Day 7 - Ales Stennar and Bitter Cold Wind to Simrishamn

so the wind is still here - but the blue skies are back - it can't be too bad....

after another great breakfast bord - I headed off into the wind - again...  yep, need my jacket on....  bit later, yep I need my head wrap to keep my ears warm - yep... bit later on again on goes the neck warmer - and when I get to Ales Stennar am definitely going to dig up that long sleeve thermal and put that on...  these are the things that keeps one pushing the pedals along into a strong head wind... along with a gust of side wind across open paddocks - it all makes life on a bike interesting!!  I think!

so Ales Stennar - its ancient and you can check out Google for all the facts, but basically its an ancient stone monument - put up by the Vikings in the shape of a ship, but cunningly lined up to catch the winter and summer solstice exactly- from either end...  one has to imagine the mob of blokes trying to get that main stone abso lined up correctly...  bit more to the left!  nah too much take it back tack back.... whoa, too far, just a tad to the right - well, I don't know any Viking swear words, but am sure there would have been a few thrown into the mix....  anyhoo, its up on a headland catching the spray from an angry Baltic sea - and a sacred area since waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back, with graves dating back to 1800BC!  but really hard to photograph!!!  need a tower to get a look down onto it.  but I found it sort of peaceful - even in the wild windy weather...

but back on Maggie and we're riding along the coast to Simrisham and glad I stuck with this option - there were sheltering forests to ride thru and not so much farmlands, but the canola fields are still soooo impressive!!  its such a vibrant yellow!!!!

most of the day was spent riding along main road 9, which wasn't that busy.  mantra for a cyclist is that the last 10km is the worst - but I came to the bike lane 10km out of Simrishamn and it was a wonderful pedal, right along the sea shore - tho quick protected from the wind - watching the waves rolling in.  Even heard a nightingale!!!  always think of Kalle when I hear them... (hope he is well!!)

so some pics maybe?  will get to caption these at some stage perhaps!

Ystad was a surprise - I was expecting more modern buildings - but
it was full of interesting but mostly brick buildings

speed limits are only 30kph here - and I think they drive actually
much slower as those cheeky cyclists rule the road...
but am not brave enough to ride across an intersection without stopping - yet!!

beautiful street plantings - not sure what the pink flowering tree is?
is it a rhododendron?  there's pin and white ones - so beautiful

Our Garden B&B - lovely - my room, window on the right

Ales Stennar - windy as!!

would be interesting to be here for the solstices (?) 

that's the wind blowing from the land onto the sea creating outgoing
waves!!

from the rock in the middle to the summer solstice stone (I think)

and I think this is the winter one...  I did photo the info billboards
if anyone is interested?

Canola

canola

Canola - I have this song in my head - I think the real words are
Corina, Corina, Corina - but it works with Canola

Why?  well, its another one of the very ancient burial sites that
the farmer just plants his crops around...  

decommissioned

Seaside thatched cottages - the timber ridges are very Southern Sweden
love the little eyebrows over the attics

Yep, the wind was cold but I prevailed!!