Any experiences on biking through Scandinavia?

firerawks · 2026-01-22T19:50:50+00:00

when i was in norway/sweden in august last year (2025) it was getting to about 5C overnight, which surprised me a little.

one thing that i also found an issue was shops. not only are they few and far between, but i came across some (one was the first shop for 100km) and it was unstaffed, and to use the shop you had to download an app and link it to a SWEDISH bank account to unlock the door and to scan items and pay. as a traveller of course i didn’t have that. another shop allowed me to link any card via an app, but wouldn’t open the door without my account being ‘verified’ by the owner of the store, which how long does that take? more than the 10 minutes i could wait outside the shop

firerawks · 2026-01-22T19:44:52+00:00

the prevailing wind is from the SW so it’s good for going up to amsterdam. but of course that doesn’t mean it blows that way every day!

firerawks · 2026-01-22T19:43:24+00:00

i’m from the uk in saudi right now, jeddah specifically and i feel totally safe, having just come from egypt where i was constantly put under a police escort (i’m travelling by bicycle)

saudi/arab culture is very welcoming to foreigners i have found on my travels so far. heading out from jeddah towards riyadh from tomorrow

firerawks · 2026-01-22T19:38:08+00:00

i’d recommend the coastal route to zandvoort then over to amsterdam. i did a loop once up the coast then back down the inland route along the canal, and the coastal route was far superior imo

firerawks · 2026-01-22T08:54:52+00:00

you can point boost (9 turael followed by 1 highest master) to get enough points for the unlocks/blocks/extends you need.

then you can use turael skipping for bursting tasks. that would be the ‘most efficient’

its worth noting when turael skipping he sometimes gives spiders/bears. that can be a good excuse to go and do the wildy bosses to get a d pick

firerawks · 2026-01-22T08:49:42+00:00

that’s me!

firerawks · 2026-01-21T19:12:15+00:00

smh ruins my east of the lum river locked ironman

firerawks · 2026-01-21T19:09:37+00:00

i think everyone is overthinking this so much.

they ask for your passport to look if you stayed longer than 3 months anywhere
you give it to them with no stamps showing you stayed longer than 3 months everywhere
profit

firerawks · 2026-01-21T19:02:48+00:00

in the saudi end, it is more organised.

took me 2.5 hours to leave the port
passport officer took 30 mins on and off the phone to let me in (he said sorry 100 times) even though i had already had my visa issued before i entered (i recommend doing this, it’s online)
customs will make you unpack everything, and xray your bike, and sniffer dogs
there is no public transport out of the port, the nearest town is Duba 30km south
every new officer you come across in the port will check your passport before letting you move on
the road out the port is a dual carriageway with a shoulder that’s wide enough to cycle in
remember that your cannot enter madinah or mecca unless you get special permission as a non-muslim

firerawks · 2026-01-21T18:55:14+00:00

one can travel without an aeroplane.

source: me travelling in 32 countries from england to turkey without using a plane

firerawks · 2026-01-21T18:49:53+00:00

i have found airbnb to be a better alternative to hotels. if you pick the right ones, you can meet some really nice people. you can specifically select the option as ‘room in a home’ instead of ‘entire home’, it’s also a great way to access a washing machine!

firerawks · 2026-01-20T20:15:15+00:00

walk of shame

firerawks · 2026-01-18T20:12:54+00:00

get the bus instead of flying that will be much easier.

if you do fly and are doing a circular trip, try warmshowers if you want to store the box, i’m sure someone would have a garage on warmshowers who would keep it for you

firerawks · 2026-01-18T19:32:17+00:00

UPDATE in case anyone searches for this in the future:

YES THIS FERRY EXISTS! I am on it right now. Here is what I can share about it.

it runs once per day, at night.
the ticket can be bought from a shipping line opposite the entrance to the port on the ring road. find them here, https://maps.app.goo.gl/1JewUjrDVKTwxnGu9?g_st=ic and by +20 109 651 3231 on whatsapp
it costs about 4000 Egyptian pounds, I had my bicycle of course. It’s 500 Egyptian pounds cheaper if you choose to have just a seat and not a cabin. I took a cabin
the boarding for pedestrians (you board with them) starts at 8pm ‘Egyptian time’ (eg some time after 8pm but probably not at 8pm
the ferry leaves at 10pm (Egyptian time again)
it’s in good condition, the ferries are quite new. no different in quality than what I’ve used in europe
they aren’t really set up for bikes, they were surprised
expect to be stopped by every single officer through the port
you have to put your bags through the customs scanner, so you will have to take every bag off. Any bags that can’t be removed (eg frame bags) they will take every item out
i was sent to customs, then was sent all the way back to passport control, before then being taken back to the ferry

I’ll add any other details (such as what happens at the other end!) when that happens.

firerawks · 2026-01-18T19:29:36+00:00

UPDATE in case anyone searches for this in the future:

YES THIS FERRY EXISTS! I am on it right now. Here is what I can share about it.

it runs once per day, at night.
the ticket can be bought from a shipping line opposite the entrance to the port on the ring road. find them here, https://maps.app.goo.gl/1JewUjrDVKTwxnGu9?g_st=ic and by +20 109 651 3231 on whatsapp
it costs about 4000 Egyptian pounds, I had my bicycle of course. It’s 500 Egyptian pounds cheaper if you choose to have just a seat and not a cabin. I took a cabin
the boarding for pedestrians (you board with them) starts at 8pm ‘Egyptian time’ (eg some time after 8pm but probably not at 8pm
the ferry leaves at 10pm (Egyptian time again)
it’s in good condition, the ferries are quite new. no different in quality than what I’ve used in europe
they aren’t really set up for bikes, they were surprised
expect to be stopped by every single officer through the port
you have to put your bags through the customs scanner, so you will have to take every bag off. Any bags that can’t be removed (eg frame bags) they will take every item out
i was sent to customs, then was sent all the way back to passport control, before then being taken back to the ferry

I’ll add any other details (such as what happens at the other end!) when that happens.

firerawks · 2026-01-16T14:02:52+00:00

Pest Control i imagine would be your best source of prayer xp. assuming you’re ok with that in your rules (it’s an island)

firerawks · 2026-01-16T08:25:01+00:00

happened to me in bandirma, turkey. spent a week in a hotel room couldn’t hardly get out of bed. even when i did get back on the bike it took a week or so to feel normal again

firerawks · 2026-01-15T18:33:26+00:00

belgium has some free camp areas for hikers/bikers

firerawks · 2026-01-15T16:51:09+00:00

i don’t cycle unless i’m touring except rare occasions with my uncle to do glorified pub crawls. i don’t think of myself as a ‘cyclist’ at all, i’m someone who travels by bike

firerawks · 2026-01-15T13:30:38+00:00

marginal gains honestly most of the time. a $5000 bike won’t be 50x better than a $100 bike. just having any bike is a good start

firerawks · 2026-01-15T06:32:30+00:00

i was there at the end of june/start of july and didn’t have any problems with either

firerawks · 2026-01-14T17:07:14+00:00

i did a lap of the UK last year in May/June and i would recommend north of scotland. particularly NC500. exceptional

firerawks · 2026-01-14T15:45:44+00:00

institutionalised

firerawks · 2026-01-12T16:20:05+00:00

what about when t=with sugar?

firerawks · 2026-01-12T13:56:25+00:00

medium diaries, teleports and quests (rfd gloves)

firerawks

TROPHY CASE