When we started planning this trip, we mostly discussed Grövelsjön, Idre, Sälen, Fulufjället, Vemdalen, Lofsdalen and other similar mountain areas. It is easy to find information about them as they have finally realised that it is good business to have guests even in the summer. At the same time, I feel that this has made the tours more packaged as you basically get a list of what you must not miss. On one level, it may be good as you are rarely disappointed, but at the same time it makes you a little lazy and some of the joy of discovery disappears.
In the end, we decided on a place in our neighbourhood, and pretty much the only thing we knew about the area was that there would be good hiking trails. In other words, it was a bit like experiencing nature in the old days, just going out to the nearest wooded area and just enjoying the experience of nature rather than all the hustle and bustle around. Another advantage is that you get more time in nature and less in the car, which is both nice and also sustainable.
We found a small nature campsite, which is wedged between Lill- and Stor-Treen. The location means that you have water all around the campsite which makes it incredibly scenic. It only has two stars so you simply have to survive without a Bamse club, spa, restaurant, bar, cafĂ©, playground, mini golf, day shop and lots of other things, but on the other hand you get an abundance of the most important thing, beautiful nature! Personally, I find it a bit boring and stressful on large campsites, as there are more people per square metre than in a big city. At this place, however, there was no risk of crowding as you almost had to look to find other people... đŸ˜‰
You can read more about the campsite itself on our other site.
We got a spot just five metres from the water and our very own little sandy beach. Not bad! As we arrived a bit late, we didn't have time for more than a barbecue, but the next day we were up early to start exploring the surroundings. What brought us to this particular spot is that there are nine quality-assured hiking trails within easy reach. Considering that there are only 29 in total in the whole of Värmland, it's still a bit remarkable that so many of them are right here. If I were a little more conspiratorial, I might think that someone from Visit Värmland lives in the neighbourhood... đŸ™‚
You can find the full list on Hiking Värmlands site.
The first tour took us around Fredros, where we got to see Fredros GĂ¥rd and the beautiful old buildings that are around the homestead. Out in the forest there was a surprising amount of marshland, but as the ground was dry, it was no problem to get around. On parts of the tour there was real troll forest and on other parts gravel road. The tour started on Finnvägen and then went onto Bruksleden but in retrospect it would have been better to go back and forth on one of them as it now became quite a lot of car road which is a bit boring. In other words, the tip is to choose either Finnvägen or Bruksleden rather than both together.
The trip around Fredros was a little less than a mile of easy walking but it will be a little longer if you want to avoid the paved road. Bruksleden is otherwise a good alternative as it is 15 km back and forth if you start from the campsite or 12 km if you start from the track centre. The Finnleden and the other side is too long to go back and forth as it is 42 km back and forth. There are also a number of others, but expect it to be 3-6 km before the trail starts, which may make it more practical to cycle to the trail or take the car.
We also had time for a tour that the campsite carved out. It was described as more of an exercise trail, which was a bit funny as it was probably more hiking than the first trip. Then it was partly our own fault when we halfway lost the trail which forced us to go straight through the dense forest. We were also treated to some excitement when we found large amounts of fresh bear poo. Normally bears are more afraid of us than we are of them but if you happen to surprise a bear, especially if it has cubs, it can still be a bit unnecessarily dramatic.
But as I said to my wife: "You don't have to be able to run faster than the bear..." đŸ™‚ I can also mention that bears give birth to their cubs in January-February, but they are no bigger than guinea pigs. They then come out of their hibernation sometime around April-May. After this they follow their mother for about one to two years and it is during this period that the female is a little extra protective and aggressive.
After some nice walks, we headed home. On the way home we stopped at a local favourite. Värmskogs Café. They are perhaps best known for their prawn sandwiches, which are now available in three sizes, 150, 200 or 300 grams of fresh prawns. I read a few years ago that they buy 20 tonnes of prawns in a summer, which is a completely unlikely figure. In addition to their famous sandwiches, they also have a large selection of pastries and some simpler dishes.
The café is beautifully situated on a small promontory overlooking Värmeln and has a large outdoor terrace around the whole house. If you're there early, you can get your own little dock as you can see in one of the pictures. However, expect that in the middle of summer there can be quite a lot of people which slightly detracts from the experience. We also noticed that a new café has opened opposite but they seem to be more focused on food and ice cream.
All in all, we had a nice trip and even though the spring weather did not offer any warmth, you still get happy with a little sun. I also think that the trip proves that you do not have to go far to get a good experience as we in our oblong country are terribly spoilt with beautiful nature behind every corner.
