Awesome Places..

Over the entire journey, I visited so many countries, cities and towns and took more than 4,000 photos so it has been difficult to narrow them down into categories! Here I've looked back at some of the most memorable and beautiful places that I can recommend others go if they travel to the same areas.

Paris

I love France and have travelled so much around the country by bike, in the past Ventimiglia to the Costa Brava, the Canal du Midi from Sète to Bordeaux, the Loire valley from Luxembourg to La Rochelle, and quite a bit in the Midi-Pyrenees following Le Tour last year in 2018 taking in Lourdes, Foix, Auch and the Cathar castles

Setting off from Paris brought back some of those memories, I picked up the bike from my friends where I left it and got ready for the journey north.

As I set off from the Eiffel Tower I felt sluggish and unprepared but exceptionally excited at the same time - The beginning.....

Charleroi

Passing over the border into Belgium the trail led along decommissioned railway line cycle paths to the first major city Charleroi. The scale of the industrial steel works there is magnificent but sadly almost entirely in decline. The city reminded me of Sheffield on the south side and Bradford to the North.

Huge graffiti works of street art ran on for miles along from the city boundary to the centre. Messages of anti-fascism, pride and rebellion against perceived regulation. Sadly Thy-Marcinelle had closed and was being dismantled but new businesses had already started emerging in its wake.

Brussels

I've passed through Brussels a few times and enjoyed the centre and beautiful parks around the European Commission, the waffles, and of course the world renowned chocolates and beer.

Entering the Grand Place I couldn't help getting a three Leffe combo of rouge, brun and blanc! The architecture is quite mind-blowing and difficult to photograph but if you go I recommend waiting until exactly at twilight when they first switch the lights on.

I headed over to get some photos with sculptures and art and then quickly pressed forward, Pays-Bas calling..

Rotterdam

The Netherlands presented a sudden change in cycle organisation, ordered, safe & environmentally friendly, a superhighway with dedicated bike traffic lights.

I headed into Rotterdam to an AirBNB spending time taking in the river, the Erasmus bridge, the cube houses opposite the grand indoor market and the modern financial district.

I love the way Rotterdam is so calm, chilled, and uninhibited, no helmets on the mopeds yet very cycling safety conscious, cannabis coffee shops yet people I spoke to feeling settled about the drug problems away from prohibition.

Aarhus

I had never visited Denmark before but pushing on through the first half of the country stayed in Kolding, a lovely small city with some wooden frame buildings, a castle with a fort, and a lake with nice art sculptures all around the city.

After Kolding, Aarhus presented lots of historical buildings, the world famous AROS gallery with super landscape gardens. I stopped for some lunch next to 'Humpback Gumship' aka Cherry Blossom, a war plane that had come down in the area and been transformed by Benjamin Gilbert.

In future when I return to Denmark Aarhus needs to be a weekend stop to immerse in all the delights some more.

Skagen

Remarkably the journey through Denmark only took around three days and I could have covered the ground in less time. After Aalborg, the main industrial city of the country the roads narrow and nature reserve lands emerge leading to one of the main highlights - the Skagen peninsula.

One of the most memorable moments in the country was the burning of the witch on the beach, an annual summer solstice tradition historically practised to ward off dangers of the sea protecting sailors, the ceremony a little like burning guy Fawkes in England.

Gothenburg

I sailed from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg and arrived early evening, the city was buzzing with cosmopolitan bars and restaurants with 18th century architecture.

The next day I called in to look at the huge university that spreads across a large part of the city, they have nearly 40,000 students and it connects to the largest teaching hospital in Northern Europe, the Sahlgrenska.

The Port Du Soleil summer lounge club was holding an event so went to have a quick look and then onto next door to chill out in the beautiful horticultural society gardens.

Oslo

Riding into Norway was like crossing from England into Scotland introducing vast landscapes and mountainous roads. I arrived and spent the evening looking around the Harbour, the opera house, and visited the Nobel Peace Centre.

The city felt very liberal and open minded because of the art themes dotted around all the main streets and gardens, people were chilling out, having BBQs and playing games.

That night I camped at the large swimming lake next to the student accommodation campus, the weather was warm, definitely a city I'd like to visit again, I felt free and at home.

