Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Svartsö
2-3hr from Stockholm by boat
North of Gällno,
Svartsö
is busier than its neighbour, though it's never overrun with
visitors and there's plenty of space to unwind and sunbathe on the rocky shores
- particularly on the western edge of the island. With its fields of grazing sheep, thick
virgin forest and crystal-clear lakes, Svartsö has a more pastoral feel than some of the
other surrounding islands, where forest predominates, and there are also good roads
which make it ideal for cycling or walking.
From the northern jetty, where most boats from Stockholm arrive, there's a pleasant
walk - lasting about ninety minutes - along the road towards the two lakes in the
centre of the island. Just before you arrive at the lakes, turn right into the path that
follows the lakeside, passing a few houses on the way. The road then becomes a track
heading into the forest. Continue past a couple of hayfields in a forest clearing, and
eventually you'll glimpse the sea through the trees at the forest edge; this is an ideal
place to sunbathe nude or stop for a picnic. Past a farmhouse and a couple of barns, the
track eventually turns into a road again; from here it's another twenty- to thirty-
minutes' walk to the village of
Alsvik
, with its post office and
shop
where you can buy
snacks and refreshments - ferry connections back to the capital also depart from here.
2
Ingmarsö
2hr 30min-3hr from Stockholm by boat
Ingmarsö
is an excellent island for walkers. Most boats dock at the northern jetty (Norra
Ingmarsö), and from here you can do an enjoyable roundabout
walk
that takes you across
the island and onto neighbouring Finnhamn, from where you can catch a boat back.
Follow the main road away from the northern jetty, and after about fifteen minutes, turn
left at the signpost marked “Båtdraget” and “Femsund”. Before making this turn you may
want to continue straight ahead for five minutes to the island's
supermarket
to stock up
on provisions, before retracing your steps to the signpost. The road to Femsund
eventually turns into a track - marked by blue dots on tree trunks - which strikes out
through the forest heading for Kålmårsön. After about an hour, the path skirts a
wonderfully isolated lake, where you can swim and sunbathe, before passing through
more unspoilt forest and emerging at a small bay filled with yachts. Look carefully here
for the continuation of the path - still marked with blue dots - which will take you to
rowing-boat moorings at the narrow sound (around 20m wide) between here and
Finnhamn. If you fail to locate the path, follow the coast round to the right for roughly
ten to fifteen minutes while facing the yachts in the bay. It takes about two and a half
hours to get to the sound from the northern jetty. Row over to Finnhamn, remembering
to leave one row-boat on either side of the sound (see box, 84).
Finnhamn
The journey time back to Stockholm is around two hours
Although only a tiny island,
Finnhamn
is often busy because of its popular
youth hostel
(see p.85). To walk from the row-boat moorings to the main jetty and the youth hostel
takes around forty minutes. During summer, the café by the jetty serves up simple
snacks and refreshments. If the crowds are too much here, head southeast from
Finnhamn's tiny main village for the adjoining islet of Lilla Jolpan, where there are
some good bathing opportunities.
Svartlöga and Rödlöga
For a shorter boat journey, you can get here in 90min from Furusund, a coastal town reached from central Stockholm in about 2hr by a
combination of T-bana and bus: from Danderyds sjukhus T-bana, take bus #676 to Norrtälje, and change to the #634 to Furusund
