2024 S. E. Asia

I wasn’t up that early, the bed was huge and very comfy. However there was sun shinning in through the window and most my stuff was dry. I started moving my bags to reception. As the lift doors opened and there stood Sebastian 2. We laughed at seeing each other again. Bless him he had waited an hour at the ferry port in the hope it would stop raining but it just got worse. Still he was taking a day out and heading to a brewery in town.

I drove out to the car park Jess was staying at and we had a brief chat before swapping numbers. On the way back I picked up provisions. Norway is expensive to keep eating out and staying in hotels.

I’d read the cable car gives great views and it was a stunning day so I paid for parking and then paid for the cable car. Its a 4 minute ride and there’s a viewing gallery. You can then walk to the very top of the mountain. It took about an hour but was fun and gave great views of Tromsø.

The cable car was swift and the viewing gallery a great place to, well view! I saw a flag in the distance and started walking towards it as it seemed to mark the highest point. “I’ll be there in 20 minutes”, an hour later I was there. A sweaty mess but I’d made it. My question to the mayor of Tromsø, you made a cable car and charged me 350Nkr to ride it, why not make it go to the top?

After a rest back at the cable car station I made my way to the snow cathedral. Its a gorgeous building and it’s design let’s light flood in.

I was back on the road trying not to use the E roads as spectacular as they are the side roads are often better and I’m in no rush. I made my way 130km to Bardofoss and found a cheap little campsite at Målselvfossen. Fossen means waterfall and this had a great one. I was in for another hike though

The fork seals have been leaking a while and stupid me had only cleaned the dust covers. Now with a home made scraper made from my cinema loyalty card I removed the dust covers and cleaned the seals proper.

It was 8am and Id missed the first two ferries. I got myself ready, wished Sebastian a safe journey and rode the 200m to the ferry, parking next to a red motorhome in the queue. The next moment Jess appeared next to me. He had got new tyres and left Ettiene at the tyre shop.

The rain was threatening to make it a wet and windy day as we boarded the ferry.

Olderdalen to Lingseidet was only 20 minutes and then a short but impressive ride saw me arrive at Svensby for a slightly longer ferry ride to Briedvik. I told Jess I’d wait for him. At the ferry port I had a quick chat with the two cyclists I had met the night before and let the ferry sail whilst I waited for Jess.

I got a coffee and sat in the waiting room, which of course was a stunning little cafe with a great owner who talked about the whales and dolphins he sees each year. He made me laugh as I had been outside and he came out to say I was welcome into the cafe to wait. His words, “Ahh you are British, you can come in to wait, although you guys like the weather a bit shit!”

Jess duly arrived as did another Sebastien (Sebastian 2) cyclist. This one German. He had limited time and had flown to Finland then cycled to the top and was now headed for Lofoten before flying home. He said he had been cursing the headwinds all day and now the rain was coming in hard. We all sat inside and Jess supplied boiling water for Sebastian 2’s noodles, which made him very happy.

Jess showed me a parking place he was going to spend the night and I said I’d meet him there. I rode off first and headed the short distance to Tromsø. It was heaving with rain and I decided to park up and find a place to dry out and eat. Hey look a car park and an all you can eat pizza place. I was sold, obviously. It was mid day and the buffet finished at 3pm. I put my gloves on the heater and all my wet gear on spare seats at my table overlooking the harbour and my bike.

I went to get my second plate of pizza and on return a small yellow tag was hanging from the left hand grip. I wasn’t going to look but sure as hell it would be a ticket.

At 3pm I settled my bill and took a ride round town. I was still wet and cold. I made my way to the place Jess was camping. It was high up in the cloud and even wetter. I spent some time looking for a place to pitch my tent, nowhere!

I looked up campsites. Of the two closest one was closed and the other didn’t exist. I started looking for places to wild camp but again the quiet places I found were waterlogged. Jess had mentioned a place near the airport but that didn’t appear as I searched. Then I found a hotel. Dripping wet I went to the door and it didn’t open. The whole hotel was closed for a refurb. There was nothing for it Booking.com found me the cheapest hotel in town, about 2 minutes from the pizza place.

