Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sorsele and around
The next major stop on the Inlandsbanan north of Storuman (also served by bus
from Storuman) is
SORSELE
, 76km away - a pint-sized, quiet little town on the
Vindelälven River
. he town became a
cause célèbre
among conservationists in
Sweden when activists forced the government to abandon its plans to build a
hydroelectric power station, which would have regulated the river's flow.
Consequently, the Vindelälven remains in its natural state today - seething with
rapids - and is one of only four rivers in the country that hasn't been tampered with
in some way or other.
The big event here is the
Vindelälvsdraget
, a 400km, four-day dog-sled race from
Ammarnäs to Vännäsby held in the third week of March. Sorsele is an ideal base for
fly-fishing:
: the Vindelälven and the other local river, Laisälven, are teeming with
grayling and brown trout, and there are a number of local lakes stocked with char. Ask
at the tourist offices for details.
9
Inland Railway museum
June-Aug Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1-3pm • 20kr
Aside from the river, Sorsele's only other attraction is the Inland Railway
museum
, in
the same building as the tourist office, detailing the life and times of the Inlandsbanan;
the labelling here is in Swedish only, though there is an English-language factsheet
available, which will help make sense of the evocative black-and-white photographs of
German troops travelling up and down the line during World War II; during the
height of the conflict, the so-called “horseshoe traffic” (named after the shape of the
route) saw 12,000 German soldiers and significant amounts of war material
transported every week between Narvik and Trondheim in occupied Norway, travelling
via Gällivare, Arvidsjaur and Östersund along the Inlandsbanan in supposedly neutral
Sweden.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
SORSELE
By train
The train station is beside the main road,
Stationsgatan.
Destinations
Arvidsjaur (summer 1 daily; 1hr 30min);
Gällivare (summer 1 daily; 7hr); Jokkmokk (summer 1
daily; 5hr); Storuman (summer 1 daily; 1hr); Östersund
(1 daily; 6hr).
By bus
Buses stop outside the train station on
Stationsgatan.
Destinations
Ammarnäs (2 daily; 1hr 15min); Gällivare
(1 daily; 5hr 15min); Östersund (2 daily; 6hr); Storuman
(2 daily; 1hr).
Tourist o
ce
Stationsgatan 19 (June-Aug Mon-Fri
9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri
9am-noon & 1-3pm;
T
0952 40 90,
W
sorsele.se). At the
train station, with information about local activities such as
fishing and canoe rental.
Internet
Free access is available at the village library at
Storgatan 11.
ACCOMMODATION
Sorsele Camping
Torggatan 3
T
0952 101 24,
W
lapplandskatan.nu.
A riverside campsite with four-
bed cabins. The campsite is also the location for the
small STF
youth hostel
whose rooms all have bunk
beds but no pri
vate fa
cilities; t
here's
a kitchen f
for self
-
caterin
g. Tent
s
100kr
, dorms
225kr
, doubles
470kr
,
cabins
595kr
Sorsele River
Hotellgatan 2
T
0952 121 50,
W
sorseleriverhotel.se.
The only hotel in town is a smart
place featuring tasteful rooms with wooden floors and
modern furnishings as well as a superb sauna and jacuzzi
suite; from the train station, turn left into Stationsgatan,
right into Södra Esplanaden, left
again into Vin
delvägen
and finally right into Hotellgatan.
910kr/1075kr
EATING
Bicaut Café
Stationsgatan 16.
Inside the Folkets hus
community centre, this simple but cheerily painted café,
full of bright greens and whites, is a real find. They do a
decent daily set lunch as well as an impressive range of
home-made
cakes.
Mon-Thurs
10am-3pm,
Fri
10am-2pm.
