Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [222]
There’s a small tourist office (210 00; turist.gysinge@sandviken.se; Granövägen 6; 10am-5pm May-Sep, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Oct-Apr) where you can rent boats and canoes. Pick up the free self-guided tour pamphlet for a walk around the site.
Try your hand at forging at Krokiga Smedjan (Crooked Forge; admission free; 10am-6pm Jun-Aug, noon-5pm Tue-Sun Sep-May), which began operations in 1764; there’s also a good handicraft exhibition and craft shop (noon-5pm Tue-Sun). The traditional Bagarstugan still bakes unleavened bread and is a good place for a coffee and sandwich. In Smedsbostaden (Smith’s Cottage; admission free; noon-5pm May-Sep) you can see what local living conditions were like in the late 19th century. And the Flottningsmuseum (Museum of River Driving; adult/child Skr30/20; noon-5pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug) covers the once crucial, but now defunct, occupation of guiding logs downstream to the sawmills.
Gysinge Wärdshus (212 00; www.gysinge.com; r from Skr1000, 4-bed cottages Skr800), in the middle of the ironworks area at Gysinge, has plush antique-furnished rooms and an excellent restaurant (mains Skr130-190, dagens rätt Skr92) that’s big on the Swedish traditionals, especially salmon and herring dishes.
Bus 49 runs four to six times daily from Gävle to Gysinge.
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FÄRNEBOFJÄRDEN NATIONAL PARK
About half water, Färnebofjärden occupies 260 sq km south of Gysinge, bisected by the river Dalälven. It has excellent fishing and enough sandy beaches to please those nature-lovers who prefer the type of wildlife typically seen on Swedish beaches in the summer. But primarily the park is known as a birdwatcher’s paradise, with ospreys, sea eagles, seven types of woodpecker, Ural owls and capercaillie.
Get information and maps at the Naturum visitor centre (47 10 40; Gysinge Bruk; admission free; 10am-5pm Apr-Sep, noon-5pm Wed, Sat & Sun Oct-Mar), which also has a small exhibition about the local wildlife and ecology.
In thick, shady woods at the water’s edge, Östa Stugby (0292-430 04; osta@stugby.com; tent sites Skr150, 6-bed chalets per week Skr5550; year-round) is about 30km south of Gysinge near the national park. Aside from camping, there are luxurious six-bed chalets with private beach access, and canoe and boat hire is available (Skr250/850 per day/week). There’s a signposted ‘free beach’ nearby – be prepared, however, because what it’s free of is clothing.
There’s no public transport to the park. Västmanlands Lokaltrafik bus 71 runs one to six times daily from Heby (connections from Sala) to Tärnsjö (8km from Östa).
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HÄLSINGLAND
SÖDERHAMN & AROUND
0270 / pop 26,750
Söderhamn is like that vaguely boring friend everyone has – the one you only call when you need someone to help you move furniture. There’s nothing wrong with the town, it just isn’t terribly charming or handsome. But it’s an important bus-transit hub and a good base for exploring the area’s small islands (which are both charming and handsome). It’s also close to one of the prettiest fishing villages on this part of the coast.
Information
The tourist office (753 53; info@turism.soderhamn.se; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat & Sun) is at the bus station, just off the E4 motorway and 1.5km west of the town centre. In the town centre, which is concentrated along Köpmangatan, you’ll find banks, supermarkets and a couple of desolate shopping centres.
Sights
Söderhamns Museum (157 91; Oxtorgsgatan 5; adult/child Skr25/free; noon-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Aug) covers the town’s history. Just south of the town centre sits Östraberget, capped with the odd 23m-high tower Oscarsborg (admission free; 11am-5pm Jun-Aug); there’s a summer-only cafe on top. Reach the tower via the stairs behind the railroad tracks. Keep a close eye on the clock – a sign on the door says anyone left inside when the tower is closed will be locked in!
The strikingly red Ulrika Eleonora