being that I felt I would fall off, rather than dismount gracefully. This afternoon however, there was no problem at all. I have been stretching the right leg and hip quite a bit, which has helped. The hospital had said it would take 3 months to return to riding, and it’s been just less than 7 weeks. But I’ve recovered much more quickly than I could have hoped for.

On an uphill I passed a touring cyclist, but returning stopped to chat with him at the summit of the hill. He was a young French guy from Oslo riding from his home to Trondheim over 10 days. I apologised for my lack of respect in passing him on an electric bike, as I know how that has annoyed me in the past.

In his early 30s, he worked at the French embassy in Oslo as an assistant to the ambassador. In such a position he has to take his holidays when his boss does, as with the rest of the staff, and this time, logically, it falls over the National Holiday weekend. This was his first job, and had necessitated learning Norwegian on a crash course over six weeks, which he had found difficult.

We spoke for a half hour or so, exchanging anecdotes on cycle touring in Norway. He carried a lot of stuff with him, which he justified as the weather here at this time of the year can vary so greatly. I still thought it was a lot of gear though, he had been camping for the last 10 nights, but was in a hotel in Ålesund tonight, which he was clearly looking forward to.

My neighbours at the place I had parked had left when I returned. It is a bit cooler up here, at 200 metres or so above sea level, and an idyllic spot for the night in this weather.