Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [34]
Rock climbers can practise on the cliffs around Stockholm and Göteborg – there are 34 climbing areas with 1000 routes around Göteborg, and some 200 cliffs around the capital. Other popular spots are Bohuslän, the Kulla Peninsula (north of Helsingborg) and a newly developed bouldering area, Kjugekull, a few kilometres northeast of Kristianstad. You’ll find good climbing walls in Stockholm, Göteborg, Uppsala, Skellefteå and Linköping.
For further information, try the helpful Svenska Klätterförbundet (Swedish Climbing Federation; 08-618 82 70; kansliet@klatterforbundet.com).
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CYCLING
Sweden is ideal for cycling, particularly in Skåne and Gotland. It’s an excellent way to look for prehistoric sites, rune stones and quiet spots for free camping. The cycling season is from May to September in the south, and July and August in the north.
You can cycle on all roads except motorways (green sign with two lanes and a bridge on it) and roads for motor vehicles only (green sign with a car symbol). Highways often have a hard shoulder, which keeps cyclists well clear of motor vehicles. Secondary roads are mostly quiet and safe by European standards.
You can take a bicycle on some länstrafik (public transport) trains and most regional buses (free, or up to Skr60). On the Skåne region’s Pågatågen trains, a bike costs the price of a child’s ticket. On the Öresund trains (which serve routes between Göteborg and Copenhagen, and Kalmar, Alvesta and Copenhagen) you can book a space for your bike on 0771-75 75 75. Long-distance buses usually don’t accept bicycles; Sveriges Järnväg (SJ) allows them on some trains June through August (Skr112). Bikes are transported free on some ferries, including Vägverket routes.
You can hire bicycles from some campsites, hostels, bike workshops and sports shops for about Skr100 a day, or around Skr500 per week.
Some country areas, towns and cities have special cycle routes – contact local tourist offices for information and maps. Kustlinjen (591km) runs from Öregrund (Uppland) southwards along the Baltic coast to Västervik, and Skånespåret (800km) is a fine network of cycle routes. The well-signposted 2600km-long Sverigeleden extends from Helsingborg in the south to Karesuando in the north, and links points of interest with suitable roads (mostly with an asphalt surface) and bicycle paths.
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ADRENALINE JUNKIES ONLY
One of the fastest-growing summer-season activities in Sweden is downhill mountain biking. The sport takes over ski resorts after the snow melts; fully armoured, riders carry their sturdy little bikes up the hill on chair lifts, then barrel down along rough mountain trails at dizzying speeds. Åre Bike Park (www.arebikepark.com; lift day-pass Skr210, bike rentals per day from Skr650; mid-Jun–Oct) is the mother lode, with 35km of slopes, 17 trails and a potential vertical drop of almost 900m. Multiday packages are available.
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Brochures and Swedish-text guidebooks with decent maps are available from Svenska Cykelsällskapet (Swedish Cycling Association; 08-751 6204; www.svenska-cykelsallskapet.se).
An unusual and very popular cycling activity is dressin – also advertised as ‘rail pedal trolley’, ‘cycle trolley’ or ‘inspection trolley’ rides – where you pedal a wheeled contraption along a disused railway line. Trips cost around Skr550 per day. The best area in the country to try out this novel experience is Värmland, which has miles of old track: phone 054 148041 or check out ‘Activities’ on the website www.varmland.org for a list of operators.
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Around 6% of Swedes play golf, the highest percentage in the world; the nation of 9 million people has 450 golf courses.
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GOLF
Sweden has over 400 golf courses, open to everyone, and many hotel chains offer golf packages. Bj