Day 6 - From the Arctic Circle to Lapland

Scandinavia hates me. That's the only explanation I can think of now.

After raining almost continuously all night (including strong winds), I got up around 10:00, at which time the rain had slightly subsided. However, I slept very well, the sleeping bag is super warm. The only thing is that getting up is really damn cold. But okay, you have to endure it. After showering and packing up the motorcycle, it was around 11:00. I quickly went to the common room to check the weather for tonight, and discovered that it will be 2-3°C in Lapland - definitely too cold for the tent, especially since everything is already completely wet. That's why I spontaneously booked a room in Finland, which I got at a relatively cheap price (€40,- instead of €75,-) thanks to a Booking.com promotion. The hotel was about 300km away from Överkalix, so it should be doable despite the freezing weather.

At about 12:00, I continued north. I reached the Arctic Circle after about 30km. Thanks to the cold temperatures and rain, my gloves were already completely soaked by then (they couldn't dry properly even overnight in the tent). So my hands were already freezing cold at the first stop. Fortunately, there was a German couple with their motorhome at the rest area, and they offered me a cup of coffee. So at least I could warm up here. The rest of the journey was the same, a maximum of 40km of driving, then a break at a gas station to warm up. About 80km before my destination, an employee at a gas station/restaurant in Finland took pity on me and even gave me a pair of dry gloves that someone had left behind - they were worth their weight in gold, as I could ride the last 80km without a stop. She said that such cold temperatures are anything but usual at this time of year, last week it was 24°C...

A heated grip would help a lot here. If I ever do another longer tour to colder regions with this motorcycle, I will definitely retrofit it beforehand.

In addition to the bad weather, today there was also a terrible road. A stretch of about 100km is currently being renovated in Finland. About half of the route was without asphalt, so it was a gravel road with puddles, etc. Fortunately, I made it through without crashing...

Now I have arrived at the hotel, warmed up in the sauna, and - believe it or not - it's snowing!

Tomorrow I will continue to the North Cape. Since rain is still forecast for tomorrow, I have also booked a hostel here for one night. It's another 400km to go, hopefully it will be manageable. However, the weather has one advantage: it can only get better 😉 At least I can start tomorrow with dry gloves...

There is also some good news to report: My phone is working again! I can't explain it though, because it definitely couldn't have dried in this weather 😉

Today's expenses:

€40,- Accommodation (including breakfast)

€20,- Food + drinks

€30,- Gasoline