We went to Sweden for a wild camping trip last summer!
Yearning for some outdoor adventure, combined with excellent Nordic summer weather, resulted in a camping-getaway for the two of us. We practiced our wild camping skills and packed all our best and tested camping gear. We cooked meals on Trangia (our Swedish outdoor cooking equipment) and roamed the forests for free resources like wild berries and mushrooms.
Table of contents
- Day 1 – driving from Copenhagen to Vättern – and the first night of camping
- Day 2 – Camping for one night in Tivedens National Park
- Day 3 – Hiking in one of Sweden’s National Parks
- Swedish lakes are excellent for cooling down on a summer day (even in Sweden!)
- Hiking in Swedish National Parks during summer
- Conclusion
Day 1 – driving from Copenhagen to Vättern – and the first night of camping
We packed our small car in our home town Copenhagen and drove all the way to Vättern, one of Sweden’s largest lakes. Driving most of the way on highway and freeway, passing many fields, Maxi Burgers, ‘godis’ shops, and cute little Swedish towns, we finally found our first camping spot by a small fishing lake on the west side of Vättern.
We were not alone at all – as there was a shelter, which had already been taken by some German motorbike guys. A couple of hikers had also pitched a tent by the shelter and we were forced to put out tent by the lakeside, providing the only flat space to hammer our tent poles in the hard ground. Bummer!! We did not bring the best tent for the rock-hard Swedish ground. But we managed to survive camping three nights in it anyway.
Did we misjudge our camping skills?
Not having a ‘self-sustained’ tent (i.e. the poles of the tent are incorporated in such a way, that once your bags are inside the tent, it will not ‘fly away’ in the wind), we were already challenged on day 1.
Because we had camped by a fishing lake, there were local people fishing right by our tent. This was not what we had anticipated while planning our Swedish ‘lets-evade-all-human-interference-vacation‘. Nevertheless, we had found a campsite with a typical Swedish ‘dry-toilet’, a picnic table and other foreign guests like ourselves.
Please note, that it is only allowed for members of the local Swedish fishing society to fish in these particular fishing lakes 😉
Day 2 – Camping for one night in Tivedens National Park
The next morning we packed down the whole camp and drove up north towards Tivedens National Park with several stops underway.
We visited a nice swimming lake named ‘Lille Havsjön‘, where we roamed the area for blueberries and fungi.
Lille Havsjön was a lovely place to go for a swim. Overall, I really enjoyed swimming in the Swedish lakes. In Denmark we are much more used to going to a regular ocean beach, since we are blessed with so many sandy beaches. But being surrounded by the forest while swimming in a lake is truly something else! (I will spill some more details about the Swedish lakes we visited below).
Ice-cream by the harbor in Hjo
Before reaching our final destination of the day, we stopped by the charming town named ‘Hjo’ for ice-cream. After a small stroll around the harbor and a final visit to the supermarket for our food prepping, we went to Tivedens National Park.
Here we camped at our second wild camping spot right by the lake ‘Metesjön’, inside the National Park.
Notes about camping in Tivedens National Park
It was a designated free campsite (for tents!) with not too much space, but it was also a good spot with all the needed facilities. There was a dutch team of campers which dominated most of the space, but we all managed to fit in for cooking our meals etc. We cooked a delicious gnocchi with tomato sauce on our trangia. And then we were treated with a warm evening and no mosquitoes at all! We could not believe our luck.
It is only allowed to camp for one night inside the national park (but note that there are multiple locations – therefore you can camp at a different site each day!). In this way, more people can benefit from staying in a national park. It is not possible to make a reservation of these spots, and therefore it is first come, first served. If you are too early, you may not put up your tent. And you have to leave the campsite before noon.
Day 3 – Hiking in one of Sweden’s National Parks
The following morning we went hiking in Tivedens National Park on one of their trails.
There was a handful of hiking routes to choose from, and we decided to hike route number 5 (the blue route) of about 6.7 km. It was a really beautiful day, and we just enjoyed the trail during the good weather. We didn’t encounter any wildlife except some smaller songbirds.
