At last we could get under way. We’d heard good reports of the cinnamon rolls and coffee at the village bakery but it was still closed at 09:20 with no baking scents in the air, door bolted, no sign of life.
It was a sunny morning and warm with occasional cooling clouds. The scenery was dramatic, jagged soaring peaks rising up from the water’s edge. We hadn’t gone far when the pretty village of Reine satisfied our craving for coffee and muffins, we also bought bread for lunch which we ate further along the E10 road at picnic tables at Ramberg. A German, living and working in Bergen, came up for a chat and shared his opinion of brexit and worries about the rise of neo Fascist parties such as AfD, FN and UKIP, we were in full agreement. He said he used to admire Britain for its good sense and fair mindedness, our sense of loss is greater as citizens. His Malaysian wife had studied Ocean Sciences at Bangor University. We’ve often met a Bangor graduate on holiday and all have been highly complimentary of the institution.
After a delightful coastal run we crossed inland to Napp, and soon after the 1.7km undersea tunnel which links the islands of Flakstadøya and Vestvågøya. These islands are linked by bridges, tunnels and ferries, there are additional tunnels built as part of road improvement schemes but so far we’d been able to avoid them by using the old sections of road along the coast. We’d heard reports of cyclists coming off on slime at the bottom but it was perfectly dry on this occasion though very noisy when a motor vehicle passed.
We shopped at Leknes, the main town in these islands but with little else to detain the visitor. The last section was lovely, so glad we’d sat out Sunday and not missed this scenery by battling the weather. Brustranda Sjøcamping was a great campsite with a service block incorporating a dual ring cooker and a couple of pans so we didn’t need to use our equipment. At 100 kroner for the two us (about £10) it was good value. Showers cost an additional 10 kr but were way too hot with no temperature control or ability to switch it off, so we had to dry ourselves while the cubicle filled with steam.
Distance cycled: 92 km