Okay, the page is called “Sweden 2026,” but we’re currently in Denmark. That’s because we want to drive through Denmark on our way to Lerdala in Sweden. I think starting Tuesday, the title and photos will match again.
Traveling through Denmark
3rd – 6th of July 2026
The west coast, along the North Sea, offers beautiful, wide beaches and plenty of space. The farther north you go, the windier it gets, but we found some great places to stay overnight.
Sweden
7th and 8th of July 2026
On 7 July 2026, we made the crossing from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg. We took the night ferry at 01:30, as it was a good €100 cheaper than the daytime crossings. We were able to book a space for a car up to 6 metres in length, as the Opel Vivaro was 5.78 metres long and, luckily, the caravan was also under 6 metres. That came to €230, including one adult. We took some fleece blankets with us and slept on the seats or on the floor. The three-hour crossing flew by and we were rewarded with a stunning sunrise over Gothenburg.
When we arrived at our lovely Swedish cottage, we got a good sense of what life must have been like in the past. It was a typical wooden house with a shed housing a woodworking workshop and a store for firewood. Inside the house there is an open fireplace and, in the kitchen, a wood-burning stove for baking and cooking. An electric cooker was added later.
We had breakfast first and then lay down to catch up on the sleep we’d missed during the night. At around 3 pm, we set off by bike to the nearby lake.
The next day, our first hike was on the agenda. We split into two groups. The dogs were driven by car to the car park 6 km away, whilst the rest of us cycled behind. We then walked about 5 km to the Silberwasserfall. It is a small waterfall, about 4 metres high, on a little stream in the forest.
9th and 10th of July 2026 – Nellas Birthday
Of course, you sleep in when you’re on holiday. As a result, breakfast doesn’t finish until 11. We’d planned to go for a swim in Lake Vänern today and had picked out a short walk near Kommod, close to Mariestad.
The weather is getting better every day now, and whilst temperatures of between 30 and 35 degrees are forecast in Germany, we’re delighted with 26 here. There was plenty of cake on my birthday. We baked a strawberry cake ourselves and bought a ‘princess cake’ as well. We’ve now learnt that this cake dates from around 1930 and was created especially for the Swedish princesses of the time, who approved of it. It tastes very sweet, but is also delicious straight from the fridge. In the evening, we had a campfire and roasted bread on sticks, grilled cheese and sausages.
10 July was a day for lazing about. We went for a walk to the lake near the house, spent a few hours there, and spent the rest of the day playing games and eating.
11th and 12th of July
Another day at the lake, but this time doing stand-up paddleboarding. We drove around looking for a cove where we could get closer to the water and pumped up both boards. Of course, we’d forgotten again to set the valve to the right position, and when we took the plug out, so much air came out that my hat flew off my head. After another attempt, Greta and Lotte were able to head out onto the lake. We stayed until about 4 and then set off on our way back. For dinner today we had pancakes, which Nella made really well.
On Sunday, we had a 10km walk planned. The route took us around the lake in the Eahagen-Öglunda ängars nature reserve. The footpaths were good. At first, they were even suitable for pushchairs, but in the woods and the cow pastures it was better to leave them behind. Tiny flies and horseflies were a bit of a nuisance, but the walk in the reserve was lovely all the same.
Back home, we had coffee and ice cream, and we started the yeast dough for the pizza. We want to try out the wood-fired oven and are really looking forward to it.
13th to 16th of July
We’ve had brilliant summer weather for the last three days, which peaked today at nearly 30°. We’ve decided to spend each day simply swimming. We prefer the water in Lake Vättern to that in Lake Vänern, so we don’t mind the roughly one-and-a-half-hour drive to get to a few lovely spots. Between Karlsborg and Askersund there are some beautiful bays just waiting to be explored.
