Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Åsarna and around
From Sveg, the Inlandsbanan veers eastwards in order to skirt the vast area of
marshland north and east of the town. The train line finally swings west at
Överhogdal, where the Viking Age tapestries now on display in Östersund were
discovered (see opposite), before crossing the provincial border into Jämtland and
continuing north to
ÅSARNA
. Blink and you'll miss the place, a tiny one-street affair
109km north of Sveg that serves as a diminutive service centre for the southern part
of Jämtland. Other than the train station, a filling station and a hotel, all lined up
along the nameless main road, there's nothing to recommend an overnight stay here.
For a stroll or an afternoon picnic in summer, wander past the campsite cabins
behind the Skicenter (see below) and down to the river; turn right here and follow
the age-old Kärleksstigen (“Lover's Lane”) along the water's edge - you can cross the
river over an old stone bridge, further upstream by the rapids, and return on the
opposite bank along a minor road. The smooth, low rocks by the bridge make an
ideal spot to fish or catch a few rays of sunshine.
Skicenter
Olstavägen 45 • Daily: June-Aug 8am-10pm; Sept-May 8am-8pm • Free entry to museum •
T
0687 302 30,
W
asarnaskicenter.se
The Inlandbanan makes a stop of forty minutes in both directions in Åsarna, allowing
time enough to check out the
Skicenter
and its
museum
, which has worthy displays of
the Åsarna ski club's Olympic and World Championship medals and equipment, as
well as photographs of famous Swedish skiers and a couple of video exhibits.
Established by four of the region's many skiing champions - Tomas Wassberg, Torgny
Mogren, Jan Ottosson and Hans Persson - the centre also organizes cross-country
skiing in winter and provides advice on hiking in summer.
8
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ÅSARNA
By train
Åsarna train station lies beside the one and only
main road, Olstavägen, which runs through the village.
Destinations
Mora (1-2 daily; 4hr); Östersund (1-2 daily;
1hr 15min); Sveg (1-2 daily; 1hr 30min).
By bus
Buses pull up at the Skicenter.
Destinations
Ljungdalen (1 daily; 1hr 45min); Östersund
(6 daily; 1hr 20min); Sveg (2 daily; 1hr 30min).
INFORMATION
Tourist information
Åsarna's Skicenter (daily: June-
Aug 8am-10pm; Sept-May 8am-8pm;
T
0687 302 30,
W
asarnaskicenter.se) has limited amounts of tourist
information.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Åsarna hostel
Olstavägen 45,
T
0687 302 30,
W
asarnaskicenter.se.
Down by the river's edge,
accommodation here is spread across several timber
buildings behind the Skicenter and there's also a small
bathing pool and a sauna. Dorms
200kr
, doubles
400kr
Skicenter
The restaurant here is hard to beat for cheap
meals, with breakfast,
dagens rätt
until 6pm and evening
meals for 95kr.
Daily until 8pm, June-Aug 10pm.
NUDE MALE FIDDLERS: ÅRETS NÄCK
One of the most intriguing and quintessentially Swedish events you'll witness takes place in
Hackås
, just 35km north of Åsarna, on the second Thursday in July. The
Årets Näck
competition (
W
näck.nu) features a succession of naked male fiddle players, who compete for
the prestigious title by sitting in the unflatteringly chilly waters of the local river to play their
instruments. The roots of this eye-opening spectacle of public nudity are to be found in the
mists of Swedish folklore where the
näck
, a long-haired, bearded, naked water sprite, would sit
by a river rapid or waterfall and play his fiddle so hauntingly that women and children from
miles around would be lured to him, only to drown in his watery home. The event begins
around 9pm on the island of Gaveriholmen near Strömbacka mill; Hackås is on the
Inlandsbanan and is served by buses to and from Östersund.
