Sweden: PCT Preparations
We had one month in Sweden during May/ June 2023 with the plan to train for the Pacific Crest Trail and travel in a campervan owned by family that Gav has who live in Uppsala. Their very kind offer gave us the freedom to roam wherever we wanted and make use of Sweden’s ‘Allemansrätten’ aka ‘The Right of Public Access’ which gives everyone the freedom to roam and explore as long as you don't disturb and don't destroy. Along with this comes the ability to park the campervan overnight in many places all over the country.
Our first destination was the High Coast Trail (Höga kustenleden as the Swedes call it). Whilst driving north from Uppsala towards the HCT the first thing that hit us was the vast number of trees. Only 13% of England is covered in trees compared to 70% of Sweden so it’s a very different landscape to what we’re used to. The second observation was the incredible weather. Coming in May this wasn’t something we were expecting but we happened to arrive at the start of a well-timed heatwave in Sweden.
The plan for the first 10 days was to complete sections of the HCT and come back to the cosy campervan (nicknamed ‘Sven’) each night for a bit of luxury… why not! Our first overnight stop was in a small former fishing village called Berghamn; there’s a field by the pier for up to 10 campervans to park. We were the only ones there both nights, one of the many bonuses of coming to Sweden in the shoulder-season. A small meander around the bay led us to a sauna with a pile of chopped firewood outside and views out from the sauna overlooking the sea. For a voluntary small fee you are welcome to use the sauna. Again, this seemed surprising to us but we came across several such ‘wild saunas’ during our time in Sweden.
The next morning was our first time on the HCT and it really was idyllic. During a 20km hike we only came across one other person and there were several lovely wooden shelters and camping areas that we passed. At the top of the peak we found a lovely cabin where you could camp overnight, it was equipped with everything you could possibly need, from sleeping mats to a first aid kit. The views along the whole trail were spectacular - sea, forest and lakes.
There’s a section of HCT that passes through the town of Ullånger so on day 3 we went there to top up on food supplies as well as complete the HCT section out from Ullånger up to Mäjasjön lake then loop back along a different trail. During our time on the trail we’d been studying the animal tracks in the mud whilst on the Världsarvsleden track about 2km outside of Ullånger we came across some tracks that we’d never seen before. They came up from the stream and across the track into the forest. We suspected that they were brown bear tracks and this suspicion was confirmed by referencing the book we have. Turns out it was an adult bear and a cub. Needless to say, for the remainder of the hike down into town we were making as much noise as possible in an attempt to forewarn the bears of our presence if they were still around. Luckily/unluckily (!), we didn’t catch a glimpse of them at all. Phew!
One of our favourite sections of the trail was Skuleskogen National Park. You can park the van for free at the South, West and North car parks so we spent 2 nights at the South car park and did hikes from there including the HCT section that runs right through the National Park. The forest here is protected so there are no areas that have been logged. We came across a gentleman who worked for the National Park and was using a chainsaw to chop up and move all the trees that had fallen across the path over winter, it looked like hot work but he seemed happy enough - happy to be out in the forest on a sunny day and getting paid for it. The shoreline path here was also stunning and continues out onto a peninsula which makes a perfect stop for lunch.
After a brief detour back to Uppsala to spend the weekend with family (including what felt like a rather random Jack Dee gig in Stockholm) we headed back out in the van, this time to Jämtland. In this area of Sweden you are often at an altitude of about 600m and often surrounded by mountains of 1000m plus. The temperature change from the HCT was certainly noticeable and there was significantly more snow remaining as a result. Most of the villages we went through felt like ghost towns, deserted now that the winter season was over. We passed the time with arctic hares and red squirrels.
Our time in Jämtland had many ups but also a few not so great moments! On several occasions the snow or the rivers full of snow melt scuppered our hike plans and a walking pole was lost to a fast flowing stream in an attempt to cross it… however, we also had many incredible times in Jämtland hiking up in the mountains amongst the reindeer. A highlight was Sonfjällets national park which is known for a high density of brown bears. This fact almost put us off, it felt counter intuitive to actively seek out areas that we might encounter a bear. However, the hike there was an amazing mountain walk providing incredible 360 degree views of the never-ending forest below. And no, we didn’t spot any bears - although we wouldn’t be surprised if we had been spotted at some point…
The hikes in Jämtland were really useful for our Pacific Crest Trail training as they offered more elevation and practice of hiking in snow with or without crampons as well as stream/river crossings. The overall aim for our time in Sweden was to prepare for the PCT so this was much needed and will hopefully be perfect experience to have gained.
After a week in Jämtland we slowly worked our way south over the next week back towards Uppsala, including passing near Mora and Falun. Every 5-7 days we would go to a ‘proper campsite’ to refill the van’s water tank, empty the dirty water and have a nice shower. One of these campsites was near a place called Orsa - Våmåbadets Camping. We ended up staying here for 3 nights in total because it had a lovely lake view and super clean facilities, with the improving weather it was the perfect place to chill in the evening and we even had a full rest day :D
We did a fantastic 30km loop out from near the campsite into the forest and stoped for lunch at a cabin in a little village. As we were about to set off a Swedish couple came by (much to our surprise because as the area was so quiet) and we got chatting. They recommended that we took a 2km detour up to a disused watchtower which was used to spot wildfires because this is the best viewpoint of the surrounding area. Thus our 30km hike became 32kms. It was well worth the extra 2km because the views were great and it was possible to walk up the stairs to the top of the tower for even better views.
By now we had figured out that the national parks in Sweden often offer the most scenic hikes and their carparks are also usually great places to stay overnight. With this in mind we drove to Hamra national park which is known for a lot of bogland, although this didn’t worry us too much due to the little walkways that the Swedes helpfully build over any particularly boggy ground. This national park didn’t disappoint, we did a lovely forest walk with lake/bog views and even had a great view from the parked van out into a little opening in the forest. We also stopped at the Färnebofjärden national park for a night, which has stunning, sprawling waterways. This was one of the most beautiful areas that we visited, however, we were completely besieged by mosquitoes, meaning that we could only spend short periods outside, or by a fire in the evening.
It really feels like Sweden embraces their Allemansrätten. There are plenty of areas to park up for free or for a minimal (about £5) charge and they are always equipped with a dry toilet and several seating areas with grills for a campfire/bbq which are even stocked with wood for you to use. Little touches like this really made us feel welcome and makes Sweden feel like such a special and unique place that facilitates people exploring nature.