PART 1 - 10000KM THROUGH SCANDINAVIA AND THE BALTIC STATES

PART 1 - 10000KM THROUGH SCANDINAVIA AND THE BALTIC STATES

Day 1 (Home, NL -> Lattrop, NL) :
The first 250km’s are on the odometers and we’ve just set up camp at a very special place! The always stunning Landgoed de Holtweijde! Where the owner, Marcel, gave us a very warm welcome including personalised signposts!
We couldn’t have wished for a better start of the trip! Thank you!

Day 2 (Lattrop, NL -> Friedewalde, DE) :
Today we had a slow and relaxing start of the day! Bacon and eggs on the Coleman, repacking some stuff and enjoying the luxury of a flushable toilet!
The destination of the day, Rinteln in Germany! Why? In 1995, at the British Military Hospital, Jessica was born!
The place got closed down in 1997, but has recently been resurrected and is now in use for assisted living.
Where are we going to camp tonight? We spend some time looking around om the internet and find a interesting place, 45 minutes away. We drive there but it seems abandoned?! We walk around and run into the owner, apparently the place is being restored! Luckily, we can set up camp in the garden, all by ourselves! Just how we like it!

Day 3 (Friedewalde, DE -> Neuratjensdorf, DE) :
First job this morning was fuelling up the vehicles! The Range Rover used a shocking 52 liters of petrol, 20 liters more than the 90, over a 250km mixed road trip… It’s almost a 1000kg heavier and has 4 more cylinders, so we’re not too suprised.
We had some local breads and buns for lunch, followed by a long drive on the Autobahn to the tip of Germany! Where we’ll take the ferry from Puttgarden to Rødby, Denmark tomorrow morning! (Thanks for the tip Erik Besse)
The temperature has dropped by almost 10 degrees so far and has become very comfortable! For us, the dogs and the vehicles!

Day 4 (Neuratjensdorf, DE -> Sjöbo, SE) :
After a rainy breakfast at the campsite in Germany, we started our engines and headed towards Puttgarden to catch the Scandlines boat to Rødby, Denmark.
Once arrived in Denmark we, of course, fuelled up the Landy’s. Enjoyed some local cuisine at the local McDønalds and made our way into Sweden. Driving over the always impressive Øresund Bridge!
Sweden! Where to go next? We did a quick search on the internet and found many options, maybe too many!
We had to decide on one, it looks good on the photos, fingers crossed! … It’s not bad! It’s a public parking for a lake and dog walking place. Oh well, it’s in a forest and there’s birds chirping… Not complaining! Curious where we’ll end up tomorrow!

Day 5 (Sjöbo, SE -> Gashult, SE) :
After waking up to all of Sjöbo taking their Volvo and their dogs through our campsite… We quickly ate some breakfast and broke up camp!
It started raining as soon as we got back on the road and hasn’t really stopped since. We decided to look for a nice cottage to take a shower and have a proper toilet! Also realised that I forgot Panda’s fuel cap at one of the many fuel stations we’ve visited so far…

Day 6 (Gashult, SE) :
Today we’ve had very relaxing day at Lake Vännesjö! I finally got to try out my birthday present, the Aqua Marina Tomahawk Air-C canoe! Brilliant piece of equipment! It folds up to very handy size and it doesn’t weigh much so we can easily carry the bag on the D90’s roofrack! These Swedish houses definitely make me want to build a Torp inspired, Falu red, Land Rover Defender…

Day 7 & 8 (Gashult, SE -> Kopparhult, SE) :
Time to go back in the tent and go camping! We’ve had a lovely time in the cottage/torp, but we’re all very excited to get back into our Landy’s and enjoy the outdoors! Before we do, we had to visit the IKEA museum in Älmhult! A fantastic place with lots of history! The 90’s and early 2000’s collection brought back fantastic childhood memories!
We eventually found a great camp spot behind Vetlanda, towards Kråkshult. At the end of a forest track, next to a lake! Will do some exploring after dinner!

 

Day 9 (Kopparhult, SE -> Åby, SE) :
This morning we left Kopparhult early after a short and very hot night. We headed north. Through Norrköping, a stunning and buzzing city, to a lovely spot we found on Park4Night. It had the description; 4x4 needed to reach lake. Sounds perfect!
Not sure where we would’ve needed a 4x4, but we’re here and it’s a fantastic spot! I guess the description puts off most Hymer and Dethleffs owners, so that’s good! It’s cooled down a lot since we arrived just before lunch, and its a very welcome suprise after last night’s roasting… The dogs are loving life too.

