Safe Return Doubtful

The hiatus in this course was just about bearable, and would have been more so if it wasn’t the ideal conditions in this Swedish spring for the mosquitoes emerging from their slumber.

When one thinks of Swedish cities the picturesque Stockholm comes to mind, but most cities I have been to have been drab and solely functional. Their outskirts offer more, but I’m not a city person these days. Prior to Umeå the last city I was in anywhere in Europe, other than Carlisle for the dentist, was several years ago.

I stayed at the Museum of Hydro-Electricity established by one of the big electric companies on the fast-flowing Umeå river about ten kilometers from town. It’s an outdoor museum, but many of the attractions, water based activities for families, will not open until the school holidays in a couple of weeks. Despite that, with the weather being warm, and humid, there were plenty of people picnicking and barbecuing on the Sunday afternoon.

The people seem immune to the mosquitoes, of which there were very many. I actually asked one guy, in a vest and shorts, and he said the children wear repellant, but most of the adults are not bothered by them after a while – which might explain why they are so interested in me, and Roja as well. After a while I had my device on and door net up, but had to let him in, as he was covered in them. We managed, but it was far from ideal.

I was therefore delighted to get though the business I needed to on Monday morning, a visit to Lidl to make the most of the Swedish prices, and then to the Migration office where I was dealt with in ten minutes. We then drove back the 450 kilometres in about six and a half hours to the Norwegian coast. I took the opportunity to stock up on beer at the Systembolaget, about half the price of Norway, and a better selection. They will supplement the Belgians I have stored away.

The the E12 pretty much all the way, which is a pleasure to drive on, especially the section that goes high though the mountains of Tarnaby and Hemavan, about 700 metres asl. The roads were almost empty. I was here two years ago, and took the gondola up to the southern terminus of the Kungsleden hiking route at 900 metres. The route head north through the mountains for 500 kilometres, and is very popular, with good mountain huts to stay at each night. I’ve hiked two days on the northern part of it. It isn’t open yet though. It only opens when the snow goes, and it is lying late this year, and is likely to be at least two weeks.

At the border I was stopped by an extremely chatty Norwegian customs officer, for the first time in my many crossings between the countries. He seemed more interested in the van and in Roja than checking my papers. He has three labradors which he uses for hunting, and told me lots about the seven others he had had, including photos. He told me that at the lake, just before the border, which was still used over, it had been possible to walk on the ice until last week. It was 6C with heavy showers as I passed through. He asked me if I had any beers, to which I nodded, and he said that almost everyone did, as the prices in Sweden were so much cheaper.

I drove through Mo I Rana and on around the fjord for another 80 kilometres to just before Stokkvågen, where I was to board a ferry the following morning.

This area of mountains and fjords is particularly spectacular, and very popular with hikers and for fishing. Most of the parking spots were full of the motorhomes of fishermen, at least those with toilets. I found a smaller one on a beach, less appealing to fishermen, and at the time of arrival, just after 6 pm, was the only van there, though a German VW California did arrive later.

We had an hour on the beach, which we both needed. Roja is fine with long journeys, so long as they don’t come along too often. Nonetheless he was extremely happy to spend time on the beach, which much preferable weather to the previous night, 8C, a strong wind off the sea, and heavy and frequent showers.

We left just after 8 am this morning to get the 9 am ferry from Stokkvågen to the Island of Husøya, and it’s only town, Træna, a two hour and fifteen minute trip. As Husøya lies 55 kilometres or 30 nautical miles off the mainland coast the ferry often encounters some rough seas, as today indeed, so is a much more substantial ship than the smaller ferries that undertake shorter journeys.

Husøya is 16 square kilometres and has a permanent population of just over 400 people. Its real attraction to visitors is the spectacular mountains of the island of Sanna, which is just a few hundred metres to the west. It’s too far too attract motorhomes, and lacks a camping site, which many like. I’m the only van here, and camped up on the west coast at a small beach in an idyllic situation.

After a weekend of too much time driving in the van I was keen to get outside. There was a strong westerly wind, with a temperature of about 10C, but the day’s weather was improving. Over the course of about three hours, we hiked most of the island’s tracks, including a sculpture gifted from a Zambian artist, and a couple of splendid viewpoints.

I met a young Polish couple who had just arrived on the island, and we spoke for a while. The guy was a sushi chef who had worked in Mo I Rana for four years, but just taken a seasonal position at the Aloha cafe, here on the island. The usual visitors stay in AirBnB’s and the at the hotel, and the cafe has a good name for food. Also, in a couple of weeks, close to midsummer, there is a famous music festival here, that attracts more than a thousand people, called Trænafestivalen.

Here’s the programme for this year, with some tremendous pictures.

Some events take place on the island of Sanna as well, and is mainly outdoor, as there is 23 hours of daylight, but in adverse weather conditions events have moved to an ancient cave, and a church with blacked out windows.

The weather improved as the day continued, and now in the early evening there is just a breeze, and a cloudless sky. It certainly is a spectacular place to visit.