Uppsala-Hindås

DaDay 1 on the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås in July 2007. The next day, we covered Strömsholm to Dufweholm (see separate track). This is a lovely bike ride through Swedish heartland on paved roads with little or no traffic.

Day 2 of the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås in July 2007, the previous day went from Uppsala to Strömsholm, and the next day from Dufweholm to Borensberg.   The roads from Eskilstuna to Katrineholm were dominantly pretty boring, and the least interesting part of the entire trek: planted uniform Swedish conifer forest and not much else. Dufweholms herrgård is an excellent place to stay; not cheap, but very good.

Day 3 of the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås; the previous day we went from Strömsholm to Dufweholm, the next day we did Borensberg to Gränna.   Large parts of this leg went on gravel roads, but the Swedish variety that are comfortable to ride on (unless you have a road racer). The stopover at Hävla bruk, a very old ironwork with friendly owners and very cheap coffee and a wealth of cakes and cookies.   This night, we stayed at the Göta kanalhotell in Borensberg, and felt as we were propelled to the end of the 19th century; affordable, very nice and highly recommended.

Day 4 of the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås in July 2007. The previous day we came from Dufweholm, and the next day we went all the way to Ulricehamn. Today we crossed the flat (we were lucky to have a backwind all day) limestone landscape of Östergötland with extremely abundant cultural sights, Rök-stenen and Bjälbo kyrka are particularly recommended. The road from Ödeshög to Gränna is among the most scenic in Sweden. The road was washed away during extreme rainfall a few days after we passed (!), but has been reconstructed.

Day 5 of the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås in July 2007; the previous day we came from Borensberg and the following day, we finished in Hindås, between Borås and Göteborg. This was the "mountain etape" of this tour, and crossing the Vättern Graben includes some very mean hills, if you are riding a heavily loaded touring tandem. However, the roads were charming, the weather great and the destination, Ulricehamn, is an idyllic little town, well worth a visit.

Day 6 and the last on the tandem bike trek from Uppsala to Hindås in July 2007. The day before, we came from Gränna to Ulricehamn. Today's ride was as hilly as the previous day; the difference between east central and west central Sweden is noticeable for touring cyclists (more hills in the west). One charming feature is that the roads in this part of Sweden follows the ridgecrests, giving some very nice views and panoramas, even though the weather could have been better.