Day 10! (Åby, SE -> Skinnskatteberg, SE) :
After a midgey infested evening and a very windy morning we continued north towards our Midsommar destination!
We drove through Södermanland county, ending up on the stunning dirt roads in Hälleskogsbrännans Naturreservat, where in 2014, 14.000 hectares of forest were lost during a forest fire. An equivalent to 25.000 football fields!
In The Netherlands we’d start planting new trees the following day, not here. They’ve let the forest do its own thing. And almost 10 years later it’s slowly becoming a forest once again. The trees aren’t as tall, but their will to live and grow hasn’t changed. Nature is amazing!
Once arrived at our last campsite before Midsommar, I snapped Panda’s handbrake cable… That’ll make Norway a little more interesting!

Day 11 (Skinnskatteberg, SE -> Rällen, SE) :
Today we drove to Kopparberg, known for its eponymous cider, where we watched the local Midsommar festivities! The streets were buzzing, it was hot and all the cool cars were out! Fantastic atmosphere!
For the next two nights we’re staying in a lovely Torp, just under Kopparberg in Rällen. Enjoying the weather and celebrating the midst of summer!

Day 12 (Rällen, SE) :
Stunning day at this lovely Airbnb, no one around, a place you want to live at… Unfortunately, Lucy hasn’t been feeling too well. We took it easy all day and she’s already doing better. Never a good feeling when you’re far away from everything… Thankfully, it’s all good! After a good sleep tonight, she’ll be like new tomorrow!

Day 13 (Rällen, SE -> Orsa, SE) :
Last night, the water well at our Airbnb ran dry, the drought has been crazy here in Sweden! Unfortunately, this meant no more shower for us, and even worse… No filling of the water tanks for camping!
We headed out, Lucy is feeling better again, so we decided to drive to Nusnäs. Where Nils Olsson has his workshop, the man behind the famous Dala horse, roosters and pigs! It’s a fantastic place, scored a few horses for our collection!
Next destination; the fuel station! Thankfully, they’re a little more tourist aimed in these parts, so this one included a fresh water tap! Time to fill the tanks and head into the bush!
We found our spot for the night next to the Unnan river, just above Orsa. Fantastic spot, a fun dirt track gets you in the mood and leads you to a opening in the forest next to a shallow, but, very refreshing river! Perfect!

Day 14 (Orsa, SE -> Sveg, SE) :
It’s not just Landy’s and Dala sculptures we collect, apparently we’re avid mosquito bite collectors too! It’s been a very successful night, there’s not a limb on us that isn’t completely covered in them…
First goal this morning; Buy more anti-mozzy liquids! We also bought a Thermacell to try out, very curious! We also did some grocery shopping, ready for a week of camping!
First destination after shopping was the Helvetesfallet. A beautiful waterfall just above Orsa. With a very interesting walk over an abandoned train track, at least, we thought… And as soon as we crossed it, a train came around the corner! Felt like a close call, probably wasn’t, but definitely woke us up!
After a quick fika on a dirt track, we headed north towards Sveg! Specifically, Svegssjön. The stunning lake left of the town centre. In the distance, across the water, you can see the snowy tops of Högfjället. Looks like we found our spot for the night! Let’s set up camp!

Day 15 (Sveg, SE -> Strömsund, SE) :
After leaving our favourite spot yet, we drove to Östersund, where we started looking for our next campsite. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any! So we decided to keep driving. Eventually ending up near Strömsund, where visited multiple sites. All of them busy… After last night, nothing will be as good!
After an hour of searching the area we found a decent spot, once again, near a lake. Time for a refreshing dip!

Day 16 (Strömsund, SE -> Arvidsjaur, SE) :
What started as a beautiful day driving into Lapland, ended quite hectic! This morning we finally decided on driving to the Northcape. We have plenty of time, so why not! We found a nice camp spot near Sorsele, sandy beach, beautiful lake and on the route. Once arrived, we enthusiastically jumped into the refreshing water, where we spotted a reindeer on the beach!
Unfortunately, when it was time to set up camp, we noticed some sandflies on the dogs. So we rushed them to cars to have a closer look… Shit. Both the dogs were covered in bites. They kept going after them, a fight we couldn’t win. What to do? We decided to rent a cabin for the night in Arvidsjaur so we could check the dogs over, give them a clean and give everyone a rest from the buzzing insects! Hopefully we’ll find a better spot tomorrow!

Day 17! (Arvidsjaur, SE) :
Well, today didn’t go as planned. Instead of a photo of us at the Arctic Circle, it’s a photo of us at the local Coop parking…
The RRC decided it had enough and blew its front right CV. A loud bang and some crunching caused for some concern, so we limped back to last night’s campsite. Took the hub assembly apart where we were met with a Soup de CV.
On the hunt for parts! Which is quite a challenge in Sweden… I’ve had some great help already, hope to get back on the road after the weekend.

Read more about the trip here: PART 2 - 10000KM THROUGH SCANDINAVIA AND THE BALTICS

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