Olle ( Big Swede ) suggested the Vättlefjäll Nature Reserve as a place to meet up, as a good place for either a paddle or a walk. This area, on the outskirts of Gothenburg, was a bit of an eye opener for me. Its a series of interconnected lakes, surrounded by beautiful birch and pine forest, with well maintained tracks for those who want to use them. For those who dont, you wouldnt have to wander too far off the path to be in what we in the UK would regard as pristine woodland. It saddened me to think what kind of state a place like this would be in if it was on the outskirts of one of the UKs major cities.
Olle had phoned ahead asking about canoe hire, and there was some uncertainty as to whether they had any available, so we went equipped for a walk too. As it turned out, the hire centre had some spares, so we rented a couple of unprepossessing looking aluminium canoes, which came complete with trollies. It was a good job too, the canoes being much heavier than even my plastic Prospector, and the water was a few hundred metres away from the hire centre.
Our Route:
Id never paddled an aluminium canoe before, and I imagined them to be cold, noisy and to paddle like a bathtub. While it was cold and noisy ( by some massive stroke of luck I found an old karrimat near the carpark, which I sliced up to use as kneeling pads ), after giving mine a quick spin around the bay near the put in, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it handled. It reminded me very much of my first canoe, a fibreglass Huron that weighed even more than these ally boats.
Olle and Richard doubled up in the second boat, as Olle hadnt paddled in ages and it was only Richards second time in a canoe.
It was a lovely, bright morning, with a definite feel of autumn in the air as we set off with the breeze in our faces ( just a taste of things to come ). We paddled along the wooded eastern shore, cutting across the larger bays towards the first portage.
This turned out to be a 200m up and down across an isthmus between Lakes Surtesjön and Gaddevatnet, with very civilised landing docks on either side.
We quickly crossed the southern end of Lake Gaddevatnet and entered the engineered canals linking it to Lake Sten-tjärna,
via two tranquil pools full of lily pads,
and the worlds shortest portage over a forest track.
We turned north east and crossed the narrows between Lakes Sten-tjärna and Skyrsjön,
and this is where the full force of the wind hit us. It had increased significantly while we were in the shelter of the canals and pools, and now we had to paddle into the teeth of it to reach the passage to Lake Kroksjön. There were times when I was paddling hard just to maintain my position, but Richard and Olle faired a little better as a tandem crew.
Another pleasant passage, blasted through the rock, took us to Lake Kroksjön.
It was on here that Richard and me had our first taste of Swedish lake water, after being assured that it was pure enough to drink. Im writing this 24 hours later with no signs of any ill effects. We hugged the western shore to try to get some shelter from the wind, and stopped at the shelter on a little peninsula at the top end of the lake. These shelters were brilliant, with fireplaces and adjustable cooking grills outside them. Set slightly further back was a woodshed, but this late in the season it was unfortunately empty. I couldnt help but feel though, that in the UK these shelters would quickly end up as smoking pile of ash.
I tried and failed to get a fire going with a few scraps of birchbark and my firesteel ( my excuse is that Swedish birchbark doesnt seem as flammable as good old British birchbark, lack of preparation had nothing to do with it ), Richard saved the day with his lighter and the fire was soon blazing. Olle had brought a tiny daysac with him, which had Tardis-like qualities. He broke out his frying pan and kettle and got the coffee on the go, and then realised that hed forgotten the pot grip for his frying pan. Not to be deterred, the smell of bacon was soon wafting around the peninsula.
Olle also had an unsuccessful look around for some wild mushrooms, but this close to the city any that poke their heads above the leaf litter are soon picked. He did come back with some bilberries though, and gave me my first taste of lingon berry. It was a bit like a sour apple, and as Olle pointed out, they are usually made into some sort of preserve rather than eaten raw.
With full stomachs and the wind behind us we paddled to the southern end of the lake, passing another shelter on the way, my favourite of the trip, but I only stopped there briefly to alter the trim of my canoe.
We pottered around the southern part of the lake, where we were shown a plant with leaves that smelled a bit like sage when crushed in your hands, which could be used to make an insect repellent paste. If it could be proven to work against the Scottish midge it would be worth importing it and planting it along every lochshore.
We stopped for another brew on an island where there was another shelter. Coffee was soon brewing and Olles frying pan was out again, this time for sausages. My sandwiches and crisps seemed a poor comparison.
It was a lovely island, but spoiled somewhat by the amount of used toilet paper scattered around. I even found a piece of wet toilet paper moulded perfectly over a fungus, which I christened a turdstool.
That was our last stop, and we retraced our route back to the put in, this time with the wind mostly at our backs.
There were more people on the lakes by now, although when we returned the canoes, the bloke who worked there said that a lot of people had returned early because of the wind.
