Month: February 2011


  • Day 26: Where Am I?

    Am I really in the Arctic in February? I ask myself as I clamber from my tent once more. I’ve been wild-camping for several days and have noticed that I’m emitting an increasingly blood-curdling reek. Unsurprising — it’s been almost a week since I last took off my long-sleeved baselayer. Continue reading →

  • Day 25: Up And Over

    An unusual weather window opens up just as I am due to cross the mountain pass back to Norway: it’s just below zero, and things are noticeably slushy. My routine disintegrates as things which should be frozen — food, camping gear, clothes — begin to drip and defrost. Continue reading →

  • Day 24: Into The Cosmic Mountains

    Stunning sunrises are easily-available things, really, but how often do we choose to stand and drink in that life-affirming sight? Not often enough, I suspect. I know I don’t — I’m usually either still asleep (summer) or doing something supposedly more important (winter). Continue reading →

  • Day 23: Are You A Potential Moose?

    I’m riding happily along when along comes a turn-off to my left. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. And so, after many days of ignoring the side-roads, I check over my shoulder and pull off the E45 for what I hope is the last time. Continue reading →

  • Day 22: Why (Part Two)

    Sören drops me off where I’d left my bike. It’s almost eight in the morning, sunlight seeping into the sky. It’s ‑29°C, so I waste no time in getting going — I can’t afford to stand around. The first few minutes bring an uncomfortable chill to my extremities, but I soon warm up and settle […] Continue reading →

  • Day 21: Storuman & The Road Ahead

    The days pass and the land has become even more sparsely-populated. Thin, undulating forests and countless lakes dominate; the sun scarcely seems to make it above the treetops all day; wildlife tracks show up on the roadside with increasing regularity. Today I see a pair of mooses, a mother and calf, plodding carelessly across the […] Continue reading →

  • Day 20: Small-Town Lapland

    Today, my far-northern foray brings me to Vilhelmina, named in history after a certain queen who was ousted from the throne shortly after being immortalised in the names of the towns of Vilhelmina, and Dorotea which I had passed yesterday. And it’s refreshing to spend a little time focusing on a settlement after pondering the […] Continue reading →

  • Day 19: People Power

    There’s little that can bring a bigger smile to a bicycle-traveller’s face than a spontaneous act of kindness from a stranger. Incidentally, I have come to really dislike the word ‘stranger’. It implies something which I don’t believe to be true; that anyone with whom we aren’t familiar shouldn’t be trusted. Because they’re ‘strange’. Continue reading →

  • Day 18: They Can’t See The Forest

    It’s warm today. I can tell because it takes ages for my ice-beard to crispen up. At ‑20°C and below, my facial hair is as stiff as a board within a couple of minutes. But today I have few problems with nasal outpourings. The sun is shining, a few morning clouds receding, and it’s looking […] Continue reading →

  • Day 17: Standard Operating Procedures

    By now I’ve settled into certain ways of doing things when I’m out on the road in this climate. These are things I’ve learnt through trial and cold, miserable error. Just little things, but it’s interesting to look at them a little more closely. Continue reading →