Month: August 2018

Day 6 – Stenshuvud – Simrishamn

– Temp: 28-30°C
– Distance: 16.4 km (+2.0)
– Time: 2h 48 min
– SL4 Stage: 5 (mainly)
– Difficulty: Easy
– Markings: So and so

This my sixth day will be the last day I see my wonderful husband. Sort of anyway. Before he heads for work in the morning, though, he will jogg with me to morning coffee and then put my “drop bags” with food and clothes at my overnight stays. In a couple of days he will also be there when I finish so I’m really not that unassisted at all, just that there is no emergency back-up. Since the weather seem to keep on greeting us with sun and warmth I’m not so worried.

 

Before he heads home, though, we really need a decent cup of coffee. The fire ban has left us urging for warm coffee and 2 km from our camp site the Stenshuvud National Park has a café so we run there together as a warm up. Through the thick woods  and up a hill and some really steep long stairs – this is maybe the first really steep anything I have encountered so far. The north peak is at 97 meters altitude but we settle for the south peak since the view is at least as astonishing here.

We thought the café opened at 10 (like the exhibition) but when we got there it was closed…. we learned that the café had it’s own hours and did not open until 11. We sat down and talked and after a while we spotted a T-shirt we recognized from Facebook – a GAX Finisher-T! Dear T and his wife has returned to the scene of the crime. Since they passed this place in the middle of the night he really had not seen much of it. We greeted and it was now time for me to get going.

2 km

Hugs and kisses and I’m off towards Simrishamn. I restart my watch and after only a couple of kilometers path turns to gravel, and gravel turns to asphalt and so it continues through a marvelous landscape of open fields. I spot a company of wanderers and think, nice, I can say hi and walk and talk a bit but when a car passes they put out their thumbs to get a ride and they get lucky. A bike passes and it’s quiet again, not even a bird can be heard in the hot midday.

5 km

Looking at my GPX file afterwards I realize that, after Stenshuvud, I followed the SL4, not the GAX track. I had read about it but maybe I forgot.

The GAX turns left/east down to the shore and the SL4 continues straight on. This is said to be the hardest part to get right in the GAX. I guess that is partly because it strays from the SL4 and partly because it is in the middle of the night.

However, even though I was aware of the fact that I was supposed to go down to the shore and did begin to do so, apparently I forgot the minute I saw a Skåneleden sign and continued the SL4 on mostly asphalt as described above :D.

The markings and signs was not that good this part so I had to look really close under trees and all around but somehow I got there. At the left turn after the 4 km mark in the picture above (6 km total of the day’s stage) there was no sign at all and picking up my phone to look at the GPX track it here became apparent to me that I had made some wrong turns but it’s not until I write this that I realize that I missed 3 km of the GAX path.

10 km

It’s not until after 7-8 km (9-10 in total of today’s stage), passing the town of Vik on small asphalt roads and gravel paths that the SL4 closes in on the shore again since Kivik yesterday. It’s always nice to be close to the sea, I think. I pick some blackberries – there are so many that each day this week I’ve been eating them every day! The area after Vik, called Tjörnevalla, is really gorgeous, small single track paths never more than 10 meters from the water.

After another 3 km I pass the town of Baskemölla and continue along the shore. Single paths through some woods but still close to the water, then suddenly a beach with exotic square rock formations, Tobisvik, 3 km from Simrishamn, my destination of the day.  

It’s now apparent by the increasing amount of tourists that the east coast is more popular than the previous parts I’ve been been. Bathing, playing, drinking, they look at me as if I’m from outer space – running in this heat? By this time I’m quite dirty, sweaty since there has been no really good place to do laundry, but tonight it will!

I make a wrong turn just after Tobisvik – it’s not really apparent where the path is supposed to go so I follow my GAX track. The path continues on very heavy sand for ½ km or so then turns right passing through a camping on asphalt, continuing on a brand new bike path passing several kiosks and I’m dying for an ice-cream but the lines are huge and I’m so close now I just keep on jogging and suddenly I enter the town of Simrishamn!

I check in at the Svea Hotel and get the most horrible room on top floor, cigarett smoke from below, barely room to turn around and no ventilation or AC. They gave me a dirty, fan full of a thick layer of dust and I asked for some ice and it helped for like 5 minutes. The poor staff could not do anything and after they quit in the evening there was no way of getting more ice. The cigarett smoke ended around midnight but at 4.30 it reappeared. I complained but still have not get the compensation the promised.

Anyway, I had a splendid herring and mash down at the harbour and shopped some more fruits and stuff in town so I had a party anyway.

