August 2018 – JaksTrips

Lofoten Islands Part 3

Monday 27th

Today we got on the bus with our nice driver to go to Fiskebol. Drove onto the ferry for the half hour trip to Melbu on Hadseloya.

A good walk on a different island. Slowly going up to a lake which had cabins that seemed only accessible by boat but maybe there was a hidden track up there. Then the rain arrived just as we stopped for lunch. The first rain that landed on me so far this trip despite this being a very rainy place.

We went up to a small summit for some great 360 views. Then on a wet boggy soggy path back down to Melbu.

Bus, ferry to hotel. I turned up the bathroom floor heating to 40. Hot feet! The hotel is totally unprepared for walkers, so all drying is done in the rooms. All the rooms are the same size so I’m fine but this must be very tight for those who are sharing, especially with lots of wet gear.

No plug in the washbasin, I didn’t bring mine, thinking Norway, plug, no don’t be ridiculous. Wrong. Making do with the top of my deodorant. We have sensor controlled taps which are also most annoying when you are trying to fill the basin.

Tuesday 28th

We walked about 10 minutes to the ferry to take us to Skrova. About a 25 minute journey from Svolvaer. My friend Inger tells me her great great grandmother came from Skrova. It’s a very lovely island and a working island dedicated to the fish, although that work has finished now for the season.

We walked first to a jetty and looked out to sea, then to a beach with jellyfish, I hadn’t seen any before, they are most odd and look so harmless. While we were there a pair of sea eagles did several fly pasts.

Next to a small viewpoint so we could get a good 360 view from the island, magnificent.

Then to another amazing spot for lunch, looking at sea and rocks.

We went to the tunnels to see a photographic exhibition of island life. Finished up with a hot chocolate (this one nice) in a cafe at the harbour while we waited for the ferry back.

A woman passed us on a bicycle holding a bunch of flowers, she stopped and offered them to us to smell. Honeysuckle and a deep blue lavender. Such a lovely thing to do.

Packing.

Dinner, and prolonged farewells. I am very glad to have met Penny and John, they helped me to have a lovely holiday.

IMG_20180828_104338_3 — Looking back to Svolvaer

IMG_20180828_131834_9 — Cat man, why so many cats?

Wednesday 29th

Up at 5 and horribly conscious that this will be 4 later on. On bus at 6. Linda helped me to get my bag down the stairs. Breakfast boxes to take on the bus. I opted for veggie but this seems to be simply carrots, radish, cucumber, apple. Did a swop of orange for cheese. Boxes then supplemented with further boxes of bread and jam. Coffee to take out.

Coach 2.5 hours to Evenes airport
Plane 1.5 hours to Oslo
Plane 2 hours to Heathrow
Tube 1 hour to King’s Cross
Train 2.25 hours to Leeds
Train 1 hour to Sowerby Bridge
Taxi 15 mins home

A long day and cream crackered, but fantastic that in 15.5 hours I can get from above the Arctic circle to home. Arrived just after 8.30.

Lofoten Islands Part 2

Friday 24th

This day started well with sunshine over the water. Looked stunning.

On Vestvagoya and Gimsoya islands today. On the bus for an hour and a bit to Haukland beach. White sands. We’d dropped off the people doing the harder walk. We walked up and over a col to reach the white sands beach on the other side at Utakleiv. We had lunch on picnic benches. Some of the easier group were continuing to walk along the beach and some of us got back onto the coach to go to the Viking museum. This was very good. A Viking longhouse had been uncovered and a replica created. After watching the rubbishy film and looking at the artefacts, I went for a boat trip in a Viking boat which was fun. George was with me, a nice young chap. I looked after a boy whose mother could not come because they only allowed 12 at a time. Then George and I did some archery and some axe throwing. We walked back up to the museum.

I was chatting with Penny and John when very suddenly felt very ill. Went to the loo, massive sweat, almost spraying out of me. And then I collapsed, passed out completely. Luckily there was someone in the loos who got help. I came to and managed to get decent and open the door. Very very wobbly so they put me in a wheelchair. Wheeled back to where we’d been sitting. Someone said the word “sick” and I promptly obliged making a horrible puddle on the museum floor.

