Are you STILL following us!? I’m wondering who can read this long, but you’re probably wondering who can cycle this long? Well, I didn’t actually think I could either but here we are, nearing our end destination on the EuroVelo 7 in Gothenburg! If you haven’t already, there are 6 other sections to read about before we get to Falun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!
Day 34 Falun to Borken Lodge (Smedjebacken) 77km
Today flew by on the bikes. It was a cold morning. We rode through a lot of farmland at first. There were cows, sheep, horses, ponies, and even ostriches. We watched a cow birth a calf! There was a second cow with the birthing cow as if to say, “I’m here for you!” When the calf finally came out, a third cow rushed over to see it. The second cow butted it out of the way. Yayy for girlfriends!!
We had our first break in Torsang. I had found a cafe on Komoot and decided that we would rest there, even if it wasn’t open. Luckily it was open! When we parked our bikes, a worker poked his head out the window asking us if we were coming or going from the Nordkapp. Inside a Bianchi bike was hanging on the wall. We ordered a Hallongrotta and a Kanelbulle. Both were among the best we’ve had. We talked briefly with the guy, who was from Italy. He said the Bianchi belonged to the boss and that he had ridden from here to Damascus, Syria and back!
8 Things I Learned on the Worst Bike Trip Ever
The second half of the day was through the forest and past a lot of lakes. We took our lunch break at a town gathering house, trying to sit in the sun but also avoid the wind. From here, the road was busier, but the landscape was really enjoyable. In no time we were at the lodge. Everything is a bit eerily empty since school started last week. Campsites seem deserted and we see almost no more RVs on the road. Also, the bikepacking family in Timrå were maybe the last bikers we have seen. The lake here is very peaceful. The clouds have been patchy all day and occasionally one of them drizzles on us.
Day 35 Borken Lodge to Uskavi 93km
It was one of our biggest days on my birthday – 93km and 990m of altitude is what Komoot recorded. It was a chilly day, but the hills kept us warm. The sun never really came out, but it didn’t rain on us either. We passed through some remote areas, including a nature reserve, and had our first break after 35km at a campground.
We were in the forest a lot and passed by nothing: no cafes, no supermarkets. There was a supermarket 12km before our camp where we saw a family of bikepackers with 3 teenage girls that were wild camping through Sweden and planning to take 9 months to cycle to Morocco. It was just one more big hill to climb before the camp – and I was looking forward to a shower and a hot meal.
When we arrived, no one was at the camp. I called the phone number on the website, but it went to an answering machine with information in Swedish. We found some permanent campers. One of them, a man who must have been around 85 years old, tried to help us although he did not speak English. He also called the same number as I did with no luck.
Planning Your First European Bikepacking Trip?
We pitched our tent on the tent pitch and used the free toilets at the beach. I asked some other campers close to the sanitary house about the code or key for the showers, but they weren’t helpful and did not share their key with us. Not only no Fika for my birthday, but not even a shower after cycling more than 90km!
C cooked us a feast on our camp stove since we couldn’t use the kitchen. We had curry with mushrooms and halloumi for dinner. The view of the lake was gorgeous. Around 8 it started to get very damp, like a cloud had settled over the camp. In the morning, no one was around again when we left. Had someone shared their key with us, we would have left money or tried to pay. But this is pretty much what you get when you camp at a free shelter here, so we just cycled on!
Day 36 Uskavi to Örebro 56km
I was quite dead from the previous day, so good thing this was a shorter day. The landscape was more open with a lot of farms and fields along the lakes. We cycled to Nora, which is famous for Sweden’s best ice cream and its wooden houses. It was only 9:15 when we arrived and the ice cream place didn’t open until 10:30. I was agonizingly tired.
Nora – Sweden’s Best Ice Cream
We went into a cafe for a cup of tea, and of course a Hallongrotta. The cafe was quaint with old wooden floors and mismatched chairs. I could choose and scoop the tea myself from the tea counter. I was so glad to warm up. The tent had been soaking wet when we packed up and everything just felt damp.
There were several shops in this town since it is quite touristy, so we browsed to kill time. When we came out, we could see a worker in a neon yellow vest unfurling the flag sticking out of C’s bike bag. He took a photo, presumably to figure out what the black bear represented 😉 The bear is definitely a great conversation starter.
It was finally ice cream time! Nora Glass is somewhere between hard and soft ice cream. The price includes all three flavors of the day, which change regularly. Today it was vanilla, hazelnut, and current. C got all three and I decided for just vanilla and black current. It was really good, and possibly the first time we got scooped ice cream the whole summer.