As always, here are all my pictures of this day’s stage!

Day 5 – Brösarp – Stenshuvud

– Temp: 28-30°C
– Distance: 14.7 km (+1.3)
– Time: 2h 23 min
– SL4 Stage: 6 (partly) & 5 (partly)
– Difficulty: Easy
– Markings: So and so

What a wonderful relaxing birthday my lovely hubbie arranged for me at Brösarps Gästgifveri yesterday. Massage, sparkling water by the pool and dinner was the best present ever because today I was able to run again!!!!

The first couple of days had to be a bit longer due to the lack of housing and camping sites but it also turned out to be a smart move to keep up morale – having done almost 50 km after only two days makes you feel on the move in a really good way.

From having moved a bit north-east for a while now the SL4 continues more straight east and just slightly southwards until it hits the seaside and makes a sharp turn continuing straight to the south. But first things first.

As our housing is in the city of Brösarp I have 1.3 km to get back to the path. I pass over Verkeån by the 500 years old mill “Bengtemölla” and start today’s stage on a quiet gravel road passing the city limit into the boundaries of the city of Simrishamn.

The gravel turns to a small path over old railway tracks near the 2 km mark and then to gravel again for a short while before it becomes asphalt quite soon thereafter.

The asphalt continues for 1.5 km then it turns right and onto the fields. Between 3.5 and 5.5 at Haväng the path passes over the road five (5!) times on some kind of wooden bridge passings made so not animals on the pasteurs cannot climb over and each passing means two of these wooden thingies – not a big deal really but it seemed ridiculous to change sides that often instead of just keep on walking on one side – it all looked the same but I guess there is some kind of logic behind it… or not.

5 km

Here at Haväng my companion and support, my super hero, meets me to cheer. There’s also a gazillion cars and tourists which is something I haven’t seen for ages, luckily. Here is also where Verkeån ends and our eyes first meet the sight of the sea. What a sight for sore eyes! Living by the sea, waking up to see it every day, is something we’re used to so, after several days, this is really a blessed sight.

After Haväng the path continues southwards along the sea. For me it is not clear at all how to follow the markings at this time so after a while I just don’t care about the physical signs and follow my GPS track because the markings are really not consistent at all. Sometimes it seems as if you’re ment to keep eyes on the orange marked poles by the sea and sometimes your ment to follow them, for real… I still do not get it as you may notice :).

9 km

Having made som wrong turns without any real disasters I did get a bit annoyed but not that annoyed that it couldn’t be cured with an icecream just south of Vitemölla (9 km). Cobblestones and asphalt – i continue refreshed!

Like every day today is hot, around 30 degrees by now, and I still love it. To Kivik, at 11 km, it’s all asphalt but thereafter, asphalt turns into gravel, gravel into path and the trees offers some shadow but not for long. Refreshed from that icecream a greet the asphalt again and pick up the pace. No walking in between anymore. 12 km, 13 km. My husband sends a message that he will meet me and at 14 he appears. He knows me so well he need only see me for a second to spot the focus in my eyes and he turns around and continues behind be with wonderful pep talk. By now the cars are jamming up from all the tourists going to or from the Kiviks press. I get a bit annoyed from them not keeping distance but I’m to focused on keeping my pace so I soon forget.

And there it is! The parking at the north entrance of Stenshuvud National Park!

The camp site is situated not far from the parking of the National Park a place called Hällevik. Your not allowed to put up your tent until a certain time of the day and since it was too early we went down to take a bath but found no really good spot so I just lay there, in a tree.

The ground was super hard, like the one in Raftarp, maybe partly because of the drought. We were first to put up our tent but got company later on by five other campers. One couple were really social – fun!

We had ready-made grilled chicken, corn on the cob and carrots for dinner. A glass of red whine and my eyes started to roll. Time to go to bed. Falling asleep took some time though since the camp site was right by the Kivik press and it did not stop making very loud noise until 11 p.m. but I managed.

Here are all my pictures of this day.

Day 4 – Andrarum – Brösarp

– Temp: 26-28°C
– Distance: 13.5 km (+1.3)
– Time: 3h 2 min
– SL4 Stage: 7 & 6 (partly)
– Difficulty: Medium
– Markings: OK

Happy birthday to me!

I celebrate the day by taking a wrong turn after 700 meters not realizing this until 1 km. I was still thinking about the stuff I read on the signs of “Alunverket”, Andrarum alum works, where they extracted alum slate in the 18th century. and just passing a bridge over Verkaån the path marking was hidden by some trees to the right and I just continued on the asphalt, as if I preferred asphalt!

