Uli Harder, All rights reserved.
The main equipment used for the trips includes:
Denmark
After leaving school in May 1986 I cycled around Denmark with a friend. It took us about a week and a half. The ferry we took from Kiel to Langeland no longer exists hence the gap in the route. The cliffs on Mon very impressive. We stayed a few days in Copenhagen which was very pleasant. Skagen was cold and windy, which shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. I also remember the endlessly repeating tannoy announcement in Ribe's church tower asking you not to smoke for fire safety. We used Danish campsites throughout. And it does get surprisingly cold in June. (Approximately 740miles/1200km, 10 June - 21 June 1986 (11 days))
England
I think this trip was in Spring 1988. The now defunct ferry from Hamburg to Harwich had an irresistible return trip offer for less than 50 DM. So, I cycled around London for a week by myself. It was a bit grey and cold, I seem to remember. There was one morning with ice on the road. In Kent you could still see the storm damage from the previous year. I stayed in B&Bs, most of them were actually shut as it was distinctly off-season. But they took mercy on a mad German cyclist and I found somewhere to stay every might. I do remember taking a ferry in Gravesend to cross the Thames which Google no longer finds. The trip from Oxford to Cambridge was done in one day. Towards Cambridge I remember a very straight Roman road going over hill, which was rather tiring at the end of a long trip. There was also somewhere a 25% gradient where I had push my bike. After arriving in Bury St. Edmunds I phoned the ferry company and was able to change my ticket to an earlier return date. After a week and a half I had enough of cycling in the cold. Still quite an experience, if only to find out how boring and lonely cycling by yourself can be. (Approximately 400m/640km)
Nordkapp
I had always been fascinated by the North Cape and I convinced a good friend of mine that the way to go there would be by bicycle. In the university summer holidays of 1988 we boarded the ferry to Gothenburg in Kiel and off we went to the North Cape. We chose the route through the middle of Sweden. The other options were Norway (very mountainous!) or the Baltic sea coast. We reckoned the latter was too boring and a bit longer. However, two weeks of pine forests can be quite dull as well. The roads were very good, with the odd emergency airport for fighter jets. There were plenty of caravans. The best thing was the 24 hour daylight as we got further North. Also, there were rather a lot of mosquitoes further North. One day we cycled in rain from start to finish and had a rest day afterwards to warm up and get dry again. That was somewhere in border region of Sweden, Finland and Norway. Up there we were also mistaken for locals by an Italian tourist, who asked us: "Where are all your rein-deers?". We found them soon afterwards lying lazily along the roadside. The trip to the actual island with the North Cape on involved a ferry trip (now a tunnel I believe). And after a trip through a badly lit, untarmaced and pothole-ridden tunnel there were a few more hills before we finally got to the North Cape in best sunshine. We decided to cut short the trip back and take the train and bus. The bus took us from Alta to Narvik, where we took the train to Kiel. I think that took less than 36 hours. There are some pictures up on gallery. Interesting but long, and I might even be tempted to do this again. (Approximately 1340m/2160km, 10 July - 27 July 1988 (17 days) back in Kiel on 31 July 1988)
Kiel - Norway
In Summer 1990 I cycled with a friend up the Jutland Peninsula. We were surprised by the hilliness of the coast. In Fredickshavn we caught a ferry to Larvik. From there we headed North staying on campsites and youth hostels. Whilst the roads were nice a lot of the passes had been replaced by road tunnels which were not much fun to cycle. Some passes were also blocked by snow (in July!). In the end we caught the train in Voss, but went on a short trip to Bergen before heading home. Having bought a Scandinavian Rover ticket we went back without bikes a few days later for walking. (Approximately 510miles/820km)
Kiel - Erlangen
In Summer 1992 I cycled from Kiel to Erlangen in three days. The first night I stayed at campsite in the foothills of the Harz. The following one in a bed and breakfast in Gotha (I think). The first day was incredibly hot, so much so that I found it difficult to eat anything. Cycling trough the former DDR was quite an experience. All major roads were being upgraded and maintained and for parts you had cycle along secondary roads that had been turned into enormously long one-way streets. Every town and village had its sewage system upgraded. The former border in the Harz was still very visible. After cycling along a nice valley I arrived quite exhausted in Erlangen where I stayed with friends. (Approximately 400miles/640km in four days)
Vaetternrundan
In Summer 2000 I took part in the Vaetternrundan and completed the course together with a friend. One of the best bicycle trips I ever made, but tiring. The number of fellow cyclists is amazing, for the entire you overtake and are overtaken by hundreds of other cyclists. Also, bangers and mash at 7am is interesting as a meal. (186 miles /300km in 18 hours)
Maintained by Uli Harder. Last updated at 08:18 GMT, 25th February 2011.