Hi!
I do enjoy traveling abroad, to explore new cultures, meet new friends and taste new food. Available time and money results in trips in my own country more often than going abroad. Here is a glimpse of the fantastic nature the northern part of Sweden has to offer.
Sweden is an elongated small country with about 10 million inhabitants, located in the northern hemisphere. Swedish is main language although most people is able to handle a conversation in English. the northern part is less populated than the south parts. Due to the shape of the country, the landscape is varying. Flat landscape with widespread fields in south in contrast to big mountains and harsh climate in north. During winter the hours of daylight in the northernmost part is limited to about 30 minutes for a couple of days. Daylight is present 24 hours a day at the same spot in summer.
Sweden is about 450 295 square kilometers in size where almost 70% percent of them is forest. Therefore there is a rich wild life with a lots of animals living in almost endless forests and mountains in north. One of the most significant animals is reindeer living in the northern parts.
Sami, an original population living in the northern part is the ones owning reindeers. The Sami people is a minority with its own parliament within Sweden. Due to the availability of food for the reindeers, they are moved by season. It is not uncommon to see them along roads. In summer they could be found in the mountains.
The king of the forest, Moose is also an animal living in Sweden. It is not uncommon to see a moose when driving. Be careful during dusk and dawn, a lot of animals come out on roads.
One of the best things about Sweden is the right of public access to nature. That means anyone is allowed to enter someone else’s property with a couple of exceptions such as gardens. You are allowed to hike, cycling, cross country skiing, collect berries, mushrooms and even staying a night or two in a tent. Here you can find a publication in English explaining The right to public access.
One popular thing is to explore the mountains by bike. Here we where exploring “The pyramids” a nature phenomenon created by the inland ice.
When eating mushrooms found in nature, be 100% sure of what kind of mushroom it is. Some are deadly to eat.
Kolbulle is a traditional dish made of bacon, flour and water. Fry the bacon, mix water and flour. Add some cooking oil and pour over the water-flour mix.
HellingsĂĄfallet is a waterfall in the middle of the woods, a big crack in the ground. There are 7 rainbows present, depending where you are standing.
To hunt or fish, you need to own land or buy a permit. Some areas are owned by the state and permits is sold per day basis.
When hiking in the mountains you could find cloudberry, a delicate sweet berry that makes a great jam. Due to the hard work of finding them, the jam is expensive to buy in stores.
I do enjoy hunting, especially Grouse and Capercaillie. Birds living in the wood.
During winter, there is nothing like the scenery of skiing in the nature when hunting for big birds. Big birds do often sit in top of trees to eat and sunbath during really cold days.
Summertime is amazing, winter is magical. White snow, really low temperatures and great scenes.
There are plenty of prepared trails to ski or go by snow mobile. Some areas do have a limitation of where to go by snow mobile others don’t.
When hiking, it is essential to be prepared and to have gears for different weathers. In the mountains, the conditions could shift rapidly, turning a beautiful day into a storm in minutes.
All of these pictures is taken in Jämtlands Län, a county located a bit north of middle of Sweden. Living in Jämtland gives me the ability to do all of these things on weekends. I hope you enjoy it!
In case you are interested in coming to Jämtland, Sweden, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
