Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Sorsele River
Hotellgatan 2
T
0952 121 50.
At
lunchtime, head for the
Sorsele River
hotel, which has a
buffet of tasty local fare (until 2pm); its gourmet restaurant
is also open in the evenings for northern Swedish delicacies
at around 100-200kr per dish.
Mon-Fri 11am-7pm,
Sun 2-6pm
.
Ammarnäs
The tiny mountain village of
AMMARNÄS
, with a population of just 250, lies ninety
minutes' bus ride northwest of Sorsele; the road only reached this remote corner of
Sweden in 1939. Set in a wide river valley by the side of the
Gautsträsk lake
and at the
foot of the towering
Ammarfjället mountains
, the village offers peace and tranquillity of
the first order. This is
reindeer
country (one-third of the villagers here are reindeer
herders), and for hundreds of years the local
Sámi
are known to have migrated with
their animals from the coast to the surrounding fells for summer pasture.
Brief history
The first settlement began here in 1821 when two
Sámi
brothers, Måns and Abraham
Sjulsson, were granted permission to set up home at Övre Gautsträsk. When they failed
to keep the terms of their agreement, a new tenant, Nils Johansson, took over. He eked
out an existence by cultivating the land and is responsible for
Potatisbacken
or Potato
Hill, adjacent to the church at the eastern end of the village at the junction of
Kyrkvägen and Nolsivägen (get here by following Nolsivägen from opposite the
Ammarnäsgården
hotel, signed “Norra Ammarnäs”), where the northern Swedish potato
(a sweet, yellow variety), is grown - unusual for a location so far north. With the
founding of a postal station in 1895, the village changed its name from Gautsträsk (
gaut
is a
Sámi
word meaning “bowl” - an accurate description of its valley-bottom location)
to Ammarnäs - the foreland between the Tjulån and Vindelälven rivers. A stone plinth
now stands in Nils Johansson's memory across from the church on Strandvägen.
Sámi church town and Samegården
he
Sámi church town
, near the potato hill on Nolsivägen, was built in 1850, and
was moved to its present site in 1911. The dozen or so square wooden huts, which
are perched on horizontal logs to help keep them dry, are still used today. Three times
a year
Sámi
families gather here, much as they have done for centuries, to celebrate
important
festivals
: the
Sámi
festival (Sun before midsummer), Vårböndagshelgen
(spring intercession day, on the first Sun in July) and Höstböndagshelgen (autumn
intercession day, on the last Sun in Sept). The nearby
Samegården
(
Sámi
museum;
ring for opening times on
T
0952 602 39) on Strandvägen has a simple display of
Sámi
history and traditions.
Naturum Vindelfjällen
Nature Centre • Tjulträskvägen • Mid-June to mid-Sept daily 9am-5pm • Free
he
Naturum Vindelfjällen
has information about the local geology, flora and fauna,
and an unflattering selection of stuffed animals, including bear, lynx and wolverine. It
also shows a 1940s film of bears in the woods along the Vindelälven - just ask them to
put it on. Look out also for the model of the surrounding peaks, which will give you an
idea of just how isolated Ammarnäs is, locked in on three sides by mountains.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
AMMARNÄS
By bus
Buses from Sorsele will drop you along the main
road, Tjulträskvägen.
Tourist o
ce
Ammarnäsgården (mid-June to mid-Sept
daily 9am-5pm;
T
0952 600 00,
W
ammarnas.nu). Has
plenty of maps and brochures on the surrounding
countryside, and useful information on hiking, and can also
help with the renting of dog sleds and snowmobiles in
winter, and rides on Icelandic ponies.
