Euro End to End (EE2E)
	Part of the UC2C2C Training is a Euro End to End.

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I have a three year plan culminating in an Ultimate Coast to Coast to Coast attempt, during 2008 the main objective is to try out the Ulysses on a high mileage multi-day trip. See my current location HERE! Go to Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Epilogue June 24 25 26 of phase 3 of trip

After Lars advise it all slotted into place very well. Greg and I checked out our options. For us the prefered North Sea crossing is using the Chanel Tunnel, mal de mare! But the shortest route was our advice and we had confidence in what 'Long' Lars said. Gothenburg was the closest port but the Newcastle crossing had stopped last year, although Harwich was a possibility but riding from Harwich home holds no magic so we decided on the DFDS crossing between Stavanger and Newcastle. Without internet connection we used the back up plan of getting Bill Skipper to book our crossing and the soonest was leaving Wednesday at 17:00 hours; a 630 mile ride across the middle of Scandinavia to nurse our sick bikes home.

Our first overnight was 150 miles in at Karlskoga, Sweden at the Karlskoga Hotel just off the E18. It had a pool, sauna, free internet and a 400m walk into the nearby sleepy village for a fantastic meal; well sorted.

Doing 490 miles with 80kph strictly enforced limit and 'country' sized roads doing 490 miles in a day is a good day in the saddle. That is just what Greg and I did. It was a brilliantly sunny day with dry roads and our confidence at spotting Police and cameras was high. We both enjoyed our ride and finished our sorjorn with the, enforced, luxury of the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. Arriving in Arendal the Dealer Principle and HOG Chapter Director Bjorn made us most welcome; but he had surprising news, Stavanger was still a six hour ride away! The coastal road via Kristiansand was under construction so we elected to take the mountain road via Evje. Good choice, no traffic, twisty, good surface road and sunshine with views to make you eyeballs tired! Nirvana if only the bikes were on song too.

Ferry home at 5pm and nearly the end of our adventure. But not quite. We had 'till 3pm check in time so what to do? Well in the morning had a fantastic breakfast, after a long lie in, and then administration using the high speed internet link.

Greg had been to Stavanger before and told me about some swords? We obviously went to the H-D Dealer and he told us where the swords were. Lunch was a picnic where we met Ian an intrepid Nordkapp solo adventurer who'd done it whilst camping!

Ian recalled a salutary tale where he'd managed to drop his camera in a raging torrent at the top of Songefel Pass and stripped down, waded in to retrieve it in the hope that the memory card, stored with his trip memories, would function. Now back on the bike very cold, early morning he was escorted through road works on the left side of the road, the escort vehical dropped off and Ian rode on, on the left. Many miles later, still on the left he was faced by an approaching truck; headlights ablaze but Ian was not with it and could not understand why the truck was on his side of the road! Disaster was averted after the truck veered to the Norwegian 'wrong' side and Ian rode on aways before realising his brush with the grim reaper had been his fault. Living on the edge.

Go to Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Epilogue