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Day 6. Ølberg to Brusand.

Distance 60km. Average not known.

This morning on heading back to the route, we discovered a disadvantage of coastal campsites. You invariably go down the hill to the shoreline in the evening to the site and hence have to start the following day with a short sharp climb. On balance it is a small price to pay for some lovely campsites.

With the extra weight of our damp washing we headed towards Ogna. We left at around midday, just before the heavens opened. Torrential rain for the best part of an hour, meant that we got very wet. The rain was particularly heavy just as we needed to cross a busy road littered with roadworks. Fortunately the sun came out shortly afterwards and our quick dry cycling shorts proved to be just that.

Our cagoules kept our upper body dry and the cycling shorts got wetter and wetter. This was not really a problem as the weather was warm enough. By the time we stopped for a quick lunch, sheltering under some trees by the roadside we had no need of our coats. In the 20 minutes we took to eat our sandwiches the sun had come out and it was too warm. The landscape was rolling farmland not too taxing, in fact this was one of the easiest sections of the route.

Despite the rain the route was lovely, running for several sections along the Old King's Road. We arrived at the 'rickety suspension bridge' and realised that cycling across it was a no go. The picture shows why, and even walking across it I managed to end up with my back wheel in a groove with the weight of the bike resting on my rear dérailleur. Fortunately there appeared to be no damage although I was just a little concerned at the time. There was then a short sharp walk up to the top of the dyke (maybe cycleable in the other direction) and back to wonderful sea views. The view from the dike in the other direction was lovely giving a good idea of the landscape in this area, and the ease of cycling.

You might be wondering why I have included so many pictures of the bridge and views from it. This is to give you and idea of just how changeable the weather was that day. The photos are taken within 10 minuntes of each other. The sky looking to the sea was brilliant and looking away from it dark drizzly and menacing.

Shortly afterwards we hit the Hå Gamle Prestgard, a collection of historic buildings and a museum and restaurant. Here is a panorama looking out to sea. The NSCR can be seen in the far left of the picture. We bumped into three other cyclists also doing the route, a couple from the UK (Brit and an Aussie) and a German lady. Like us they were doing the route the wrong way round albeit by the sounds of it somewhat more quickly. We met the couple again at Hauge a couple of days later for the last time.

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