On Sunday evening, we decided to spend a few days on a farm near Strömsund in Hammerdal. We contacted Ecki via WhatsApp and shortly afterwards received confirmation that there was still space for us on his property.
The next morning we set off north in the pouring rain.
Ecki, a German emigrant, has built up the Woodland Farm. As it was pouring with rain when we arrived, he gave us a very friendly but brief welcome, explained roughly where to find the shower and toilet and showed us where we could stand.
During a break in the rain, we went for a look around. There are only 4 pitches for motorhomes on the huge site. That’s really great. You have enough space and privacy. There are also pitches for tents, a tiny house and a vacation home for rent. Ecki also offers work for board and lodging through Work-Away. That’s great. We traveled like this in 2023 and learned a lot.
And everything for the camper is included in the price. Electricity and water, sauna, shower, toilet, an outdoor sink for washing up, a barbecue area and space to hang up the washing. You only have to pay the equivalent of just under 4 euros to use the washing machine.
The hotel’s own lake is less than 5 minutes away. You can hire subs, a boat or fishing equipment for a certain amount. For a fee, you can also book a guided fishing tour or a tour by boat with Ecki.
At the time we were here, the lake was more mystical than inviting.
The next day, after breakfast, we rode our KTM 390 Adventure along a small part of TET Sweden. In between, the road surface was a bit strange, like earth with gravel and really greasy. Later we saw the vehicle that was responsible for this. Why they do that, I have no idea. In the video below you can see the drive back to WENNE at the end.
It started to rain again in the afternoon and we were pretty chilly. We enjoyed the warm shower from the campsite and then just made ourselves comfortable in the WENNE, hoping to have some sunshine again soon. The next day we had a big washing day. We were lucky, because when it started to rain again, the washing was at least reasonably dry.
Ecki said that here in the north there is only a midsummer night’s festival in Strömsund, which supposedly only lasts an hour. Most people here celebrate privately in their small villages, where tourists are less welcome. Alex said that since I really wanted to experience such a festival, we should drive back a bit and stick to our first idea and go to Östersund to see the events.
That same day, he booked a pitch online at an official campsite. There were just three places left.
We found ‘Willi’, a grocery store that is probably only found here in the region around Östersund on the east coast. A well-stocked store with very reasonable prices.
For the equivalent of 0.78 euros for a can of typical Swedish beer, we took some home to try.
We were pleasantly surprised because we didn’t find the prices in Sweden that much more expensive than everyone had said. Of course, there are grocery stores where the prices are very expensive. You can shop really cheaply at Lidl. Willi’s is a great grocery store because it has a lot of local products at reasonable prices. You just have to look a bit at what you buy. If one product is a bit more expensive, another with a lower price will balance out our budget. So we don’t find it that much more expensive than in Germany.
The Midsummer Night’s Festival in Östersund was open to the public at the Jamtli open-air museum. So we made the 30-minute journey there on Friday morning. While we were dressed like it was winter, you could see some locals in shorts, t-shirts or dresses.
Jamtli is a word from the Jämtland dialect and means something like “the place of the Jämtlanders”. Among other things, it is an open-air museum where you can discover historical buildings from the late 18th century to the modern Mexican brick villa from 1975.
In order to preserve the cultural heritage of old times, older houses and farms from the province of Jämtland have been moved to the open-air museum in Östersund.
You get an insight into life in the past, from the farms and surroundings of Jämtland and Härjedalen from different eras and can walk across pastures with various Swedish farm animals.
Some buildings were open and the people/actors showed a life in another time.
Various types of houses, the old locomotive and a small bunker built deep underground to store things that need to be cool and dry.
Service station from 1956 with petrol station, kiosk, car, bicycle and moped workshop.
Car repair shop from 1956.
Bicycle & moped workshop from 1956.
The church is a replica from the 17th century and resembles a Christian church. The bell tower stands separately outside. Today, the church is regularly used for various events. As the church was not consecrated, it can be used by anyone regardless of their religion. Of course, the requirements for fire alarms, ventilation, district heating and barrier-free accessibility have been taken into account. These requirements were installed in such a way that they are not visible, thus preserving the 17th century image.
In the dairy, the main focus is on explaining to children how milk was processed in the past and what it was used for.
The food was stored in these high feeding sheds, which were protected from predators.
The winter house shows how people protected themselves against the cold and snow.
