Safe Return Doubtful

I managed to get my appointment with the Swedish Migration government office in their northernmost outpost, the town of Luleå on the Gulf of Bothnia. Before, and after, I stayed nights on Seskarö Island, where there are many hiking trails through the pine forest that wind their way to secluded sandy beaches strewn with large rocks which is what the area is famous for. 

Mosquitoes are mainly gone, a few remain, and strive their hardest to get inside my van. The pine forests of the coast at this time of year though attract annoying g Deer Ked flies. They fly onto humans or animals, crawl into hair or fur, and intentionally break off their wings to burrow close to the skin. They then may appear to be six legged spiders, but are resilient to being removed or indeed being squashed. They don’t bite, but are nonetheless annoying. 

The Luleå archipelago has more than 1300 islands, and is especially popular in the winter when it is possible to drive between many of the islands on the sea ice. In the summer boats and ferries take the same routes. 

But September is off-season, after the summer, and before the winter. My appointment was on Friday morning, so it was an hour down the motorway, the E10, and a very quick visit into the city. The appointment was just to be asked a few questions and have a photograph and fingerprints taken. I was able to park next to the building, and was actually seen a little bit early. I can’t imagine it being anywhere near as straightforward in the big cities, where there are congestion charges and parking a high vehicle is very difficult. 

Thursday night, before my appointment, I stayed at the Brändön Marina, another excellent place for a stopover.

For the weekend I moved to stay at the marina at Nikkala, where the folk of Haparanda keep the boats. There is an excellent place for vans to stop here, directly on the sea front, with all the facilities necessary, and are saunas, a social lounge and kitchen in addition. It is shared by sailors, but there were very few people there this last weekend. They ask for a ten euro contribution. I met a few people in the sauna and then over a beer later on in the lounge, all of them from less than an hour away, many Finnish, taking advantage of the cheaper fuel.

One reason I wanted to stay in Sweden was the time difference, however ridiculous it may sound. The fourth and final Great Rivalry rugby Test match between South Africa and New Zealand was scheduled for 10 pm UK time in Baltimore, 11 pm in Sweden and midnight in Finland. It obviously doesn’t matter when very close to the border, but psychologically, I preferred a 1 am finish, to a 2 am in Finland. Anyway, it was a disappointment as a game, one game too many really, and three excellent matches. 

I drove back into Finland this afternoon, joining the queue at the fuel station in Haparanda to fill up at 40 cents a litre less than across town in Tornio. Since the Swedish government reduced the duty, in early July, the Tornio fuel station have been empty. There’s a general election today in Sweden, and it seems the far right Democrat party may gain seats. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party, is seeking another four-year term at the helm of the EU nation, NATO’s newest member. Kristersson has held office since 2022 in a three-party centre-right coalition including the Christian Democrats and Liberals. He is likely to rely on support from the Sweden Democrats , an anti-immigration party that has far-right, in fact neo-Nazi roots, but has shifted towards the political mainstream, attempting to get a parliamentary majority.

This afternoon I have broken the journey to Syöte National Park at a campsite on the Simojoki river, there are no good options for wild camping. The last few days have had fine weather, around 15C, but today has been rain, though it is just clearing, so time to head out for an evening explore of the area with Rua.