Day 11: The dreaded scenic detour

Oskarshamn to Västervik, 108 km

Well, for once the rain wasn´t the problem. It was the hail and thunder storms. We left Oskarshamn easily enough in pleasant sunshine and were beginning to think we had left the nasty weather behind us. So we decided to take the scenic route along the coast instead of going on the main E22 route. It is not much fun being overtaken by lorries on a single-lane highway.

We reckoned the detour would add maybe 20 km to our route. By the end it was almost 40, including some of the toughest terrain on our trip. By the time we got to Klintemala at the outer edge of our detour, we were hoping for a nice lunch and picturesque views. Instead we got this:



Klintemala - worth a detour... in August maybe!

Fortunately we found somewhere to hide to the lashing hail storm, before moving on to Blankaholm along muddy, hilly gravel roads. We didnt get far before the next thunder storm forced us to take shelter in a farm called Virum. We were allowed to wait in the cowshed and Neil got some shots of very young calves, which you can see on his blog at http://sweatynads.blogspot.com. The storm caused 3 power cuts within a few minutes, so we were grateful for the shelter.

So we were tired and hungry by the time we arrived in Blankahom for food. The only place open on Ascension Day was an arty cafe serving thai chicken: tasty, but pricey and small portions. But we didn't care.

We pushed on passed some really idyllic spots and hamlets along the coast, but were too tired to really appreciate them, especially since we got lost again and had to double back.

We took the E22 for the final burst and were very pleased to arrive in Västervik, a delightful town which is perfect for our rest day. The hotel we are staying at has all the mod cons that boys need to feel comfortable on a day off (hotspots, pay TV, sauna), so we should be fine. We also had some nice dinner in a typically friendly and efficient bar on the waterfront. So it was definitely a happy end.