Archive for the ‘Trips and Adventures’ Category
Return to Sweden
September 1st, 2010 | 
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Earlier this year back at the start of June my friend Garry and I returned to the beautiful lakes in the Dalsland Nordmarken area of Sweden.
As before we flew from Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom to Gardermoen airport in Norway and then caught a bus to the small town of Arjang in Sweden. There we were unexpectedly met by our canoe outfitter Preben Mortensen and his wife Gunn who were in Arjang doing their grocery shop.
After we had bought our provisions in the local supermarket Preben drove us to his home, set on the shore of lake Vastra Silen. As we wound our way through the forest we caught our first glimpses of the lake between the trees. The weather wasn’t quite as nice as the last time we had come to this area. There was a stiff breeze blowing and the lake appeared quite choppy. However on our arrival at Prebens home and the canoe centre we made the decision that perhaps the lake wasn’t quite as rough as we had first feared. The paddle to our fist nights camp was only across a wide bay of about a kilometre and we would be sheltered by the land protruding out into the lake ahead of us.
Dog Sledding & Bushcraft in Sweden
My family and I have recently returned from a fantastic trip to a Winter Wonderland of snow, ice and frozen lakes, better known as Jämtland in Sweden.
TRAVEL
We flew from Heathrow airport, London, UK and landed at Arlanda airport, Stockholm, Sweden. After spending a night in a very nice hotel not far from the airport. Early the next morning we caught ‘The Ice Train’ at the train station housed in the same buildings as the airport itself. The Ice Train took us through some breathtaking scenery as we travelled up through Sweden. It’s final destination was Ostersund but, we disembarked just before at a small station in Bräcke.
Survivorman A Trip to the Woods with the Bare Minimum of Kit – Part 4
I set about collecting anything I could find that would be good to add to my bedding. Dead fern, bracken, leaf litter, grass it all went in there. I didn’t put it in the shelter straight away but spread it around under the trees to try and dry it as much as possible while the rain held off. Collecting extra bedding was a chore i found myself doing everyday throughout the week. It’s amazing how much you need. Spend just one night on a layer of bedding as thick as the length of your arm and the following morning you’ll find it squashed down to just a couple of inches.
Right that was the bed sorted. I then spent the rest of the morning collecting more fire wood, boiling some water and making myself hot drinks. I did notice that as well as rehydrating me the drinks also helped to keep my hunger at bay a little. Talking of hunger, it was high time I went in search of something to eat…
Survivorman A Trip to the Woods with the Bare Minimum of Kit – Part 3
I decided to build an ‘A’ frame debris shelter. The reason being that I’ve built several of these before so, know what I’m doing. There are many other free standing shelter designs but, I didn’t think that this would be the time to experiment. Better to stick with what I knew worked and what I was capable of building on my own in the time I had before night drew in. Being winter, the evenings arrived early and fast so I was on a tight time scale.
It took me a while to find the three main pieces of wood I would need to make the ‘tripod’ which would form the basis of the shelter. Two forked branches and one long straight branch. It’s amazing isn’t it… when you’re looking for a piece of wood with a bend in it, every piece of wood you pick up is straight as an arrow. When you need a straight piece of wood, you might as well be searching for the Holy Grail.
Survivorman! A Trip to the Woods with the Bare Minimum of Kit – Part 2
It was Saturday morning. It had been raining since I had woken up but, miracle of miracles it had actually stopped. The clouds had cleared and it was starting to look like it might be quite a reasonable day weather wise. I had taken the chance to get a decent breakfast inside me before I ventured outside and started on my survival adventure. A bowl of cereal was followed by a full English breakfast, followed by toast and several cups of tea. I can assure you this isn’t the norm but hey, give me a break. I didn’t know when or where the next meal was coming from.
Survivorman! A Trip to the Woods with the Bare Minimum of Kit – Part 1
One Sunday a few months ago, back in December 2008 I had been out for a walk in my local woods with my dogs. The weather was foul, wind, driving rain and the temperature was pretty low. There was mud and water everywhere and I was pretty glad to get back home. I dried the dogs and got them sorted, changed out of my sopping wet clothes, made myself a cup of tea, collapsed into my comfy armchair and sat there, listening to the rain lashing against the window pane. What on earth was I going to do for the rest of this Sunday afternoon?
Castaway on the Wilderness Isle
Imagine a bushcrafters paradise. An island where wildlife is abundant, wild food is plentiful, tranquillity is within easy reach and the maddening crowd has been left far, far away.
Sound good, well you no longer have to use your imagination. This magical island really does exist and you’ve no need to travel to foreign climbs, its right here on your doorstep. Welcome to the little known and uninhabited island of Texa.
Canoeing in Sweden
“Dalsland – Nordmarken is one of Europe’s finest lake systems with clean air, fresh water and a varied nature. Here you will find innumerable lakes and watercourses especially suited for canoeing. Paddle across the waters and find your own way between islands and points of land. Find a place where you can camp for the night and where you can experience nature’s placid silence.
Maybe you will hear the desolate sound of the black-throated diver in the summer night, perhaps you will see a moose at the brink of the water. Depending on the weather, the wind and the length of your daily canoe trip, your paddling may turn out to be a test of your strength or just wonderful relaxation. The choice is entirely yours. The best news however is that this wonderful part of the world is within easy reach, using nothing but public transport.