Nature wakes up – is there a better place to be than in a kayak silently paddling listening to and observing the birds? We launched at Medevi Brygga – an old steam boat landing stage – and paddled one of our favorite tours – along the islands Gopön, Grepaträdet and Gopön. The temperature is rising in the end of May, the water is still a bit cold and we are alone in the archipelago. The northern part of Lake Vättern has an archipelago which a lot of islands and it is perfect for kayaking as there are few people around.

It’s a crispy, clear morning – almost no wind. We paddle between the mainland and the three islands that give shelter from west winds. Suddenly a Eurasian Hobby appeared flying just over our heads. It breeds on one of the islands.

After a refreshing morning swim we enjoy our herb tea and sandwiches. The rock is nice and warm and we are in good company of gulls, terns, mergansers, geese and a lot of singing birds on the island.

Eventually the osprey shows up. For some years a couple has had its nest with successful breeding and we are anxious to know what will happen this year. Sadly the nest by our launching point Medevi Brygga is abandoned.

It was a perfect day to paddle west of the islands towards open water and admire the rough rocks.

We are fortunate to live in a country with so many lakes and a long sea shore line. The right of public access is unique in our country and gives many opportunities for outdoor life.

Medevi is situated close to the northern part of Lake Vättern between Motala and Askersund.

Bright sunshine and almost no wind tempted us to visit the nearby nature reserve Ulön Dannemark by kayak. A wonderful day in May gave us astonishing experience of blue sky, blue sea and lots of plants in blossom. The air was full of sounds from different birds that just had arrived. Spring is in the air!

We went ashore on a sandy beach for a walk on the island. The shell shingle beds were studded with thousands of cowslips. You could even feel the smell of them by walking around.

The path meandered in the little valley and took us to the far west of the island where we met the open sea. Impressing!

Sheep are grazing in the nature reserve to keep the landscape open. Perfect gardeners.

We launched again and rounded the island to find a new sheltered beach. This part of the island invited us to another walk with new views.

By the campfire we had a nice meal and a perfect end of the day.

In a slight tail wind we headed back to our starting point Rådalen Heestrand – a miniature little settling of boathouses and a great place to start a short or a longer kayaking adventure.

We really enjoy being outdoors anywhere in wild. Our focus for our guests has so far been kayaking and nordic skating, but now we are expanding and want to offer guided hiking trips in different environments. We find unspoiled, quiet areas from deep old forests to marsh land, lakes and old cultivated places. Every habitat has its own “personality” with its own birdlife, animals and plants.

The Brurmossen area is located in the border of counties Dalsland and Värmland. The reserve consists of marsh forests, rocky mountain impediment with pines and open marshes and moss fields. The area has a great value because it has been untouched for a long time.

The old trees host a great variation of lichens and polypores. The great amount of beard lichens indicates clean air.

We ramble in a huge, green “cathedral”. There is no sound of human activity. Only the wind, the birds and in between a total silence. A perfect location for “Forest bathing”.

On a little rock next to the tarn we had a nice stop for our packed lunch. The woodland lake named “Särkspännet” was there like a golden eye of the forest. We wondered about the name. The translation is an old kind of brooch – just the shape it is. Who named it and when?

Tracks and droppings of wolves, moose and squirrels show that we are not the only ones who have been here.

The beginning of April is a wonderful month when nature awakens bit by bit. The life in the anthill above ground level awakens by the warm rays of the sun. The ants have spent the winter several metres below ground level.

Is there a better ending of a forest walk than to start a camp fire, grill some sausages and listen to the enormous choir of birds singing in the April evening?

The warm winter with no skatable ice in “our regions” – southern part of Sweden – brought us further north with our Canadian Skating Friend. The region “Tiomilaskogen” between county Värmland and Dalarna felt like a coincidence – skating in the tracks of Finnish people. Our last skating trip was to Finland and this is the region to where the Finns emigrated in the beginning of the 17th century. There was famine in Finland and our king Karl IX offered land in this part of Sweden which was totally inhabited. Nowadays the journey from Finland to this region is less than a day and night. It took a couple of years for our immigrants to reach their new settlements.

Lake Knon

All these lakes are parts of regulated water systems to extract electricity. It means that the water level differs a lot during the year (between 2 – 5 meters). The eco system is affected in a negative way. Fish species that migrate can’t do it anymore because of the dams, tubes and locks. Earlier these lakes had lots of salmon, eel and trout. Nowadays you find pike, perch, roach, whitefish and different carps. The beavers can’t build their lodges by the lake because the water level fluctuates. Beavers mean a lot to biodiversity.