After placing everything in the room to dry out I took a walk through the town, before bed

Starting at Skiaga It was the same gorgeous ride back through to Alta and then on the E6 to Tromsø. I had done about 5km when I saw what looked like a ski jump. Some 15 minutes later I was at the base. It all looked very old.

Once at the top of the steps you are effectively at the launch point for the skier.

Looking up the ramp I couldn’t imagine the bravery

I went to climb the stairs but it was clear they didn’t want people climbing it

But people had and I was the next one to feed myself through the framework and around the gates

I was rewarded with some great views, although the wooden floor was rotting

This little diversion had taken a good hour so I wasn’t going to make Tromsø in a day. I’m in no rush, when will I ever be in this part of the world again? The riding was easy, despite the painfully low speed limits. The tunnels through the fjord side rock where long, some 5km long.

Watch out for reindeer in the tunnel. I was wondering why they would venture into the tunnel, but as one lady had told me, they are just stupid and then…….

I saw him stood there quite near the exit and slowed as he turned and trotted out. But a vehicle coming the other way confussed him. I parked up and ushered him out the way

At some point I came up on a queue of traffic at roadworks. In front of me a car and in front of them a bike. I could just make out a UK sticker on the top box. In time I skipped the car and tu ked in behind the bike, a big road going BMW. I was just enjoying the ride when I noticed some markings on this guys rear tyre, the more I looked the more concerned I was but what to do. I should try and stop him in case it is dangerous. At that point he indicated to pull over so I tucked into the same lay-by. Ettiene is South African but has lived in Suffolk for many years. His trip is exceptional, setting off from UK in May he has travelled as far as Georgia and now is returning from Nordkapp.  Formalities out the way I asked if his tyre was OK. We looked, it wasnt

We had a dilema and searched for tyre dealers, there was one 25km away. “Do you think it will be safe to ride?” He asked. The fact was he had been riding on it for some time and really had no choice. I said I would follow to keep a safe gap between following traffic.

30km later we arrived at the first place, they were ATV and trailer specialists so no good and had no good news. Its 125km to Tromsø and that is the best bet, we were told. However 500metres later was a car spares place and I asked a local biker. “Tromsø” he said. Then he looked at the tyre “WOW you’ll not make Tromsø”. He pointed across the road to a car tyre dealer. 3 minutes later good news. They could get a tyre and fit it. The bad news Ettiene would be there for 3 days minimum. We got chatting to a guy, Jess from the Netherlands, who had the same issue on his camper but they would have his tyres in the morning. I bid them both safe onward journeys and set off.

The quickest way to Tromsø is by taking 2 ferries and island hopping. I arrived in Olderberg and watched the ferry sail off. It was 5pm and maybe I could camp here. I took a little ride and found some cabins to rent. 100nk or £10. That’s cheaper than camping. OK it wasn’t luxurious and if anyone else turned up I would be sharing. No bedding charge if you use your own sleeping bag. The bike was under cover as the rain started.

Later I met Sebastian a French cyclist making his way to Nordkapp. We ended up in the same dorm.

It was a cold night in Alta so i spent a long time in the shower warming up before heading off for the furthest point North this trip would allow. It soon warmed up and the scenery was stunning. I cant describe it so here are some pictures

It was 200km of road riding bliss. Every corner revealed another stunning view. I wasn’t prepared to pay the £35 for access to the gift shop and cafe. So entry was free with strict warnings not to try and get the bike to the globe. As I parked my bike I again spotted Marc on his KTM. He had been there, done that and was headed back towards Finland.

Just one thing left to do. Get the prize photo

I spent surprisingly little time there. Enough to get photos and cold from the bitter wind. I rode back to the next little fishing village and found a seafood cafe. I don’t do seafood but the carrot cake and coffee were good, as was the company of the waitress who told me about the King crabs she sells and showed me the keep tank with probably 50 King crabs in. She really loves them despite cooking them alive. She didn’t like the expression ‘underwater sea spiders’.

From there I headed back to Skaida where I found a small hotel and booked in for the night. There was the chance of an aurora that night but this far north it just didn’t get dark enough to see anything.

