Day - 16 - Teshiosa to Wakkanai - 82kms
At around 4am I woke to the sound of rain hitting the tent. The original plan was to get to Wakkanai by lunchtime and then catch the 4pm ferry to the island. When I checked the weather for the day, it looked like the rain would ease by lunchtime. So instead I delayed my ride and decided I'd catch the ferry tomorrow morning to the island.
When I left, at 8am, it wasn't raining but was very grey. As I headed north I still had to deal with a nasty crosswind. I especially felt this in the area where they have installed large wind turbines. It also started raining, but thankfully it was not too heavy. On a good day you can get great views of Rishiri Island. Sadly today was not one of those days. About 10km before Wakkanai there is a junction. You can either go up the hill or go around Noshappu Head. I picked going around the head as it would take me througha few more little villages. It was a nice pleasant ride into Wakkanai. Wakkanai is the most northerly town in Japan. We are about 60 kilometres from Russia. I decided to do my laundry and have some lunch before heading to the campground, which is up a hill in town. I'm camping at Wakkanai Forest campground. The climb up, was at times, steep. But it was worth it. It is s free campsite in the woods. Very spacious and tranquil. Once I was all setup I had a walk up to the summit. This gave me fantastic views of the town and also the weather had cleared enough so I could see Rishiri Island. It looked amazing, a perfectly shaped volcanic island. Whilst at the summit Raphaël met me. He had left camp a couple of hours later but is at the same campground as me. We both will be catching the ferry across to the island tomorrow morning. |
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Day 17 - Rishiri Island - 63kms
The ferry left at 7:15am. So as usual I was up super early and down near the port. At the port they have built this long breakwater archway. Which was pretty photogenic. After I took my pictures I headed over to the ferry and got my ticket. Boarding was easy and they looked after the bike.
We arrived at Rishiri Island at 9am. I took my stuff to the campsite and left most of it there. As the plan is to ride around the island, which is about 50km, today and come back to the site this afternoon. The weather is really pleasant so it should be a good ride. We followed a cycle path which takes you about ⅓ the way around the island. We had great views of Mount Rishiri and also Rebun Island. It was very pleasant using the cycle path, as we had plenty of opportunities to stop for pictures. When we got the the western side of the island, the cycle path stopped. So we rejoined the main road. There was barely any traffic. The weather also changed on this side. We could no longer see Mount Rishiri, due to the amount of cloud. We cycled through a number of coastal villages. They were so quiet. We stopped for lunch at Otatomari Marsh. Which is a big lake below the mountain. On a clear day you can get great views of the mountain. Sadly today was not a clear day. The lake was still pleasant. After lunch, we continued around the island. We had a nice tailwind pushing us along. We rejoined the cycle path and detoured slightly to Himenuma. This is another lake with the mountain behind. This time the sky was a little clearer and we had a good view of it. I was very happy to be able to get some nice pictures. We continued until I got back to my campsite. I could see my tent from the cycle path. I didn't know I was so close. Just when we got there it started to rain. So perfect time for our ride. Across from the campground there is a really nice onsen. I went over there for my regular end of day soak. Today has been a nice ride around the island. We were very fortunate with the weather, as it would had been a shame not to have actually seen Mount Rishiri. |
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Day 18 - Rishiri Island to Kutcharokohan campground - 94kms
The original plan was to go over to Rebun Island. But the weather is not very pleasant today so I have decided to head back on the ferry to Wakkanai. The ferry didn't leave until 8:30am. So I had a bit of time to relax in the tent.
The boat back to Wakkanai was packed. I got myself a spot to relax for the trip. No idea where all the people came from, as barely saw anyone on the island yesterday! I arrived back at Wakkanai just after 10am. It was still very grey, but not raining. I followed the coast to the most northerly point in Japan, which is about 30km away. Didn't take long to get there, as I had a nice tailwind pushing me along. I arrived at Cape Soya around 11:30am. There was a small group of people getting pictures at the cape. I waited my turn and got my pictures. I followed the road to the other side of the cape. I was still having a nice breeze pushing me along. The coast on this side was nice with rugged hills and volcanic sand beaches. I stopped at the big windmill where I was going to camp. It was only 2pm and I thought I would keep riding until Kutcharokohan campground. I still had a nice breeze. For the last 20km or so it did rain. Well more like an annoying drizzle. I got to Kutcharokohan campground by 4pm. It is located next to a lake. The grass on the site is covered with little flowers. It was very pretty. I was happy I kept riding today. As is the norm I went to the onsen in the hotel next to the campsite. I had dinner at the hotel. Always fun trying to read the menu. I use Google translate to assist me. Whilst it isn't perfect it gives me an idea what I'm going to get. Tonight I've ordered lamb and rice. Yummy. |
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