Day 20 Monday 8th August

G was out walking for 2 hours before breakfast. I don't was beginning to think that he had set off along the cross-Sweden long distance footpath which runs alongside the Rastplads and decided not to stop. The Rastplads wss very pleasant for overnighting. We had been slightly concerned at the presence of several families camping in cars (two of which had no number plates and were clearly going nowhere) but they were quiet and no trouble. The others moved on this morning.

Today's major experience, an exploration of out of town shopping centres! The quest - a camping stove of some sort. At the first centre, just off the motorway,we managed to resist the temptation to visit IKEA and tried Bauhaus, where we were redirected to a camping shop across the way. Nothing doing there, but the girl told us she thought there was a place that might have one 30 miles in the wrong direction. So we gave up and headed towards town, Uddevalla, for a Lidl. In the car park we were approached by an elderly Swedish man who admired the Camper. 'It is perfect' he kept saying, which is exactly what we think,too! We chatted for quite a while. He told some stories of his youth, and how as a young boy he remembered seeing the German soldiers. He told us that we would be able to get a camping stove in a big camping shop called Biltema - back in the shopping centre we had just come from! So back we went, and it was indeed there, virtually next door to the one where the girl had been so 'helpful' So we now have one small burner and two camping gas cylinders in reserve. Mission accomplished. G is now able to relax!
Onwards.
We needn't have hesitated about driving on the E6, the motorway which runs up the west coast and into Norway. It is a stunning road. Not much traffic and wonderful views, although G didn't' get the full benefit because he needed all his attention to keep the camper steady in the wind. We stopped at two Rastplads, one for lunch and the other for a snooze and leg stretch, and both were excellent. The second was actually in a World Heritage Site, with an information display about the history of the area. The smart Rastplads were explained. They were all part of improvements to the motorway and done sensitively to make up for the impact on the area . G went off for a few minutes, and was surprised to find me in conversation with a good looking Norwegian chap in leathers who was on his way back home from a holiday in Croatia on his motorbike. Just goes to show that I can occasionally chat to strangers, too.!

Tonight we are in a designated Camper place adjacent to a small Park and Ride at Stromstad, quite near the Norwegian border. A free bus runs into the town, and we plan to make use of it tomorrow. The stopover takes 25 Campervans and is about half full. The individual parking places are clearly marked out and very spacious. They know how to look after Husbils (literally house cars) over here. We would love to see something similar at home.