Finland to Finland fín was very quick. Less than two hours. If I hadn’t stopped a few times my feet may not have actually touched Finnish soil. What was aparent is that the “finger of Finland” is like a transition area. In Sweden you are constantly surrounded by trees and although you do rise and decend a lot, the constant presence of vast lakes makes it feel like you are at sea level. As you enter Finland that ceases and the road rises higher than the surrounding land, the trees stop and the rough mountainous rucks start to build up. Then Norway arrives in a blur of empty border control booths.

It was getting colder for sure. I decided to stop for a warm up. It turned into lunch in a really cool, buy very warm geodesic igloo.

As I left in walked Marc Henniger again. We had a chat and thought we would probably see each other at Nordkapp.

Norway is so rugged, everything about it, the faces of all the hills and mountains forged by ice ages and ferocious erosion. The water flows fast in the streams and boils as it passes over and around huge boulders. Its a hard land with tough people who are kind and welcoming.

At 4pm I rolled into Alta, one of the last big towns headed north. I decided to end early. The campsite was fine with views of the fjord and snow capped mountains. I rode into town and found a jet wash to clean the bike. On the way back to camp I saw the very distinguished KTM and rider Marc Honniger again. He was headed further up the road to camp. After that, back at camp I adjusted and oiled the chain.

I woke up refreshed and ready for breakfast at the hotel in Mokkjokk. I think there is about 60km of trail left. So I took it slow to pack, shower, load the bike and say goodbye to the rather lovely receptionist. I got my leg over and fired her up, the bike that is! One last check, oh that looks more than 60km.

I headed off along the crazy straight trails. In fairness there was 1km of single track to start with

I want to say I stuck to the 70kph limit but its just too much fun to fire it off down these tracks. Always aware this is a road used by car drivers and lorries which remain unseen until you crest the rise. The corners are to be taken stood up with light grip on the bars letting your weight dictate the direction. It’s biking heaven for me. The rear tyre may disagree, at 11 days old it looks very worn as it spends most of its time spinning faster than the bike is going. Riding at these speeds takes concentration and I can’t keep it going for long before I need to just sit on the bike and cruise. Luckily there are enough little communities that require you to drive slow.

Eventually I needed fuel just as the trail came to the E10 main road. 15km later a petrol station and cafe. Time for lunch. A chicken salad did the job and then I needed just one more thing…….

The OSMand app said I had 130km to go. It was 2pm so that would be easy. What I didnt realise was that distance is as the crow flies. I had a huge distance to go but what exceptional riding it was. Sec 5 may be the last section heading North but it has some of the best riding.

All of a sudden the track took a right turn towards the river and a ferry boat. I was effectively stuck in a small village, Lainio. You need to take the car ferry across the river. The ferry was there but no driver. I went to the office and read a sign on the door. Basically if there’s no driver, just take the ferry yourself. I read it again and again, yes it really says help yourself. It also says if the ferry is on the other bank then take the little outboard engined boat to go collect it to make your crossing. Luckily it was on my side. I rode on and waited for someone to come out shouting, but nothing. I worked out how to lift the ramp and without keys for the motor its a case of haul the steel cable yourself, suddenly I was at sea. I was videoing the whole thing and didn’t think to take photos. Maybe 15metres out and a quad bike turned up at the boarding point I had just left. I called out to the guy “Do you want me to come back?” I was waiting to be told I had stolen the towns ferry and would be charged with piracy, the reply “Oh yes please that would be very kind”. It took quite a bit off stopping but it did and soon I was back at the Quay, lowering the ramp like one of P&O’s finest. I mentioned to Mike that it would be easier with two, he said it would be much easier as he has a key for the engine!

Mike explained that the town were looking to secure funding from the EU for a bridge. It seems a shame that the ferry may come to an end but just imagine his journey, he was crossing the river to get paint brushes from his storage shed. If he had been any later he would have had to take the tender and collect the ferry, go back pick up his quad and cross again. I mean get some paint brushes delivered!