Continuing on, we cycled next to a military test zone and then through a nature park. We found a nice rest spot at a Bygdegard in Närkes Kil. There was a picnic table where we had a snack and pitched the tent to let it dry. A woman came by and told us she was there to water the plants and take care of a few things in the meeting house. She was curious and asked us a few questions before beginning her routine. She asked if we had stayed there the night, where we were going, if we wanted to fill our bottles or if we needed the bathroom.
Bikepacking Packing Guide
When we packed up the tent she came out to say goodbye and asked to take a photo of us so she could tell her friends about our encounter. An interesting thing that Swedes do when they talk is suck in the air sharply to show agreement or interest and this woman did it often which was cool to hear this little cultural specialty.
We followed the trail a while, but then left the Sverigeleden for another bike trail to get us into Örebro. On the way we cycled through a beautiful tree lined boulevard. At an intersection we stopped to watch the birds. There were several colorful nuthatches flying about, hopping up and down the tree trunks, calling to one another. We went through a small natural and cultural reserve, stopping to climb up a birding tower. It had a handicap accessible platform and a dry toilet.
We had an AirBnB outside the center of Örebro that cost nearly as much as the campsite in town would have. As we head southwards, the campsites and hotels are getting more expensive. We planned to stay three nights so we could have a full day in town and a full day of rest.
Rest Day Örebro
We started by visiting the impressive looking castle, which many people gave bad reviews about online. There isn’t much of an exhibit about the history of the castle, and few rooms have period furniture (maybe just one hall, and it is mostly portraits). The other exhibits are ok. There was one about consumerism comparing what people had back in the day to now, a gallery by a local artist, an exhibit about fantastical horses in various cultures, and an immersive exhibit about the witch trials in Sweden in the 1600s.
The admission price included a guided historical tour of the castle and the only English one was at 15:00, so we planned to return later in the day. We ran some errands, but I was still totally knocked out from our long day of cycling. We sat on a lot of benches because I was too tired to wander around.
As a special, belated birthday treat, we went out for lunch at Gro, a restaurant that has sustainability and local, seasonal ingredients in focus. The dinner menus are pricy, but lunch was a steal. It was mostly self-serve and only 4 dishes to choose from, but included juice, salad, bread with hummus and cream cheese, and coffee and cake. C and I both got the quinoa zucchini ravioli with chanterelles. It was delicious.
Later we had the tour of the castle, which was nice, but also not satisfying. We learned about the history of the castle as a prison and that it was a stopping point for royalty on their way elsewhere.
I was too tired for Fika, but C insisted. We went to Vasa Konditori and had a Hallongrotta, the marshmallow cookie, and a green marzipan and chocolate triangle.
On our second rest day, we stayed home as it was supposed to rain a lot. Like all other rainy days, it did not rain as much as we expected. We got some more trip planning done.
Day 37 Örebro to Däldenäs 75km
Today the kilometers whizzed by. We used a nice bike path out of Örebro for a dozen kilometers. Then we zigzagged through several small towns. I thought we would be on the official trail for most of the day, but it was actually very little. We took a break in a town square. Then we had another nice bike path, this time gravel, until we got to a bigger road.
For lunch we found a nice spot at a gas station, which doesn’t sound so nice, but it was on the lake and there were so many picnic tables. We looked at a dock full of small boats. I started to get cold because it was still overcast, so I put on my leggings and fleece. We had knäckebröd with hummus and radishes.
In no time we reached Åtorp and the ICA supermarket. There was a cafe there which we visited after getting groceries. C had blueberry cake and I had carrot cake. The man came out and talked to us a bit about the cafe and connected hostel. We met another German bikepacker as we were leaving. He was northbound but not headed to the North Cape.
It was another 13km, now away from the route, to get to camp. Along the way we had to pick up the key. The key was in someone’s mailbox several kilometers before the camp, which is like a youth group camp. We got the keys to everything, even the main house, which has a kitchen, kit to cook for dozens, and rooms full of bunkbeds. Outside there are cabins for showers, toilets, and a camp kitchen. We are the only ones here! It is so peaceful!
Day 38 Däldenäs to Töreboda 85km
We saw no one the whole time we were at the Sommargård. It was so quiet, just the wind rustling through the birch trees and the birds. There was a very squeaky one at night, something like an owl. The night remained warm under a cover of clouds. It was very dark when we got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Lucky timing, because it rained for a good hour right after we got back into the tent.
