Sörmlandsleden Day 4 - Paradiset to Svarvaretorp Stage 6 to Lida, part Stage 7 then Stage 62

Walking 8.30am to 5.15pm
Distance walked 21km

I filled my water from the lake and walked the short distance to Paradiset, comprising a cluster of wooden holiday cabins, painted in the traditional deep red, together with a car park. A half dozen or so children were playing and enjoying the freedom and fresh air. Swedes seem to relish the simple pleasures.

Paradiset

Stage 6

Shortly after Paradiset I came to a fork in the path; left was Stage 5:3 going south; I took the Stage 6 path westwards which skirted the village of Ådran (although I wasn't aware of it) and up and over a rocky area with spindly trees which, after a km, dropped down to a forest road. The next couple of miles were rather dull as much tree felling had taken place.

I'm hearing plenty of woodpeckers. Today I saw one hammering for insects in a telegraph pole. It obliged me by uttering a raucous cry.

I had a break at a wind shelter overlooking the former Lake Kvarnsjön, which had been drained at some time and is now a reed marsh. A haven for bird watchers probably. As I sat there, a greenfinch alighted only three feet away.

My lunch stop was at Lida, a large park with cabins and a large cafe. It was quite busy. I bought a couple of filled ciabattas for the next two days lunches. On the edge of the park was a high level activity area for kids amongst the trees and zip wires. It looked quite formidable.

I left Stage 7 and joined Stage 62, at the start of which was a windy walkway maybe two hundred yards long through a marsh with a hide in the middle.

The path then followed the edge of Lake Getaren around a promontory before joining a path alongside a large pasture and then a large stables. I collected water for the night from a small spring.

After a remote rock and forest walk, I found my night's pitch amongst trees (as usual). All is quiet apart from the odd birdsong.

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Sörmlandsleden Day 3 - Tyresta to Paradiset

Walking 7.15am to 4.15pm
Distance walked 21km

It was a cold night - my thermometer showed 0C this morning although I don't know how accurate it is. I walked through lots more forest but it's not at all boring. Some of is primeval and is left completely undisturbed year after year. Blowdowns are frequently left across the path unless they make it totally impassable and, often, walkers just make a new route around them.

Arriving at the town of Handen, I located an ICA supermarket and stocked up on a few things, including a litre of milk. I downed half and put the rest in a bottle. It will be nice to have fresh milk in my tea.

I crossed the railway via a covered walkway leading to the station and the steps down the other side brought me to a park where the trail went by a lake before returning to more forest and rocky outcrops. I should say here that the forests aren't at all like commercial forests in the UK which can make for quite oppressive walking. Here, the trees are more widely spaced and consist of mainly coniferous of various kinds and silver birch. Where they grow on flat ground they make for ideal camping. There is plenty to see in and amongst the trees.

Today there have been plenty of rocky outcrops, very smooth and easy to climb and walk over. Also many areas of swamp and bog but wooden walkways, some quite long, make it easy to avoid wet feet. These are generally well maintained. In fact, at the beginning of each stage, as well as a description of the terrain, there is also the name and phone number of the person responsible for the stage.
After crossing a busy road via a tunnel, the path was damaged by off road motor bikes. When stopped for lunch, I heard them coming and three lads on bikes came up the trail. Not far from where I was sitting they came to a halt and I could hear them revving, trying to go further but not succeeding so they came back and went off in another direction.

At Riddartorp, I refilled my water from a hand pump near the path, indicated by a sign, källe. The water looked a bit murky but I put chlorine tablets in so it shouldn't do me any harm. Lake water might have been better.

I passed through two nature reserves, Steppnan and Sveltsjön. An information board at each gives information in English with various activities which are not allowed. For example, camping is not allowed....for more than two consecutive nights. I approve!

