Driving home 27-30/07/26

Stowmarket to Burghead

After a weekend of putting in the engine and curing a persistent oil leak I at last started on the journey home in the van that Sarah and Jamie had built up from a pile of parts over the last eight months.

About to leave Stowmarket 

They did an amazing job rebuilding it and it is now as good as it was when it came out of the factory in 1979.

Andy out for a walk 

I should have brought it home a few weeks ago but the gearbox wasn't behaving itself and had to be taken out to be reconditioned.

Evening tide in at Newport 

The first day was a trip to Bristol where I stayed with a school friend. The journey went well on motorways and other roads apart from a very slow section of the M25. There were some peculiar noises that I was slightly worried about but after investigations revealed nothing I realised that they were coming from the cooker and other useful bits in the interior of the van that I was taking home to build into it to make a full camper. For some reason I don't have any pictures for that day.

On the way to Aberystwyth 

Day two was a trip over the Severn bridge and on down the M4 past Swansea to Pembroke where I had lunch with another old school friend who had been rather ill but I'm happy to say that he has is recovering well.

Lancaster services (Forton)

On then over the Preseli hills to my brother's house near Cardigan where I exchanged a bed for the night for a nice meal in the pub in Newport.

The Queens 

The van was going well the next day, great driving on the little Welsh roads only holding a few people back until reaching the M6 and a steady 55 to 60mph run up the inside lane all the way to Carlisle.

Entering Scotland on the M74

I had previously stayed at The Queens outside Carlisle and noticed that they allowed band to use their car park overnight so I thought I would call in and ask.

More fuel

No problem, so I stayed the night near a T4 from Holland. Good food and nice people, I thoroughly recommend it.

Heading for Perth

The last day was a drive up the M6 to Scotland then M74 / M75 past Glasgow to Perth before taking the A9 to Aviemore.

Drumochter Pass

It was a really nice drive, not much traffic, a little light drizzle but the wind did pick up later in the day.

Dalwhinnie Distillery 

By the road to Dava

It was good to get home and see the van parked on the driveway. Now I just have to finish the interior.

950 miles 

25 mpg 🤗

Stockholm 21-23/07/26

Tourist stuff.

I had a sandwich of two bright sunny days with a wet one as filling between them.

New buildings

And old

The train arrived at Stockholm Central exactly on time but we didn't have to vacate until 06.15, time for breakfast in the dining car and a chat with the driver who was waiting to move the train to the cleaning area before going off duty.

Coffee shop

I walked to the hotel, which was about an hour and a half away, to leave my rucksack before returning to the centre on a commuter train.

Traditional boatbuilding 

Nice view when drinking coffee 

The public transport system is excellent. Trains, commuter trains, metro, trams, buses and ferries all accessed with a single 3 day pass that only cost about £25.

King Eric the something surveying a museum entrance 

At the waterfront 

The centre of the city was very busy but it is the height of the tourist season so only to be expected.

Commuter line sttion

Seagull feeling important on a statue outside Central Station 

It is a big city with a prosperous feel with it's wide streets and many shops and cafes. I was staying in what I can only describe as a business suburb with lots of new office buildings but even here it is as clean and tidy as the tourist spots.

Old bits between the new

Wide streets and trams

I wandered through the streets looking at architecture, shops, etc. until I reached the waterfront, not difficult here as Stockholm is built with waterways all round and through it.

Lots of open spaces

Metro station painted like a dungeon 

The waterfront is amazing, there are boats old and new of all types, shapes and sizes. It was even good when it was pouring with rain.

A passing squirrel 

The hotel area

The Vasa museum was excellent but very popular, I went early in the morning which seems to avoid some of the queues and congestion.

The Vasa

An unfortunate sailor from the Vasa

The ship and the conservation efforts are incredible but how on earth they thought that such an obviously unseaworthy vessel would survive is unbelievable.

The Vasa

Model of one of the Salme ships

Another museum, Stockholm is full of them, had an exhibition called "Vikings before the Vikings" which was about the Salme ship burials in Estonia. All fascinating stuff.

Stockholm waterfront 

I took a couple of ferry trips rather than pay extra for a tourist boat which was good way to explore the area.

One of the many ferries

Prices are high but not ridiculous and the shrimp sandwiches delicious.

Sailing in

It is the Baltic sea here but there are almost no tides and the water is only brackish which is why the timber wrecks can survive as there are no shipworms.

From the ferry

Lots of things to do and see, it wouldn't be difficult to spend at least a week here and there would still be plenty more to experience.

Coming back to the centre of Stockholm 

The new EU passport control measures held things up a bit but the airport was otherwise easy to negotiate with plenty of shops to waste money in.

Going home

The plane left on time and arrived half an hour early but things got back to normal on arrival.

Typical British Rail

Kungsleden 20/07/26

Day 20. Syterskalet to Hemavan (finish)

It was a grey cold morning when I packed up for the last time on the Kungsleden for a relatively short days walk.

Looking back to the misty hills

Just down the valley and a climb over to the top of the cable car that comes up from Hemavan.

A final farewell 

It was a good walk with lovely views again with the bigger hills behind covered by cloud. I was sorry to be leaving these beautiful hills behind and thought that a Canadian girl that I met near the beginning maybe had the right idea.

The cable car top station

Her plan was to walk the trail from Abisco to Hemavan then turn around and walk back to Abisco, I did think about it.

Down to Hemavan 

The walk down through the woods to the visitor centre and official start/finish of the Kungsleden was through various bits of ski parafinalia that you only see on bare hillsides in Scotland.

Ski tow in the woods 

I had lunch in a restaurant above the supermarket and considered my travel options.

The end 

There was an expensive flight tomorrow or a cheaper but considerably slower route by bus and train to Stockholm where I am planning to spend a few days seeing the sights.

Waiting for the bus 

I decided on the bus/train option. Seven hours on the bus to Östersund then a sleeper train Stockholm which arrives at the ungodly time of 05.05.

More lakes and trees seen from the bus

The sleeper train arrives to whisk me away to Stockholm 

I also booked two nights in central Stockholm and one at the airport before flying to London the next day so I will have plenty of time to explore.

The walk was only a very small part of Sweden 

Total distance walked 414km.

Total ascent 8265m.