No rain in the morning, but it was damp and foggy. The visibility was the lowest we have had on our whole trip. A few kilometers in, I put on my orange vest. C’s windbreaker is bright yellow-green, and he has orange bike paniers, so he’s pretty visible. We passed the same farms, cows, and horses as we did on our way in, and dropped the key back into the mailbox we had gotten it from, with a 100SEK note. It was more than we were expected to pay for the night, but not enough to show how much we enjoyed it.
In Åtorp, we saw the roofers already getting started and joined the Sverigeleden to continue our journey south. We followed lots of random gravel roads and joined in with the 6. Crossing into two other counties, we cycled counterclockwise around the lake we had stayed on last night. We cycled a long time looking for a break spot. Then we found this cute building that looked a bit like a church. Inside it seemed like someone was renovating it. Outside was a white bench with the paint peeling everywhere but also two wooden chairs and matching table. We sat down with our snacks and noticed that dozens of bloodsuckers were also planning to join us for snacks. We packed up running!
It was 10km to the next church, but there was nothing in between and we got there in no time. Just before I got to the town, a car was behind me. The road was narrow, and it wasn’t possible to see well over the little hill I was climbing up. The car waited behind me until I pulled off to the side. The young woman driving waved to me like she was my best friend. She must be a cyclist, I thought.
C had already pulled into the Bygdegård when I arrived and funnily enough, he was talking to the two women that had just passed me. The young woman had a baby in her arms and the other woman was probably her mom. They had had a party for the baby’s christening there last night and were here to do clean up. The young woman had also done quite a bit of bikepacking. Less than a decade ago she spent 14 months cycling the globe. No wonder she had been so excited to see me 🙂 They also offered us to come in and use the toilet if we needed.
We rode through Gullspång which had a railroad bike station, and then a long time along the Väner Lake, Sweden’s largest lake. Oftentimes we weren’t so close to the lake, but we could see it sometimes from the trail. As soon as we got to the lake, it felt like we were in a beach town. We stopped at an empty campsite for lunch. We rode on a bike path all the way to Sjötorp where we headed inland on the Göte Canal. The sun began to come out and I shed my leggings.
The canal is 190km long and connects Gothenburg to Stockholm. The view was nice but the gravel wasn’t that great. We rode by many locks and cute yellow houses. One of them was a cafe and Vanderhem hostel. We stopped in to get a chocolate ball covered in coconut and a cinnamon bun. Two older gentlemen were playing guitar outside where we sat with all the retired folks. It wasn’t much further to Töreboda after that.
On the last few kilometers we saw so many birdhouses shaped like various animals. They certainly brightened my spirit after a long day. We stopped at Coop for groceries and got half price Magnum ice creams at camp which is directly on the canal. After we checked in, the woman came out after us to let us know that someone’s bike was stolen last week. We locked ours up on the playground equipment right away.
Day 39 Töreboda to Filsbäck 93km
Nothing happened in the night, although every noise made me panic that my bike was getting stolen (my Berlin twitch). We cycled back on the canal to return to the Vänerleden bike trail. No more Sverigeleden anymore. Lots of farms, cows, fields, horses, and hay. We stopped in Mariestad for a break and watched birds by the water. A white wagtail had a feather stuck on its tail. This was when we cycled closest to the lake.
Lots and lots of gravel later we stopped in Hällekis for lunch at the guest harbor. There were a plethora of picnic tables. We could see a bridge to an island in the lake. It seemed like the other side of Lake Väner, though this was an illusion. Later we would glimpse the vastness.
Eventually we got to the Kinnekulle reserve which is a big hill! They mined limestone here and you can see the remains of the quarry. There is a turquoise blue lake. As we cycled higher, we had a view of the quarry lake and Lake Väner. It reminded me of the Baltic Sea, it was so big! The wind picked up and cycling through open farmland was exhausting. We found a farm stand where C wanted to get tomatoes, but we only had 43SEK in change or a 200SEK bill, so we couldn’t get them for 59SEK.
In Källby we took a detour to go to a little shop for groceries. Basically it is a gas station convenience store, but it had all the basics and we were able to get pasta, sauce, and feta. Camp was just another 7km away, but it took forever.