He said traffic had increased with the inclusion of Lianio on the TET route which would help with funding a bridge. He wished me luck as we disembarked. ‘I’m a ferry driver, me’.

I still had 60km as the crow flies and it was absolute heaven with a little bit of everything I’d experienced so far, bar the water crossing, thrown in. Sand, rocks, gravel, mud, fast straights and twisty twin track. Ending on a main road and ultimately the Finish at the Finnish border.

I was in Finland, the first new country on my trip, I have been to all the others before. I had seen a campsite just across the border and with time getting on I needed somewhere to sleep. The campsite was closed, as was the adjoining hotel. A notice suggested the Rajamaa Hotel in Sweden but honestly this place looked expensive so I didn’t fancy going back to the Swedish equivalent. Two more campsites failed to materialise so back to Sweden.

It was my lucky day the Rajamaa in Muonio is a small guest house with chalets, parking for motor homes and even plots for tents. The little twin bed chalet was such a good price I took it. I asked about food and they could fit me in.

I parked up the bike grabbed my washing bag and that was me set up. In the dining area the lady produced the food and it was a feast. Some kind of curried chicken breast with rice, salad and various breads. Honestly, as a fussy eater, I was amazed at how good this was. I ate until I could eat no more.

The guy who runs the place came to clear away and we got chatting. He showed me photos of other TET users including a couple of guys in a tuktuk. I explained how great the food was and he immediately went to the kitchen returning with freshly made blueberry pie and home made cream. He told me he had picked the berries that morning.

So that’s it, TET compete. Thank you Sweden for the best biking I’ve ever done, the nicest people you could wish to meet and stunning scenery. The site and smell of which will last a lifetime.

Ansia camping in Lycksele was lovely and I was torn as to stay another day or move on. But it was another gorgeous sunny day and who knew how long this would last. This indecision meant I didn’t set off until 10am.

This was section 5 and it was mostly fast straight gravel top, every now and then taking a sharp 90° turn which left me locking up the rear wheel and trying to slide it into the bend or just plain overshooting it.

About lunchtime I came across a lovely dam, aptly named damm2. I rode across and saw two guys on bikes stopped. I joined them and was going to have my picnic lunch. The guys had just finished there’s and told me the rest of this section was all straight to Mokkjokk.

I’d done enough gravel for the day and opted for the road to Mokkjokk. I had done something to aggravate my shoulder so sitting down and cruising seemed a good idea.

Some time later I stopped at a gokarting track for coffee and 3 bikers there also said the ride to Mokkjokk was nothing great.

What was great was getting to this place

I dont know what happened as I cruised into Mokkjokk but I had decided on staying in a hotel. It didn’t look much but it was very nice inside and the receptionist was unbelievably gorgeous, so I couldn’t say “How much!!!”, I just said “Oh yes that’s fine thankyou”.

At 5am it was raining but by 7 it had stopped so coffee, porridge, pack up and go. It was quite a ride back to the trail via a petrol station.

Initially I felt tight, tense and worried about the wet tracks. It was cold with high winds and the promise of more rain. The trail had big puddles which didn’t bother me but the sludgy looking areas did and I was letting it affect my riding which subsequently induces mistakes. It got no better as there was a stretch of muddy, slimey road for about 4km leading to a bridge and a junction with a far better surface. But for those 4km I was stood weight right back fighting the bike to stay upright and on course.

As the day warmed up the mud was far less but seeing piles of wood at the side of the trail means logging lorries, that in turn means the trail is caked in fresh gravel for the lorries to get grip. In this area the gravel was more like pebbles and the bike didn’t like it. For me it was far better than the mud. Of course it also meant lorries coming in the other direction. I saw a few and moved aside for them. What came next I wasn’t ready for. A few km of soft topsoil type mud being laid. It was like ice unless you stayed within a tyre track of a previous lorry. I was pleased to meet and pass the grading machine onto clear tracks.

I stopped for lunch at a trucker cafe. It was such good value and bottomless coffee pot for £2. Back on the bike with a belly full of burger and chips washed down with way to much coffee, I was quickly back on the pace, all concerns gone and the bike was loving it. I’d never put it on Social Media but I was just firing the bike at everything. At one point I went for a higher gear only to find I was in top gear doing 140kph. It felt so solid, admittedly a stray moose would have felt more solid but I’ve yet to see anything bigger than a red squirrel.