Approaching Paradiset, I followed a sign indicating a shelter just 0.1km away next to a lake. Here, there is a cabin and a wind shelter and plenty of room for camping amongst the trees (which is where I am). Around the fire in front of the cabin, I met Johann, Hermann and Lars who are staying over the weekend. Johann is a frequent visitor here from Stockholm. I went over to chat with them and to enjoy the warmth of the fire. The shelter is also occupied and there are also tents here and there but it is very quiet.

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Sörmlandsleden Day 2 -Near end of Stage 1 to Tyresta (end of Stage 3)

Walking 7.15am to 3.50pm
Distance walked 20km

A cold night. My water bottle, which was on the ground, froze solid. Outside the forest there was a heavy frost but none amongst the trees so I put away a bone dry tarp.

At Skogshyddan (meaning forest cottage), the end of Stage 1, I arrived at a gravel road. There was a wooden building belonging to a nature reserve and a pair of dry toilets in a shed. Just perfect timing. I've used these in the summer when they are none too pleasant with flies buzzing.

Crossing the road, I followed a forest road for a while, passing Vretatorp, a forest worker's cottage, through more forest and alongside fields to reach Lake Öringesjön, walking on the edge of the lake with village houses quite close. I believe there is a food shop here but I had no need of it.

Finishing the 6.5km of Stage 2, I reached Alby friluftsgård, a large park area with outdoor leisure facilities and exercise equipment. Several people out and about. One man spoke to me. I said I didn't speak Swedish. He replied that he didn't speak English! So that was that.

Stage 3 to Tyresta was 13km. After 1km, I had a break at Nyfors, one of the area's former industrial sites operated by water power, over 500 years old. Now it's a pleasant grassed area next to water rapids tumbling over rocks.

Nyfors

Into more forest and alongside meadows, over undulating flat rocks and into Tyresta national park to the head of Lake Årsjön, following the western edge to a wind shelter and nearby dry toilet. It was much too early to consider overnighting here. In any event, there was a cold breeze coming off the lake so I just filled my water belt from the lake (adding a couple of chlorine tablets) and carried on. The water looked perfectly clear but the trail's website advises boiling before use.

I stopped for lunch at a crossing of paths. It was very quiet and deserted but two couples passed by and stopped for a chat, one walking a pair of dogs and the other, the husband, was Scottish, having lived in Sweden for forty years.

Just before Tyresta village is a camping area, no facilities but useful for the nearby visitor centre. Here was a cafe and various old wooden buildings. There were a few people around but not much seemed to be open so I didn't stop.

After no more ten minutes into Stage 4, I found my perfect and hidden pitch for the night. I could have gone further but today's distance was about right and on schedule. Amongst the trees it is absolutely still. There's been plenty of birdsong but now, at 9pm, it's absolutely quiet.

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Sörmlandsleden Day - Stage 1 - Björkhagen to near end of Stage 1

Walking 3.30pm to 6pm

Distance walked 8km

The flight from London Stansted to Stockholm Skavsta went very smoothly. On arrival, I caught a green Sörmlandstrafiken bus for the short journey into Nyköping. It was a bit chilly with flurries of snow. Within sight of the bus terminal in the centre of the town was a petrol station. Here I bought a litre of fuel for my stove. The name I wanted was rødsprit; I got röd etanol which appears to be the same thing. Anyway, the shop manager knew what I wanted and the bottle has a picture of a camping stove on it - cost SEK50, about £4.50, I think. 

I then walked the short distance back to the train station. The bus here had stopped at the station but I had to buy the stove fuel first.

I bought my ticket at an automat. I got one to Stockholm Central and one for the T-Bana out to Björkhagen in one transaction. I had a half hour wait for the train.

My first task after leaving the T-Bana was to buy some water. Nearby was a Co-op. By mistake, I bought fizzy water but it'll be fine, although it made my water belt expand more than it should. 

I found the start of the trail easily as it's opposite the station. There was a board indicating Etapp 1 and a couple of maps so off I went. I was immediately in a wooded area which led into an open recreational area and nature reserve with an adjacent golf course. There were a few people about, mainly dog walkers and joggers. 