Day 40 Filsbäck to Hunneberg Gård 85km
We got lucky with the weather forecast in two ways. One, the lack of wind forecasted was true. We cycled the whole day through farmland. It would have been a grueling 85km had there been headwind. Two, the rain which was anticipated to be on and off all day long turned out to be not a single drop of rain. This lifted our mood further every hour we didn’t get wet. Despite being overcast, it was warm enough without the wind that I could ride part of the day without a jacket.
5km after Filsbäck we were in Lidköping. We could see the lake, but never rode directly next to it, and that would be as close as we would get to the water all day. We took a detour to the town square which has a historic red town hall. Our main goal was to find a bakery. If it was going to rain all day, we should at least have a few treats in store. 17€ later we exited the confectionary with a bag full of baked goodies.
We cycled in semicircles moving away from Lidköping. One sign said 11km back to town and the next said 9km, leaving us feeling like we were going in actual circles. The rest of the day was spent passing one farm after another. Most of the fields had been harvested, it seemed like hay or wheat. Sometimes there were cows. Often the fields had cranes in them, sometimes just a pair or a trio, other times a dozen, and sometimes over a hundred birds gathering in the empty fields.
At a third of the way we stopped at a church for lunch on a white bench. We both ate our cinnamon buns. Yes, one each. Later we got lucky and an open-air museum had some tables and chairs we could sit on. We set up the tent to dry since it didn’t seem like it would rain soon. It was still wet from raining all night. The trail was flat today so the kilometers seemed to melt by. I was always counting how many I should be grateful for staying dry through.
Only at the end we had a good incline. We could see the Hunneberg coming in the distance. A big cliff covered in pine trees. The road was so steep we pushed our bikes up a bit. It was only 110m tall, but 500m of steep incline after 75km of cycling was too much for both of us. On the way up there was a glimpse of the Väner Lake between the trees. We cycled a few kilometers across the top and stopped to check out the museum. It cost 90SEK and would be open just another half hour. We decided against it and cycled the last kilometer to the camp.
We have a nice view of the mountain here. Horses graze in the fields beyond the tent pitch. The setting sun made beautiful light on the yellow house, which is also a hostel/hotel. We rode 2km to town for groceries after pitching the tent. There had been nothing on the way since Lidköping. We cooked a potato gratin using utensils from the giant kitchen on the ground floor.
Rest Day Vänersborg
In the morning we took care of some things. I planned our journey from Gothenburg to Copenhagen, which we’re pretty set on doing now. We had some snacks before heading to the bus to town. First, we went to the bird watching tower, then had lunch at the harbor, wandered around town, and ate fika at Nordfelts Konditori (hallongrotta, chocolate ball, and a dense chocolate cookie with cookie bottom).
We also stopped by the tourist office, which was the best stocked one we have visited in Sweden. They had brochures for all over, even small places like Bollnäs. We visited a small handwork shop which was very cute. At Hemköp we bought a few more items, including more cinnamon buns and muffins. Back at camp we took a nap, had more fika, read, and called my dad for his birthday. We heated up the remaining gratin supplemented with two loaves of garlic bread. I felt so relaxed!
Day 41 Hunnebergs Gård to Skogsvallen 88km
It rained in the night a little, but then was so windy that the tent was dry when we woke up. Today we were unlucky with the wind and the hills! It was incredible how different the landscape was before Vånersborg and after. It had been so completely flat and everything was brown and yellow. Now, we constantly rode up and down and everything was green again. We fought a headwind all day long. It got frustrating for us both, so much so, that even C said it wasn’t fun.
Despite the long hard day, the first kilometers always pass by quickly. We got a bit lost on our way from camp to Vänersborg. When we found our way, we cycled along the water around the city. We passed the bird tower and marina. The light was so beautiful that I wanted to photograph everything. There’s midnight sun in the summer, but then fall hits swiftly. It was early September, and the light was already so golden.
A lot of bike trails meet around Vänersborg. Since there are no official EuroVelo signs, we could put together the route any way we wanted, but also meant that we had to be careful at several intersections.
For a while after the city there was nowhere to take a break in sight. After 35km, C chose a bench and table in someone’s yard for snack time. The same would happen for lunch except we were way more exhausted. The wind made cycling feel like a crawl.
After 50km, we were in Lille Edet where we planned to go to the supermarket. A gaggle of teenagers outside seemed unable to decide in which direction to saunter next. We wondered if they shouldn’t be at school? The cinnamon buns were 4 for 28SEK, so we got some for now and some for later. Then we cycled on and on and on and on. I was dying to stop anywhere but C was nowhere in sight. Finally I caught up to him waiting in a parking lot. It seemed like a Bygdegard and there was a covered picnic table. We were both finished and took a nap in the sun after lunch.
