NORDKAPP THE LONG WAY HOME

I opted to head south through Finland, not Sweden, as I don’t like going back the same way as I went. A few hours later I crossed the Anarjohka River and entered Lapland. As expected, reindeer were everywhere, and they were really stupid.

They slept on the road just inside dark tunnels, wandered randomly into oncoming traffic and challenged me to a race down the road at about 50mph, eyes rolling and nostrils snorting inches away from my left hand.

The terrain changed dramatically in Finland. Whereas Norway was all jagged and wild, cruel vistas, Finland was endless mellow pine forests, lakes and undulating hillocks. In pre-trip reading, many riders had dismissed Finland as being boring and mosquito-infested, but I found it strangely hypnotic and enjoyable, and only moderately buggy.

I arrived at Lemmenjoki (Lover’s River) as the rain started again. It lasted for two days, so I stayed in my €20 attic room, ate minced reindeer and mashed potatoes, and tried to guess what the mysterious Russians in the next room