As planned today was a rest day and so the plan was to walk the whole distance. The first kilometers the trail goes through the forest and then follows the Verkaån. Small paths, more technical than previous days, and also a bit more altitude, but nothing hysterical. This part is dauntingly beautiful almost with a rainforesty feeling. Although the creek is almost empty, sometimes the water flows and is crystal clear and I take the opportunity and wash myself.

Passing the Hallamölla waterfall the path turns into gravel and more small paths through the woods. Just before exiting the woods onto a gravel road at close to 8 kilometers, there is a huge campsite with two large brand new wind sheds and houses for gatherings. I stop to take some photos but eager to finish I actually start jogging for the first time this day.

A bit of asphalt and then I meet “Brösarps backar” for the first time. Beautiful sandy hills with sparse vegetation, Verkaån still below, working its way through the landscape. The paths on Brösarps backar from 9 to 12 kilometers are demanding but gorgeous.

After 12 there is a parking lot with a toilet and a very confusing passing of a huge road with heavy traffic. You can’t follow the markings because you end up in a wire but if you look for the markings on the other side you get the right direction.

One more hill and one more kilometer and today’s stage is over at 13.5 kilometers. However, we are staying in the city of Brösarp so I have another 1.3 kilometers to go. The city offers restaurants and a supermarket as far as I know.

This stage was probably the most beautiful so far and also the most demanding technically. But there is more to come and now it’s my birthday and time to do some serious resting and pampering.

Day 3 – Lövestads åsar – Andrarum 

– Temp: 27-29°C
– Distance: 15.5 km
– Time: 3h 18min
– SL4 Stage: 9 & 8 
– Difficulty: Easy
– Markings: Poor 

The heat continues but I so love it! Today is Saturday a short stage of only 15.5 km. The sleep was better but the tent a bit stuffy. After the same breakfast as yesterday the stage started as it ended, continuing upon the ridge of “Lövestads åsar” through the intensely green beeches and on ground thick with wilting leaves in all different yellow shades.

After 2 km I get to a turn out on a small road of asphalt and the landscape shifts from forest to a more open, with heaths and after another 2 km I’m  on a gravel road that gets smaller and turns into a path, I climb another of the many ladders over a fence  and onward on a path leading to Hallsbergs Stenar at 4.4 km. Somewhere here I stumble across a crowd of very curious, agitated and restless cows with a bull that stares so intensely at me I choose to climb barbed wire to walk another pasture finding that many probably have done the same because there is a path here and a part of the fence made easier to pass for humans.  I guess it might all be in my mind but I’m not inclined to try that theory today.

Crossing a road and a farm I continue on small paths of different pastures and some more cows, this time they behave more like the cows I’m used to and, although curious they move away when I talk to them. They were really beautiful white cows, calm, not like the other ones, all fidgety.

5 km

After this I come to a point where the markings start to get a bit scarce or maybe even missing and I take make two wrong turns, one just before my 6 km mark and one at 6.5 km, and at several places I just have to look at my map all the time to get it right. Some of the markings were on trees that had grown so big their branches hang near the ground, hence the marking on the stem was not visible at all, some markings were just too far away to be visible.

 In Heinge fritidsområde, at 8 km, I get to a broken sign. Even though the sign is all messed up it’s clear which way to go. Or so I thought, because when I get up to the road and the next sign this points into a field and backwards towards where I came from again. Not a long detour at all but it took a while to figure it out because I’m a bit tired.

Yes, as mentioned, at this point I’m worn, my muscles are aching and I’m a bit tired so I walk almost all the time enjoying the landscape and decide that tomorrow, which is a short short stage, I will walk only and consider it a rest day.

10 km

Some small green paths, entering the city of Tomelilla, and passing another road and at 11 km. I stopped to lie down on a bench for a long while, and my dear husband shows up. We continue on a small gravel road for a while but since I’m struggling with some pain I continue alone, walking. I ponder the thought of the GAX participants that started their journey today, approximately at the same time I started – at this point they have run about 57 km and have more than 100 km left. I look at the GPS tracking of the participants and some of our friends and get inspired to hang in there!

The small gravel road continues for approximately 4 km. Since I’m walking some bugs annoy me, but it’s still so beautiful, they’re forgiven. I pass a bigger road and over another one of those ladders and the open landscape turns into thickly, shady woods with a bit more technical terrain. A final slope and I’m there, at the parking of “Alunbruket” in Andrarum where we will be staying!