Continuing on was grueling. The road was busier and I just had no energy left. Usually having less than 20km to go feels awesome and flies by, but this dragged on forever. Eventually we got to the turn for Skogsvallen, and magically, the road was downhill instead of up. I was so happy to finally roll into camp.
Normally, no one is here at this camp. It’s self-check in and you pay via Swish or Paypal. But this weekend is an accordion festival. Eva, the owner, herself was here with an army of other ladies who were vigorously cleaning the last bits of the common building. She greeted us while washing the windows. There would be chanterelle soup at 5pm, for free, with mushrooms she picked herself from the forest. Where else can you stay overnight and get dinner for two for 150SEK!? She showed us around and told us where the tent pitch was.
After showering and our mediocre cinnamon buns from Coop, we joined in the common building for soup and knäckebröd. Other than a Dutch couple, everyone else was Swedish and over 60 (or maybe 70). Dinner was delicious and we had seconds after deciding to skip cooking tonight.
Were now looking forward to what the evening will hold!
There were maybe 6 RVs parked close to the common building and our tent on the other side of what used to be a soccer field. All dozen people were in the living room of the main building for the accordion festival. About 5 people sat in a circle with accordions on their laps, while their partners, the Dutch couple, and we looked on. A woman and a man decided the which songs to play and sang together while the others played. I don’t think the group had played together previously, but everyone knew the same songs.
One older woman was so hunched over in her chair I wasn’t sure if she was playing the accordion or sleeping. Sometimes the other Swedes in the room sang along. We stayed a good while, but didn’t make it to the end of this wild party! It definitely was a unique and special experience.
Day 42 Skogsvallen to Gothenburg 50km
It was the rainiest day we have had on the trip! When we woke up everything was damp and there was a little sunshine. By the time we got in the saddle it was completely overcast. We raced to get in as much cycling as we could until the rain began. Around 12km in, we were near a big lake when the drops began. We pulled over to put on our raingear – pants, jacket, and gaiters.
It didn’t seem necessary at first but then there was more and more rain. On the plus side, the trail was flat and paved on a nice bike path away from the road the whole way. It would have been a gorgeous ride on a sunnier day!
After 30km, I couldn’t be in the rain any longer but there had been nothing to shelter under. C pulled off in Olofstorp into a bus shelter. Finally, a reprieve from the rain. We snacked and waited a good hour watching the kids from the school go back and forth from the convenience store pizzeria, as well as the X3 bus in both directions.
When the heaviest rain was over, we got back on the bikes for the last 20km to Gothenburg. The landscape looked really cool, but I had such low visibility through the raindrops on my glasses that I need to keep my eyes focused on the road. Luckily the signs were all great and led us directly to the main train station at the center of the city. My fingers were so wet that they weren’t much use with my phone.
We went to an Espresso House to dry off and wait until we could check in to the hotel. We both got hot chocolate to celebrate 2968km from Nordkapp to Gothenburg!!
Checked in, showered, and then we went up the hill to see an old Redoubt fortification with a view of the city. We cooked couscous salad for the next days and made the curry dinner which we didn’t have last night.
Rest Days Gothenburg
First we got up super early to go to Cafe Husarem and get a giant plate sized Hagabulle to take with us on our trip to Brännö island in the southern archipelago. On Brännö we hiked to the second island which is connected by a small footbridge and is a nature reserve. There are no cars on the southern islands. The hike was beautiful through natural landscapes on the islands. The first, larger island has a small village of summer homes, which are also picturesque Swedish.
The next day we did a free walking tour which was great and we learned some Gothenburg history as well as some contemporary information. Afterwards we took forever to find somewhere to eat lunch. We settled on a taco place, which I was skeptical about. In the end it was the most amazing vegetarian tacos! I tried to order more but they were out!! We went to a cafe in the center to do some planning. Then we couldn’t decide really what to do and wandered around a lot. Despite being so undecided, I really liked Gothenburg a lot.
The End?
Is this the end because we arrived in Gothenburg? I didn’t even think we’d make it all this way, but we decided to continue onwards! Our first ever bikepacking trip together was from Berlin to Copenhagen, so how cute would it be if our first bike trip married went to Copenhagen too!? Stay tuned for the rest!!