Week 3. 14th – 20th June 2025. Lundakrahamnen to Gothenburg – 146 miles
Saturday 14th June 2025 – Landskrona to Annerstad – 89 miles
It’s a stunning morning today, with a gentle breeze and a bright blue summer sky. We have a quick breakfast since we want to try and get into a very popular campsite off the beaten path in a town called Annerstad, which might be full since it’s a lovely weekend.
We set off north on the E4 motorway. It’s a fantastic, scenic drive, especially in the sunshine.
After about 45 minutes, we stopped for a Fika—a Swedish tradition of sharing coffee with a pastry. Hayley has managed to book us into the campsite; there are only two spots left, and we have secured one.
We continue our drive, passing some beautiful scenery. It’s a rather lovely place so far, Sweden. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the charming farm of Prästgården in Annerstad with a lush green field to park in and where cows graze next to a barn full of chickens and pigs. The host is very friendly and tells us we’re free to do and go as we wish.
We choose a spot right next to the cow field, and we have two visitors already—some curious cows.
It’s lovely here. The barn is filled with pigs and chickens. An unusual thing about the pig area is that they have paintings on the walls and a chandelier, quite charming.
The weather is so gorgeous that we decide to take down the bikes and explore the area. Our cycle takes us to a large lake, one of many around here. It’s simply stunning. The scent of fresh pine trees is fabulous as we cycle along. The lake is clean, bright, and inviting, shining in the high afternoon sun. It’s genuinely a fantastic ride in a beautiful place.
After about 10 miles and feeling a bit sore, we return to Jess, and sit in the shade with a cold drink and some time to stretch out. It’s warm today, and tomorrow is expected to be even warmer.
We have a reservation for tonight at the little restaurant on the camp that specialises in pizzas. By all accounts, and according to many websites, this place does the best pizza in Sweden. Every review gives them 5 stars, so we take a table outside in the evening sun and order 2 diavolo pizzas, beginning with a walnut and pear salad.
The pizzas are amazing and we both agree they are the best we have ever had, who would have thought it, in a tiny farm in the middle of Sweden?
Sunday 15th June 2025 – Annerstad to Bolmsö – 31 miles
It’s a bright, hot, and sunny morning. We have coffee outside with the cows. Our road trip today will be about 45 minutes to our next stop by a lake in Bolmsö.
We find a lovely spot shaded by trees, with a beautiful view of the lake. It doesn’t take us very long to get level, (just about), plugged up and settled in. There is a free ferry—yes, free—that transports people and cars across the lake in about 10 minutes. So we shall have a look at that. Just below our pitch, there’s a small beach. Hayley tries to paddle, but decides the lake is way too cold, despite the 25-degree temperature and sunshine.
We board the small ferry without any fuss; people and cars board simultaneously. Everyone just looks out for each other—it’s a strange concept, but it works.
Since the ferry ride is just a continuation of the road, there isn’t much to see along the way, except for a small hut at the other end when we get off that serves coffee and ice cream. We couldn’t resist the ice cream.
Hayley chooses a salty liquorice-flavoured one; this flavour is very popular in Sweden and is delicious. Simple pleasures, eh?
Afterwards, we take the ferry back to the camp and relax, read, and just sit in the warm, still air. It has now clouded over a bit, but it’s still humid and 26 degrees. Tonight we dine outside, with our view of the lake. Afterwards we get cleaned up and decide to sit outside again, this time with a few drinks and a game of chess that ends badly for Del… We are outside playing chess in daylight at 10:30pm…!
Monday 16th June 2025 – Bolmsö to Rydal – 93 miles
There were a few light rain showers last night here in Bolmsö. We’re moving on again today, taking a short drive to another camping spot by a different lake. We can’t get enough of these lakes. It’s a chilly, grey morning compared to yesterday, 12 degrees less—the sun never seems to last! We enjoy a hearty breakfast to cheer ourselves up before a quick Jess service, then we’re on our way, via the ferry to the other side of the lake.