Lillehammer

The road to Lillehammer followed Norway's largest lake Mjøsa its full length - 117k, almost the same length as Hadrian's wall, four times the distance of the English Channel!

At school we did a project on the 1994 Lillehammer winter Olympics so I was really looking forward to getting there to see what it was like for real. It was the first time I'd seen a ski jump in summer, clearly visible on the hill and it made me feel nostalgic.

The area was very much in the countryside and quite traditional, lots of other places had hammar in their name, or related to things from the Vikings, it's a great route to take on a camper van trip heading up north.

Otta

Pushing on from Lillehammer I headed up the busy E6 road and arrived at Otta, it started to hit me how big Norway was and the weather was getting colder, the water in the rivers turned green and looked glacial, I worried a bit that I might have been a little ambitious about the trip faced with more than another 1,000km to go to Narvik.

Despite being surrounded by forest it was difficult to find a camping place but I settled next to the river and met Stephanie from Germany, and Berend from Holland. We shared Bixit biscuits and built a big fire to keep warm as the temperature dropped to below zero for the first time.

Dovre

The mesmerising beauty of Norway's landscapes continued on and on, I stopped near Dovre and took this photo that for me captures how perfect cycling can be in the country. The rolling hills, the fresh, unpolluted air, the moose and deer that suddenly appear on the road ahead.

As I sped along men wearing chest waders were fishing in the rivers and streams, some had their families gathered in shelters nearby cooking on a BBQ and enjoying the sunshine.

This area is ideal to visit if you have a car and can easily be incorporated into the route to Ålesund, a place I didn't visit but given motorised transport wouldn't have missed.

Dombås to Oppdal

Local people told me not to get caught in the mountains between Dombas & Oppdal and snow was forecast so I took a rest day and prepared to enter the highlands.

In The Rondane National Park, I could see snow capped mountains for the first time, traditional buildings and the weather was more unpredictable.

This is where the legendary Muskox roams, a cross between a sheep and a goat that looks like a woolly mammoth, I didn't see one but called in at Kongsvold Fjellstue, this is a good place to go if you want to pay to see one on a guided tour.

Trondheim

Reaching Trondheim was a major milestone in the trip as it marked the end of the journey up the centre of the country, from here I would head over to the fjords and outland islands.

The city was bustling with tourists and had a lot of sailing activities, the docks were magnificent and the centre vibrant and appealing. Museums, art galleries and modern housing spread out along the Nidelva river.

Trondheim was the original Viking capital city and means 'Home of the strong and fertile ones', so I made it mine for the night and tried to regain some myself.

Namsos

The fjords of Trøndelag started to open up so I sat and ate my leverpostei sandwiches and took this photo not far from Namsos. The waterways in this region are famous for the salmon and there are a lot of farming communities.

Namsos is part of the main tourist route along the west coast connected by ferries that shuttle vehicles across from point to point. Rest break areas were frequent, some generously had free hot showers. I met people travelling with their camper vans, we talked about their fishing, walking and sightseeing.

Nærøy

The weather was damp and I was finding it difficult to stay dry, the fire was essential for keeping warm and I had to establish a set routine and clothing preparation ritual to keep energy levels high and avoid set backs.

Supermarkets were few and far between and so small cafes would sell products near the ferry terminals but prices sometimes reached all time highs - a 1L bottle of coke at £5!

The freedom to roam and having nothing to pay for camping trades off against the high cost of living and local communities provide a lot for visitors, I stayed in a wind shelter with a wood burner in someones back garden.

Brønnøysund

Things were getting rather special in terms of cultural heritage and sights to see, the region is very proud of wildlife, nature and traditions.

Brønnøysund was a coastal town with good transport links, I met people from around the region who kept their boats in the harbour and heard their fishing and shooting stories.

Moose shooting, water sports and outdoor life attract thousands of people. One place I would really like to return to is Vega, a UNESCO listed archipelago island, it is ideal for families and they have a lot of great things to do.

Nesna

Nesna was near the Svartisen glacier, a magnificent sight shining in the sun, hundreds of square kilometres of densely packed ice with hydropower generation from the run off.

