As years go 2020 was one of those where bold plans got overtaken by life. A combination of Covid and a persistent foot problem put paid to plans for a summer long hike. But hej. Plans change...
So I dusted off my bike, bought a saddle bag and tried something new. Cycle touring. Or is it called bike packing these days? A three day weekend trip visiting Skokloster - one of the nearly local stately homes that litter the landscape in Mälardalen, the hinterland behind Stockholm.
The first day was a brilliant sunny day and around 40km along forest trails and quietish country roads, doing my best not to wander into a big firing range and get shot at. I'd picked out a quiet spot in a nature reserve at Sandviksåsen to camp over. It's a glacial ridge on the shore of Lake Mälaren. It was, as hoped, really quiet and undisturbed, but the path through the woods was basically full of chunky round stones and not to be recommended with a bike loaded with packing. The reward though was a lovely still glade looking out onto the lake and an evening to my self with just the odd angler drifting by.
The second day was a day of two halves, meandering up through the countryside to reach Skokloster for a bit of touristing and lunch and then starting the homeward leg back via Sigtuna.
Skokloster is nice, and I was there early with time to idle, take a coffee and ogle the big old American cars rolling in for an owners rally. But...
Once there I got the tools out to try and adjust a squeaky brake and discovered two bolts missing from the luggage rack! And the other two loose....
Not good. 50kms from home and the somewhat loaded luggage rack was falling off.
After some head scratching and some good fortune I took the mounting bolts out from the unused bottle holder spot and Yes! The right size! Trip saved.
Lunch in the sun, and then I retraced my steps until I hit the road for Sigtuna. After idling my way along the waterfront at Sigtuna and indulging in ice cream I made it to my next overnight spot, near a picnic spot on the edge of some woods. I made some dinner and left pitching the tarp until near sundown when passing day trippers and trail runners had given up for the day.
A pity then that it started to pour down just at the wrong moment... And the ground was like concrete, bending a couple of pegs trying to get them in. But.. the rain went over and soon it was just me and the barking of the foxes.
It has its charm this cycling mullarky. :)
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