We get the ferry to ourselves. It’s an earlyish Monday morning. The ferry is run by the equivalent of the highways agency; it’s a continuation of the road, so it’s free. Just drive on and off. No nonsense, no delays, it just bounces back and forth all day.
We stop by a Willys (stop it!), the Swedish equivalent of Tesco, and do a quick shopping trip filled with Swedish goodies—Dime bars, bread, smoked salmon and crackers.
After about an hour of driving through beautiful Swedish countryside, we arrive at Kvarnsjöns, but unfortunately, we’re a bit disappointed. There’s no real information available, everything is a bit spread out, and it just doesn’t quite hit the mark for us. Hayley then finds another spot, this time in Svenljunga. (Are you keeping up with these Swedish names?) This will be a free stop next to a small reservoir; there’s space for three vans.
When we arrive, we’re the only ones there. To get to it, you have to drive off-road along a rugged, uneven dirt road, but at the end, there’s this charming little hideout.
It’s very nice, but again, it doesn’t fully satisfy us. There’s no cycling or even walking paths nearby, and it’s only 2:30, so we fear we will get restless.
After a quick search, Hayley finds us a paid camping spot in the town of Rydal, just an hour southeast of Gothenburg. Rydal was historically big on textiles, similar to Bolton! There’s space for eight campervans right on the river, which the local boat club maintains. It also has a private sauna, which visitors are allowed to use; it looks good, let’s go.
Another 30-minute drive brings us here. It’s a beautiful spot—lots of trees, with a narrow river threading through. The van pitches are right by the river, and there’s also a small covered fire pit ideal for sitting while cooking your BBQ.
The sauna is available; to use it, you book a slot on their website, receive a code to open a key box that contains the sauna key. You get two hours, but if no one else is waiting, you can stay longer. The only catch is that you need to bring logs; it’s a traditional burner, not electric. We didn’t think of that…
The staff here are incredibly helpful. We email the owner about our situation, and he tells us to hang on—someone will bring logs soon. The logs cost ten quid, and the sauna itself is free to use. While Hayley prepares dinner on Jess, Del starts the fire in the sauna. We enjoy a delicious meal while it heats up to 80 degrees.
Later, we get changed into flip-flops and swimwear and head into the sauna. It’s perfect—hot! Inside, there’s a large window overlooking the river. Outside, a spacious decking area provides a refreshing cool-off. It’s a fantastic feature.
After an hour in the sauna with rests, we return to Jess for a shower, fresh clothes, and a cold drink . All in all, it’s been a great day. We plan to stay here again tomorrow, we have plenty of logs left over for another sauna and a BBQ.
Tuesday 17th June 2025 – Rydal day 2
It’s a lovely, bright, sunny day today. We like it here, so we decide to stay for another day. It’s such a lovely place, with lots to do and see, and already we have a full day lined up.
We start off by having morning coffee outside, followed by a nice hearty breakfast of lots of stuff! There are canoes here for hire, but there is nobody here to help us except for a telephone number and an email address. Hayley does a little research, and it turns out the owner is not in the country, but is happy to give us the key code for the garage where the oars and life preservers are kept. All we have to do is pay for the rental using PayPal. Amazing trust – we go the code to the garage before making the payment.
We drag a three-seater canoe into the river and set off. The Swedish countryside is just fantastic. We weave our way along the river, there is nothing to suggest “man” is here, no pylons, poles, wires or signs, just the river and bird song, with the odd ‘plop‘ of a fish surfacing.
We do a good two hours, drop all the stuff off and let the owner know what we have done. Yesterday we had a sauna, and we still have some logs left over, so we decide to use them up and have another one. Del gets the fire going, gets the room up to 60 degrees, throws some water on the stones, and it’s not long before the temperature is at a nice 80 degrees, lovely.
The day has just flown by. It’s now 6pm by the time we have cleaned up, showered, and reset ourselves. We meet the two men who look after this place and compliment them on their work; they are grateful for the feedback. We spend a few minutes chatting away about the Swedish countryside and Sweden in general. They have lots to say!
