Hi guys, heres a short report from our trip to Sweden. The trip consisted of 4 days spent canoeing starting from the northern part of lake Alvsjon and ending at Lesjofors. After the canoeing we would spend a further 4 days at a cabin near Tibro. This report will mainly cover the canoeing part of our holiday.
The canoe trip was about 70Km and was a fairly easy paddle. We booked the trip with a company called nature travels. There were four of us going and none of us had had much paddling experience but three of us are keen bushcrafters.
We spent the first night at the canoe centre in Gunnerud which was really well equipped for camping. The canoe centre had left us all the kit we would need for our trip which was well received as it was raining when we got there and we were all desperate for a brew. In the kit they left us there was a complete camping kitchen which included two gas powered trangia sets. I had never used a gas trangia before and was really impressed by its performance. We all hit the sack early as we were feeling quite tired from the days traveling.
In the morning we found that the staff were already there ready to get us on our way so a quick pack up and we were ready to sort the canoes and maps ect. We decided to leave most of the kit they had supplied us at the canoe centre as we had brought everything we needed. We did however take their water proof barrels, 2x5L water containers and a trangia kit.
It was about a 45 minute drive to our start place at the north of lake Alvesjon. We got the canoes unloaded as well as our kit and arranged our pick up time at the end.
We got the canoes loaded and headed out onto the lake, the weather was a bit murky so we kept our waterproofs to hand which was a good job as it started to rain within the first hour We stopped a few times on the lake to check out some of the little islands.
The rain wasnt too bad so we pushed on as we wanted to get to the first portage where we noticed on the map there was a cabin we could stay in. The rain however got torrential so we took refuge under a bridge.
After a 20mins or so the rain eased and we made our way through the portage.
After the portage which was just under one kilometre we found the cabin just as the clouds were clearing.
The cabin was spot on and fitted the four of us snugly. Two of the guys went off in the canoe in search of fire wood while myself and Yvette got our kit sorted. We had a good fire and a nice dinner which was well deserved!
The following day we woke to blue skies so after breakfast we broke camp and set off down the lake. We found another cabin and decided to stop for lunch and a brew. We thought about staying the night here but decided to crack on as it would have been a lot of paddling the following day.
We paddled onto another lake after lunch and were told that the river we had to take was very hard to see so be aware. The reality was the river was impossible to see from the direction we were travelling so we inevitably missed it and paddled miles passed it. After finding it we started looking for somewhere to pitch our tarps for the night but it was all boggy and other places were too dense. At the end of the river was a nice clearing which we thought was ideal. Upon closer inspection we found the ground was alive with ants and they were huge compared to the English ones. We decided to paddle on and with the light fading and options running out we pitched up on a little island in the middle of the lake.
The next day we had a nice paddle to the finish. Due to paddling so much the day before we got to the finish a day early so decided to find a place to pitch up and head into the village where we saw there was a hotel/restaurant. As we approached the restaurant we noticed the place looked very run down. There was quite a few people and kids outside and didnt look very open for trade. We caught a chaps eye and he said hello so we asked if we were able to get some food here. He laughed and explained in very broken English that the place had been closed for over a year and that the people living there were Syrian and Iraq refugees. He then ushered us inside and made us sit at one of the many tables. We didnt know what to expect or what was going to happen . At a guess there were about 30 people living in this place. A lady then beckoned my girlfriend (Yvette) into the kitchen. Yvette came out shortly after saying they were cooking us a meal and the lady wanted to know if what they were cooking was ok for us! We couldnt believe it and said that it really wasnt necessary, they wouldnt have any of it and proceeded to cook for us. We had a really nice meal made by these people and when it came to leaving they wouldnt take anything as it was their custom and the nice thing was they all came out to see us off. We couldnt believe what had just happened. What lovely people!!
The following day was spent getting back to the canoe centre and making our way to the cabin which was about a three hour drive. Whilst we were at the cabin we done the usual tourist things like shopping, hiking and generally chilling out. The outdoor shops out there are amazing, and I ended up spending a four figure sum on new clothing and equipment! We did however make a trip to see Julius Pettersson who was on one of Ray Mears programs many years ago and supplies Ray his hand forged knives. Julius is a lovely bloke and took time to chat to us and show us around his forge and I ended up buying myself a stick tang blade to handle.
Well that just about wraps up our trip and we cant wait to go back and see more of Sweden, it really is a beautiful country and the people there are so friendly and welcoming. I would highly recommend visiting if you havent been.
