As promised, we got to enjoy a thunderous electric storm with pounding rain from the comfort of our bed last night. It was a doozy...and we were glad not to be in our tent.
Wamstra B&B lives up to what you always hope a B&B will be, but rarely is. Set in a beautifully restored heritage schoolhouse with room to stretch out in your own homey kitchen and living room with an excellent breakfast and welcoming host....it is hard to move on from such a special place.
Eating our breakfast in the former main classroom of the school. We were lucky to get the last room last night, but everybody else ate at 6:30, so we have the room to ourselves. A quiet classroom!
We have noticed that most Swedish homes have a small lamp in each window. We find it quite welcoming. Our host explained its practicality as its lights the way home in the long dark Swedish nights in winter.
We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the B&B with incredible home made treats, like the ginger/lemon/honey elixir, yummy raisin buns, egg as and lots of fresh fruit.
We were given the Headmaster’s bedroom and a small apartment with 2 kitchens, living room and bathroom which we shared with one person. Delightful. Each bedroom got its own kitchen and eating area.
So many personal and artistic touches in this B&B with many heritage pieces from her family. This tall green glass piece with an antique glass insert (from her grandmother) to hold the flowers was very pretty.
We chose this accommodation based on reviews and its incredible price even though it was off our route. Considering we are in Sweden where prices are higher and also the quality offered here, 64€ for room and breakfast is a steal. This morning we will cut across country to Ahus on the coast and resume our tour on the Sydostleden cycle route
Wamstra B&B in the small rural town of Tollarp. A special place, and doesn’t it look like a former school?
Ahus is home to Absolut Vodka and they proudly describe themselves as a local distillery with the grain being grown nearby (in fact, it is grown in fields by our B&B), the herbs and water are local as is the sea air. We didn’t do the tour as an English tour is only at 3pm, which would mean we’d have to stay here overnight and we didn’t like the steep price of €30 each.
One of the biggest industries in Sweden and profoundly based in the small seaside town of Ahus. The large blue Advocat bottle is actually a furnace and was originally in Berlin, but it has now been moved “home”.
The home of Absolute Vodka in Ahus on the Baltic Sea. Ironically, due to the strict liquor laws in Sweden, only 2 varieties of Absolute are sold. Our host last night prefers one that requires she buy it in neighbouring Denmark, Poland or Germany.
Another place that one must visit in Ahus is the long established and very popular ice cream place called, Glas. They make their own ice cream, the waffle cones are still warm from the griddle and they offer a unique dipping of the cone in hot chocolate which hardens pretty quickly. Oh boy, we will miss this.
After Ahus, we rode parallel to the sea in forests with lush mossy ground cover and at times got glimpses of the crashing waves as well as being able to hear the roar of the sea. Eventually we were able to ride alongside the beach and it was spectacular. We dipped our hands in the sea and it was surprisingly warm.
We can smell and taste the sea air as we ride through this forest. The road is a good riding surface.
We fell in love with the beautiful beach and the roar of the surf. We also liked that cottage season hasn’t begun and we virtually have the beach to ourselves.
Many trails like this through the forest. The only downside of travelling by bike, is that sometimes you want to explore more, but “there are many miles to go before we sleep”.
This was a funny moment. These cows are untethered and without and fences to restrain their movement. We stopped to say hello and they immediately walked away, turning back and mooing at us. Clearly we had, invaded their space.This trail was the start of a rail trail that continued for a few kilometres and ended where the tracks had not been pulled up.
We have had a wonderful day exploring the rugged and wild coast of the Baltic in the Skane region of Sweden. The only downside is that we can’t find reasonably priced accommodation. We rode up a hill to a B&B on a farm and we rejected it as she charged 50€ for the room and 50€ for linens, towels and cleaning and 10€ for breakfast. So we resorted to our duelling accommodation websites and found the better deal on hotels.com at a lovely old hotel, part of the Historic Hotels of Europe classification. The good thing is that we have now stayed 10 nights through hotels.com and our next night is free.
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles) Total: 2,386 km (1,482 miles)