I found a campsite in Lycksele, the Ansia chain of campsites. £15 for a night and it was like a country club. Absoluty fantastic with every service available even including a purpose built dog wash. If the bike had gone through the doorway………

Having eaten my fill I went for a walk before bed. On return I noticed oil leaking from the front left fork leg. I cleaned the seal out in the hope it was just dirt.

I was up late and by the time I had packed it was 10am.

Setting off it was 3km to the trail and I was only a short way in when I met a Swedish guy stopped at the side of the trail on his KTM 890 adv. I assumed being a KTM he’d broken down but all was good. He told me I was in for a very easy day and I told him he wasn’t as he was headed south. I showed him photos of the two dodgy bits and told him about the submerged logs in the big water puddle as well as the three big rocks at the far side of the water crossing. In fairness heading south is much easier. I set off again happy in the knowledge my day would drift by in a blurr of Woodlands, mountains, easy tracks and gravel paths. The sun was out and I was getting into my flow. Ahead a slight right hand bend like so many before. On the inside edge a small patch of mud, no need to change route, today was going to be easssssyyyyyy! The front lost grip it was slipping side ways, I couldn’t hold it within a fraction of a second the back joined it with a Torvil and Dean grace the bike span 180° spitting me off.

I dont remember getting up so I like to think I elegantly stepped off the bike, however the dust up my right leg of my clean jeans suggested otherwise. OK first lift of the day, oh maybe not. I just couldn’t lift it, give it a moment and eeerrrr no! Oh wheres the screen gone? A quick look round and I found it all in one piece. I unloaded the bike again and lifted it to its wheels, amazed to find no real damage

I set to work and within 30 minutes the screen was as good as new and I was ready to go, although still facing the wrong way!

Back on the trail and I was slow to find my rhythm again but it came back and soon I was up to speed. I have let myself down a bit as it was the best riding. Totally free long gravel tracks, the bike slipping and finding grip in the corners, moving about under me, installing more confidence. So much fun that I didn’t stop to take pictures. At one point I stopped and sent the drone up for 15 minutes exploring the area, it was beautiful. When it landed back down I realised that although I had seen it all I had failed to press record.

I could feel I was getting tired and at 5pm I took a short road ride to Dövikan where I found this gorgeous camp site..

With the water crossing done there were just two more obstacles to negotiate that day.

The first a long blast through deep sand the second another less awkward water trap.

Riding sand is for the brave. Lean back, keep the front light, stay loose and power through. I’m sure the Husky would have loved it. The Honda doesn’t understand light. So with my aching body trying its best, I leant back and fired the bike into the long stretch of uphill sand. It started well but as the speed dropped off up the hill the front dug in and slewed to the right, I wasn’t going to be able to hold this, so off the power and stop. Now I’m axle deep in sand on a hill with a rear tyre that doesn’t really like mud or sand. Feet down and paddle hard to get the bike moving up the hill, my feet still squelching in wet socks. Slowly there was movement and then proper forward movement but really slow and still needing to paddle my feet like a demented duck to keep going. Within a few minutes I was clear of the sand and back on track.

The next obstacle was a less daunting water crossing, in fact just a big puddle. But I had read there was a sunken log halfway through.

Once again I parked up and walked it. There were indeed two logs across the wigth and another laying in line with the path but enough to catch you out. However walking the edge was quite firm and I decided thats the way to go. Back on the bike TC and ABS off this time the bike took well to going round the edge past the logs but then something caught the front wheel and I was in the water. I just had to keep momentum going so sure enough a handful of throttle ensured we got through.

The rest of the ride was easy and soon enough I was searching for a campsite. Annoyingly I don’t have the name but selling features were, free coffee on arrival, a huge supermarket next door, a washing machine and dryer. I did all my washing and ate snack food from the store. I also met Mat and his mate who were riding the TET but were starting the next day headed north not through the water crossing.