Distance: 55.96 miles
Time: 5:21
Elevation Gain: 3545 feet
Waking at my resting point, on a disused road hairpin, I was put off from going outside by the astonishing number of midges silhouetted against the fabric of the tent.
Finally, braving the potential onslaught, I headed out into the world, surprised to find that the midges had suddenly vanished, probably because the rain was about to start.
After I’d polished off the rest of the climb from Eide, I then dropped down to Vanylsfjorden, before stopping at the Joker shop in Åheim, availing myself of the free coffee. I also picked up a Kanelknute (cinnamon bun), surprisingly the first I’d seen in a supermarket since Oslo.
I carried on around Syltefjorden to Fiskå, where the road turned inland, and started a long drag, not made easier by the hot sun.
Dropping down to Syvdefjorden, the fantastic mountain scenery, and the light tailwind along this stretch, eased my passage to the next ferry over to the island of Gurskøya.
After stocking up on energy – in the shape of a bacon cheeseburger from the petrol station in Larsnes, I kept on until Dragsund, where, even though I’d covered a relatively low number of miles for the day, I was disappointed to find no campsite where I expected one.
Feeling unmotivated in the low evening sun, I had a choice, drop down into Ulsteinvik, and hope there were toilet facilities near the beach, or push across the island to the large port town of Hareid, a definite chance to find some facilities, charge my phone, and if I made it in 45 minutes, the 22:30 ferry to Sulesund.
On exiting the ferry, I was dismayed at just how steeply the tree-covered landscape of Sulesund dropped to the sea, this was not the wild camping Mecca I’d been hoping for, but, 4 miles later, I was confronted by a stunning lake, and on its shore, a flat green haven, just waiting for a tent.
PedalTheGlobeBlog 