Cycling the North Sea Route: Camped 100 km from Bergen, raining hard now. Wednesday morning, 18th August

This photo was taken yesterday late afternoon, very hot and humid after a wet, grey and miserable start to the day. An unexpected campsite appeared after 32 miles of cycling - thought we had another 15 miles or so still to go. Roger's back still bothering him so decided to stop here - what a difficult decision to make ...... Very undulating terrain again which Roger really hates....
A very small little site at the side of a tiny marina - stood watching the jellyfish swimming around yesterday when we arrived - fascinating to watch. By a few hours later we had been joined by the German couple we camped with back at Flekkerfjord (from Stuttgard), Jan a lass from north of Cromarty, Scotland - lives on a farm not far from where the Nigg ferry should have gone from all those months ago. She flew over to Bergen a couple of days ago and is cycling south for 3 weeks, taking ferries and trains on the way. Have met a couple of different cyclists who have/are opting to miss out the Sweden and border area of Norway - taking the ferry to/from Denmark instead. Also Ann Marie, from Switzerland who has cycled a little below are radar along the same route as us, and the same time frame, from Kristiansand. She can't really miss us on the route because of our two bright orange tops ...... so has spotted us on and off all the way here. She had a bad day yesterday - a puncture she repaired followed very soon after by another. She was on her way to catch the ferry we needed to take yesterday- unfortunately we were well ahead of her, on an earlier ferry - so a guy stopped to help her and took her and the bike to the ferry, and then arranged for his daughter who lived at the place where the ferry went to, to collect her and drive her up to this campsite. Roger helped her find the small thorn in the tyre that was causing all the problems. There was a gazebo like tent with table and benches outside the cooking area and toilets, so we all congregated there last night to cook our meals etc. Then the rain started - really heavy and carried on, on and off since then. Hoping the weather will cheer up again before lunch time as it usually does - but not looking hopeful at the moment. Ann Marie has just arrived with her umbrella to tell us that the tyre has gone down yet again - she must be cycling very heavy as along with her umbrella, she has a barometer which she tells us has gone very low, plus a huge tool kit that Roger says would fill half of one of our panniers.

Not that many photos today as very similar undulating scenery to what we have been cycling through before. We had a relaxing day at Skudenshavn, but unfortunately when we cycled into the small town to explore the park there, minus the panniers, Roger pulled a muscle in his back which has been causing him a lot of pain when he moves - walking a bit like a crab at times .... Says not too bad when cycling, but for 24 hrs after he did it was very painful when he went over any sort of bump in the road.
Went to the park to see the Yes/No seat - a great way to elevate a very boring bench overlooking the sea -good marketing on someone's part - they say many a romance has blossomed here!!!

There is also a lump of rock in the park that is different to all the other rock round about. It is known locally as the Moon Rock, because it was believed to be a meteorite. It has been analysed though and is over 800,000 years old and is of the same type of rock as is found in the mountains to the east of Norway. It is thought to have been deposited by a glacier.

The night before last we camped at Haugesund, next to the monument to King Harald who unified Norway - the 20 odd smaller monuments around the main one represent the different areas that became united.