With some of the largest remaining tracts of true wilderness in Europe, Scandinavia and Iceland offer a multitude of adventure opportunities and, if you head off the beaten track, they can work out a lot cheaper than you might expect. The centuries-old tradition of allemansrätten (every man’s right) means people can roam and wild camp just about anywhere so long as they do not disturb or destroy the environment. Foraging is also permitted, and provides a seasonal abundance of delicious berries, mushrooms and fish. Travelling by train, bike or on foot takes you into these magnificent landscapes.
Sweden: the Inlandsbanan slow train
Completed in 1937, the Inlandsbanan railway snakes for 800 miles up through the rugged and forested heartland of Sweden from the southern county of Dalarna to Swedish Lapland, inside the Arctic Circle. The line is divided into two sections – north and south of Östersund – and just one train travels in each direction along each section each day. This means that although the journey can be done in two days, you can also easily make it last a week or more. Built to transport timber, the line fell into disuse as roads improved and is now operated as a summer passenger service (mid-June to the end of August, so worth planning a trip for next summer). The landscape changes from forest and lakes in the south to tundra and huge wild rivers in the north. The timetable varies each year, and the train stops frequently at trackside restaurants and platform food stalls for delicacies such as smoked trout from the Vojmån river, or warm cinnamon buns. The driver will often stop for interesting wildlife, too – moose, reindeer, and maybe even a bear or lynx. Those who want to learn more about the wildlife can arrange a trip with guide Marcus Eldh, founder of Wild Sweden. The banks of the Ljusnan river in Röjan are the place to look for the protected black vanilla-orchid – the provincial flower of Jämtland. On a hot day the train might stop so everyone can swim in a remote, crystal clear lake.
Some of the stops are big, old wooden station buildings, while others are simply a sign and some steps in the middle of the forest. With over 65 stops, it’s easy to hop on and off and wild camp, or stay at one of the many small hotels and guesthouses along the route (see inlandsbanan.se for details). My favourite stops for wild camping are by the lake at Kvarnsjö and at the top of the small mountain at Kåbdalis with its far-reaching views.
• An Inlandsbanan card, costing SEK 1,995 (£183, seat reservation £5 per journey) allows unlimited travel for 14 days. The line starts at Mora station about three hours by train from Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. From Gällivare, the northern terminus, there’s a sleeper train on the main east coast line to Stockholm. Other ways of getting back include flights from Kiruna (norwegian.com or sas.se) to Stockholm or, highly recommended, a Hurtigruten ferry past the Norwegian fjords to Bergen. Hurtigruten and Inlandsbanan offer a joint ticket
Denmark: Bornholm by bike
The idyllic Danish island of Bornholm lies in the Baltic off southern Sweden, reached by train from Copenhagen and ferry from Ystad, Sweden. Its 158km network of roads, lanes, and tracks is perfect for exploring on a hired bicycle (try bornholms-cykeludlejning.dk, from DK75/£9 a day). For an island of just 588 sq km the variety of landscapes are breathtaking. At the northern tip of the island, known as the Hammer, the remains of a medieval castle sit above sheer granite cliffs. The most southerly point, Dueodde, has a beautiful beach with white sand so fine it was once used for hourglasses. As it’s an island, nowhere is very far from the sea for a cooling dip on a hot day.
In the wooded Døndalen valley in the north of the island, Denmark’s longest waterfall tumbles 20 metres into the valley. To the south, 12km-long Ekkodalen was originally called Kodalen (cow valley) but at some point, ek was added and it became Echo Valley. It’s fun trying to find the best spot to send an echo (more information at ekkodalshuset.dk). This is also dinosaur country. In 2000 a geology student found a tooth from a 100-million-year-old dromaeosaur. The Natur Bornholm centre in Aakirkeby displays some of the best fossils discovered on the island and has tips on the best places to go hunting.
The island is also well-known for food. Hasle Røgeri smokery on the west coast is the place to try smoked herring fillet on rye bread – known as “sunshine over Gudhjem” for the raw egg yolk it is topped with. For new Nordic cuisine, Kadeauin the south-west prepares dishes from locally sourced and foraged fish, fruit, herbs and berries, using traditional smoking and pickling techniques.
Accommodation options include wild camping on a beach, the Hullehavn woodland campsite on the east coast (from £9pppn), and the Green Solution House eco-hotel near the capital, Rønne (doubles from £152 B&B), which was built from recycled or biodegradable materials. Its waste water is cleaned using algae which is the converted to gas to generate electricity.
