I was never a great one for planning, but I have outdone myself on this trip. I booked nothing except the first two ferries and have been winging it since. Sometimes works, but other times it adds to the pressure.

Like this morning, when I woke up in Ottersoy; a lovely spot but well off the beaten track. I had no idea where it was in relation to Moskenes, which is where I had to get to to take the ferry to the mainland.

The satnav quickly provided the answer -- a bloody long way! At least 5 hours on the road, and only 6 hours until the last ferry of the day left. I was also a bit concerned that I couln't book a spot on the ferry -- the website just said "Pay on board".

A quick breakfast and breaking camp and I was on the road.

And what a road. Stunning scenery at every turn, from coastal vistas to mountain passes. I never was one to stop and take lots of photos, which was just as well today as I just had to press on. And on top of that, it seems that whoever plans the pull-offs on Norwegian roads either has a sense of humour, or absolutely no idea what constitutes a grand vista. Time and again, amazing views opened up as you come over a crest in the road but there is nowhere to stop. The pull-offs all seemed to be situated at the lowest points of the road, where the view was at best 'meh'-worthy.

Which is a shame, bacause the islands are truly stunning, with jagged peaks that somehow look like the forces of erosion have passed them by and incredible aquamarine water overlying white sand.

I also caught sight of one of the island's sea eagles, riding a thermal (or maybe just an updraft!) close to the road. Magical.

Suffice to say, I made it with time to spare (well, at least enough to get a revolting cup of coffee from a vendor by the queue for the ferry). Much to my relief, when I rolled up, I was direected to the front of the queue of cars and campervans, where a handful of motorcycles were already waiting. I guess the ferry company likes motorcycles, because we pay almost as much as a car but they managed to pack 6 or 8 bikes into the space of one car. And in fact, that space was "dead space" that could not have been used for a car, tucked away as it was behind a bulkhead.

The weather had been glorious, but that was set to change during the crossing. Weleft Maskenes in bright sunshine, but by the time we reached Bodø it was tipping it down.

Google to the rescue, I found the nearest campsite - Bodosjoen Camping. I rode in, more in hope than expectation, ready to pay a hefty price for a hytte for the night, only to be told that one was available and the owner of the site (who was behind the reception desk when I arrived) gave it to me for a reduced price (NOK 350 rather than the usual price of NOK 450) because it was late and he hadn't expected to rent it out that night. I nearly bit his hand off -- one of the other sites I had seen on Google was asking NOK 950!

What a relief to be warm and dry -- brings a whole new perspective on life.