Around the Pond: 5000 km on the North Sea Cycle Route

I wait near the reception for mail to be delivered. Still no package for me. I call Pedalør, they assure me the the package has indeed been sent. They also give me tracking number. I can't make that number work in the browser of my mobile phone, so I go to the postal store in the local supermarket. Here they tell me that the package has for some reason ended up in the wrong city. They offer to have it sent here to Hamresanden, that would only take two more days.

I don't really want to wait here any longer. I've already wasted too much time. It will be hard to complete the tour on schedule, especially since I can't make the planned average of 100km per day here in Norway, due to the hills.

I ask whether it would be possible to have the package sent to Stavanger for me to pick up at the post office. They'd have to get the package to Hamresanden first, before sending it on, so it may take three or four days, and add another charge, but that's OK with me. It will take me a few days to get to Stavanger, anyway.

Finally I can move on. I put the remnants of my old tent into the trash, and pack everything. I take the already familiar way to Kristiansand.

Shortly after Kristiansand it begins to rain. For a while I just ignore it, but as it looks like it won't stop anytime soon I take countermeasures: I stop under some trees, and change into my rain gear. That helps: a few minutes later it stops to rain. And since Goretex doesn't really work well in warm weather I still get wet, even without rain...

For a while the route takes a bike path parallel to a busy highway, later it follows smaller, pleasant highways along the fjords. If it weren't for the hills this would be really fun...

I end the day on a small camping site near Mandal.


Day 42 - July 14th: Hamresanden - Mandal

Route

Hamresanden - Kristiansand - Søgne - Mandal

Statistics

Distance: 71.03 km
Cycle time: 4:16 h
Average speed: 16.64 kmh
Hight difference: 867 m
Total distance: 2526 km
© Thomas Stets ts.semper.d@googlemail.com
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