Monthly Archives: June 2015

The Lapland War

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Riding south from Ravaniemi on the E75, I spotted a small side turning leading east marked Tervola and slipped quickly of the rough north south route, into the unknown. The brilliant sunshine glimmered of the the new bridge over the Kemi, as I stopped in the shade of the Kirk. Finland’s wartime past is not widely publicised but knowing the Russian pacts and advance from the east and the Finnish resistance and the earlier Lapland War, the number of German and Finnish war graves with similar dates reinforces the strategic importance of this river crossing in 1944.

The Bridge at Tervoia The battle for Tervoia

Spring has sprung (again)

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One of the advantages of riding north is the changing seasons, which seem to move as you ride. When I left the UK, spring had been and gone and young lambs were a distant memory. As I ride north through Scandinavia on my old R1150GSA, occasionally making good progress, but mostly on unmade up and gravel roads, I can see and smell the countryside around me. What strikes me most is the resemblance to the harsh southern European brush and scrub land, a sandy thin layer of soil tenaciously holding on with the aid of tree roots interspersed with massive glacial deposited rock boulders. Standing on the foot pegs controlling the bike gives me time to avoid most of the glacial deposits and plenty of time to smell the smells of spring.Spring has sprung (again)

Always a pot of gold – Karma

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Riding down the coast road near Ytre Svartvik, I was pondering the need for waterproofs… if you ride you know that time. Picture this, it looks like its going to rain so you need to decide if the chance of wetness is greater than the faff required to put on a one piece over-suit designed to keep your textiles from dripping all over the place at the campsite? Trust me putting on wet clothing the following morning is not a pleasant experience but then is neither squeezing yourself into your boil in the bag waterproof over-suit. As I waited, contemplating outpacing the clouds, an Italian scooter rider stopped and with the international language of gesticulation we agreed he needed petrol and with the R1150GSA holding 30 litres I gave him enough to see him on his way, I thought that was my good deed of the day but then I got a puncture…. so much for karma!Always a pot of gold - Karma

Planning to get lost

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I love maps, I masochistically enjoy the whole tactile experience as I struggle with my unwieldy foe in the wind or rain. Whilst a Sat Navs may get you to a destination with little stress they fail to give you any sense of the place or the terrain you are travelling through. I spend hours pouring over my maps, the flat two dimensional representation of my three dimensional world and then by adding time scales into the mix the adventure starts. Ten cm on Michelin 711 is only 100km but that takes a whole day, standing high on the pegs of the bike as I navigate the 890 to Kjolnes and onward to Gulgofjord – getting lost… what’s the worst that can happen?Planning to get lost

Nordkapp… now bust

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There are some places that as a motorcycle rider you need to visit, its a bit like riding from John O’Groats to Lands End in the UK or riding the Glossgrockner, Trollstigen or Stelvio passes – it just has to be done. Riding to Nordkapp takes some determination but trust me you wont be on your own. Beautiful coast hugging roads and a whole host of other crazy determined people will accompany you on your trip. I rode east across sandy Arctic wilderness, struck by the similarity to the dry scrubby Mediterranean landscape (but with snow), amazed and the hardiness of the local Sami people who live and work this land making a living from Reindeer farming. On the way back to my camp, I managed to pick up a puncture which rather scuppered my evening, but having purchased a new tire at Norwegian rates, I have now run out of money and need to ride south…Nordkapp