Not a good start to the day, I dropped the bike picking up an ear plug! I should have got off but I was being lazy. It was in the forest and I was alone, the road some 5km or so down the forest track. The tank was full too – worst case scenario. Lucky I’d seen videos before I left on how to pick up a large bike on your own. With the right technique it’s not too bad! (Either that or I’m superman, you decide).

The temp gauge says 4°C first thing, and I was just starting to feel it in the hammock last night. If it gets much colder I think I’ll be in the tent!

Breakfast done I’m away at a reasonable time, back on the road to Murmansk. It’s mostly trees and swamp, but even so it’s very pretty. There’s the odd section of deeper water which is almost fjord like, being such a clear day it’s beautiful. The autumn colours are really coming out here, but of course the camera doesn’t do them justice.