System Lake Lövsjöarna

Findings of Stone Age settlements at Nain indicate an early settlement. The Stone Age families depended on good access to trout, eel and salmon. This was probably also one of the reasons for choosing a place of residence for Finnish immigration in the 17th century. Per Hakkarainen came to Nain around 1635 from Savolaks in Finland. “From a distance he saw a lake and it was Lake Nain he had seen. He liked the surroundings. There on the west side it was very beautiful and he thought that in this lake there should be a lot of fish … “.

Lake Naren/Nain

3 days, 3 skaters and 3 lakes in 3 different ice and weather conditions are invigorating and fills your soul and body with loads of energy!

Linnansaari National Park, in the heart of the Finnish Lake District, is an ideal place to spot rare lake seals and majestic ospreys. Right now the ospreys are in Africa but the seals are here. The waters of the park are dotted with lush green islands and rocky islets. The maze-like archipelago is ideal for nordic skating. Haukivesi is a part of the huge Lake Saima with a shore line of 14 850 km and about 13 710 islands. Our base for skating was Oravi, about 41 km north west of Savonlinna.

Our last day was spent in Linnansaari National Park Archipelago – an absolute Grande Finale! Sunshine, black ice, no wind, wonderful nature, peaceful, vast areas of shining smooth ice and traces from ringed seals in the ice. The only people we met on our 42 km tour was one fisherman on his way to his nets and one ice skater – our hostess at Oravi Village.

Our first break was at the old settlement by the island Linnansaari. We enjoyed the sunshine and the well kept area – an inviting open museum. At Linnansaari Croft traditional slash-and-burn farming practises are preserved.

After the break we headed north in the fairy tale landscape – following the best ice. Just like heaven!

Linnansaari National Park provides a protected home for the endangered Saima Ringed seal. It is prohibited to visit many islands and islets where the seals live. We were lucky to find different traces of seals on the ice.

Epilogue

When we arrived to Oravi the ice conditions for skating were poor. We had spring ice, which means weak and hazardous ice. Too long period with temperatures above zero. We had a try the first day but had to leave at the east shore of Linnansaari main island because the ice was too dangerous. Following morning the temperature was above zero with strong winds.

We had a strengthening head wind with lots of water on the ice. During the day the water disappeared and offered us a wonderful surface. In the evening the temperature decreased and we could skate again on fresh, dry ice.

“The Country of the Thousand Lakes” attracted us to skate on the immense water areas. Out of Finland’s 40 national parks we chose 3 which – after investigating ice and weather conditions – were suitable for our skating adventure. North and Southern Savolax with Konnevesi and Kolovesi National Parks were first in turn.

Southern Konnevesi National Park

Kolovesi National Park

Northern county Värmland and Dalarna was covered with snow in the end of November. Some lakes hiding black ice. We were waiting new lakes to freeze as the temperature was below zero and the weather forecast promised really cold weather. By studying the satellite we headed to lake Tisjön, Dalarna the 1st of December. Were we right in our expectation?

Sattelite picture:

https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/eo-browser/?lat=60.9218&lng=12.8890&zoom=12&time=2019-11-30&preset=IW-DV-VV-DECIBEL-GAMMA0&datasource=Sentinel-1%20AWS%20(S1-AWS-IW-VVVH)

Video:

https://youtu.be/uz6txfmNqxs

November is the starting month for Nordic Skating in our Nordic countries. Every month has its different light and conditions. The weather decides where to go!

Following video is a teaser for coming skating season.

After som hectic weeks with guests from abroad we were ready for another new exploring adventure. This time we were heading east to our neighbour country Finland. It has been a dream for many years getting to know and to paddle in the “Country of the Thousand Lakes”. We didn’t have much time, but time enough to realise that there are lakes enough for a life time. An eldorado for kayakers. We just spotted the right time for nature showing up in its “Golden costume”. Our destination was huge Lake Saima.

We arrived to and left Finland in sparkling autumn colours. What a visit!

We will be back for sure – and then for a longer trip.

Nordic EcoTours has its main geographical area from Lake Vättern to Lake Vänern and onwards westbound to Skagerrak. This summer we wanted to extend “our territory” and explore new water systems. In July we headed to Lake Sølen, Rendalsfjällen in Norway – a place we have visited before, both winter and summer. A place that we love. Lake Sølen has a circumference for about 65 km with a few islands in the south west and south of the lake. This time our departure point was close to Fiskevollen, Norway’s oldest inland fishing village, which is situated in the north part of the lake. West of the lake the massive Midtre Sølen with three summits rises – its highest peak is 1755 meters above sea level.

The Sølen area is a magical location for kayaking, fishing and hiking. A place where you relax, recover and replenish your energy. We are willing to join you in an outstanding experience.