A good time was had by all, and on our next day off we plan to return to the nature reserve, but have a walk around it instead. If anyones ever in the Gothenburg area I can wholeheartedly recommend a visit. There is free car parking near the hire centre, and heres a link to it:
http://www.kanotpoolen.se/
Cheers, Michael.
Olle had phoned ahead asking about canoe hire, and there was some uncertainty as to whether they had any available, so we went equipped for a walk too. As it turned out, the hire centre had some spares, so we rented a couple of unprepossessing looking aluminium canoes, which came complete with trollies. It was a good job too, the canoes being much heavier than even my plastic Prospector, and the water was a few hundred metres away from the hire centre.
Our Route:
Id never paddled an aluminium canoe before, and I imagined them to be cold, noisy and to paddle like a bathtub. While it was cold and noisy ( by some massive stroke of luck I found an old karrimat near the carpark, which I sliced up to use as kneeling pads ), after giving mine a quick spin around the bay near the put in, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it handled. It reminded me very much of my first canoe, a fibreglass Huron that weighed even more than these ally boats.
Olle and Richard doubled up in the second boat, as Olle hadnt paddled in ages and it was only Richards second time in a canoe.
It was a lovely, bright morning, with a definite feel of autumn in the air as we set off with the breeze in our faces ( just a taste of things to come ). We paddled along the wooded eastern shore, cutting across the larger bays towards the first portage.
This turned out to be a 200m up and down across an isthmus between Lakes Surtesjön and Gaddevatnet, with very civilised landing docks on either side.
We quickly crossed the southern end of Lake Gaddevatnet and entered the engineered canals linking it to Lake Sten-tjärna,
via two tranquil pools full of lily pads,
and the worlds shortest portage over a forest track.
We turned north east and crossed the narrows between Lakes Sten-tjärna and Skyrsjön,
and this is where the full force of the wind hit us. It had increased significantly while we were in the shelter of the canals and pools, and now we had to paddle into the teeth of it to reach the passage to Lake Kroksjön. There were times when I was paddling hard just to maintain my position, but Richard and Olle faired a little better as a tandem crew.
Another pleasant passage, blasted through the rock, took us to Lake Kroksjön.
It was on here that Richard and me had our first taste of Swedish lake water, after being assured that it was pure enough to drink. Im writing this 24 hours later with no signs of any ill effects. We hugged the western shore to try to get some shelter from the wind, and stopped at the shelter on a little peninsula at the top end of the lake. These shelters were brilliant, with fireplaces and adjustable cooking grills outside them. Set slightly further back was a woodshed, but this late in the season it was unfortunately empty. I couldnt help but feel though, that in the UK these shelters would quickly end up as smoking pile of ash.
I tried and failed to get a fire going with a few scraps of birchbark and my firesteel ( my excuse is that Swedish birchbark doesnt seem as flammable as good old British birchbark, lack of preparation had nothing to do with it ), Richard saved the day with his lighter and the fire was soon blazing. Olle had brought a tiny daysac with him, which had Tardis-like qualities. He broke out his frying pan and kettle and got the coffee on the go, and then realised that hed forgotten the pot grip for his frying pan. Not to be deterred, the smell of bacon was soon wafting around the peninsula.
Olle also had an unsuccessful look around for some wild mushrooms, but this close to the city any that poke their heads above the leaf litter are soon picked. He did come back with some bilberries though, and gave me my first taste of lingon berry. It was a bit like a sour apple, and as Olle pointed out, they are usually made into some sort of preserve rather than eaten raw.
With full stomachs and the wind behind us we paddled to the southern end of the lake, passing another shelter on the way, my favourite of the trip, but I only stopped there briefly to alter the trim of my canoe.
We pottered around the southern part of the lake, where we were shown a plant with leaves that smelled a bit like sage when crushed in your hands, which could be used to make an insect repellent paste. If it could be proven to work against the Scottish midge it would be worth importing it and planting it along every lochshore.
We stopped for another brew on an island where there was another shelter. Coffee was soon brewing and Olles frying pan was out again, this time for sausages. My sandwiches and crisps seemed a poor comparison.
It was a lovely island, but spoiled somewhat by the amount of used toilet paper scattered around. I even found a piece of wet toilet paper moulded perfectly over a fungus, which I christened a turdstool.
That was our last stop, and we retraced our route back to the put in, this time with the wind mostly at our backs.
There were more people on the lakes by now, although when we returned the canoes, the bloke who worked there said that a lot of people had returned early because of the wind.
A good time was had by all, and on our next day off we plan to return to the nature reserve, but have a walk around it instead. If anyones ever in the Gothenburg area I can wholeheartedly recommend a visit. There is free car parking near the hire centre, and heres a link to it:
http://www.kanotpoolen.se/
Cheers, Michael.
