The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

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Per W
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The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

We had eight days to complete a ride from Gothenburg in southern Sweden to the arctic circle and back - on gravel. We had our own routes north and planned to take TET Sweden going south.
Did we make it?
Here is part one of the adventure.
Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

In part two we made it to Vilhelmina and passed the spectacular waterfall called Hällingsåfallet.

Last edited by Per W on Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
daveuprite
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by daveuprite »

Great videos. Really enjoyed watching those. I'm a sucker for a good waterfall and that's a stunner.

After months of central african travel 30 years ago, I'm not sure I could handle those mozzies now. It's not even so much the bites, which you eventually get used to. It's that bloody noise that stops you sleeping.
Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

daveuprite wrote: Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:02 am Great videos. Really enjoyed watching those. I'm a sucker for a good waterfall and that's a stunner.

After months of central african travel 30 years ago, I'm not sure I could handle those mozzies now. It's not even so much the bites, which you eventually get used to. It's that bloody noise that stops you sleeping.

The mosquitos was surprisingly local, but in general numerous. I'm that kind of guy one mosquito will find in a crowd of 10 000 people. I got malaria in Nepal back in the 80th! There are very few mosquitos in the Himalayas...

As long as you ride they only ruin your video by dying on the lens and to survive the stops I started to smoke. Got me stoned but the mozzies didn't like it.

Rest a sure, more mighty waters to come. :D
daveuprite
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by daveuprite »

Per W wrote: Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:38 pm
daveuprite wrote: Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:02 am Great videos. Really enjoyed watching those. I'm a sucker for a good waterfall and that's a stunner.

After months of central african travel 30 years ago, I'm not sure I could handle those mozzies now. It's not even so much the bites, which you eventually get used to. It's that bloody noise that stops you sleeping.

The mosquitos was surprisingly local, but in general numerous. I'm that kind of guy one mosquito will find in a crowd of 10 000 people. I got malaria in Nepal back in the 80th! There are very few mosquitos in the Himalayas...

As long as you ride they only ruin your video by dying on the lens and to survive the stops I started to smoke. Got me stoned but the mozzies didn't like it.

Rest a sure, more mighty waters to come. :D
Yeah, I smoked a lot in Cameroon, Zaire and Uganda - as much to deter the mozzies as anything else. After a couple of months they had nowhere on my body fresh to bite, and you get a kind of crust of old bites which they find hard to penetrate - then life finally gets a bit more tolerable.

It's such a shame that summer in the arctic is mosquito ridden because there are so many places I'd love to visit. Greenland, Baffin Island etc etc. I got heartily fed up with the little bastards in Manitoba, and I was never as far north as the Circle.

Anyway, as I said before, great videos.
Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

deveuprite, if we ever meet I'm sure we have a lot to talk about. I spent a few years in Kenya as a kid and have travelled the continent limitedly in the 80th and worked in Namibia for a period in 2001.

Africa is on my bucket list for sure, as a happy retired biker. :D

Maybe one day we can enjoy a good mosquito free smoke together.

Scandinavia is actually bearable - if you smoke a lot. :D

Cheers, Per
Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

Part three took us to the Arctic Circle. Reindeers on the roads, fast gravel roads and more majestic rapids and mighty rivers.

Enjoy!

Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

Part four took us further south on high altitude roads to Idre. We just had to take the road over Flatruet again.

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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by daveuprite »

Another great video - thanks. Are those trails continuous? Is there one gravel trail for the whole route?
Per W
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Re: The Arctic Circle Gravel Tour

Post by Per W »

daveuprite, the trails are very long. You could make them close to 100% on gravel except for fuelstops, but that will make the distance between A to B much longer. To be able to make it all the way from Southern Sweden to the Arctic Circle we used some shorcuts on twisty tarmac, but not much. Road 311 in the video is fabulus on any bike. :mrgreen:
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