So over the last 1870 miles and four countries, today has been the first dry day since the 21st June. In truth I don’t mind the rain, its just about having the right gear and getting the mindset right. Focus is on drying over suits, boots and gloves and then checking the bike – that takes precedent in the evenings and thankfully the land of very cheap overnight accommodation beckons. I am paying less now per night in each miserly selected venue than I have paid for camping spots in Scandinavia, though in truth I am missing the sea already. I journeyed into Frankfurt today, my new German friends said I must see the “Eurotower”, and there’s me thinking it was a monument to unification striving for peace and understanding across the E.C. when in actuality it is a shrine to a struggling currency.

I learnt two valuable lessons today, the first is native Swedish deer are as stubborn as welsh mountain sheep and can appear from nowhere at the road edge – another reason for keeping the speed down, the second is elk are huge and very shy, I was able to spot at around 300m a couple of adult elk by the side of a track just south of Sorsele, coming to a stop they watched me with interest before gently ambling in front of me and disappearing into the forest – a truly magical experience.