Table of contents
to travel
Sweden
Sweden
Gosh
You quickly feel at home in the south of Sweden: winding gravel roads, red wooden houses, endless forest and 5000 lakes – a journey through the kingdom of moose and Pippi Longstocking.
Joachim Deleker
06/07/1999
It had to happen that way. Guido and I have been driving along narrow gravel roads through the southern Swedish spruce forest for hours. Now we are at a crossroads and have no idea what to do next. An ancient signpost with three rusty, yellow metal signs reveals: Kylleskruv, left, three kilometers. Heda, right, one kilometer. And Klockarnflyvegen, that’s where we come from. Our map doesn’t know any of these places. Only two lanes lead straight ahead. The sign doesn’t say where to, so straight ahead. I kick the XT back on and we follow the winding path through the dense forest. Elkland, but the giant deer of the north are hiding. Yet. Soft moss, garnished with small ferns, grows on thick, gray boulders. A magnificent toadstool thrives in the middle of the slopes. Another long right turn, then we reach a large clearing. Three cozy, dark red wooden houses nestle against the edge of the forest, surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns. A blue and yellow Swedish flag tries to maintain its position, but due to the lack of wind, it only staggers tiredly around the flagpole. The noise of a lawn mower saws through the silence, and the forest swallows us again. Our mini-piste ends on a wide asphalt road. There are no signs and we have now lost our bearings for good. So, turned left. Barely 20 minutes later we roll into Kosta. In the village, which is located in the south-eastern corner of the province of Småland and was once the center of the Kingdom of Crystal, 15 famous glass-blowing factories are still in operation today. With over 250 years, Kosta is the oldest town where this fascinating craft is practiced. We watch as the glistening, bright melt bobs up and down in the gas furnace. The glassblower takes a portion out of the oven with a long, hollow steel pipe. With precise movements he presses the glowing lump against wet newspaper. It hisses and steams. Every now and then the man sends targeted blasts of air through the pipe, expanding the previously contourless melt into a handsome vase. After the cozy warmth in the glass factory, we are frightened by the nasty drizzle outside. We leave the labyrinth of forest paths on the left and instead jet to our campsite on Helgasjon. The farmer Mats Nilsson has declared his lakeside a wilderness campsite. Wilderness, that means water from the lake, outhouse in a container and nothing else. But neither caravans nor long-term campers disturb here as on most other sites. In Sweden, the »Allemannsratten«, the everyone’s right, still applies. This ancient law allows anyone to camp out in the wild for a night. A right that Swedes are to be envied for. But unfortunately also one that has been overused for ten years – especially by Germans who are looking for cheap vacations. So it’s no wonder that “Camping forbidden” signs are now posted in the most beautiful places. The next morning, summer is back. A couple of white clouds are sailing in the light blue sky. There is a wooden jetty in the shallow water, perfect for a long breakfast in the warm sun. But after the third cup of coffee we are drawn to the small streets again. We load the motorcycles and head north-east. Amazing how easy it is to avoid the main roads. The rarely used piste meanders through the typical Småland landscape. A potpourri of forest, small lakes and red wooden houses. Now and then a mini-village like Fiffekul, Klo or Gåmlehult. The XT bubbles comfortably over the fine gravel in third gear. Where is the moose? He’s sure to hear the stew from miles around and will leave in time. All that remains is the hope of a hearing-impaired animal. In the village of alghult we see our chance. Aha, as the name suggests, so the moose are honored here. Guido asks at the gas station for the best place to pay homage. “Everywhere and nowhere,” replies the gas station attendant, not very encouraging. So we change our course to everywhere, but despite several hours of searching, we are not rewarded with the coveted giant deer. Tracking down moose makes you hungry. It’s good that Eksjo is not far where we can find a Balkan restaurant. With American music, the Chinese waiter serves us Italian pizza with French red wine. Multiculturalism in the most beautiful city in Småland. The center of Eksjo consists almost entirely of wooden houses, some in blue, others in red, yellow or white. Many houses are over 300 years old, so they can be crooked and crooked. Roughly paved alleys run through the picturesque old town of Gamla Stan. A small, yellow sign with a red border shows us the way from Eksjo to Rumskulla. The landscape is wrinkled. The narrow and bumpy strip of tar follows every dent and circles almost all boulders, of which there are many here. Pure driving pleasure. Now and then a clearing, a few houses and roaring lawnmowers. And then the unexpected happens. The XT thunders through a long left bend in a neatly sloping position when suddenly – just a few meters in front of me – a puzzled-looking moose trots across the road. Emergency stop. The colossus makes its way