Having had very little attention from international travelers in the past, the Swedish tourist board are beginning to show the world what the West coast of Sweden can offer, and what better way to show off Sweden than the stunning West coastal paradise called the Bohuslän Coast.
Imagine waking from a toasty night spent in your tent, just you and your significant other alone on your own island. You unzip the tent to reveal a stunning sunrise which casts a soft orange light on the pink granite rocks of distant islands.
The sun starts to warm your face as you light the stove for a morning coffee. The sea around you is calm, almost mirror like as you pull out your map to plan where you will paddle today. The freedom knowing that this whole coastline is yours to explore.
This was my first memory of Bohuslän Coast and by the time the water had boiled for my morning cuppa, I had fallen in love with the place.
Laying along the West Coast of Sweden, between Gothenburg in the south and the Norwegian border to the North, Bohuslän offers a mixture of wilderness and traditional Swedish coastal villages, all protected from the wild North sea by the huge archipelago which stretches almost the full 280 kilometers that known as the Bohuslan Coast.
There are over 8,000 islands and islets which make up the Bohuslän archipelago, most uninhabited and due to the generous ‘Freedom to roam’ laws in Sweden, are free to be explored at your leisure and wild camped on.
One of the reasons Bohuslan was recently called a ‘kayakers paradise’ by CNN and what makes Bohuslän that extra special for a kayaking holiday, is the choice you have. One moment you can be kayaking a coastal wilderness, the next you can be among the many tourists eating, ‘caught that day’ seafood, at one of the traditional Swedish restaurants found in the bustling fishing villages which line the coast.
If you choose to, you can paddle for your full kayaking trip and hardly see anyone other than a passing fishing boat, distant sailing boats or other kayakers. Head out towards the ‘Weather Islands’, located at the outer archipelago for a challenging but rewarding trip.
Maybe you will explore the protected inner archipelago with the odd stop off one of the thriving summer tourist villages which are dotting along the coastline. Or maybe you will choose to stay close to civilisation with each night spent at a campsite.
It’s the varied landscape which makes Bohuslän Coast such a fantastic choice for a kayaking holiday in Sweden. Come and visit, to see yourself how stunning West Sweden really is.
