Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Canoe articles - Sweden 2003 - June 26th
Thursday 26th June
There was gentle rain in the morning and I delayed my start until the sun
appeared at 10 am. Threatening thundercloud was building up in the distance and it
was very humid. I stopped at a beautiful little badplats in a little archipelago on Stora
Rangen. At this time of the morning it was still deserted. Unless the weather is
particularly good the people don’t tend to turn up at the bathing places until after
11am. I then continued to the remote Scöterbadet on the approach to (Lake)
Järnlunden where I stopped for lunch. Initially it was deserted, but then a father
turned up with 3 young sons. I had a chat with them, trying to tell them about my
trip, but it wasn’t easy without a common language.
The lockkeeper at the final lock of the Kinda Canal, at the entrance to
Järnlunden, let me through the lock behind a motor cruiser, saving me the portage. I
passed a couple of Osprey nests as I paddled down the lake. Ospreys build big nests
on the top of a fir tree, usually on small islands or promontories, so they have a good
view of any threat approaching their nest. They are one of the noisiest birds and they
make a big commotion, even if you pass them at a distance of 100m. The long paddle
down the lake ended on a lovely beach on the SW shore. I put up my tent and then
asked the mother, with 4 girls, who were swimming, if they minded if I went skinny-
dipping. I was rather surprised that they readily agreed. I had just started my swim
when a thunderstorm struck, so I had to rush out to put all my equipment in the tent
before completing my swim.
In the evening I finished reading a book about a Scottish family who went round
the world by horse and caravan: quite an undertaking.
After the storm had passed I went for a walk and discovered that I was on a
nature reserve and that camping was not allowed. Too late! The signs were at the car
park, where there was also a camping area signed.
There was gentle rain in the morning and I delayed my start until the sun
appeared at 10 am. Threatening thundercloud was building up in the distance and it
was very humid. I stopped at a beautiful little badplats in a little archipelago on Stora
Rangen. At this time of the morning it was still deserted. Unless the weather is
particularly good the people don’t tend to turn up at the bathing places until after
11am. I then continued to the remote Scöterbadet on the approach to (Lake)
Järnlunden where I stopped for lunch. Initially it was deserted, but then a father
turned up with 3 young sons. I had a chat with them, trying to tell them about my
trip, but it wasn’t easy without a common language.
The lockkeeper at the final lock of the Kinda Canal, at the entrance to
Järnlunden, let me through the lock behind a motor cruiser, saving me the portage. I
passed a couple of Osprey nests as I paddled down the lake. Ospreys build big nests
on the top of a fir tree, usually on small islands or promontories, so they have a good
view of any threat approaching their nest. They are one of the noisiest birds and they
make a big commotion, even if you pass them at a distance of 100m. The long paddle
down the lake ended on a lovely beach on the SW shore. I put up my tent and then
asked the mother, with 4 girls, who were swimming, if they minded if I went skinny-
dipping. I was rather surprised that they readily agreed. I had just started my swim
when a thunderstorm struck, so I had to rush out to put all my equipment in the tent
before completing my swim.
In the evening I finished reading a book about a Scottish family who went round
the world by horse and caravan: quite an undertaking.
After the storm had passed I went for a walk and discovered that I was on a
nature reserve and that camping was not allowed. Too late! The signs were at the car
park, where there was also a camping area signed.
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Sunset from camp