out of the dust with astonishing speed, I can only take a quick look at it. But at least nobody fell over – passed the moose test. When Guido finally stops next to me, he doesn’t believe a word. Nevertheless, he insists on driving ahead with his BMW from now on. As if moose let themselves be bewitched by rubber cows. We roll further north to the huge Lake Vattern. We finally find our dream spot for the tent on the bank. Right on the sandy beach under a few old, gnarled pine trees. There is no one to be seen far and wide. It is absolutely still, not a breath of wind ripples the wide expanse of water. Only late does the sun say goodbye behind the wooded ridges on the other bank. Finely structured cirrus clouds first glow yellow, then orange, red, purple and finally white. Such a mood – you could also be in Canada – the sun is active again early the next morning. And we with her, because we have a rendezvous with an old lady on the Gota Canal. Gotakanal and Trollhatte Canal have been connecting Stockholm with Gothenburg on Skagerak, 600 kilometers away, for over 170 years. The ships have to struggle through 65 locks, which at the time were masterpieces of canal construction. Also worth seeing are the three ship veterans who are still active today and were tailor-made for the canal. We meet the oldest of the three ladies, the 125-year-old Juno, in the lock in Borensborg – the hand-operated lock gate is just opening and the snow-white steamer slowly picks up speed. Past the old, stylish Gota Hotel, the Juno glides through the dark water, in which the avenue trees of the canal bank are reflected. Barely 100 kilometers south, we embark on a journey back in time to the last century. The Andree Museum in Granna is, however, much more exciting than any of the other channels in the world. The great fever of discovery was rampant 100 years ago. One of these would-be explorers was the Swede Andree. He really wanted to be the first to the North Pole. A heroic dream that Andree did not want to realize in the strenuous way with sled dogs or on foot. No, it should be cozy, so Andree chose a balloon. The engineers shook their heads, but no one advised against the project. After all, the nation’s honor was at stake. A Swede at the North Pole – who cares about technical inadequacies? On July 11, 1897, the balloon “Adler” took off from Svalbard. The stormy south-westerly wind was almost undoing for Andree and his fellow travelers Fraenkel and Strindberg at the start. The balloon threatened to fall into the polar sea. The three of them hurriedly threw ballast overboard and saved the expedition. At first anyway. The eagle then sailed northeast for twelve hours before the wind fell asleep. For two more days the vehicle drifted back and forth across the pack ice. Finally happened what no one expected. The moist air froze on the balloon envelope into a thick layer of ice. The eagle became acutely overweight, had lame wings and fell uncomfortably on an ice floe. For the next three months the men fought their way back through the drift-ice desert and finally reached the uninhabited island of Vito. But it was of no use to them. None survived the polar winter. It was only 33 years later that the remains of the daring expedition were found. Numerous original objects and photos that are on display in the Andree Museum are reminiscent of the adventurous journey, and we can’t get the balloon ride out of our heads as we roll south along the E4. Our thirst for discovery is awakened. The Taberg, one of the highest mountains in Småland, comes in handy. A small road winds up to the rugged and rocky summit. It is not quite as spectacular as the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, but it is also not so outrageously expensive. Two curves and one hairpin bend. Wow! The Taberg swings a full 343 meters into the sky. Not a record, but the view over the gently rolling hills to Lake Vattern is still beautiful. It gets lonely again. We follow small, mostly gravel roads that meander through the woods in endless combinations of curves. We have long since internalized the tranquility that this landscape exudes and adjusted our driving style accordingly. But then suddenly this giant sign surprises us. “Scandinavian Raceway Anderstorp” is written on it, clearly visible. The Yamaha turns higher and almost automatically turns onto the racetrack. Age does not protect against leaning, even with 180,000 kilometers on the clock, the stew feels fresh enough for a few quick laps. If we want, the young woman at the information desk winks at us, and we can drive around the course. And whether we want to. The XT seems to feel more comfortable with every lap. I try to ignore the mountain of luggage in my back. You can quickly find out where you are going, the braking points slowly move to the corner entrance and the slopes become bolder. Until I was overtaken by a roaring Ducati twice in one lap. Okay, okay, then we’ll just drive on again, looking for small gravel roads. The Enduro fits better there anyway. And finally there is still enough of these fun trails to discover – in the south of Sweden.
Info
The Swedish forest and low mountain range extends south of Lake Vattern and Lake Vanern and offers enduro and tour riders a lot of lonely asphalt and gravel paths.