Sorry if my write up isnt very good, I havent had to do a write up since a left school!!
Cheers
Ben
The canoe trip was about 70Km and was a fairly easy paddle. We booked the trip with a company called nature travels. There were four of us going and none of us had had much paddling experience but three of us are keen bushcrafters.
We spent the first night at the canoe centre in Gunnerud which was really well equipped for camping. The canoe centre had left us all the kit we would need for our trip which was well received as it was raining when we got there and we were all desperate for a brew. In the kit they left us there was a complete camping kitchen which included two gas powered trangia sets. I had never used a gas trangia before and was really impressed by its performance. We all hit the sack early as we were feeling quite tired from the days traveling.
In the morning we found that the staff were already there ready to get us on our way so a quick pack up and we were ready to sort the canoes and maps ect. We decided to leave most of the kit they had supplied us at the canoe centre as we had brought everything we needed. We did however take their water proof barrels, 2x5L water containers and a trangia kit.
It was about a 45 minute drive to our start place at the north of lake Alvesjon. We got the canoes unloaded as well as our kit and arranged our pick up time at the end.
We got the canoes loaded and headed out onto the lake, the weather was a bit murky so we kept our waterproofs to hand which was a good job as it started to rain within the first hour We stopped a few times on the lake to check out some of the little islands.
The rain wasnt too bad so we pushed on as we wanted to get to the first portage where we noticed on the map there was a cabin we could stay in. The rain however got torrential so we took refuge under a bridge.
After a 20mins or so the rain eased and we made our way through the portage.
After the portage which was just under one kilometre we found the cabin just as the clouds were clearing.
The cabin was spot on and fitted the four of us snugly. Two of the guys went off in the canoe in search of fire wood while myself and Yvette got our kit sorted. We had a good fire and a nice dinner which was well deserved!
The following day we woke to blue skies so after breakfast we broke camp and set off down the lake. We found another cabin and decided to stop for lunch and a brew. We thought about staying the night here but decided to crack on as it would have been a lot of paddling the following day.
We paddled onto another lake after lunch and were told that the river we had to take was very hard to see so be aware. The reality was the river was impossible to see from the direction we were travelling so we inevitably missed it and paddled miles passed it. After finding it we started looking for somewhere to pitch our tarps for the night but it was all boggy and other places were too dense. At the end of the river was a nice clearing which we thought was ideal. Upon closer inspection we found the ground was alive with ants and they were huge compared to the English ones. We decided to paddle on and with the light fading and options running out we pitched up on a little island in the middle of the lake.
The next day we had a nice paddle to the finish. Due to paddling so much the day before we got to the finish a day early so decided to find a place to pitch up and head into the village where we saw there was a hotel/restaurant. As we approached the restaurant we noticed the place looked very run down. There was quite a few people and kids outside and didnt look very open for trade. We caught a chaps eye and he said hello so we asked if we were able to get some food here. He laughed and explained in very broken English that the place had been closed for over a year and that the people living there were Syrian and Iraq refugees. He then ushered us inside and made us sit at one of the many tables. We didnt know what to expect or what was going to happen . At a guess there were about 30 people living in this place. A lady then beckoned my girlfriend (Yvette) into the kitchen. Yvette came out shortly after saying they were cooking us a meal and the lady wanted to know if what they were cooking was ok for us! We couldnt believe it and said that it really wasnt necessary, they wouldnt have any of it and proceeded to cook for us. We had a really nice meal made by these people and when it came to leaving they wouldnt take anything as it was their custom and the nice thing was they all came out to see us off. We couldnt believe what had just happened. What lovely people!!
The following day was spent getting back to the canoe centre and making our way to the cabin which was about a three hour drive. Whilst we were at the cabin we done the usual tourist things like shopping, hiking and generally chilling out. The outdoor shops out there are amazing, and I ended up spending a four figure sum on new clothing and equipment! We did however make a trip to see Julius Pettersson who was on one of Ray Mears programs many years ago and supplies Ray his hand forged knives. Julius is a lovely bloke and took time to chat to us and show us around his forge and I ended up buying myself a stick tang blade to handle.
Well that just about wraps up our trip and we cant wait to go back and see more of Sweden, it really is a beautiful country and the people there are so friendly and welcoming. I would highly recommend visiting if you havent been.
Sorry if my write up isnt very good, I havent had to do a write up since a left school!!
Cheers
Ben
and you did a 
on the write up... well done 
