Travel to Sweden in April

[Onelifeoverland]

Hi all,

Currently planning an overland trip to Sweden in April 2021 (covid permitting!).

Will be out there for about 3 weeks with Land Rover and expedition trailer. Mostly plan to stay off the beaten track.

Anyone else travelled through Scandinavia around April time. Especially keen to hear about weather, wild camp locations, driving tips, people, animals (bears and others!), fishing. Any tips and advice really.

Probable route will be UK through Belgium and into Denmark then Sweden. Possibly pay Norway a visit at some point too if time allows.



OLO
www.onelifeoverland.com
//probably typed on mobile so please excuse typos!

 

[SaraR]

Depending on where you're going, April is still quite early for Sweden.

What do you want to do/see? Do you want to go up the east coast, the west coast or the middle?

West coast(ish) could be: Söderåsen, and Kullaberg, then up along the gorgeous coast to and through Bohuslän with a stop at the UNESCO rock aet carvings at Tanumshede, then on to Värmland and if time and snow conditions allow it, up to Fulufjället and those areas around there. Easy to get into Norway then.

Lake Vänern is amazing with a lot of cultural and natural history around it. Nearby Tiveden national park is very cool too.

Kolmården and Bergslagen are other nice areas up that way. Further up north you have Höga Kusten, which is spectacular but not sure how it is to visit in April.

Skåne and Småland are great (I am obliged to say that ;D ) and great for canoing. Småland is covered in lakes and forests if that's what you want.

If archipelagos are more your thing you could do drive up the east coast ad do Blekinge, Västervik, St Anna and Stockholm and do on.

There has been an annoying trend of removing public toilets at rest stops and large lay-bys, so it's getting harder to find good places to stop along the main roads. But otherwise plenty of options.

Something that you might already know about is the (substantial) wind shelters available along most hiking trails. They'll be marked on the map, so if you can leave your car somewhere nearby, you could walk to one and stay the night there.

Average Arrival of Spring:

 

[SaraR]

Don't forget about the 'Priority to the right' rule when driving. Apparently it's applied slightly different in Norway and Sweden, so worth checking before you go.

The drink drive limit is lower in Sweden than in the UK and I'd suggest sticking to lättöl (low alcohol beer) for lunch stops etc.

 

[z_bumbi]

Höga kusten in april is pretty good, it can be cold but that can happen in most parts of the country in april.
Allemansrätten is pretty good to read about..
https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Var-natur/Allemansratten/Allemansratten-pa-andra-sprak/ (Engelska " English)

Then it realy depends of what you want to see/do for more specifik advice.

 

[Herman30]

There have been cases of nighttime robbery/break-in of caravans and campervans/motorhomes in camping areas and at roadside rest areas. Not a big problem but something to consider and take actions to prevent.

 

[Onelifeoverland]

Hey all,

Thanks for that.

@SaraR especially for taking the time to write all that. Are you a Swedish resident, intrigued as to why your are biased

@Herman30 as is the case for most parts of the world these days, sadly. I am a seasoned traveller though so happy I have my personal security in order but thanks very much for the heads up.

One thing no one seems to talk about specifically is cost of fuel. How does diesel compare to UK? Early route plans looks as though we might cover around 4500 miles - majority of which will be in Sweden/Norway.Cureently budgeting around d £700 in fuel for the trip @ about 30 mpg.

Sent from my SM-T865 using Tapatalk

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Not sure of the current diesel prices in Sweden and Norway as it's been a few months since I was last there, but Denmark is a bit cheaper than the UK. I paid 8.39 per litre yesterday (about £1.01), so it might be worth filling up before you get to Sweden.

Just checked and Google says it's £1.22 per litre and up in Sweden.

 

[SaraR]

Hey all,

Thanks for that.

@SaraR especially for taking the time to write all that. Are you a Swedish resident, intrigued as to why your are biased

@Herman30 as is the case for most parts of the world these days, sadly. I am a seasoned traveller though so happy I have my personal security in order but thanks very much for the heads up.

One thing no one seems to talk about specifically is cost of fuel. How does diesel compare to UK? Early route plans looks as though we might cover around 4500 miles - majority of which will be in Sweden/Norway.Cureently budgeting around d £700 in fuel for the trip @ about 30 mpg.

Sent from my SM-T865 using Tapatalk

In Norway, "everything" is eyewateringly expensive, so budget carefully if that's a concern for you!

I haven't been to Sweden since last autumn, so not sure about the fuel prices, but I would guess 13-14 SEK/L for diesel. (Petrol is cheaper.) It can vary quite a lot depending on local price wars etc. I found this site where you can check prices at different locations, but don't know how accurate it is: Diesel prices in Sweden

I'm Swedish but have been living in Wales for 15 years now. As a child, we spent the summers travelling around the southern half of Sweden and later on we ventured further north as well. I've spent many a night parked up next to some tiny forestry road in the middle of nowhere.