Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
compulsory reading at every school in the country. Lagerlöf never married, but had a
long-term relationship with another woman, though this wasn't generally acknowledged
until their love letters were published some fifty years after Lagerlöf 's death. The first
woman to gain membership of the Swedish Literary Academy, her be-hatted features
now appear on 20kr notes, which Swedes affectionately refer to as “Selmas”.
Her house, complete with portico supporting a wonderfully long balcony, was
completely rebuilt after Lagerlöf won the Nobel Prize. Upstairs is her
study
, much as
she left it, along with a panelled library and an extensive collection of her work.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
MÅRBACKA
By train and taxi
From Karlstad take the train to Sunne.
Sunne Taxi (
T
0565 102 07), at Sunne train station, will
take you the 10km to Mårbacka for around 200kr.
By train and bus
Alternatively, from Sunne bus station,
bus #215 runs to Mårbacka on Tues and Fri but must be
pre-booked on
T
0771 32 32 00. Timetables are at
W
varmlandstraik.se
By car
From Karlstad take Route 62 north towards
Ekshärad and then the signed left turn for Mårbacka just
before the village of Ransäter.
Northern Värmland: Ekshärad
To explore northern Värmland, home to bears, wolves and lynx, pretty
EKSHÄRAD
makes
a perfect base. Whilst here, check out the ornately decorated eighteenth- and nineteenth-
century wrought-iron crosses in the church graveyard beside the main crossroad.
Eskhärad is a good spot for getting out onto the
Klarälven River
, a 500km-long
waterway that begins over the border in Norway near Lake Femunden, entering
Sweden at Långflon in the north of Värmland at slightly over half of its course. The
Klarälven was one of the last Swedish rivers where timber was floated downstream to
sawmills; the practice only ceased here in 1991.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
4
EKSHÄRAD
By bus
From Karlstad bus station take bus #600 and tell
the driver you're going to the rafts in Gunnerud (Mon-Fri 2
daily, Sun 1 daily; 1hr 50min;
W
varmlandstraik.se). From
Gunnerud it's another 15min on the same bus to Ekshärad.
By car
From Karlstad take Route 62 north and Gunnerud is
located just after the junction with Route 246 to Hagfors.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Byns Camping
Ekshärad
T
0563 407 76,
W
bynscamping.eu.
British-run riverside campsite located
on the other side of the river from the village centre; take
the second right after the bridge.
Has cab
ins as
well as t
ent
sites. Open late May to Aug. Tents
140kr
, cabins
275kr
Wärdshuset Pilgrimen
Klarälvsvägen 35
T
0563 405
90,
W
wardshusetpilgrimen.com.
Accommodation at
this pleasant inn is located at the rear of the main building,
with dorm beds as well as simple double rooms.
The
restaurant (daily noon-10pm) in the main building serves
a range of meat and fish dish
es for
around 1
50kr an
d has
weekday lunch buffet. Dorms
175kr
, doubles
350kr
RAFTING ON THE KLARÄLVEN RIVER
Between June and August, two companies operate
trips
along the river on sixteen-square-
metre
timber rafts
, each of which holds two people; book ahead no matter which company
you choose. Their prices are roughly the same, but with Branäs Sverigeflotten you build the raft
yourself, supervised by a member of staff, using the 3m-long logs and the rope provided; no
other materials are allowed. Once you're under way, you'll find the water flows at around 2km/hr,
which gives you time to swim, fish and study the countryside and animals (beavers and elk are
plentiful). At night, you sleep in a tent either on the raft (which is moored) or on the riverbank.
Branäs Sverigeflotten
Transtrand 22, Branäs
T
0564 402 27,
W
sverigelotten.com. Call in advance
to find out where to meet; a bus leaves the riverside
Byns Camping
in Ekshärad (see above) at 9.30am for
the start point (either Ransby or Värnäs). 2300kr
Vildmark i Värmland
Röbjörkeby 7, Torsby
T
0560 140 40,
W
vildmark.se. Assemble on day
one at Gunnerud beside Route 62 south of Ekshärad.
2260kr