This was an exciting time, the arctic circle was getting closer. One more night before realising a major milestone of the trip, this gave me a lift in confidence knowing only a few more weeks ahead until I could turn south.

I waited for the cruise ship to arrive, slightly worried about how my whiff of camp fires and cheesy socks would greet the people travelling in style and comfort as I joined them on the way to Lofoten.

Hurtigruten

The Hurtigruten is a coastal express cruise liner fleet that operates as a cross between luxury holiday provider, local shuttle between major harbours and a cargo shipment company all along the Norwegian coastline.

Most foreign people don't realise that you can catch it for less than 24 hours without booking a cabin and that a 50% discount rate applies for students from any country so it is really worth thinking about incorporating for young travellers.

The trip wasn't long but it was so nice to be able to go from survivor mode to luxury, sitting out in the jacuzzi to recover my skin and take in the views.

Arctic Circle

This was one of the big moments I was waiting for, a lot of people were surprised when I said I was cycling to the arctic circle, so much so I had at times doubted I would make it myself.

At 0700 the ship's captain sounded the horns and announced a champagne party on the decks. Hundreds of people gathered to experience the crossing into the land of the midnight sun.

A globe on the Vikingen Island marked the circle of latitude. Quite a lot of land and inhabitable permafrost exists there but only around 4m people live within across all countries.

Stamsund, Lofoten Isle

The Hurtigruten arrived into port late afternoon and we disembarked to find the quaint fishing village of Stamsund. The vibe was a bit like Brighton with public art displays and information on theatrical events over the holiday season.

The jagged tooth like mountains lie all around the port and into the distance, the sea was green-blue, the birds were flying all around and my hairs were standing on end with anticipation.

This was the start of a magical week long tour of one of the most photogenic and special places on the planet.

Valberg, Lofoten Isle

Camping was easy to find but the sun never goes down so I kept on pressing forward into the evening to Valberg. It's really difficult to capture and communicate with photos so I made these panoramic videos to share instead.

Lofoten is a micro climate and doesn't experience as much cold weather as places more inland, luckily my timing was perfect with the forecast of 30C for three days.

The best way I can describe it is like one minute having snow topped mountains, then just around the corner a harbour and lake or fjord, followed by the next bend where people could be sat on the white sandy beach almost like the Caribbean!

Leknes, Lofoten Isle

In search of the midnight sun I moved towards Leknes and found probably the most breathtaking of views that reminded me of a sort of Austria on sea.

Here there are loads of holiday options like boating, fishing, walking, cycling, and bird watching. The tallest mountain in the area is called Himmeltinden, I couldn't fit it in but it provides great views of the white sandy shores of the fjord.

There are some nightlife options and bars in the towns, and although drinking isn't culturally a big past-time they really let their hair down on a weekend!'

Svolvær, Lofoten Isle

After a few days exploring Lofoten I made it to Svolvær, a town renowned for its ship building and cod fishing. It's also possible to go whale watching from here by boat in the Autumn - a sea safari!

The mean annual temperature only reaches zero one month a year and is frost free for six months because of the protection the mountains provide so people have settled here for centuries, longer than many other places at similar latitude.

After missing out on climbing any mountains I decided because of the weather to climb one anyway, bike on the back and found a place to pitch a tent for the night!

Stokmarknes, Lofoten Isle

The islands and peninsula are surprisingly well connected to the mainland with multiple routes suitable for cycling. I diverted up to Stockmarknes, it was slightly longer but I was advised it would be better for cycling to Narvik and I could visit the Sami Museum en-route.

There is a coastal express museum, a cruise liner out of the water, was a gift and is one of the worlds largest exhibits but has run into difficulties with how to maintain it and care for it in the elements.

Stone boat shed art was next to the water next to a park area with BBQ areas and free camping space.

Nordland, Sámi Museum

The Sámi Várdobáiki museum was only about 90km from Narvik with examples of traditional housing and lots of information on how they lived.

The Sámi are indigenous peoples of Scandinavia, rather than affiliation to one country they span across the northern regions, parts of Russia and Canada. The Sámi still keep reindeer livestock and sell meat.

