One of the things I like to do the most in Sweden is enjoying Allemansrätten, the Right to Public Access or Outdoor Access Rights. I’m happier sitting around a fire than in a fancy restaurant somewhere, and this preference has made my life much more enjoyable, especially because in Sweden outdoor activities have not been forbidden under the pandemic. I was able to enjoy the Swedish nature and at the same time  follow the recommendations for social distancing completely.

Today I’ll share with you one of my recent adventures. I share an apartment with a friend who also likes being outdoors, cycling and doing sports. To celebrate her birthday, we decided to camp on an island nearby.

How did we get there?

Because we don’t have a car and didn’t want to take public transportation, first we cycled  around 25 km to get from Linköping to Vårdnäs, where we rented a 2-person kayak. We chose to rent it for two days, and split the cost of 1100 sek. In Vårdnäs, we met my boyfriend, but he rented a kayak for himself because he would not be with us for the whole trip.

We paddled from Vårdnäs to the locks in Brokind Slussar, and had to lift our kayaks there. It was hard, but we made it! From Brokind, we continued paddling until we arrived at Bromön, an island a little bit further away from the famous Viggeby nature reserve, a great place to go hiking and swimming.

It was 4 hours of paddling, and previous to that we had cycled for around 2h. It was tiring, especially because we started our journey at 1 p.m.

I suggest you start the journey in the morning, so you can take it easier and enjoy the beautiful way there. We arrived at the island around 8 p.m., but this was not a problem at all since the days are longer and longer. Totally worth it, for the beautiful sunset:

We cooked and slept in this shelter. All the food and our equipment was brought in the kayak’s luggage compartments.

The next day we walked around the island’s beautiful nature and returned home, paddling and cycling all the way back. Some of the scenes we spotted:

This is it! I hope you also have wonderful adventures around Östergötland!


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