All in all a pretty good day, all considered, but the markings should definitely be improved – compared to previous stages they were really bad but ok if you walk and have time to keep track.

Here are all my pictures if you want to get a better look at the rout. The aim the whole journey was to take one picture every time there is a change from e.g. path to asphalt and, of course, pictures of all stuff beautiful.

Day 2 – Raftarp – Lövestad

– Temp: 28-30°C
– Distance: 22 km
– Time: 4h 47min
– SL4 Stage: 11 & 10 
– Difficulty: Easy
– Markings: So and so

After not too many hours of sleep on the rock hard ground (and ground sheets of course) we decided that R were to go by car and by some thicker things to sleep upon. We ate our overnight oats, that had been soaking all night, with nuts and berries and some milk and drank som cold coffee – due to the long dry spell the last months there is a fire ban in the whole country.

After a long slow morning it was time. I did not even think about how I felt, which, for me, is a sign of wellbeing – everything is as it should, me, great company, a lot of time completely alone and a lot of nature with a single purpose – to move forwards and get there. If only life could be that simple.

Start

The rout started where it ended yesterday at the camp site Raftarp in ”Snogeholms strövområde”. Thorugh the woods and, apart from some hundred meters of asphalt, it was mainly gravel or small paths along the lake Snogeholmssjön. The first 4 km I got my husband’s company. The SL4 here coincides with the paths of Snogeholm so there is water and a toilet that is not marked out on the rout on the website.

At the end of the lake my husband ran another way around the lake and back to the car. I headed slightly eastwards for our next site in Lövestads Åsar were we were to camp. The first 50 km of the Österlenled (SL4) there isn’t many other options than to camp or sleep in one of the four wind shields along the path.

After passing a rather big road at 5 km, the stage continued along really beautiful paths in the woods, sometimes interrupted by a gravel road still heading in the general direction of northeast. Around 8 km it turned into asphalt as it was closing in on Vitabäckskällan  on Hylleslösvsvägen at ~8.8 were there was water. I still had water left but not that much, and it was getting close to 30 degrees Celsius now so I had a refill and i lie down for a good while.

Approximately 5 meters after the water there was a path sign on a gravel road that made me turn right despite my instinct to go straight ahead. Well, closing in on the sign I think saw that it was one of those signs with a X meaning “don’t go this way” but I’m not sure – at the same time I had pulled up my map and realised that my hunch was correct and I continued on the asphalt passing by some more houses and also a nature reserve called Vitabäckshällorna where the rare bat Barbastella barbastellus hunts.

10 km

At 10 km I inspected the toilet and wind shed of the area, concluding that, our choice, Lövestad would be much more pleasant, light and not so murky and full of bugs so discussed that over the phone with my husband and we were pleased with our first choice.

Just above 1 km after the site the path crosses and goes along Tomelillavägen, a busy road with the speed limit of 90km/h meaning heavy lorries and cars pass here at 90-110 km/h. It took me a couple of minutes waiting just to get passed and the 300 meters on that road felt like a 100 miles lorries passing by not slowing down or giving way the least. I soon turned onto a gravel road that went on for 4 or 5 beautiful kilometers – the landscape so stretchered and colourful in different shades of greens and yellow.

17 km

After 17.8 km when the SL4 turns right on Gamla Prästavägen there was no SL4 sign at all but I had just checked the map. A warning is probably appropriate here since the road bends and trees and bushes are in the way you could not see the cars that came at pretty high speed behind the curve. Some more asphalt and onto an even bigger road at 18 km with more fast cars – not my idea of fun but luckily it’s only for 500 meters and even more lucky me – there’s my husband! A quick hi, a banana for the road and onto a small gravel road again, passing on the premises of farm of some kind, over a concrete bridge passing a small creek and onto asphalt again.

21 km – Kullamöllan

Just around my 21 km mark the newly renovated wind will Kullamöllan, built in 1850 but moved to this location in 1929, is situated. However, it was not windy enough for it to turn today.

And speaking of turning… at this point the SL4 takes a sharp left almost backwards with no signs to tell. Some more asphalt and then a right turn and another 500 meters before a left turn into the most magnificent woods fore a short climb on the beautiful ridges of Lövestad.

At 22 km there is a parking lot and a place where you’re allowed to camp. Soft, soft ground from all the trees’ leafs. My darling had shopped for something for dinner and my goodness it tasted good even though we couldn’t have it warm because of the fire ban.

Another day of running more than expected. The first 1,5 hours was a lot of running, the last 3 hours was mainly walking since I was very unsure how to utilize my body’s strength.