I was really lucky to turn up just when they had their annual cultural festival, the Mánáidduodji. They invited me in, showed me around and I stayed ion the museum site for the night.

The heavens opened and I had to endure torrential rain entering Narvik, I raced towards the city only stopping off once to look at the World War 2 battle of Narvik memorial.

It was such an emotional occasion, I cried as I cycled over the bridge and headed into the city to try and find somewhere to stay for the night.

Everything was wet through apart from one set of night thermals and the youth hostels and bed and breakfasts all started at around £120 a night so I found shelter at the school playground wind shelters for the night.

Narvik - Highest Northern Point

Kiruna, Swedish Lapland

Feeling of illation after reaching Narvik carried me forwards into Sweden, it was such a relief to be finally heading south. A sort of homeward run had started.

After a few days it really set in how difficult the Norway, Lapland to Gulf of Bothnia traverse was becoming. Straight roads lasting for hours with little civilisation, and mosquitos the size of wasps, although perhaps their size was an illusion, I was getting hundreds of bites a day.

Karuna was a major city along the way, centring entirely around the worlds largest iron ore mine, the government owned LKAB venture.

Lulea, Gulf of Bothnia

Shortly after arriving in Lulea I checked into an AirBNB and tried to sort myself out after not having a shower since leaving Norway. I had hit a low point after the monotonous roads and it felt nice to sleep in a bed after weeks in the tent.

Lulea is the most northern city on the Gulf of Bothnia, the weather was great and people were out playing beach volleyball and doing water-sports in the harbour area.

After Gothenburg this was the first time I was back in a large Swedish city, it felt like the government invested a lot in the community and strived for continuously improving and building on public services and facilities.

Piteå Festival

The sunshine continued and next I went to Piteå, as luck would have it, just as with the Sámi museum, they were having a festival but this time it was the entire city.

An annual event lasting four days, the Piteå Dansar attracts 120,000 people for dancing, and has carnivals, and water sports meetings, popular with people attending from across the whole of northern Sweden.

I tried Moose kebab and sat and listened to the music, the atmosphere was lively and the people all really friendly. Moose tastes a bit like Venison but perhaps leaner, I aren't an expert but it tastes nice.

Piteå Watersports

I decided to stay in the town for a few days, Pite Havsbad was a beach resort so I sun bathed and saw hundreds of people relaxing, playing sports, volleyball and swimming.

Jet skiing, motor boating, fishing, water skiing, and inflatable riding, were all popular, basically everything possible to use the water for they were set up to do it.

Young people were jumping in to the river from the bridges, the kids were paddling, they had a bar on the lake that was on a sort of platform for boats to use, even a raft for 10 people powered with an outboard motor.

Piteå Outdoors Culture

In winter they have other sports also on the lakes, ice skating, hockey and snow sledding. It is inspiring how they make the most of all the land and resources and share them with the entire community so everyone can take part.

They have skiing, wind surfing, games like pétanque, frisbee golf, ice hockey indoor and outdoor, orienteering clubs, too many to name, XXL the Swedish Sports Direct is ginormous and like the IKEA of recreation. Shooting, hunting, everything.

There are even saunas people make and use on the lake with fires inside so they can jump out into the cold water and then get back inside again, they are not the land of the 1%!

Robertsfors

Robertsfors was set up as a town by Scotsman Robert Finlay, the area was attractive because of its wood for the nearby Olofsfors Bruk ironworks that now operates a history experience centre, people dress up as workers and explain how it worked.

It was interesting to read about the equitable way workers and the community benefited from the circular economy, different somehow from the Tudor businesses in England at the time, this idea seems to continues now in Sweden today.

The photo is of Sweden's only double billet built in 1853 back from when each community had to provide for some soldiers.

Umeå

Umeå was quite a large city about half way along the Gulf of Bothnia. I visited the university to have a look around the campus, they have 25,000 students and it spans along the river and supports a large part of the local economy.

I got some Birkbeck owl photos with their popular art feature the 'Heart Smiley' and spent time in the local library charging batteries.

They have the worlds largest washing line peg in the park next to the river and it felt like a really modern, forward thinking city.

