Sweden 🇸🇪 - to the Gulf of Bothnia

Sven Walther

July 15, 2026

Fredrika

The Vildmarksvägen is behind us, and with it the mountainous west of Sweden. Now we head east, straight across Västerbotten to the Gulf of Bothnia. Two stopovers lie on the way.

The first is Fredrika, where we settle onto a small campsite - and in such a way that we are surrounded by water on both sides. The big lake in front, a small pond behind. So the only decision left is which way to point the chairs.

Camping chairs and table on the grass by the lake near Fredrika — Campsite with a lake view

Mammothon parked at the shore of the lake near Fredrika — Mammothon by the water

Mammothon with the small pond on the other side of the site — And on the other side as well

We take a short walk into the town centre and back along the lake. Town centre is generously put: Fredrika has a good two hundred inhabitants, so the round is correspondingly short. The evening makes up for it - as quiet and as long light as you imagine Sweden to be.

Sunset over the lake near Fredrika — Evening light by the lake

Tavelsjö

The second stopover is Tavelsjö, and in the order of things it starts out unspectacularly: first of all we park on a trailhead car park. It has mobile coverage, and stable coverage is exactly what Sven needs for his online meetings.

So while one meeting after the other runs inside, Saskia and Lou explore the local hiking trail outside. It leads over boardwalks through bog and forest - exactly the kind of path that makes you slow down automatically.

Boardwalk through the forest near Tavelsjö — Over the boards and through the forest

Lou walking along a narrow boardwalk — Lou handles the boards with confidence

Bog landscape with scattered pines near Tavelsjö — Bog as far as you can see

Up on the hill above the lake there is a lookout tower and a shelter - and the view you climbed all those metres for.

Wooden lookout tower with a shelter on the hill near Tavelsjö — Lookout tower and shelter

Lou standing on a rock looking out over the lake — Lou inspects the view

Speaking of the view: from up here you can also see the car park down by the lake. And on it a very small pale dot that looks considerably more manageable from up here than it does while manoeuvring.

View from the hill over Tavelsjön towards the road where Mammothon is parked — Mammothon is somewhere down there

For the night we move directly to the local swimming beach. There is not only water at the doorstep but also pizza from a wood-fired oven - and it really is very good. Not something you expect in a place this size.

Mammothon parked at the swimming beach on Tavelsjön — Spending the night at the beach

The next day it is straight back to the trailhead car park: Sven has more online meetings, Saskia does a second round on the hill. A division of labour that works well for both sides.

Umeå

The day ends in Umeå, the largest city in northern Sweden. First stop: IKEA, because our hot dog supplies are running low. Restocking works out - anything else would have been a disappointment at an IKEA in Sweden. After that a quick run to the supermarket for the rest of the supplies.

For the night then the city campsite - and once again it is really not our thing: huge, full, cramped and expensive to make up for it. After two nights with a lake view and a beach view, that takes some getting used to.

Crowded city campsite in Umeå with motorhomes side by side — City camping in Umeå

Mammothon on the campsite in Umeå — For one night it will do

But for one night it will do. At least we have reached the sea, and the supplies are stocked up again - hot dogs included.