At the end of every British summer I find myself praying for a decent winter, one that will allow a bit of fun: sledging, snowballing, snowman-building. I’m not very demanding; I don’t need fabulous downhill skiing, glaciers and the Cresta Run. What I want is a few days out with the kids. And, much as I like blue skies and sun in summer, I’d swap it every time for frozen ponds, a hillside covered in fresh snow and icicles hanging off the eaves. Maddy, 11, wants the same and so, instead of waiting and hoping, we are going to make sure. We are going to Sweden.
Winter fun in Sweden is a bit more advanced than in most of the UK. They do snowshoeing, ice-fishing, skiddoos, igloo-building and so on. They also do lots of Father Christmas stuff, which Maddy didn’t want: “I’m too old for that kind of nonsense, Dad.” Above all, what Maddy wanted was huskies with puppies. She’s not too old for that.
We flew to Luleå, a city at the top of the finger of Baltic Sea that jabs north between Sweden and Finland, almost touching the Arctic Circle, then transferred, with some other winter-hungry families, to woodland cabins by the sea. There was plenty of snow and ice, but the guides were keeping a nervous eye on the thermometer, which was perilously close to zero.
“Normally, we are 10C below,” said Roger, our guide, who was also handing out our kit for the days ahead: snowshoes, boots, mitts and so on. A holiday that provides all the necessary gear will save you a fortune.
The first day’s activity was snowshoeing and lighting a fire in the wilderness. This is an excellent choice for tiring over-excited boys, who tend to charge off up the steepest slope available then throw themselves down in the snow and refuse to continue. Roger and his accomplice Andreas did not fashion birch wands and thrash some sense into the little beasts, but instead just smiled and kept going. Miraculously the boys followed.
Roger also had an amazing motivational tool for encouraging fire-lighting – done with only a firestick and kindling – a hot chocolate pot. As soon as the possibility of sweet hot chocolate was dangled, the children became frenzied in their quest for fire. Within an impressive 28 minutes, Maddy and I were sipping a delicious warm drink. Her verdict: 7/10.
Next up was skiddoos. We set off in convoy with the other families, each child wrapped up and seated behind a parent as we blazed out across the frozen Baltic Sea, heading for some small islands where we stopped for a barbecue. Sweden being the law-abiding country it is, the youngsters were not allowed to drive a skiddoo, but that did not seem to bother our gang. Perhaps they had sensibly realised that sitting behind your parent is a good idea: the driver gets the full brunt of the freezing wind.
The barbecue was reindeer meat – totally delicious – and grilled vegetables, then the children played for an hour, chasing each other through the deep snow. All the kids declared the expedition brilliant fun, and – much to my annoyance, as I hate the filthy noisy skiddoo things – I couldn’t find one who would come out against. Maddy’s verdict: 8/10.
That night we ate in the communal restaurant and afterwards all the kids played out for hours, digging tunnels and sliding down a steep bank of snow next to the restaurant. This was not an official part of the holiday, but it would prove to be the most popular. By the end of that first evening all the children had bonded by being involved in the gargantuan task of building a vast complex of snow tunnels, bunkers and igloos.
This was great for the parents, who either hung out in the bar or retired to their extremely snug cabin. For most kids this chance to go wild without any hovering adults was a total boon. Maddy gave the after-hours play zone a princely 10/10.
Next day Maddy and I got camp manager Yoren to take us out ice-fishing, by hovercraft. As far as filthy noisy fun goes, the hovercraft is second only to ice go-karting, which I once tried in Finland and have to say is unbeatable value for noise pollution, fossil fuel consumption and sheer magical side-splitting fun.
The hovercraft performed vast, lazy pirouettes and spins. It was a bit like sitting on the back of a motorised hippo on skates. Yoren assured us that this delightful monster was essential, being the only means of getting the elderly and sick into town from the outlying islands without resorting to helicopters. Eventually we spotted a man ice-fishing by his parked skiddoo so went across to say hello.
Ice fishing, I might have predicted, would not be a hit with Maddy. Essentially the participants sit around a small hole in the ice, holding a fishing rod that is eight inches long until they get a bite – most likely frostbite. However, Maddy loved the drilling of the hole and the fishing. What’s more she got an immediate bite and within a few minutes had a couple of small perch to show for it. I was mildly surprised to see perch a mile out to sea, but apparently this northern arm of the Baltic, the Gulf of Bothnia, is fed by so many rivers the water is brackish, not salty. Hovercraft ride 9/10, and the same for ice-fishing.
Another evening of building work and underground excavations meant Maddy slept like a log, but she was up early next morning for the husky ride. I had been a bit sceptical that a morning would be sufficient. Why not a whole day? But I’d misjudged it. First of all the kids loved the dog enclosures and the puppies best. The actual sled ride was not the highlight.
When we finally got going, Maddy refused to drive and would only sit on the front of the sled wrapped in reindeer hides. A couple of hours of this was plenty before retiring to husky specialist Keijo’s parlour with the puppies to cuddle up and drink more hot chocolate. Husky ride 8/10, but hot chocolate with puppies 10/10.
Our winter had lasted just three days, but we came home totally rejuvenated and ready to endure the dreary English damp, right through, of course, to the glorious blue skies of an endless British summer.
• The trip was provided by Activities Abroad (01670 789991, activitiesabroad.com). The four-night Lulea trip costs from £1,445 for adults and £775 for 8-14 years, based on two adults and two children sharing, and includes flights to Luleå via Stockholm, transfers, full-board accommodation, all activities, northern lights snowshoe safari, guides and cold weather clothing. Departs 14 or 18 February 2015
