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July 15: Cycling in the rain is not much fun

Due to bad planning, we never actually got inside Kastelholm castle. You could only get in as part of a guided tour, the next one started at 11, and we had a ferry to catch some distance away at 12.30 if we wanted to be back in Mariehamn by nightfall. So off we went, along unpleasantly hilly roads. The weather was overcast, which at least stopped us getting too sweaty.

We reached the ferry in time, and even had time to look at the historic Bomarsund fortress en route. Bicycle Ferry Nadja turned out to be someone's smallish motorboat, with bikes stacked on the front deck and cyclists ushered down into the cabin. We noticed that the other passengers were pretty serious-looking cyclists, complete with waterproof route maps, aerodynamic helmets and nauseatingly-coloured lycra. We seemed to be the only people on three-speed hire bikes²⁰. When we disembarked, it had started raining wtih a quiet persistence which did not bode well for the rest of the day. Even if it had shown signs of stopping, there seemed to be nowhere to wait it out; Åland is pretty sparsely populated. So we pressed on. ``Mariehamn 35km,'' announced a sign. The rain increased steadily, and after an hour we were pretty thoroughly soaked, with still no sign of civilisation in sight. We had just resolved to take umbrage in the next bus shelter and make coffee when our lives were saved by a café. At first, it just looked like a deserted kiosk in front of a large house in the middle of nowhere. Upon closer investigation, we discovered a saintly lady who invited us into her sitting room, served coffee, cakes and strawberries at reasonable prices, found a bus timetable, and assured me that the bus would take our bikes. Unfortunately there wasn't a bus for hours, but the rain had nearly stopped so we set off again, thanking the saintly lady for saving us from pneumonia and/or drowning.

Finally arrived back in Mariehamn around half four, wet and tired, to discover that all the hostels were fully booked. Reluctantly we went to the campsite, where the rain stopped for long enough for us to erect the tent. Went out for a pizza and spent the evening playing cards in the tent while a monsoon beat down outside.

Footnotes

... bikes²⁰

Actually, Gemma's only had one speed.