I cycled in Glasgow and tried out the buses. Glasgow has some proper cycle lanes, separated from traffic. The drivers are polite and the cyclists obey the traffic lights.
Comprehensive bus service.
Crossing the Clyde
I visited the old Govan Church following a recommendation.
Old Govan church.
Fascinating old grave stones from 800 AD onwards are displayed in the church.
Person on horseHogsbackCasket
I had a proper explanation of the history of the kingdom of Strathclyde from the guide. A language close to Welsh was spoken here.
Meanwhile across the river.Also in Govan.
Had to wait for the bus for a long time due to a Scotland international friendly messing up the buses.
I had a realisation on this trip that not all trains have luggage racks and not all trains have toilets.
Didcot to Chester involved four trains, which is strange as I only needed three trains from the far north to Didcot.
On the way to Oxford.Changed at Oxford, no need to change platform.Approaching Birmingham
Change again at Birmingham, the most confusing station that I have come across, not helped by poor signage. Slightly stressful due to a slight delay in arriving. Had to go to platform 4B . Was that a left or right turn at the bottom of the stairs? Guessed correctly as left.
Platform 4B Birmingham.
Accents a mixture of brummie and scouse on the train to Chester.
What can you see from the train when travelling in and out of London?
The Thames at Maidenhead The Thames at Blackfriars station Looking towards the centre from NunheadNear Lewisham Near Waltham St Lawrence
Turns out there are a lot of good views from the train, and when the sun shines the countryside and London can look amazing. It beats being stuck in traffic.
Negatives: getting food poisoning and train delays. Germany really struggles to get trains to go on time. Eurostar also had its issues. I did have a 77 minute delay on the sleeper to Stockholm, but that worked in my favour. The sleeper Stockholm was also too hot and the curtains were poor allowing flashes of bright light into the cabin while travelling.
Questionable things: seeing people smoke on train platforms in Germany was strange, and also a bit objectionable. The speed that cars drive at in Hamburg is ridiculously high and not suited to the roads. Also objectionable.
Positives: the trains in Finland, Sweden and Denmark were great, excluding the sleeper. In time. The rolling stock was high quality throughout including Germany. Met some great people. The cycle facilities in Copenhagen and seeing so many cyclists was incredible. We should be doing this in the UK.
Exceeding expectations: The ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki were amazing, good prices, amazing views, great facilities. Finland in winter, incredible, stunning snowy landscapes.
Tips:
Don’t plan to catch the last train of the day.
Don’t make connections too tight.
Travel in your sports gear, make it multi purpose. (Sensibly)
Travel as light as possible.
Plan for the weather.
Don’t arrive late and leave early, it’s exhausting.
Staying for more than one night is more pleasant .
Rucksacks are better than wheelie luggage.
Make use of the late checkouts in hotels.
Carry just in case food and drink.
Make use of sleeper services.
Double check reservations.
Download apps for local public transport. They can be used to get the correct tickets and give directions.
Double check routes given by apps, sometimes they are sending you to the wrong place.
If in doubt, ask a local.
Chat to people on the trains.
Use tracking apps so friends and family can follow your progress. It’s fun and good for safety.
Give someone your itinerary- routes, hotels etc.
Look at and enjoy the landscape, as you travel through.
I am staying in a hotel where the room is modelled on a cabin.
It’s practical and located close to the station in the middle of the city.
I went off to get some food.
The central station There are a lot of bikes.
Heading to a restaurant in the meat packing district.
Meat packing districtFood at the Gaza GrillAn interesting design
Copenhagen had proper infrastructure for cyclists. I came across a cycle flyover.
Cycle flyover Looking towards Christianhavn
As I was walking I spotted a group coming out of a sauna and entering a swimming pool which still had some ice on top.
Swimming pool with sauna cabin to the right.
Next morning it was a stroll around Copenhagen to find some breakfast and explore.
Cycle queue for traffic lights.Lots of commuter cyclists Entering ChristianshavnBreakfast Looking towards the centre
And back to the hotel.
The number of cyclists in the city was impressive, taking cars off the street. Everyone was wearing their normal clothes. It was noticeable that the cyclists followed the traffic signals. I had to keep my wits about me due to high numbers of cyclists, although they all seemed very attentive and careful.
I had not reserved a seat. The train conductor pointed out that the train was going to get very full. She found a seat with a cancelled booking for me.
ÄngeslevänjokiSome of the trees are heavily laden with snow.Snow on the overhead cables.
