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Boat trip with company to Umeå. The best forest road yet. My first hostel that kind of didn’t exist. Didn’t stay there. Camping ground near the coast. Beautiful day. Sweden.

Day 30. 120km. Vasa – Ånäset. Map and gpx

It was a strenuous boat trip from Vasa to Holmsund near Umeå.

I slept a bit on the boat but also got talking with Patrick – a Swedish speaking Finn from Jakobstad (Thomas – is that where you are from?). He is doing a big trip on his Vespa mini motorbike. It was nice chatting to him – mostly in Swedish. While chatting we ate – first breakfast and then an early lunch.

He wished me luck in leaving the boat. You can see this in the YouTube clip.

Of course, I had to do the ‘Hello Sweden’ photo.

In Sweden I am following the ‘Sverigeleden’ bike route. Beautifully signposted.

But no farting while cycling. All farts will be hindered.

I cycled into Umeå to say that I had been there. Quite a big place actually. I cycled in and cycled out. And then the Sverigeleden took me past cute countryside dotted with Scandinavian red houses before turning into a long dirt road through a beautiful peaceful forest. I felt alone and at one with nature. A truly beautiful road.

A detour to the coast

before returning inland where the clouds were building again.

The clouds were dark and the first drops of rain began to fall in Robertsfors. I thought – I have gone far enough, I will stay in the hostel there. There was meant to be one there.
Asking for the hostel didn’t achieve any results. Asking for the vandrarhem resulted in some vague directions. On searching the internet in Swedish I ended at the golf club that was meant to have a restaurant and a vandrarhem. There were people there playing golf but noone for the vandrarhem. Noone answered their telephone number.

A friendly guy was staying there it seems and he had a key. We went inside the vandrarhem. It was musty and run down. There was a living room with a few old sofas and an old table. The walls were decorated with 60s wallpaper. The whole place smelled damp.
Noone was there to pay. I was not sure I wanted to stay there anyway, and was coming to terms with the idea of cycling 20km to the camping ground.

Off to the supermarket, bought and ate some dinner, and I was off.

As was the case the whole day, I had a beautiful tail wind and the 20km went quickly.

I’m glad to have arrived and to have a place to stay. 🙂