Norway, Sweden and Finland are very sparsely populated. I cycled up to Oslo from the ferry from Denmark, then east to Stockholm and Helsinki.
The landscape in these areas is fairly flat and dotted with hundreds of lakes surrounded by forests. It’s very beautiful, but for cycling, it’s not as good as it sounds. With such a low population, there are very few roads and for the most part the minor roads are simply a spur off the main highway and don’t join up at all. There’s not often any option than to cycle on the main roads and although not busy by European standards the speeds of the motor vehicles are quite fast.
The countries are well-off, everyone drives a car, though cycling is popular in the cities and for children getting to school. There is no concept of a convenience store and there are no roadside cafés or kiosks. Petrol stations mostly just sell fuel. The only place to buy groceries is in a large supermarket, and restaurants are few and far between.
