Leaving early I had a quick ride around Malmo first and stopped to look at Malmo Castle, which was built in the 1530’s and pat of the old town’s fortifications. Then I stopped in the city centre for a coffee and a cinnamon bun – as you do when you’re a foreigner in Sweden – and a full belly and full tank of gas I headed north towards Jonkoping, where I’m going to stay for two nights.
Even though the sun is shining, and it’s especially warm if you’re sat in the sun, there is a definite chill in the air and I was thankful I had my thermals underneath my riding gear. It was a steady 19 degrees on the journey today. And I even put my winter gloves on, which I was particularly glad about.
The motorway north was easy as there wasn’t much traffic on the roads and I could cruise at a steady 75. When you hit the city of Jonkoping you bear a left and start travelling north along the west coast of the Vattern – which is the sixth largest lake in the world. The road north is A-road travelling through a mixture of forests and pasture, with the obligatory warnings to watch out for Moose….
After a 230 mile journey I got to my campsite in the late afternoon, which was later than expected as I stopped a few times to look longingly at the scenery. My campsite was at a place called Brevik, and it was situated next to Lake Vattern with its own private beach. Lake Vattern is the sixth largest lake in the world – and it is truly immense. So big that you could actually fit Cornwall into this lake and still maybe fit the Isles of Man in too.
When I got there the office was not manned but there was a phone number and a nice chap answered who told me to either make a booking online or just put my money through the letterbox. I tried using the online booking and payment but my skills with Swedish are minimal so I just left the money in the letterbox. It was 165SK for the night (about £14) and well worth it because the field was flat and the toilet and shower block were immaculate.
Best of all was after I got the tent up and everything sorted out, I went down to the beach to sit on the sand to watch the most beautiful golden sunset across this vast lake whilst drinking my mug of tea and pondering the meaning of life…
