It’s back to the low cloud and freezing cold today. Oh well – it was nice while it lasted! I managed 11 and a half hours sleep last night – I was really tired. So a lie in this morning and a late start.
I decided to visit the village of Ure, in search of the ancestors of my neighbours in Ripon. It was a pleasant ride, but I wasn’t impressed by the hospitality. At 10.45 I turned down a track signed ‘cafe’ and parked up. A woman came out and explained that she opens at 12 noon! She had to make quite an effort not to serve me. That’s how it got into the Ripon gene pool. Yorkshire via Norway. A picture of Ure.
So on over a small pass to Leknes. Here I first had coffee, and then an early lunch in the sea food restaurant. A beautiful, rich Stockfish soup.
I then set off to visit Ballstad, a major fishing village. Entering town I met Gierty! It turned out he had cheated and taken the Hurtigruten to Bodo on the day I cycled it. He looked tired and had booked 3 nights in the youth hostel in Ballstad. We explored both sides of the harbour together, and had a drink and chatted in a gallery.

The wooden hulled boats were beautiful to look at. Ballstad has a huge dry dock where they are maintained.
Gierty started his ride on April 21st, a week after retiring, at the southern tip of Italy. He had passed his own house in Lucerne and kept going! He confessed that he was getting tired of being on the road and, particularly in today’s weather (and no change forecast), he seemed to be struggling for the motivation to go on to Nordkapp. I gave my best encouragement, but I could see his point!
Back in Leknes again I bought food and headed back over the pass to the camp site. En route I met Ana coming the other way. Both of them in one day! She had taken the fast ferry to Svolvaer and was heading south to Moskenes and a ferry to Bodo on Friday and then home.
Also on this site are 2 Sheffield Uni students collecting data for some climate change research, so much chatting with them too. It’s a busy social life I lead.