Epilogue.
The aim of a cycling holiday is to cycle.
We need a plan and we need to stick to it. This is the advantage of following a signed or known route. There is a goal, a beginning and an end. As a result the Swedish part of our trip was more successful than the Norwegian section in the sense that each day we knew what we were going to do. The Ginstleden surprised us and turned out to be a wonderful route and the weather for the most part was great. Despite having a lot of headwinds we were able to make good progress and the terrain was varied enough to make it interesting.
The NSCR in Sweden was let down by the poor state of the signposting in many places. You really do need a good road map of the route and to mark out the route in advance. It is a shame as it is interesting to see the way the countryside changes from Varberg up to Svinesund, from coastal Southern Sweden to the Norwegian coastline. There are as many differences as similarities and lots of things to see and visit on the way. Just watch out for the lack of campsites in the Hallevistrand area. If anyone knows where they are please drop us a line. Let's hope that the organisation that manages the NSCR in Sweden sorts out the signs sooner rather than later as it makes the experience a little less enjoyable.
As for the Norwegian section we were in awe of the magnificent scenery once again. The wildness of the Rallarvegen coupled with the snow fields was amazing again and we were chuffed that we managed it in one day. Flåmsdalen was also impressive and we were glad to have now done all of the Rallarvegen.
Jøstedal with the torrential rain and floodwaters was a wonderful challenge and we were glad to have set foot on the Nigardsbreen. The rest of the Sognefjord area was a beauty to see and I still am haunted by images of Fjærlandsfjorden and of course the sunny day from Vikøyri (Vik) to Voss. What we have realised is that there is still a lot to see and cycle in Norway. We're not finished with the NSCR either but summer 2008 will take us back to Norway to cycle and document some of the newer national cycle routes. We'll have to finish the NSCR another day.