South of Pello on the Finland side of the border, I cross over into Sweden for the final cruise down to the Baltic sea. The road on the Swedish side is a delight in that a long-ago railroad track is now a pretty serviceable gravel path running beside the road on a steady trajectory towards the twin cities of Hakaranga (Swe) and Tornio (Fin) on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
A ripped up railway line is the perfect path for the day with a couple of little detours along the way.
Not content to allow a pleasant day’s ride to go uninterrupted, a slight turn onto what appeared to be another meandering track running along the river soon turned particularly ugly when all track disappeared. There is something in me that despises turning back and re-tracing ridden road, so when the track dissolves into a field I decide to cut across towards the main road rather than re-trace my path. Not great.
In short order I’m in a swamp, then a river, hauling the bike above the water (memories of the ‘River of Instant Death’ in Peru in 2012 come flashing back). How did the perfect day of riding turn so ugly so quickly? One stupid decision and one tiny km turns into a 30 minute swampy nightmare.
In a swamp.
Major Temple in Hakaranga, Sweden.
There is a Sauna Symposium on at my campsite in Kukola (not joking), about 15 km north of Tornio. All looked particularly intense with people dunking themselves in ice baths etc. Must be covering all of the issues. I was due to give a paper there on, ‘You people are all barking mad‘, but had to carry on down the road.
Unfazed we blast down the Baltic coast and a campsite at the beach in Oulu
11 to LL
The Rain comes at last north of Oulu. So faced with such challenge, it behoves one to eat a kebab.
Oulu is a marvellous city of Bicycles, beer, cafes and air guitar competitions. The spring/summer time here is a joyous period to cruise around the hundreds of miles of smooth bike paths and tuck into the delicious street food at the waterfront market area.
Street food in Oulu is perfect biking food. Fried up lashings of white-bait, garlic potatoes and vegetables. All for 9 EUR and powered up.
Vegemite and Marmite available in Oulu. [Vegemite at a mere EUR12.35]
Rip-snorting 7% beer. Delicious.
Pyöräkorjaamo Laihiainen bicycle repair shop. I stop by for some minor adjustments. Beautiful Penny-Farthings out the front.
These are some proper wooden bikes; even the forks and handlebars are wooden!
Oululainen Kari Laihiainen is the very kind owner of the Pyöräkorjaamo Laihiainen bicycle shop in Oulu. He cycles his penny-farthing to work (see above).
He was kind enough to tighten up some loose widgets and provide some bracket grinding on my beast and would not take any money for it. Countries are judged by how they treat the traveller (in my book anyway). Many thanks Kari!
Some cities just have it going on. Oulu has thousands of people cruising on bicycles, nice beer, cafes with chocolate cakes and cream, great street food…. and penny-farthings. It could be different in winter, but in the spring time this is a proper civilised way to live.
So the wheel is dipped in the Baltic Sea, thereby completing the Barents Sea-to-Baltic Sea. Think I’ll stay another day.
![Poland [ July 2026]](https://buff3ysbicyclingblog.info/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DSCF0833.jpg)
![Buff3y Blasts Through The Baltics: Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania [July 2026]](https://buff3ysbicyclingblog.info/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Strawberries.jpeg)
Leave a Reply