Wed 28th.

The sound of trees splitting woke us up to glorious sun. We made sure we had a big breakfast to try and get our monies worth from the astounding hotel bill. I even went back to check the price and the exchange rate. And yes it was £174 for the two of us. Turns out this is the only hotel in Grimstad and quite nice, so could ask what it wanted. With no great plan and desperate to get moving from the suffocating heat, we hit a narrow road heading north and immediately our spirits lifted, as we enjoyed bend after bend in tarmac heaven. It was much like the Trossachs with lots of lakes and trees and no traffic. We even stopped by a beach in the sun and had a brew. The contrast with endless dull, flat motorway miles could hardly be more pronounced. Could it get better than this? There was even photos to take. Lunch was in a Kafeteria in Avje, a rather expensive £30 for 2 burgers and chips! Even if we could have as many coffees with it as we liked…. How many coffees can you drink at one sitting?

















Having visited the tourist information earlier in Grimstad we now had a Norway map and guides to the various regions. It would appear that even at the end of May, much of Norway is closed, so given the great weather, the cost of the hotels, we elected to stay at an open all season campsite by Bystandlander Fjord. So after a mere 57 miles for the day, we found a spot by the beach and erected the tent. Later I took a blast around the fjord and picked up 2 hot dogs for tea. Sumptious living it is not!