Some pretty houses on the way.
Crossing the frozen OikolanjokiBright sunshine approaching Helsinki.Disembarking At Helsinki Central
Its then on to a tram to go to the ferry.
Helsinki Cathedral
It’s warmed up in Helsinki do the snow is getting slightly slushy.
Government Palace
We get sightings of the different waterways from the tram.
Some interesting buildings on the way.
The tram arrives at the ferry terminal
The Gabriella from the tram.
Checking in and going through passport control is fast and straightforward.
View from the walkway.Boarding
Off to find my cabin which is on the fifth deck, the level we entered on.
Bit of a mazeMy cabin
The sun is setting as we leave Helsinki giving some magical views.
A wander round the boat, some food, then to bed. There is live music on board and a massive dinner buffet. However I got up for the breakfast buffet. Again with a view.
Klara ChurchCentral Station And we’re off.Crossing the ÅrastavikenAnd the IgelstavikenPassed through NorrkopingNear Linkoping
The snow is reducing.
Gripenberg Castle
I changed to a regional train at Lund. No pictures as I spotted a train leaving before my planned connection so did a rapid change. Now I was 35 minutes ahead of schedule.
Malmo
The sky is grey with very low cloud.
Malmo sky
Disappointingly the crossing on the bridge from Sweden to Denmark is very foggy.
The bridge crossing.Modern buildings not far from Copenhagen Airport Arrived at Copenhagen station.
Oulu is sixty miles south of the Artic circle and is this year’s European City of culture. Consequently there is a lot happening, even in February.
I walked from the station to the island Pikisaari, where I was staying. Walking mainly on compacted snow.
Oulu Cathedral in the distance.
Crossing over frozen waterways.
Passed the oldest restaurant, which is on Pikisaari.
The oldest restaurant , Sokeri-Jussin Kievari.
Onto my accommodation, TurusenSaha.
View from the room.
There is a supply of socks, eating area and cooking equipment.
The socks must be for those who have under estimated how cold it can be- outside. Very thoughtful.
I had a walk back to the centre.
Looking from Pikisaari to Oulu centre.Icicles Bobby Oulu Market.
The market has a cafe, fish, meat shops and shops aimed at tourists.
After buying some provisions in a supermarket, I headed back to my accommodation. It’s now getting dark.
The library Theatre
It’s all well lit up.
While walking back I spotted something strange.
What was going on?
Happening next week.
Holes in the ice are being cut to provide the competition pool.
On Pikisaari
The next day I was out and about.
Osprey and Salmon
Headed towards Nallikari Beach from Pikisaari.
Frozen one side of the bridge.But not the other.
Cyclists are out despite the cold.
I went to see the ice sculptures that had been made the previous week. That must have been quite a spectacle when they were being made.
Team UK-CanadaGermany
I walked down to the beach.
Nallikari Beach
Where does the beach start and end?
I could tell when I was on the beach as the snow was soft.
I then started walking on the sea.
Standing on the sea.
There were tents scattered around and one man was fishing in a hole. No idea if he caught anything.
Heading back to Oulu via Pikisaari island. The steam generating industry buildings in the distance looked very atmospheric.
Looking towards the sea from the bridge heading onto Pikisaari.Buildings on Pikisaari.
After having a coffee in Oulu centre and buying some food I headed back. It was snowing.
Bridge connecting Oulu to Pikisaari.
If there is snow covering the ground for a large part of the year the markings on the ground will be covered. The solution is to project the markings on to the snow.
After a night of snow.
The compacted snow got a dusting of soft snow overnight making it harder going as I headed to the station.
I had plenty of time before checking in time for the hotel, so decided to ride the tram to the end of the line and get the flavour of Helsinki.
Uspenski Cathedral Helsinki CathedralNational Museum of Finland
Got to the end of the line having passed the central station. Hopped onto a different tram on the basis that it would go to the central station, which it did.
Central Station
It’s one stop up the line on the train to where I am staying.
From the local train.
Snowy forest near hotel.The hotel is in the Tripla mall which is attached to the railway station.Good views from the hotel dining room.
Hotel breakfast is very good.
Had some good food in Helsinki.
SoupFinnish vegetable stew A very hot Chinese dish in the mall.
View of the station from the restaurant Sun about to rise Kaiseniemeniahti – frozen.
The snow is often not cleared but strewn with grit to help the grip. Most of the time this is fine but just occasionally I found a slippery patch.
Insight 