{"id":7548,"date":"2023-04-02T12:03:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-02T12:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclenorway.com\/?p=7548"},"modified":"2023-04-02T12:03:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T12:03:45","slug":"learn-to-walk-cycle-to-nordkapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclenorway.com\/en\/learn-to-walk-cycle-to-nordkapp\/","title":{"rendered":"1. Learn to walk 2. Cycle to Nordkapp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Story by Kevin Whitely (March 2023)<\/em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Two years ago this February I has an abscess at the back of my neck. The abscess pressed on my spinal cord and I was paralysed totally from the neck down. I couldn’t move my arms or legs and even had to be ventilated in order to breathe.\u00a0Most patients with a Spinal Cord Injury don’t recover very well but I have been more fortunate than most.<\/div>\n
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After 5 months in the hospital (with the aid of the most wonderful physiotherapists) I was able to walk out of the hospital, albeit on crutches.\u00a0Before my Spinal Cord Injury, I used to cycle a lot, my average being about 70 miles per day, though sometimes up to 120.\u00a0I wanted to cycle again and was eventually able to do so by riding a woman’s bicycle (I can’t raise my leg high enough to get on my usual bike (a Raleigh Royal) because of the top tube.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I planned on Bergen to Nordkapp and so last June I flew to Bergen, with my bicycle (nicknamed Miss Marple). From there I set off. \u00a0I have been to Norway twice before; once to Flam, and once around the Lofoten area. Each time I had been<\/span> in a car, driving around, but always wanted to cycle around those areas.<\/div>\n

It was wonderful!\u00a0I cycled roughly 20 miles a day (about 30km) and they were good<\/span> miles. Each day I got to see<\/span> different places. I went back\u00a0to Flam, and from there I picked<\/span> a route to the Atlantic Road Bridge. From there I went<\/span> northwards through the islands to the Lofoten area, up to Tromso, then Alta, and eventually to Nordkapp.<\/p>\n

I saw a mixture of everything. There were roads that went<\/span> on and on but those roads always had wonderful views as compensation.<\/span> There were some very long tunnels I sometimes had to brace myself to enter, but<\/span> as I went<\/span> further north, the tunnels became quite fun to go<\/span> through as there were fewer cars.<\/p>\n

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I saw so many mountains, some of which I cycled over. There were wonderful fjords, the odd glacier, a cold, fresh feel<\/span> in the air, and the odd signpost that led me further north.\u00a0Island hopping was a fun thing to do.<\/span> Each island was different, with its own personality, and on each island, I found a new<\/span> piece of Norway I hadn\u2019t seen before. There were remote areas to cycle in and one<\/span> time I must have been very remote as there was a period of 15<\/span> days before I saw another cyclist.<\/p>\n

There were times when I bumped into other cyclists, some heading my way, some heading south, and when we both stopped in the middle of a quiet road to chat, I knew I was meeting someone who was just as pleased with their journey as I was. Tips were passed between the two of us,<\/span> such as where to camp and what to see.<\/p>\n

For me, cycling has always been what I call my<\/span> meditation time. When I am cycling,<\/span> no matter what problems I feel there are, they were<\/span> always sorted out by the end of the day. Cycling through wonderful scenery, meeting such friendly<\/span> people, and wild camping at night in amazing locations was such an enjoyable thing to do.<\/p>\n

I knew the whole trip was importan<\/span>t to me. There were times when it was difficult when I cursed Norway and every Norse god I could think of<\/span>, but those curses lasted only a minute or so. In general, the whole trip was enjoyable. When I finally approached Nordkapp- the most northerly point your bike can take you- and I physically saw the complex it was more emotional than I\u2019d expected it to be. While I had thought it would just be a point to reach, I found it to have more significance than I had expected. There was a real sense of achievement.<\/p>\n

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I stayed at Nordkapp for a few days as I had made such an effort to get there, and that wasn\u2019t the end of the journey. From there I ventured west into the Finnmark region. It was more of Norway to explore and cycling from Vardo down to Kauntokeino was just a bonus. It was a wonderful end to a trip that was important<\/span> to me.<\/p>\n

I cycled about 3,000 miles (about 5,000 km) over the course of 105<\/span> days. I had seen the most wonderful sights, had met the<\/span>\u00a0friendliest people I have ever known, and I felt so much better than I had 3 months before, both physically and mentally. Norway is a place that is inside<\/span> me and will always stay that way.<\/p>\n

The trip helped me in my recovery<\/span> after being paralyzed from the neck down and it still continues to do so. Each time I dig out my diary I have memories of<\/span> what those particular places were like.<\/p>\n

I will be back in Norway later this year, exploring the south of Bergen, a place I missed last time, and<\/span> I am expecting<\/span> that area to be just as wonderful as my northerly trip had been.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Story by Kevin Whitely (March 2023). Two years ago this February I has an abscess at the back of my neck. The abscess pressed on my spinal cord and I was paralysed totally from the neck down. I couldn’t move my arms or legs and even had to be ventilated in order to breathe.\u00a0Most patients […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10,11,12],"class_list":["post-7548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-inspiring-cycle-story","tag-long-distance","tag-nordkapp"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t