The trail then became a narrower forest path and, now and again, going over rock. It was all easy to follow as the trail is marked with bands of orange paint around trees and it is usually possible to see the next one.

I passed by a couple of small lakes. It's quite cold although there is a little evening sun. I didn't need to have a long first day so after about 8km I found  a nice pitch not far from the path which will do very well for my first night.  

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Sweden

I fly out to Sweden on 10 April for a couple of weeks backpacking along Sörmlandsleden. I'm basically all packed and decisions made about the gear needed. I shall be tarping, given that there won't be any shortage of trees, to say nothing of the wooden shelters at regular intervals along the way. There are a few shops for resupply although I plan to carry a week's worth of food to start with, a bit on the heavy side but worth it and the weight will reduce. There are shops on the second and sixth/seventh days. It will be very different terrain to what I am used to in the UK.

Hertfordshire Way Day 9 - 9 March - Ayot St. Lawrence to St. Albans

Walking 7am to 11.30am
Distance walked 9 miles
Distance left 0 miles

My way this morning took me via Wheathampstead and Sandridge and would have gone round to the west of St. Albans before dropping into the centre. However, I was getting a little short of time as I had to get a bus from the centre to Hemel Hempstead, from where I had a seat booked on an National express coach. Consequently, as I emerged from a farm road on to the A5183, I espied a bus stop with a regular service into the middle of St. Albans. I had time to shuck off waterproofs and stow my trekking poles on to my pack and a bus came along. So that proved to be the slightly premature end to my journey on the Hertfordshire Way.

My thoughts on the walk? It is well worth doing. I really enjoyed it. My recommendations would be to buy the excellent guide book The Hertfordshire Way by Bert Richardson and Ian Hirst, cost £9.99 and then to walk anti-clockwise from wherever you choose to start. The guide book is written assuming you are going anti-clockwise although it is waymarked in both directions. I had the path to myself virtually all the time, seeing only dog walkers and joggers near towns and villages.

The book divides the walk into legs, with access to public transport and parking facilities at the beginning and end of each leg. This is helpful for those who are setting out to do day walks. For anyone, such as me, who is planning to walk more than one leg over a number of days or the whole route, it should be borne in mind that some towns or villages at the start or finsih of a leg can be missed out if desired. It is a good route for a continuous walk. There are no campsites along the way so, with research, B&Bs could be relied on or, as in my case, wild camping. In my opinion, the wild camping is as good as it gets. In more popular areas, woodland tends to be fenced off. I suspect that there are not so many wild campers about in Hertfordshire to present a problem to landowners. As a result, nearly all areas of woodland shown on the Ordnance Survey map are suitable for overnighting, providing one is discreet, responsible and leaves no trace. However, you will need to ensure that you have picked up water during the day.

Hertfordshire Way Day 8 - 8 March - Graveley to Ayot St. Lawrence

Started walking 9.30am to 5pm
Distance walked 14 miles
Distance left 9 miles

Steve dropped me off after breakfast so as to avoid early morning traffic. My plans have changed. I shall now only walk as far as St. Albans. My wife phoned and announced that the children and grandchildren are coming for lunch on Sunday. That in itself might have tempted me home early but was clinched it was the prospect of roast leg of lamb!

Just past Titmore Green, I met with an old friend, Ellie. We were at primary school together in Stevenage and, until 2017, we hadn't seen each other for 55 years. As I was passing her way, it would have been extremely rude not to get in touch. We had coffee at her place and had a catch up and I continued on my way, going through St. Paul's Walden and Whitwell, very pleasant walking and so few people about. Stopping for lunch on the edge of a field, I watched a herd of thirteen deer a couple of hundred yards away. I was totally still but they very quickly detected my presence.

I bypassed Codicote and took a bridleway off the HW towards Ayot St. Lawrence. Here, I found my night's pitch deep within woodland close to the church.