The bus took us back to the hotel and I went straight to bed although shivered violently for an hour. Still out of it, brushed my teeth with moisturizer just to make a terrible time even worse! Felt weak. I was sick twice more and then slept till morning. The poison is all out of my body but I banged my elbow (same one as I injured in June) and have hurt my ribs, I think from the fall, very painful, hard bending, getting out of bed.

Irritating Viking woman who asked me if I made my own soap!

Saturday 25th

Managed to shower. Had some melon and yoghurt. Rang the doctor re my ribs pain and he said take combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen. He said it would hurt for a lot of days!

Had a crispbread and a tiny bit of slightly sweet cream cheese. Also a pancake and raspberry jam.

The view of yesterday’s drama is that it was something in my lunch. I had bread, cheese, salami, tomato and some nuts. All except the nuts, prepackaged. So I think they were the culprit.

Little walk to do some shopping. Feeling sleepy.

Slept some more. Out again to the shops.

Dinner of salads, pork and veg and mashed potato and apple pie.

Out to look at the Hurtigruten Lofoten ship which I will be on in March. Then the war museum which is a huge private collection from the Nazi occupation. Includes an enigma machine and some paintings supposedly by Hitler.

NSU motorbike, my first and most useless car was an NSU (I paid £60 for it)

Sunday 26th

Today we walked from Apnes to Stamsund. This was a great walk with fabulous views all round.

I had a hot chocolate in the bar at Stamsund which wasn’t very nice.

Dinner of salads, beef goulash and desserts.

Short walk to Svinvoya to look at rorbuer and bust of Gunnar Berg.

So windy I’m holding onto the cairn so as not to be blown away

The Lofoten Islands August 2018 Part 1

This is another trip that Chris and I had hoped to do together. It’s fitting that I’m flying out on what would have been her 65th birthday.

Tuesday 21st

My journey to Heathrow was easy, all to plan. I spent my senior Railcard and split ticket savings on a first class seat from Leeds. Very comfortable, complementary food and drinks. I had orange juice, pasta salad, crisps and shortbread. The air con was too powerful and I ended up with my hood up I was so cold. Lovely and warm in London. After the tube to the airport I got on a free red bus to the Radisson on Bath Road. Very nice hotel, decent sized room. I had my M&S salads, went for a lager and watched Allo Allo (never seen it before but so silly, made me laugh) and Die Another Day (not seen this one either, how did I miss it?) on the telly.

Wednesday 22nd

The travel all went well but boy oh boy what a long day, it was easier getting to Canada. Left hotel at 7.45, straight to T2 for breakfast. Heathrow to Oslo 2 hours. Oslo to Harstad Narvik Evenes airport 1.5 hours. For an airport with so many names, ours was the only plane there. Then there were lots of people in the terminal. Maybe it’s the happening place. Off quickly on a big bus for 2.5 hours. Lovely scenery. A bit of rain and cool. Arrived Svolvaer on Austvagoya island at 8.20. Buffet dinner, salads, chicken, potato and veg, various yummy puddings. Introduction talk from Howard and Feli. Lager in memory of Chris and because I like lager. Jeg elsker pils. Unpacking took ages. And then whiskey – a half plastic bottle of Grouse which was very reasonable from Oslo duty free, for medicinal purposes!

Thursday 23rd

Breakfast buffet was a bit bonkers with no set route around the different stations. I had salami and cheese on rye with sweet gherkins. I made up a crispbread and pate sandwich with gherkins and tomatoes for lunch.

Howard took us for a 15 minute tour of the town to show us the cash point, bakery, post office and supermarkets.

Set off with Feli for the hard walk. Out the town then up a steep climb to Tjeldberg-tinden at 367m. Very windy on ridge. Option to go up a gully with a rope. I walked round with some others. Lunch overlooking islands. Steep down and then lots of boggy bits. Into village of Kabelvag and to Storvagan. Got bus from Kabelvag back to Svolvaer.

To supermarket to get lager at half price of hotel.

Buffet dinner. Lamb for me, very tender. Small plate of desserts this evening.

