Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Canoe articles - Sweden 2003 - June 23rd
Nederlosa Bad
Monday 23rd June
The water had dropped nearly a foot overnight and a couple of cows had sneaked
along the waterline, as the fence did not go far enough out into the water. I chased them
back into their field before they did too much damage.
I made a late start in the morning and didn’t get away until 10.30am. With the long
hours of daylight this far north there isn’t so much need for the early start as there is
further south. The main reason for early starts is to make progress before the wind gets
up later in the day, but this does not matter on a sheltered river. I landed by the dam and
(illegally?) portaged down the road past the dam/ power station and launched just below
the dam.
Today the river went was flowing mainly through wilderness with only occasional
summerhouses and a few farms. There was a decent flow in places where the water was
shallow. In these areas I had to fight my way through reed beds and fallen trees.
Goldeneye (ducks) were plentiful in these areas. Mute swans were also common. In
England we think of them as common birds, but they are fairly rare in Sweden.
I stopped for lunch on a small jetty, which I assume was there for the benefit of
fishermen. It was about this time that the cloud started to build up.
In the late afternoon I had to bypass my second dam of the day. Again the official
route wasn’t at all clear, but I managed to find a route on which I could use my trolley. I
don’t suppose it was the approved route as the portage was about 1½km, compared with
the 4oom quoted on the canoe map. Gentle rain had started to fall as I launched my canoe
into the lake formed by the next dam and I paddled down to the badplats just before that
dam, where I put up my tent in the continuing rain. The kanotleden from the badplats no
longer existed as it has been blocked by the security fences guarding the power station
associated with the dam. After discussions with one of the locals I discovered a way down
to the river to use in the morning.
The weather forecast for the next few days, given to me by a group of Polish Swedes
wasn’t very encouraging. When I got back to the camp, there was a group of 13 year-old
boys swimming and fishing from the swimming pontoon. It was still quite warm despite
the rain and I went for a swim before disappearing into my tent for the night.
The water had dropped nearly a foot overnight and a couple of cows had sneaked
along the waterline, as the fence did not go far enough out into the water. I chased them
back into their field before they did too much damage.
I made a late start in the morning and didn’t get away until 10.30am. With the long
hours of daylight this far north there isn’t so much need for the early start as there is
further south. The main reason for early starts is to make progress before the wind gets
up later in the day, but this does not matter on a sheltered river. I landed by the dam and
(illegally?) portaged down the road past the dam/ power station and launched just below
the dam.
Today the river went was flowing mainly through wilderness with only occasional
summerhouses and a few farms. There was a decent flow in places where the water was
shallow. In these areas I had to fight my way through reed beds and fallen trees.
Goldeneye (ducks) were plentiful in these areas. Mute swans were also common. In
England we think of them as common birds, but they are fairly rare in Sweden.
I stopped for lunch on a small jetty, which I assume was there for the benefit of
fishermen. It was about this time that the cloud started to build up.
In the late afternoon I had to bypass my second dam of the day. Again the official
route wasn’t at all clear, but I managed to find a route on which I could use my trolley. I
don’t suppose it was the approved route as the portage was about 1½km, compared with
the 4oom quoted on the canoe map. Gentle rain had started to fall as I launched my canoe
into the lake formed by the next dam and I paddled down to the badplats just before that
dam, where I put up my tent in the continuing rain. The kanotleden from the badplats no
longer existed as it has been blocked by the security fences guarding the power station
associated with the dam. After discussions with one of the locals I discovered a way down
to the river to use in the morning.
The weather forecast for the next few days, given to me by a group of Polish Swedes
wasn’t very encouraging. When I got back to the camp, there was a group of 13 year-old
boys swimming and fishing from the swimming pontoon. It was still quite warm despite
the rain and I went for a swim before disappearing into my tent for the night.
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