Day 8: On the road to Kristianstad...

Can it be true?  looking out the window at the Aurora B&B, I could see blue skies and the new leaves of the birch tree were still - wot???  blue skies and no wind??  impossible....  but True - Yay!

problem with B&Bs, is that the breakfast usually opens at 8am and there's always plenty to eat - so it ends up being well past 9 before Maggie and me set off.  first stop was at the bike shop to replace broken rearvision mirror - tick!  then headed off past the harbour - quiet sea with swans, geese and a variety of ducks paddling around as well the huge black wing seagulls as well as a mix of terns and common seagulls, meant that by noon, I hadn't got far!!!  Yoikes!  get pedalling...

went thru a variety of landscapes today - canola fields and green grain crops - and orchards I think of apples and maybe almonds...

had a dash along busy Highway 9, but there was a bike path but finding its start was a tad difficult, so added quite a few extra kms trying to find it.  eventually a kind man stopped and pointed it out.  it was an unsealed road (which I knew), but it just looked like a driveway to a farm house.  anyways, once on my way, the first part was along treeless paddocks on cliffs above the sea - - so different and I didn't stop to take a photo????  wah???  but then back into forests and thru little sea side - beach shacks basically - Swedish styles.

biggest highlight was stopping on a little bridge and seeing ripples - but who was making them?  I am not sure it was an otter - at first thought it was a beaver...  but no - defo a otter...  it was swimming along the edge of the water and being a tad nervous...  photos were hopeless - so dark, but even when shadows lifted, all I can make out is the water reflections...  besides the point!!  I saw an Otter!!!!!!!!!!  like wow!!!  only other animal I have seen has been a hare...

but was basically running a bit late and the clouds on the horizon were looking a bit threatening, so I decided not to go into Ahus, but continue another 20km to Kristianstad - there was a bike path all the way to town - obviously there's some commuters that have a really nice ride to work in the morning, but still a bit of a trek home at the end of the day!!

tracked down a "British" styled B&B and pub....  bit dodgy - with barflies, but the price was right and the room had en suite - so all good.  ducked out the a meal of mixed vegies at a little family run Thai restaurant - but apart from being shook up on the cobblestones, the big towns are becoming a bit of a blur...  the countryside is sooooo much nicer....

better late than never - here are some pics...

really lovely room at Aurora B&B, Simrisham

From the outside - Maggie lined up for a sun filled day

Loving all the trees in bloom

an old wisteria about to cover the roof in colour

Lads!!  what are ya doin???  swearing and cussing methinks!

maybe apple blossom - there were lots of orchards in this area

have to add a church somewhere along the way!

Selfie

small stone circle in a paddock, no info but just around the corner

Kungagraven - an ancient burial mound - 

and I was too slack to get out the wide-angle lens.....

the otter heading downstream - you can see its wake!  but I saw it so clearly :)

At the crossroads - do I stay at Ahus? or go onto Kristianstad -  its only 20km more, so why not!!