Sunday 12/06/2011 Copenhagen to Stockholm 165897-166386 = 489 miles

Early session.

Early to bed, early to rise. I'm awake at 05:30 and decide to do an early session before breakfast. I checked with Angie last night and everything seems OK at home, so I'm off to Sweden! I don't get very far. There's a chain across the exit to the campsite. I guess it's to stop late night arrivals but it's a pain for me trying to get an early start. After a bit of head scratching I realise that the gap between one of the posts and the reception building is just wide enough to squeeze a Peugeot 405 through.

It's not a long way from Copenhagen to Sweden (about 30 miles to Malmo). Again I'm not sure how this bit is going to work. I know there is water between Denmark and Sweden but my driving instructions don't mention anything about ferries! So I pick up the E55/E20 towards and round Copenhagen, past the airport and follow the signs for Malmo. No problems. A very long tunnel (2.5 miles) followed by a very long bridge (7.5 miles); a EUR40 toll and I'm in Sweden. I don't suppose many Danes have a day out in Sweden (or vice versa) at that sort of price.

I have just used the Oresund Crossing. More info: -

http://www.capitasymonds.co.uk/projects/all_projects/%C3%B8resund_tunnel,_copenhagen.aspx

The road signs around Malmo leave a lot to be desired. The E20 disappeared and became the E6, only to re-appear after I got lost a couple of times. It seems the E6/E20 is similar to the E55/E20 in Denmark, i.e. sometimes it's called one then it's called the other. The other problem is that the exit signs tell you the road number(s) but not the destinations. It's like arriving at the end of the M69 and seeing signs for M1 south and M1 north. It's fine if you've got some idea of the geography, but if you haven't you're in trouble. I finally end up in the right direction and after about 20 miles I come to the E4 junction. This time I guess right and I'm heading for Stockholm.

The E4 is a significant road. It is 980 miles long, except for about 16 miles in the middle where it becomes, for no apparent reason, the ubiquitous E20. It takes 18 hours to drive (according to the AA's route finder) and it will take me to within about 75 miles of the Arctic Circle.

All this driving and I'm still not as far north as John O Groats!! However I'm just about to embark on a thousand miles plus drive northwards and if I tried that in Britain, I'd be in the sea. A place called Linkoping is the cut off point, further north than anywhere in mainland Britain.

Daytime session

After a couple of hours driving I come to a place called "Jonkoping" and I start to get worried. I know this section of my journey is inland and yet I'm driving by the sea. I'm on the E4 so I can't be lost. I decide to pull into a lay-by to see if I can resolve the problem. I check the maps and I can see the confusion. It's just a question of scale! The "sea" that I am next to is in fact a lake. It's a lake that's as big as Lyme Bay. And that's the small one! Further west is a lake the size of Devon!!

You know when you make model aeroplanes and you stand them on a plinth. Well alongside the E4 at Linkoping there are real jets planes on plinths. Linkoping is where SAAB build aircraft. I'm not sure whether I'm on a motorway, so I don't stop to take pictures.

I stop for a well earned rest in the afternoon. There's a McDonalds, so I grab a coffee and burger and fries, which costs me SEK44. This is not much but as yet I haven't been able to find an ATM so all the Swedish money I have is the change from the EUR50 note I used for the Oresund crossing (about SEK90)

Evening session

I manage to get a couple of hours kip despite the heat and the go cart track nearby and decide that it would be good to get beyond Stockholm on Sunday evening rather than tackle it on Monday morning. I set up the computer to play some of my favs through the car stereo. The E4 is starting to get very boring and I have only done a third at the moment.

I think my fuel gauge has stuck. I filled up in Puttgarden in Germany, I'm now approaching Stockholm in Sweden and my gauge still reads three quarters full. I know DC does a lot to the gallon but that's too much. I pull over for some diesel. I fill to the brim and find I've putt in 35 litres. Not bad for a 500 mile trip but the gauge should be reading half not three quarters. I am logging my mileage and diesel anyway but from now on I'll have to top up by the mileage rather than the gauge.

The E4 goes straight through Stockholm (not good planning). There's a bit of traffic through Stockholm and the sun is full in my eyes a lot of the time (I'm glad I've got my shades) but I don't get lost and once I'm out the other side and into the countryside I start looking for a kipping spot. I'm as far north as the Shetlands now (60 degrees north) and I'm chuffed with the amount of miles I've covered, so it's time for a meal and a night's rest. I pull into a lay-by and it looks perfect until I spot half a dozen gypsy caravans in the far corner. I carry on to the next one, which is not as good but good enough. I get the cooker out and have rice with minced beef and onions for dinner. Nice!

It's about 22:00 by now and the evening daylight here has got a funny look to it. I was talking to a Russian lady once and she said their name for the "midnight sun" was "white night". I know it sounds funny but that's an extremely good description. The light is white. All the colours seem to be pastel, if that makes any sense. I think you'd have to see it to know what I mean.

I've developed a routine to try to keep the mossies out of the car at night. I get the 405 ready for the night and then shut the doors and go and stand 10 yards away. As soon as the mossies start attacking me I make a mad dash for the car door; dive in and slam it behind me. It's not perfect but better to have 1 or 2 than 10 or 12!