The frame is made of home-grown arched logs and the inner walls are made of peeled birch bark.
The covering material is also made of birch bark to keep out the damp. A layer of peat is then placed on top. Birch slats were placed around the huts to keep the peat in place. Draught holes have been made in the underside of the hut to allow the smoke to escape up the chimney through the vent.
The so-called Mountain Farms are mountain farms dating back to 1885. In the summer months, they took their animals to the mountain pastures. They looked after and cared for their animals there during the summer months. They made cheese from the milk of sheep, goats or cows and brought it back to the stables in their villages down in the valleys in winter.
In addition to goats and horses, there were of course all kinds of other farm animals on the farms, such as sheep, chickens, cows, etc.
This hut was built in 1980 as the first shelter in the mountains of Jämtland.
Sheriff Kjell Herdel and his family lived on Lillhärdalsgarden Farm.
The farm is a self-catering farm and dates back to 1785.
Linemman’s Cottage is the guardhouse, the conductor’s house from 1956, where the conductor Olle Larrson once lived with his family. The conductor was responsible for the maintenance and inspection of the local railroad section.
The family was lucky, because at that time the renovation of staff housing had begun and so they were able to enjoy the luxury of refrigerators, hot water, easy-care linoleum floors, etc. The renovation of the bathroom was also being planned.
The first minibuses already existed in the 1930s.
It wasn’t until the 1950s/60s that they began to operate in Jämtland and Härjedalen to make it easier for people to reach stores and services in remote villages. The driver was not only a driver but also a salesman, as the bus was also filled with everyday items that were then sold locally. These were mainly canned goods, sausages, toilet paper, buttermilk cookies, margarine, tobacco, ice cream, soft drinks and sweets.
On the market square you will find a fairground, put on just as it was back then.
The store of J.P. Gulle.
From 1891, J.P. Gulle ran his store in this house, offering groceries, leather, scrap metal and tools for sale as well as for diving. His sons later took over the business until the 1940s.
The Midsummer Night’s Festival at the Jamtli opened at 11 am on Friday. At the ticket office we were given a small map showing a circular route of the various buildings. As we were trying to find our way around, a very nice woman came up to us, who was actually busy collecting greenery for the flower wreaths. She explained to us what this open-air museum was all about and when the whole spectacle of decorating and erecting the maypole would take place.
We met girls, women and men wearing traditional costumes, folklore music with traditional dances. Children and women with flower arrangements on their heads. There was a stand where you could make a wreath of flowers together with the women from Jamtli using the flowers you had picked yourself.
Today, on Midsummer’s Day, not only the folklore from those days was played, but also traditional live music.
In the afternoon, the Midsommarstång (maypole) was decorated.
And then set up with music and dancing.
On the way back to our pitch we passed a bar and as there was finally some sun, we decided to enjoy a beer on the terrace of the bar. The Norrland beer is ok but, as they say, a “thin beer”. Of course, we knew that it is more expensive to go to restaurants or bars in Sweden and Norway than in other European countries. But we wanted a tasty beer and decided on a Guinness from the barrel.
Converted 20.66.-€ 🫣
Saturday night was very restless because it stormed so much all night that WENNE rocked incessantly. Then there was the pattering of the rain.
We really don’t have much luck with the weather. A rain front has been in our area for days. Sometimes with strong, sometimes with less strong winds.
In the afternoon, we went for a quick look at Östersund’s city center. We didn’t spend much time there because it was cold, wet and stormy. What’s more, the small stores in the city center were closed on Midsummer’s Eve.
Östersund is one of the larger cities in Sweden with a population of just under 50,000.
It is the capital of the province of Jämtland and lies directly on Sweden’s fifth largest lake, Storsjön.
Östersund lies roughly in the middle of Sweden. For us, this means that we still have half of it ahead of us, as our last destination in Sweden is Abisko. A small town in Lapland, just under 200 km north of the Arctic Circle.
Again and again we come across the Storsjöodjuret, the lake monster of Lake Storsön. Comparable to that of Loch Ness.
Tomorrow we are heading further north. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is likely to be very modest. Temperatures in the single digits and lots of wetness from above. That’s a great pity! We now hope that it won’t rain as much as forecast on our planned route and that we can enjoy the beautiful nature of Lapland.
We wish you all a good time and would like to thank each and every one of you for reading this article and hopefully enjoying your time with us in Sweden.
Best regards Iris & Alex