Cycling in Sweden

Sweden In A Nutshell

Pleasantly rural and beautiful if tedious scenery, the biggest drawback to Sweden is its bloody stupid prices. Stockholm is a beautiful capital.

Where and When I Went

13th - 23rd July 2013

Sweden's Scenery

Yes, it was beautiful but until I edged towards the boat to Denmark the scenery never changed: small hills, trees and lakes and a forgettable town every now and again. You can get better scenery than this at a much lower price.

Sweden's Road Quality

Generally roads were good but Swedish tarmac has an odd, sparkly element. I spent the first few days trying to avoid bits of glass that weren't really there and then the next few days mending punctures as I unwittingly ran over bits of glass that were there.

Sweden's Accommodation & Costs

Sweden introduced me to wild camping for two reasons: first, it's legal and so the possibility of getting nabbed wasn't an issue but, more importantly, I couldn't afford not to. Some campsites wanted me to pay an additional €11 to allow me to use their club's collection of sites before I even paid for the site itself. That €11 doesn't give you any other privileges. A few campsites waived this fee and those were the ones I used. I couldn't bring myself to pay over €30 to sleep in someone's field when I could raid the site's supermarket and then camp in the woods next door for free. Of the four campsites I used, the average was €20 (ranging from €16 to €22)

I had temperance thrust upon me by my budget in Scandinavia. Despite this, and avoiding restaurants, just buying enough food from supermarkets - and I was avoiding anything expensive - I still spent €20 each day on groceries. In other European countries with just as good or better scenery I could have had two restaurant meals with several pints for less than that.

Language

Everyone speaks English, and I don't think that this is an over-generalisation.

Neighbouring Countries

Norway and Finland, and connected to Denmark by a bridge.

Reasons To Go To Sweden

Pleasant cycling, to give your liver a break.

Where Have You Written About Cycling In Sweden?

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