It’s time for dinner, which we have outside. It’s a very pleasant sunny evening, which is finished off by Hayley playing a few Loretta Lynn, Britney Spears and Eagles songs on her baby guitar (she has a very unusual repertoire shall we say).
All in all, a very nice day indeed here in Rydel. A place that we will remember for a long time, and that one day we will return.
Tomorrow, Del is off to London on business, back on Sunday.
Wednesday 18th June 2025 – Rydal to Gothenburg – 35 miles
We are sad to be leaving Rydal which has become one of our favourite little parking spots, but we must as Del has a flight leaving this evening from Gothenburg. He has a short job in London, so Jess and H are booked into a campsite in the city. This campsite just happens to be owned by Liseberg park, which has a world-famous roller coaster called Helix, so H certainly won’t be bored; however, Del won’t be to hand to hold the bag!
We arrive early afternoon, after a small stockup and full van service, we’re not used to the city feel and scenery, we prefer trees and lakes and nobody around, but cities can be interesting too, especially this one. This is Sweden’s second biggest city and a big draw for tourists. The campsite is huge (150 pitches) and fully booked as we are going into what the Swedes call the Midsummer Festival.
We take the short tram ride to the interchange in the centre for the airport bus, and soon, Del is away to work while Hayley will have some fun in the park!
As we are staying at the campsite, Hayley is able to get into the Liseberg amusement park for free this evening. It doesn’t include rides, but she pays to go on the standout coaster, the one she has been waiting for, the one that everyone talks about (in coaster circles anyway) – Helix. She gets a front row ride and loves it.
It’s not the best value to pay as you go on the rides tonight, so she will return tomorrow with a proper entrance and ride ticket and do the whole day, but for now, she is happy to walk around and see the lay of the land before tomorrow.
The Corrs are doing a concert tonight inside the park, and the ticket to get in is just £5 (what?!). Hayley has never really been a fan of the Corrs as such, but likes some of their songs, so she decides to stay and check them out.
The concert is fantastic, they are one of those bands that you know more songs than you think. Great musicians, catchy songs – a really enjoyable show (funny enough, their next stop on their tour is the Isle of Wight festival back home). Hayley gets back to Jess at 10:30 pm after a great day, it’s still daylight.
Thursday 19th June 2025 – Gothenburg day 2
It’s yet another lovely sunny day today, but not as warm as the UK. Del has reported back that the UK temperature is in the upper 20s and expected to be in the low 30s by the weekend! Today is a big day for Hayley as she is going to the Liseberg Park Amusement Park, so she has a relaxed start to the day as they open at 1 pm.
Once in, she manages quite a few rides, as the queues are pretty small.
It’s a public holiday tomorrow for midsummer, so it looks like most people are waiting until then to come to the park. After 5 hours and 14 rides (including being turned upside down 27 times), Hayley has finally had enough. She’s not getting any younger and is already the oldest person in the queues! She’s not as able as she once was to be chucked upside down and thrown around for long periods.
She heads back to Jess for some quiet time and to just relax after what has been another great day.
Friday 20th June 2025 – Gothenburg day 3
Today, Hayley plans to explore the city, despite most things being shut for the Midsummer festival, which is the second most important holiday in Sweden.
After a few transport issues, she makes it into the centre. She has found out what the issue is with the trams this morning by reading about it in the British press. A tram took a corner at high speed early this morning and derailed, travelled across the asphalt and wiped out a pizza restaurant. Luckily, no one was killed, but it has left quite a mess and a few injuries.
As predicted, the town is pretty quiet, with most of the places Hayley planned to visit locked up. Even Ikea is shut until Sunday! She hops on a tram to visit the city’s main park. They have Moose there, we hoped we would see some casually crossing the road (not too close) in the quiet forest areas, but have had no luck.
She gets to see a couple, some nice goats and chickens and then walks down into the main lawned area. This is where all of Gothenburg is; it’s crazy busy with people dressed up and wearing the traditional flowers in their hair.
She watches a few traditional dances and then heads back to Jess. It’s another quiet night in, giving her feet a rest.
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