Kramfors

After some really hard wet days caught up in storms that were moving in my direction of travel I arrived in Kramfors, the roads to the city were really difficult, mainly gravel with huge chunks of clinker type material as you find on railways, this broke my rear wheel rim as I noticed it starting to develop cracks between the spokes.

That evening I found a gorgeous beach to camp on with a volleyball net to dry the clothes and a well sheltered fire pit next to the forest. It was a relaxing stay and helped with a mental lift slightly even though the rain was persistently terrible forecast ahead.

Sundsvall

Sundsvall was a large city, not far from Stockholm, by this point the nights were dark and the weather a lot warmer than further north. The rain was still pouring and I felt ill and couldn't keep my spirits up, everything was wet.

Laundry was very difficult in Sweden for people travelling in the North as they don't have laundrettes or any public coin operated facilities as commonly found in almost every country. Instead they have communal machines residents book and share as part of their block of apartments.

I reached an all time low and had a bit of a breakdown, but with kind support from Emily Jones managed to pick myself back up and get going again.

Stockholm

Following the lowest point of the trip I arrived in Stockholm and found a hostel where I could stay, wash clothes and visit some of the cities attractions.

The architecture was really nice, I could see a mixture of influences between France like the House of Nobility, and the area around the old town and further across up the river looked a little like Prague and had Germanic styles.

I really recommend visiting, the Parco Berzelius home to sculptures and art, and the cosmopolitan bars and restaurants that gave the city a special feeling.

Stockholm Changing the Guard

In the old city there were lines of horses and a procession about to begin. At first I didn't realise but it was the changing of the royal guard!

The horses were dressed up, the soldiers wore blue outfits, were accompanied by a band playing music, the crowds loved it and the whole experience was memorable in terms of experiencing one of their capital city traditions.

In the same area there is an army museum, lots of nice restaurants and coffee shops. If you are on a quick visit to Stockholm this is a quick option for photos and many of the main attractions.

Norrköping

South of Stockholm there are many more roads spanning out in every direction with many suitable for cycling. I decided to take a combination of routes to Växjö from their Kattegattleden national cycle route system.

Norrköping was a magnificent old city with lots of mill type architecture converted into ultra modern apartments.

I passed a community basketball court showing films for the children and was impressed with the initiative to proactively bring people together rather than divide, no immigration poster vans.

Trelleborg

Trelleborg had great place to camp in the church yard only 10KM away from the ferry terminal. When I arrived two German students from Cologne were already occupying but luckily there was room for one more so I laid down and felt great about making it through on time with the bike still in one piece.

The next morning we chatted for a while, they set off on foot and I shortly followed heading to the town centre for a look around with 4 hours spare to explore. There was a nice lively restaurant with a live band outside next to the water tower so I sat and listened to them play until it was time to sail.

Rostock, Germany

The ship docked early morning and it felt good to be back in Germany, loads of nice sculptures and old city art.

First stop Aldi!! - It was like finding a pound shop with everything you happened to want to buy after months of being forced to shop for groceries at Fortnum & Mason!!

Cycling away from the coast I saw signs for Rügen which is supposed to be absolutely beautiful, I really need to go there for a long weekend and explore by car in future.

This was the start of a fast 250km ride back to Berlin with clear cycle routes through Pomerania.

Waren & Nationalpark Müritz

Somehow the bike survived the cobbled roads of Pomerania and by early afternoon I made it to Waren. Google Maps was sending me along a national road but it had cycles prohibited signs so I had to divert through Müritz National Park.

Cycling through the park was a great experience, especially the southern area, Dorffest looks really good, the whole place is so well maintained, easy to access and with a lot of water-sports and bathing places.

After about 12 hours I found a kayaking camp site about 35km from Oranienburg, a nice distance for the final day.

Berlin!

Berlin is one of my favourite cities in Europe, I've spent quite a lot of time there over the last few years, I think its the Freiheit mentality I like the most, the music, the beer, the naked people sunbathing in the Tiergarten, the protests with nightclub speakers pumping out at 100DB on a procession of trucks from lunch time to midnight.

Thats why I chose to finish in Berlin - a place I love that would free me from the 10 week battle to get to the finish line!

At the end it was great to go for photos with some of the statues of psychological greats at the Humboldt too!