ARRIVAL: All roads lead across the Baltic Sea. The best connection is made possible by the TT-Line from Travemunde to Trelleberg, drivers and motorcycles from 70 marks. Alternatives: Rostock-Trelleberg with TT-Line from 70 Marks. Vogelfluglinie Puttgarden-Rødby and Helsingør-Helsingborg with DFO from 60 marks. Rostock / Sabnitz-Trelleberg with DFO from 50 marks. Kiel-Gothenburg with Stena Line from 178 Marks. Frederikshavn (Denmark) – Gothenburg with Stena Line from 70 Marks. TRAVEL TIME: The climate in southern Sweden hardly differs from that in Schleswig-Holstein. The high season is July, so May, June and August are particularly recommended. The numerous lakes have pleasant temperatures in midsummer. By the way: In summer in Sweden the days are long and the nights short. OVERNIGHT: Camping in the most beautiful places is usually forbidden. Nevertheless, every traveler is allowed to camp one night in the great outdoors, except on private property or in protected areas. Campfires are strictly forbidden in summer due to the risk of forest fires. Especially in the south there are many campsites, from very simple ones with an outhouse and water from the lake to luxurious ones with washing machines and color TVs. Many private individuals and campsite operators rent out small, cozy wooden huts (Stuga), from around 60 marks per night. Guest houses and hotels are almost exclusively in localities and are significantly more expensive than in Germany. WORTH SEEING: There are 15 glass-blowing factories northeast of Vaxjo, almost all of which can be visited. Astrid Lindgren’s friends will find what they are looking for in Vimmerby. A few kilometers to the west is the great old town of Eksjo. The most beautiful part of the Gota Canal begins in Motala on Lake Vattern and winds through fields to Lake Roxen. The Gota Canal is considered a “historical masterpiece of engineering”. The three active vintage steamers Juno (1874), Wilhelm Tamm (1912) and Diana (1931) and the seven-step lock system near Berg are an attraction. Other highlights: the aforementioned Andree Museum in Granna and of course the Husqvarna Museum in the same name City on the south bank of Lake Vattern. INFORMATION: A detailed information catalog is available free of charge from Schweden-Werbung, Lilienstr. 19, 20095 Hamburg, phone 040/32551355, fax 32551333. ADAC and every good travel agency also provide information about ferry connections. ORGANIZED TOURS Enduro Fun in 25710 Burg offers guided tours, phone 04825/7337, (7th to 15th August 1999, price : 1382 marks) and the ferry company Stena Line, phone 0180/5333600 (four to nine day trips with and without tour guide, ferry passage included, prices from xxxxx marks). LITERATURE For the preparation at home, GEO Special »Sweden« are suitable for 14.80 Mark, the HB picture atlas “Sweden” for 16.80 Marks and “Scandinavia” by Josef Seitz, MOTORRAD Edition Unterwegs, for 29.80 Marks, available in the MOTORRAD shop or in bookshops. On the way, the 500-page Sweden travel book from Velbinger-Verlag has proven itself for 44 marks. Tip: If you want to find out more about Andree’s exciting expedition to the North Pole, you should get “Ingenieurs Andrees Luftfahrt” by Per Olof Sundmann, DTV paperback, 19.80 Marks. The Swedish Esselte sheets 1 and 2 on a scale of 1 are good maps: 30,000, which are sold in this country as a license edition by RV for 16.90 marks. Time required two weeks, distance traveled 2000 kilometers
Related articles
-
Motorcycle tour – border between Sweden and Norway
Deleker 22nd pictures Jo Deleker 1/22 On all fells – on the move in Sweden. Jo Deleker 2/22 Swedish moments: curious moose. Jo Deleker 3/22 Swedish…
-
Deleker to travel Central Sweden Central Sweden Where does the north begin? For some southern Germans, the Main already sets the limit, others only get…
-
to travel Southern sweden Southern sweden Bullerby is everywhere Anyone looking for a nice rhyme for life should get to know Sweden. There is almost…
-
With the motorcycle in Sweden – Lapland
Lundgren to travel With the motorcycle in Sweden – Lapland The gravel paradise for enduros With the motorcycle in Sweden – Lapland Sweden is a sparsely…
-
Ed motorcycle museum in Sweden
Thomas Schmieder to travel Ed motorcycle museum in Sweden Ed motorcycle museum in Sweden Provincial surprise Content of Branding is taught at the Ed…
-
BMW R18 conversion by UCC from Sweden
BMW Motorrad Nordic 7th pictures BMW Motorrad Nordic 1/7 Unique Custom Cycles is converting an R18 on behalf of BMW Motorrad. BMW Motorrad Nordic 2/7 The…
-
to travel South America South America Patagonia Express Patagonia. Vastness. Huge glaciers. Bizarre mountains. And dusty slopes on which hardly anyone is…
-
to travel Cyprus Cyprus Two worlds – a thousand ways Cyprus is not just an island. Cyprus has a border, two countries, two mountains and around 2000…
-
to travel Slovenia Slovenia In all silence The charm of Slovenia is only revealed on side roads, the smallest streets and gravel roads. And the best…
-
Army car to travel Motorcycle tour Panamericana Motorcycle tour Panamericana part 2 Beaches, jungles, gravel roads The Panamericana adventure continues….