Ship unhurried from beautiful Ulvön

The most common way to get to Ulvön is probably by boat, but since we came by car we had to make do with the ferries that were offered. There are three different ones to choose from; One that goes from Örnsköldsvik and is more of a freight boat. It takes about two hours and makes the ferries to Poland feel like luxury cruisers. Option number two is the fast ferry which takes about an hour. It's slightly more pleasant, but the focus is still on speed rather than experience.

Both of these ferries leave from Köpmanholmen, but if you have bulky luggage such as a bicycle or a large suitcase, number one is the way to go.

We took option three which is more of a tourist boat that only runs in the summer. It is much more cosy as it is a slightly older boat with both a café and sun deck. It docks at three different harbours along the coast, Ullånger, Docksta, Mjällomslandet and depending on which one you choose, the trip takes between two hours and 45 minutes. The only downside to this otherwise pleasant option is that it doesn't stop at Köpmanholmen and only runs once a day. In other words, you have to take the same boat back and forth and are somewhat tied to their somewhat unfortunate timetable.

Before the boat left, we explored the small community of Docksta. It's not exactly a metropolis but who cares about that when one of the attractions is... Jeltsjes Chocolate Pralines. However, our joy at the find turned to disappointment as they did not open until later in the day.

As we turned to leave, we heard a voice from above asking us to come in. Fortunately, it was not higher powers that spoke to us but the owner who stood and shouted from a window. In retrospect, one can wonder if it was pity or that he was used to identifying two good pigs.

Regardless, it was a very nice café run by a Dutch family. They had just moved their shop to Docksta and seemed to have grand plans for their production. We tried two different types of hot chocolate but also bought some chocolates for the boat trip. You can't really see it in the picture but some of the chocolates looked almost like little works of art. They had a shiny surface with a kind of shifting pattern that was very delicious. They were also really good so we almost regretted not buying more. If you do not have the roads past Docksta, you can order the pralines and other goodies in their shop. webshop.

The trip to Ulvön was calm and pleasant. If you are used to the Stockholm or Gothenburg archipelago, it felt almost desolate here. One can also note that it is much more hilly here. Some of the islands have mountains that are several hundred metres high, which creates a more dramatic coastline.

Ulvön is divided in the middle but most of the buildings and facilities are on the northern island. Between the northern and southern parts there is a small fairway where you also find Ulvöhamn. When you see the small community from a distance, it looks very picturesque and almost as if time has stood still.

In the picture to the far right you see Ulvö Hotel where we stayed. From a distance, the hotel looks quite unassuming but appearances are deceiving as it maintains a high standard in all areas. This applies to both standard, service and other facilities.

We were very curious about the room so we checked in as soon as we came ashore. We were certainly not disappointed as it was a bright corner room with windows on two sides, large balcony and beautiful views of the water. A really nice detail was that there was a small gift with a message, where they welcomed us and gave a teaser for the evening's dining experiences.

Wolf Island was bigger than we expected and there was a lot to explore. In town, there is an old chapel decorated by a local talent who reportedly got tired of the bare walls and replaced them with his own highly personalised interpretations of the Bible.

When surströmming production started in earnest and the population increased significantly, a real church was also built. It is not big but still cosy and in a nice location. On the way up to the church we passed a fire station that also serves as a meeting place for the surströmming academy.

Down in the village there is also a local history museum where we found the epic quote below.

As far as restaurants are concerned, it is fair to say that the choice is wide for a village with thirty inhabitants. Above you can see Bistro Ruben which is perhaps the most cosy place, but since we had already booked dinner, we had to settle for a stroll in the garden.

Below we have Ulvö Harbour Inn which was down on the bridge and had both good drinks and excellent food. We also got to taste something new in the form of fried cinnamon bun. It may not be so nice in the picture but really good.

On the pier next to the pub, there is also a home bakery, several ice cream parlours and a restaurant, Almagränd.

Around the small community there are several beautiful and well-kept turn-of-the-century houses. They are surrounded by relatively untouched archipelago nature and, as we mentioned earlier, unusually hilly terrain. We walked up the highest mountain and there is a small cottage that used to belong to the pilots but has now become an ice cream parlour. As you can see in the picture, there are worse places to enjoy an ice cream.

There are also plenty of paths and hiking trails around the island. The longest goes around the entire island but we could not find any information on how long it is. Considering that the road from Ulvöhamn to Sandviken's fishing village is about 7.5km, we would guess somewhere between 2.5 and 3 miles.

Now it was time to get ready for the evening's activities. Since we had such a nice bathtub, we took the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of bubbly in the bath. It was a Louis Roederer Brut Rosé 2015 which felt just right. None of us had tasted it before and it turned out to be a stroke of luck. Bubble never tastes as good as in pleasant company and a cosy environment.

Here is a review on mousserande.se if you are interested in more information.

I must honestly admit that we were a little happy in the hat when we came down to the restaurant. It was cosily decorated and the staff felt genuinely nice without being intrusive. There was a five-course menu but since we have slightly different food preferences, there were slightly more dishes.

The food was well prepared, nicely presented and offered some unexpected but exciting flavour sensations. Extra plus for creating a menu that felt rooted in both the food culture of Norrland and the local archipelago. They also had an excellent wine package that went perfectly with the different dishes.

How do you summarise this? The pictures above say it all as this was the highlight of our road trip with both beautiful nature and tasty experiences. We would love to go here again, but next time we will try to plan the time a little better so you also have time to explore the rest of the island.