Lakes August 2018

Weds 15th

I got to Monk Coniston early enough to settle in to my room in the cottage and plan my walk for the next day.

HF had sent me a voucher for a free bottle of wine so I made a start on it. Dinner of chicken with Parma ham, a bit tough and then ice cream.

The HF inter house quiz was on and the team I was in won in this house. We each got a cloth bag prize!

Thurs 16th

Breakfast of poached egg and sausage and a croissant.

I drove to the end of Langdale and parked off the road. Rain was on and off. Walked up to Pike of Blisco. Some short scrambling sections. Very windy at the top. Started to go to Cold Pike but retreated because the weather was so unpleasant I wasn’t enjoying myself and it was a long detour. Down via Oxendale, last walked with Chris when we did the ruddy Crinkle Crags.

Back to a hot shower and a local produce dinner. More wine (same bottle). A vegetable soup, a mini Cumberland sausage, salt marsh lamb, very tender, with creamed potato and half a parsnip, a dessert trio of sticky toffee pudding, cold, not my favourite at best of times, Kendal mint cake cheesecake which was nicer than it sounded and a lemon torte which was delicious and which I wished had been my entire dessert.

Chatted with Sally while we nibbled cheese and biscuits.

Went to bed early and fell asleep straight away.

This woman is in the garden at Monk Coniston and I had to keep walking past her. Something seems to have slipped a bit…

Fri 17th

Breakfast, surprisingly hungry. Fruit, yoghurt and granola, hash browns, poached egg and beans and toast.

Parked up on road in Coniston. Had no change or inclination to pay £7 in car park.

2.5 hours to reach the summit of Old Man of Coniston. This is another hill I’d done with Chris. Stayed mainly dry on the way up but hideous weather at the top. V poor visibility. Went to Brim Fell but abandoned the idea of a circuit because I couldn’t see enough. Returned to the Old Man for a bit of shelter and met Sally and her 2 friends. They decided to return the way I and they had come up so I tagged along.

Not far down Jenny twisted her knee. She kept going but very slowly. One of the HF groups passed us and advised that we call Mountain Rescue. Sally and I were reaching that view also. I rang 999 and asked for Police Mountain Rescue, a very calm woman took our grid reference and description of where we were. We kept going. After a while the Coniston MR team rang us and said they were on the way, another calm chap who said they could drive up quite a way and they would ring from Crowberry Haws. We kept on. Then hooray, heard a siren. Before long the team of 8 arrived and stretchered Jenny down to their Land Rovers. Sally, Abi and I walked to the Land Rovers. Once the team arrived with Jenny, they unstrapped her and got her into the warm van. Then they all pitched in did fiddly weaving with all the stretcher straps. The team gave the 3 of us a lift down a very bumpy mine track. It was all done extremely efficiently and kindly. An ambulance was waiting for Jenny on arrival at the MR base in Coniston, she was whizzed off for x-rays at Barrow in Furness hospital. Abi went to her home in Coniston. Sally and I were given hot drinks and Mars bars in the MR base.

The weather had deteriorated from about midday. Certainly all my gear (summer showers rating only) was soaked by the time we got back so there had been a real risk of hypothermia at the speed we were going. Fab HF drying room sorting out the wet gear.

Finished off my bottle of wine. Dinner of fresh tomato soup, home made pizza with potato wedges and coleslaw, raspberry creme brulé. I’d originally asked for small portions but after our adventures I was very hungry. I had a half of beer watching a game of skittles! Yes indeed!! I did 10 pin bowling when I was 16 but was terrible at it then so didn’t even try it.

Low Water, not visible at all on our way back down

Sat 18th

Sally updated me that Jenny had no broken bones or torn ligaments, muscle damage so that should heal more quickly. She also got a lift home with the doctor who treated her!

After breakfast I went to Windermere and looked at an exhibition about the Windermere Boys (and girls) who were housed briefly in Windermere after leaving the Nazi concentration camps as orphans. An impressive exhibition in the library.

The rain had dropped off and I did think about walking up Lingmoor Fell but decided to go home.

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.