• Fly to Copenhagen and take a train (oresundstag.se) over the Øresund Bridge to Ystad. The ferry to Rønne takes 1 hour 20 mins (see faergen.com)
Norway: hike the Narvik mountains and fjords
In the stunning Ofotfjord, the port town of Narvik is the springboard for hiking, swimming and exploring a stunning section of Norway’s wild coast. The summer midnight sun, combined with the Gulf Stream and the shelter offered by the mountains results in a relatively mild climate for such a northerly location - and help make this a fantastic area for exploring.
The weather is often still good into mid-September, when the autumn colours appear to bring the mountains to life and the northern lights start to light up the clear night skies. Stay in Narvik and explore the coast and up into the mountains, or maybe do the opposite and venture into town only for supplies.
Beautiful Skjomenfjord runs south off Ofotfjorden and is framed by steep mountains and peaks. The clear water is perfect for a bracing swim. On its western side, in the shadow of Reintind there are over 80 rock carvings, believed to date from around 5000BC. Although there is no obvious path, the carvings are worth searching out and are remarkably distinct. Located along the water’s edge this is not as difficult as it may sound.
Another great hike is the Rallarvegen, a trail built by navvies working on the railway line built to carry iron ore across the mountains to Kiruna in Sweden. A particularly spectacular section follows a precipitous path between mountain and fjord for 15km from Katterat on the Swedish border down to the head of the Rombaksfjord. It’s not unusual to find the remains of parachute containers dropped by the Germans during the heavy fighting in the second world war. There’s a boat and bus along the fjord back to Narvik from here (see visitnarvik.com for details). Look out for white-tailed fish-eagles and otters and the impressive wreck of the German destroyer Georg Thiele, which was scuttled in the fjord in 1940.
For something more technical, Stetind, 80km south-east, is Norway’s national mountain, a steep, smooth granite peak 1,400 metres high. Reaching the summit requires specialist equipment and a guide, but it’s possible to hike as far as the approach (see visitstetind.com for routes and local guides). The starting point for the hike is about an hour’s drive along the fjord from Narvik.
Long before mines and railways arrived, the nomadic Sami people would spend the summer in settlements along this coast in this area before heading back to Sweden for the winter. Some Sami families now welcome guests for a day tending reindeer or learning birch bark weaving (from £62pp), or a stay in a traditional kåta tent (njalasoukaadventures.no). Visit Narvik (as above) is great for finding budget accommodation ranging from eco-hotels, such as turf-roofed Fjellkysten eco-lodge (doubles from £94 room only, ), to traditional Sami camps such as Pippira Siida (cabin for two from £33, ). Wild camping is of course also very practical in the mountains.
• Norwegian flies to Narvik from Oslo from £57 one way
Iceland: Route 1 by bus
One bus ticket allows visitors to see as much of Iceland as they can for as long as they want between mid-June and mid-September on the Route 1 ring road. The Circle Passport ticket allows easy access to famous natural wonders either beside, or a short walk from, a bus stop. Hot springs along the route range from naturally fed tubs such as the ones by the east coast village of Djúpivogur to spectacular subterranean Stóragjá near Lake Mývatn. A few miles away, Mývatn Mature Baths even does massages as well.
The bus goes through ochre-coloured, steamy volcanic regions and over remote plateaus of black volcanic sand. The horizon is dominated by the peaks of the highlands, intermittently illuminated by sunlight reflecting off the numerous glaciers. Jökulsárlón lagoon, on the south coast, may be bathed in a blue glow from floating icebergs. Calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, this ancient ice makes its way out to sea, but when large pieces wash back up on to the black volcanic sand, they sparkle like cut diamonds in the sunlight.
Mighty, glacial rivers have carved deep canyons, punctuated by immense and spectacular waterfalls. Of the many on the route, the 30-metre-wide horseshoe-shaped Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods), on the Skjálfandafljót River, is likely to make the greatest impression in a landscape that, time and again, leaves visitors feeling both awed and inspired.
In summer, the Hotel Edda chain uses rural boarding schools all along the route as budget hotel and hostel style accommodation. Many small towns and villages have excellent local restaurants such as Randulff’s Sea House in Eskifjorður, which serves seafood in a 19th-century fisherman’s lodge that also houses an interesting museum. GoDo Iceland is a good resource for activities, from £60pp. It’s worth acquiring a book of Icelandic sagas: they’re a great to read while soaking in the earth-warmed hot waters, looking over a landscape crafted by fire and ice over thousands of years.
• A Circle Passport costs about £277 online or from the central bus station in Reykjavik. The ticket is valid between 13 June and 7 September. There is at least one departure a day and travellers can hop on and off along the route, going either clockwise or anti-clockwise, but not double back
Ben Love is the author of Wild Guide Scandinavia which lists 500 affordable wild adventures (£16.99, also available as an app, 25% off and free p&p with code ‘TheGuardian’ at wildthingspublishing.com)