Once we had ended hiking in the national park, we found yet another (and really gorgeous) swimming lake. Here, we spent a couple of hours relaxing – it was a really stunning beach, it was wide and spacious, the view of the lake was great and the facilities were top notch.
Later we continued to drive south in search of our next camping spot.
Klinten view point and our final camping spot
We found a beautiful view at a place called Klinten. It was inside a military practice zone, but people are allowed to go in and out. Of course we were skeptical about this, and thought it may be too sketchy to drive in.
We kind of wanted to camp up by the great view at Klinten, but the ground was rock solid (literally speaking!). Eventually, a group of local people arrived, and they started BBQ’ing on that warm summer evening. We therefore chickened out and decided to look for a different place to camp.
Free camping at Skackastugan
Eventually, we found a spot right by a scout cabin (‘Skackastugan’ on Google Maps), and it was in an area with summerhouses and close by the lake. There were also three shelters here, all taken by either motorcyclists or families.
We pitched our tent by the edge of the forest and with some distance to the shelters, but a little later no less than two other tents were raised close by ours! Even on our last night, we did not succeed in finding a secluded place to camp.
The day ended with us running out of gas, not being able to find a place to buy a new one with short notice. But we managed to keep our spirits high, because the temperature was high, and there were still no mosquitoes around.
Swedish lakes are excellent for cooling down on a summer day (even in Sweden!)
During our road trip, we managed to find an excellent swimming lake with a beach called ‘Vitsand Badplats’. As mentioned, it was a really wide (but narrow!), and as you may be able to see on the photo below, the water depth is quite low as well, making it a really child friendly beach to visit.
If you are in the area, Vitsand Badplats is really a top notch place to go for a swim!
We also tried to swim in Vättern itself on the very last day at a place called ‘Baskarpbadet’, but the water was icy cold! Which was very likely due to the size and depth of the large lake. Therefore, the small lakes are better, in my opinion. But the sand quality was really nice at ‘Baskarpbadet’.
What I also really liked about the Swedish lakes is that there are some nice facilities. Dry toilets and changing rooms, as well as garbage bins and places to light a small bonfire.
Hiking in Swedish National Parks during summer
Hiking in Tivedens National Park
We found Tivedens National Park to be an excellent place for hiking. As you can see from my photos, they have some fine facilities for visitors. They even provided free drinking water!
Besides finding the hiking trails on the large map, you may also collect a paper map once you are at the center during opening hours. However, you do not necessarily need a map at all, since the trails are well marked along the way.
If you venture out on some of the longer hiking trails in Tivedens, you may pass by Vitsand Badplats (the amazing beach!).
Visiting Stora Mossa – the great bog!
We visited the Visitor Center of Stora Mossa for only a short time. They had a large observation tower with an electrical lift, a perfect possibility for disabled. From the tower, you get an amazing view of Stora Mossa. From the top, we saw common cranes foraging in the bog.
At the visitor center, we learned that it is also possible to hike and camp inside Stora Mossa. But as I understood it, it was not possible to drive ‘closely’ to the campsites, perhaps making it even more attractive for people like ourselves 🙂
Conclusion
It was my first time wild camping, and even though I have many years of experience from regular campgrounds, it was interesting to test out wild camping in Sweden.
We had brought everything we needed for camping, but we didn’t find any spots to camp for ourselves. We camped at places with some facilities like dry toilets, wooden benches and picnic tables and the like. We were also REALLY lucky to not have any mosquito issues any of the places, we went to.
I do still believe it is possible to find some more secluded places to camp (even in the south of Sweden!), but we will have to find out another time :-). Maybe if we camp outside of the main summer holiday period.
If you do not have a car, and you decide to go on a hiking trip without a tent/hammock during summer, you might have a strong competition from others seeking out the shelters, such as motorbike tourists. Therefore, my best advice is to either arrive early afternoon by the shelter, and/or always have an alternative to a shelter.
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Traveling Female Ornithologist 