Day 96
8/10/2016, Saturday
Rest day
Well a rest from cycling but had things to do, walked to town to find a bank atm as I had no Swedish money yet, asked for rolling tobacco in a shop, and was sold pipe tobacco instead, I knew I should have brought one of my pipes with me, then went to a pet shop and bought Pippa a snow coat, was going to just get her a rain coat but it was not that much more and had some insulation in it, the only one that fitted her had a broken strap but when I mentioned it I got a discount and it only took a minute to sew it back, plus I felt sorry for her as I had given her a big haircut. Then onto a supermarket and at last somewhere in Europe that sells T bags without that silly bit of string on, back to the campsite and cut some more tangles out, then gave her a shower and used the hairdryer to fluf her up and even the haircut out, she is comfortable in the jacket as she did not try to get it off, but then again it was cold. Cooked dinner in the site kitchen to save my fuel and ate it in the laundry, no one was using it and it had a plug socket so I could charge my electrics while reading a book.

Pippas new snow jacket

Day 97
While packing all my things away in the morning I noticed that my new Swedish camping card was the same as my Danish card, and when I checked in, the lady told me I could not use the Danish one and had to buy a new one in Sweden, when I checked out I explained it to the man at reception now and managed to get a 150 kroner refund.
I had no idea where I was going today as I had no maps and Google maps was not working and playing up. I stopped buying paper maps in Germany even though I love them as they are too expensive and do not have the detail I want on them, I just download the sections I need when I get WiFi.
Today it was the old fashioned way, head south and keep the Baltic sea on my right.
After spending almost £50 on 2 nights camping l have decided to make the most of Sweden’s right to roam laws and wild camping laws and do some wild camping to save money.
I think Sweden has a drug problem as I have been in the country 3 days now and not been able to find rolling tobacco for love nor money, but every tobacco shop sells king size rolling papers, and hardly any sell normal size papers, it could be that there is a ban on post it notes and everyone uses Rizzla.
Pippa was given a large tin of pedigree chum off a Polish lady when I stopped for a break in the afternoon.
Wild camped and while unloading my panniers I saw another broken spoke, then while letting the air out of my tube another one went twang, the good news is I’ve halved the time to replace a spoke on average by doing 2 at once. As I was reassembling the tyre and trying to insert the pump into the valve the valve stem broke, replaced the tube with a Schwalbe Tube, my favourite tubes due to the metal valve post
Today 34km

Day 98

Wet day raining all day long, still no maps so still relying on my skills and local knowledge, my skills being I can read a compass and local knowledge being I’m there so I’m a local and if I can see the sea on my right I’m heading in the right direction. Stopped for mid morning tea by a power station building with some rain cover and saw some weasels, had to remove my waterproofs as I was beginning to sweat and that’s not good in cold weather.
At 1pm stopped at a Burger King for a coffee, but mainly to use there wifi and reload Google maps. I’ve stopped even trying to use McDonalds WiFi as I do not always get on and if I do as soon as I try to download anything the signal goes. I now know where I camped last night. At 2pm I stopped at a bike shop and bought 8 more spokes for my rear wheel and had the wheel trued by them, as nice DT Swiss machine, it only cost me 200 Kroner and I could feel the difference straight away, the problem about truing the wheel myself is I can only get it to within a couple of mm’s but with the right tools it’s within 0.1mm.
At 4pm I pitched camp in a wood just south of Ljunghuset.
I put as much pedigree chum in a tupaware box that would fit in And Pippa had the rest, 2 large bowels full, she deserved it as she was wet and cold.

Today 37km

Day 99

Set off on a cold day, had my waterproofs on to keep the cold out, but had to take it easy to avoid sweating, I made it into Malmo and filled up my waterbottles at a cycle service station.

Cycle service station 

Saw the Oresund bridge from the Swedish side, the bridge that links Denmark and Sweden, I had to pass it about a week ago as cycles are not allowed, I think it was a waste of time building the bridge as, 1 cycles can not use it and 2, if they had built it about 40 miles further north where I caught the ferry, ( 10 minute ferry ride ), it would have been a lot cheaper to build.
Stopped at a campsite in Sibbarp, site had a dog shower but I did not want to put Pippa through that in this cold weather.
Had a good view of the bridge

Oresund bridge in the background

I seem to have a problem passing water, I was not allowed on the Dover-Calis ferry and had to go past it to come back, about an extra week of travel, and the same with the Oresund bridge.

Today 37 Km

Day 100

When I got up I thought it would rain so quickly struck camp, and only caught a few drops of rain on my tent, them moved my bike and kit to shelter and used the site kitchen for breakfast while recharging my electrical items, I smuggled Pippa in under the table while I ate my porrage and watched episode 4 of big bang. When I checked out of the campsite the sun was out and it was a lovely day, pushed the bike for the 1st km to give Pippa her morning exercise then when I tried to ride something felt wrong, flat tyre.
After going on about how I love Schwalbe tyres due to the metal tyre valve, it was the valve stem that had torn. Replaced my tube, now having no spare tubes for the 26 inch tyres, and only 1 for the 16 inch wheel.
Mid day it started to rain and road works lead to a diversion adding more miles to my route, when I was back on route it was 4pm and starting to get dark so I was looking for somewhere to pitch my tent when I saw an old abandoned hut, no door, 3 Windows no glass but a good roof, it was full of graffiti but did the job. I boarded up 1 window, half boarded up another and 3/4 boarded up the 3rd from bits of wood around, I also boarded up the first 2 feet of the door, to keep animals out but mainly the wind out a bit and Pippa in, I was so

home for night 100

tired and exhausted that I did not have the energy to eat all my dinner so Pippa had more to eat then me tonight. I went to bed at 7.30 as it was dark.
At about 11pm I thought I heard the brakes of a wet bicycle by the road, then I heard rustling around the shack, the good thing about boarding up the Windows was the only moonlight came in the top half of the doorway, then I saw someone standing there, I said hello and it was not till then my guard dog woke up and started barking. It was a man from Moldova, I think he was planning to sleep where I was, and asked him if he wanted to, he told me that he didn’t and ended up sleepung in another smaller building that I was thinking about as it had no Windows so it would be warmer, but i would not have been able to put my bike and trailer in.
Today 35km

Day 101

Thursday 13/10/2016

I hope today will not be my worst nightmare.
I cycled the 9 km left to Trelleborg and found the ferry terminal, 2 km before a Hungarian van driver had pulled up and asked me where it was, I just pointed at the port with the big ships coming and going.
I booked my ferry for Poland at about 11am for the 23.30 ferry in the evening and went for a look about town.
While booking my ferry I was photographed for TT ferry line as I do not expect they get many British cycle tourists with dogs and they gave me a free vacuum flask, something I had decided not to bring but will come in handy tonight on the ferry.
Today 18km.