Sverige

Last thoughts

Now that I am on the same ferry that I was previously dodging in my little motorboat, I have some time to set down some final thoughts on this year's stay on the wonderful island of Utö in Sweden.

- bring hiking gear
- mosquito stuff is necessary
- remember to bring cash
- purchase return bus tickets in advance

Last trip to Childrens' beach

I went out after lunch to the Childrens' beach again, and spent a wonderful time. I have noticed now that after 4:30 PM the beach is deserted. And since the sun sets at around 10:30 PM, you have a good number of hours to enjoy the environment all by yourself!

On a side note, I have changed my course to getting there. Rather then going straight up the coast, I now pass through the channel at the guest harbor, and cut across around the island of Tallholm (note: it is only indicated as Tallh on the navigational maps). This route is more scenic by far. You just need to keep an eye out for the rocks that are off the Northeast coast of Tallholm. When you arrive at the beach using this route, as soon as you round the island, clear the rocks, and are heading Southeast, the Children's beach is straight ahead.

Fog and fishing

This morning was particularly beautiful and calm. There was a thick and misty blanket of fog that hung over the area in the morning.

The temperature was warm enough to be out comfortably in a t-shirt and shorts, and the near absence of wind added to the silence of the moment, as the leaves of the trees did not rustle either.

Fishing

So this morning, I finally got around to fishing. I started off of the Törnqvist's dock , but my company was quickly getting bored (I was accompanying two little kids), so we continued the fishing in the boat. Needless to say, we did not catch anything at all. Not surprising, given the amount of noise the kids were making, and the fact that I was unable to fish myself, being in charge of the boat and safety. But it was a lot of fun!

I then decided to prolong the boat experience by taking them to the Childrens' beach, where we would spend some time before lunch.

On a side note, the « Attack Sprinter 300 ». Ended up working better than the one I purchased at Utö Sjömack, which even broke! The two floaters I purchased there also had the unfortunate tendency to...sink!

Northern tip of Utö

I set out to go to Stora Sandvik this morning at about 9:30. It was a bit cold and windy this morning, and threatened rain, hence the late departure.

The bike ride takes you past Gruvbryggan, and so I profited from the occasion to purchase some real fishing gear, as mentioned in yesterday's entry.

Along the way, which runs along the northwestern coast of the island, you come across an area where horses are trained, and another, on the right, where there are a fair number of sheep lounging about in the sun. I took this rout earlier when I visited the Childrens' beach via bicycle.

Weather

When I awoke this morning, everything was drenched, it was cold, windy, and raining (as it had been all night). I anticipated a day lounging at Mariehäll, though the miraculous Utö weather was in for a surprise! Like last Tuesday's morning rain, it cleared up by 8:00 AM.

By noon it was hot, and mostly sunny, and by 3:00 PM the sky was totally blue, with temperatures pleasantly warm.

Fishing supplies

This morning I decided to go out and to get some fishing supplies. While they sell them at nearly every store here it seems, I just went to ICA as it was convenient for me to take the boat and stop at their docks.

Rummage sale

This afternoon there was a rummage sale down by the homestead museum ( ) from 11 AM to 1 PM, there was, as is often the case for such sales, some interesting things for sale. Unfortunately I had no cash on hand with which I could buy something.

This morning I left by bike to go to the sandy beach of Sandbad, on the island of Alö, which is connected to Utö by a short bridge at its northern tip.

For information purposes, it took me a leisurely one hour to get from Mariehäll to the beach, and about 45 minutes to return. I account for this difference in that the trip back to Mariehäll has longer downhill runs. Up until the bridge, the trip is the same one as I wrote about last year.

I am a bit tired tonite, and so rather than go on and on about the beach, I'll just share a couple of photos:

I headed out this morning by boat, with the intention of spending the morning lounging at the Childrens' Beach. Going by mototboat from Mariehäll is a rather straightforward process. The only real concern is minding the traffic as you pass through the guest harbor, and the rocks to the south of Tallholm. But this aside, you can go straight from Mariehäll to the Childrens' beach through the sound, in straight line.

Once you pass the island of Tallholm, you will want to stop your motor, pull it up, and start rowing. This is for several reasons: safety for any swimmers, the depth of the water, and the fact that you can row it right up on the sand. Then, just jump out and pull the boat up on the beach.

I finally got to see rain on Utö, though it only lasted between about 4 AM to 7 AM. By the time breakfast was over, the sun was already starting to dry off everything. Fortunately during this brief showers, I did not need to go down to use the facilities, because I did not bring an umbrella! (I bought an umbrella at the ICA store later in the day...)

The day started out well. It was sunny and warm enough to have a nice breakfast outside Mariehäll this morning at about 7:00. A quick look at the weather showed that it would be another nice and sunny day, so a tour on bike and some lounging by the sea seemed like an excellent plan.

Last year, I left out many sights to see on Utö, because I only had 4 days on the island. One of the destinations that I neglected was the mines (Gruvor).

My first stop after dropping by the general store for some stuff) would therefore be the abandoned mines.

It was supposed to rain today, but instead I have a sunburn. Actually, it was supposed to rain yesterday too, but nope.

I had a look at the weather this afternoon, and it looks like we will have sunny skies until at least Thursday!

Last year, I chose to go to Utö by train, and then by bus (which ended up being by taxi) and then by ferry. It was a very easy experience, which I detailed here.

This year, however, I have chosen to go by a more direct route, in part because I will already be in Stockholm, and so I do not need to worry about timetables. So I will go directly from Stockholm to Utö by ferry, an option hinted at in the Näsudden website.

So here's the plan...

It has been almost a full year now since I have been back from Utö, and I wonder if I will be able to wait so long again before I return...

Rather than go on and on about what a great stay I had at Mariehäll on Utö last year, our excellent hosts, and the tireless help from Ewa-May, suffice it to say that of all the destinations in the world where I could have chosen to spend this summer's precious vacation - I have chosen to return to exactly the same spot! There is still so much to do!!

I just wanted to be sure that everyone can see the wonderful photos of Utö taken by Ove Nilsson and published on the Näsudden website at: http://www.nasudden.se/uto_stuga_galleri.htm

The main harbour at Utö, and the place where you will find most of what you need for your stay on the island is Gruvbryggan.

There you will find a clothing store, a bakery, several restaurants, the tourist office, a bicycle rental shop, a children's playground, a grocery store and other shops as well.

I have taken some photos of the area, which will give you a good idea of what it is like, and what you can expect to see if you visit Utö, to help you plan for your trip...