SCANDINAVIA - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 89

116 TAKE ThE no-fly rouTE To
ScAndinAviA

117 STAy undEr ThE Turf AT
Gålå, norwAy

Flying is the easy way in to the Nordic countries,
but travelling there by boat or train is far more
interesting and certainly better in terms of your
carbon footprint. You can forget all about airport
hassle and luggage reclaim and take it slow,
enjoying the scenery as you go.
Trains go to Copenhagen from Hamburg (with
connections from London via the Eurostar to
Brussels and Cologne). Deutsche Bahn operates a
comfortable sleeper train route, so you can catch
a late-afternoon Eurostar train from London to
Brussels, sleep overnight on the train to Hamburg
and then connect to Copenhagen, arriving in the
early afternoon. From Copenhagen you can take a
ferry up to Oslo (16hr 30min) or cross into Sweden
overland by train in 30min, from where you can
whizz up the west coast or on to Stockholm.
Cruise ferries go from the east coast of
England (Harwich) to Esbjerg in western
Denmark (20hr), from where there's a train to
Copenhagen (3hr 15min). Ferries also go from
northern Germany to Trelleborg in Sweden,
from Rostock (5hr 45min) and Sassnitz (4hr). Or
you can catch a ferry from Rostock to Gedser in
Denmark (1hr 45min), from where you can take
a train or a bus to Copenhagen (both 2hr 30min).
If you're in a rush to get back to mainland
Europe, the quickest way is usually by train
from Copenhagen. You can take a return sleeper
service, but it's also possible to get to London from
Copenhagen in a day. There are three changes - but
each just involves crossing platforms at Hamburg,
Cologne and Brussels - and the latter joins the
Eurostar direct to St Pancras. Leave Copenhagen at
7.42am and you'll be in London just after 10pm.

The elevated vista is classic Norway: pine and
birch forest surround the glistening blue waters
of Lake Svintjern and in the distance loom the
snowy peaks of the Jotunheimen Mountains. The
silence at the small resort at Gålå, in the region
of the same name, is addictive. Tucked up next
to a wood-burning stove in a highland cabin,
no-one need know you are here: the roofs of the
cabins are turfed with grass, which is excellent
for camouflage (as well as insulation).
If you want to venture out and explore the
district of Gudbrandsdalen, local organization
Summer Arena runs numerous activities,
including pony-trekking, canoeing, white-water
rafting on the River Sjoa, hiking, fishing and
mountain biking (helpful route notes are provided
in the cabins). Or you can go a little further afield
to the Rondane National Park, home to the last
wild reindeer herd in Norway. Here's a place
where you feel a part of nature, not a lord of it.

Need to know To get there from Oslo take the
train to Vinstra (2hr 40min; W www.nsb.no) where
you'll be collected, by arrangement, for a 30min
drive to Gålå. To book local activities with Summer
Arena visit W www.gala.no; T [phone].
For further details of accommodation, prices and
activities see W www.inntravel.co.uk; T +44 (0)
1653 617 920.

118 Swim AcroSS finlAnd'S
lAKES And rivErS

It's the first dip of the day that's the hardest.
Not because you're worried that the water will
be cold - the lakes of southern Finland are
shallow and the summer sun quickly heats the
water. Rather, it's the thought of a whole day's
exercise that makes you pause. But as soon as
you take the plunge you've no time to reconsider.
Off you go into the blue yonder, cutting a swan-

Need to know For train times and advice on
rail networks in Europe see W www.seat61.com.
For prices and ferry timetables from Harwich to
Esbjerg and from Copenhagen to Oslo see W www.
dfdsseaways.co.uk. For ferries from Rostock and
Sassnitz to Trelleborg and from Rostock to Gedser
visit W www.scandlines.de.