Day 17: Wed 26 Jul: Haby to Stromstad

Cycle: 86 km - Total so far: 745 km

Start time: 8:30am
Stop time: 3:15pm
Weather: fine, mainly cloudy with periods of sunshine, 16 to 22deg 

We decided to do part of the Floral Route today so it was back to the coastline. This ended up being a great run downhill most of the way to Fjallbacka for 28km. It was only 9:30am but the coffee addicts were hanging out for a fix so we pulled into a cafe / bakery. We then took a ride around a very old wooden town which looks like it has been clinging onto a rocky shoreline for a long time. The place was completely overrun with holiday makers so we didn't hang around too long. We then had to ride the 15km to Grebbestad, another seaside town, on one of the busiest roads we have ever tackled. However once again the drivers were very patient and careful; in the main. We couldn't believe the motorhomes and caravans packed like sardines into every van park. The Swedes obviously love their holidays at the beach. 

At Grebbestad we found a quiet spot on a jetty (best seats in town) and ate our lunch. It was a relief to us all when a few km out of town we turned onto a quiet road for the ride up to Stromstad. Just when we thought the hills were done for the day we encountered another couple of little beauties getting to our B&B, situated slap bang in the middle of a golf course. 

Needless to say, after a pretty tough day, we elected to eat and drink at the golf club rather than walk / ride the 3.7km into town. The beers were great but the meals, especially the "Swedish Specialty" of basically fried potato and sausage was ordinary and a bit inadequate for hungry cyclists. 

Our room which was the biggest of the three, had two single beds and was more expensive; the others had tiny rooms with the bed up against the wall meaning the person on that side had to climb over the other.  The price for all of the rooms was totally over the top and the breakfast fairly ordinary to say the least. We will not be staying there again.



On the nice road downhill to the coast

Zebra horse

Church of the day

Maree using her man-motor to get up a hill

An old Citron coffee van

Well it is called the Foral Route

Morning tea stop

Some of the many old wooden buildings at Fjallbacka

Fjallbacka

Fjallbacka

Fjallbacka

Heading out on a very busy road

Lovely, productive countryside

Our B&B at Stromstad

Mick operating the self-drive ferry at Stromstad

Our room at Emma's

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