(Note the trail continues north for a few more days/legs of biking if you chose- ending in Gothenburg)
Now Zooey didn't exactly ask me if we could bike for 4 days to reach Halmstad. But she didn't exactly tell me we couldn't either....so that's what I set out to plan. I mean I said she could chose the destination not the whole trip, right? :) Maybe at 15 she'll be a bit more specific haha.
Once I learned of the Kattegattleden trail the trip fell together super easily with minimal planning. At first I tried to use a company to plan a "self guided" tour hoping they would handle the bike rentals, the lodging and the luggage transport. But as I communicated with companies, I realized with the level of detail I was needing to provide them I was practically planning it myself. So after a few hours of research and use of the amazingly helpful Kattegattleden webpage , the trip was planned! I ended up using Travelshop for the bike rental and luggage transport and I would recommend but read below. They were the only one I could find with a tag a long to rent (which seemed crazy to me given how bike friendly Sweden is!). I booked the two Airbnb and the two hotels myself as well but was quite easy- not a ton of options in these small towns!
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| Gluten free pancakes abound! |
As expected, folks in Sweden were amazingly helpful and everyone knew English. I will say, though, that Sweden felt a bit more foreign that our other recent international trips- New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, England. While nearly everyone spoke English (in all of these countries), the signage and package labels and menus and directions on appliances were all in Swedish vs in Switzerland and Norway much was in English. I don't know why this is- maybe because there's a larger diversity of primary languages in Switzerland? Or we were in more touristy, larger towns in Norway? But I spent quite a bit of time with google translate to use the washing machine, the dishwasher and to read labels and menus. Totally fine of course we are visitors and shouldn't assume English- just interesting to note.
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| Oresund Playground |
We flew into Copenhagen and spent the first 3 nights in a house in Malmo, Sweden just a short train ride over (actually under) the water. Malmo had been on my list of towns to visit for years, once I learned it had the most playgrounds per capita of any town in the world! It was a great place to adjust to jet lag, explore and spend tons on unstructured time outside. In our investigation of the playgrounds here I learned of the Monstrum playgrounds website - these are unique, artistic playgrounds around the world, but especially in Scandinavia. There are a few in the US as well so check out the webpage if you travel with littles! The first day we took a bus then walked along the waterfront to the Oresund playground. We found two additional playgrounds on the way. This is always my favorite- the finds on the journey! The actual Oresund playground was great as well! We visited multiple playgrounds in Malmo, the kids and the grown ups had a lovely time but I will say these playgrounds paled in comparison to those in the Bernese Overland region of Switzerland. Those remain the best playgrounds in the world and our family is unanimous in that opinion. (Note, I recently went on a running/trekking trip in the Engadine region of Switzerland the playgrounds were not as good- Bernese Overland or bust for playgrounds!!)
Day 1 Helsingborg to Hoganas 12 miles
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| Barely fit |
Once jet lag was behind us we set out on our bike ride! We took an easy train ride to Helsingborg, had a nice lunch as we waited out the rain as clear skies were coming and then had a hell of a time finding the Travelshop rental place. It took as an hour- no joke- to find the place. Not the start to the trip we wanted. It was directly in the middle of the bus terminal but only visible from one side. They could use some signage. But we found it...just to discover...there was a communication glitch and this small satellite location didn't get the memo that we needed a tag along or that we required luggage transport despite multiple (and recent) email confirmations. This was a bit stressful as we planned to set out biking that afternoon to get to our next town and accommodation. But the reason I would still recommend this company is that they never left any doubt they were going to try their darnedest to fix it and make it right. A plan was concocted whereby Fynn and Ollie would be together in the trailer- just exactly under/at/maybe over (?) the weight max- for one day and they would deliver our tag a long to our first destination. Phew! But if you use Travelshop I would be sure to contact the EXACT LOCATION you are renting from because between location communication seems to be a bit lacking. Once they learned they had committed to moving our luggage it was exactly where it was supposed to be on time. And they were helpful during Day 3 when we had to bail on our ride (see below). We did bring our 2 yo and 6 yo helmets from home- didn't want to risk not having the right fit. Also our darling Fynn has a headshape that requires special ordering of a round instead of oblong helmet (!!) But the adult helmets worked fine for us and our 11 year old.
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| Sweden...or WI? |
And finally, around 2 pm we were off! The first day was only 12 miles which turned out to be a good thing due to our late start and a large hill on the way out of Helsingborg that was not the best for morale. There is one fantastic looking playground in Helsingborg but at that point we were a bit concerned about making it and finding our place, getting dinner etc, so we whizzed right past. The bike lanes in the towns and cities are all well defined and safely separated from the main roads. The Kattegattleden meanders through neighborhoods and in these cases you often are riding on the road or the shoulder of the road (which was fine because there were barely any cars). Anytime there was more than a block or two of busy road there was a dedicated bike trail that felt very safe.
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| Ah, Sweden |
This first day was a combo of trail along a road with beautiful ocean to the left, lovely well kept quiet neighborhoods, some farms and fields that look exactly like Wisconsin save for the old windmills and constant ocean views and even through some forest and park.
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| Cottage by the sea! |
We made it to the small sea side town of Hoganas with no trouble and found our little cottage by the sea. This was the only AirBnb rental available at the time I looked but it was perfect for us, walking distance to a grocery store, with a nice stone patio and bike storage. They are used to folks biking the Kattegattleden so bikes are welcomed and accommodated for everywhere. Speaking of bikes, an attached lock came with each of our bikes but we never left them unattended in a public space so never used them. I will say the locks are very minimal- nothing like the intense deterrent systems we use in the US. Makes me think bike theft is way less of a concern.
Day 2 Hoganas to Angelholm 24 miles
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| Grateful for tag a longs! |
Day 2 our tag a long and luggage courier arrived right on schedule so there was a big sigh of relief there. At this point, I didn't feel I had great buy in from the kids. Zooey was fiercely proclaiming a hatred of bike riding and Ollie was grumbling as well. The sky was a bit threatening and we started off with rain gear on. I was outwardly optimistic but a little concerned internally. But what's a good Nelson Lilly adventure without some fear that we could fail? So we gamely set out and thank goodness immediately on our way out of town came upon a FANTASTIC playground. All 3 kids had a great time at this shipwrecked theme playground right on the ocean. It was very cool. Spirits rose.
I suppose one could do this bike ride with a lot of planning. Checking out sites along the way- restaurants, playgrounds, points of interest, nature preserves. I did not. We did not have a map even. We thought we grabbed a map at the rental shop but turns out it was for a different bike route entirely (hey, we were in a rush after the tag a long mishap!). I did use the map available on the Kattgattleden website to check on the general route from time to time and used Apple Maps to guide us to our accommodations because some were a bit off the trail.
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| Follow the signs! |
Can I just say how utterly freely and MAGNIFICENT it is to travel mapless? To not really know where you are or what's coming? But to have faith it will all work out? (And cell service as a nifty backup.) That was the magic of these days for me. We eagerly looked around the bend not sure what we'd find but sure something cool was coming eventually. We just followed the impeccably placed Kattegattleden signs and they did not fail us once. Zooey led most of the time and she knew to stop if she couldn't clearly see the route...which never happened!
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| Just stunning |
Day 2 was a top 10 day of my life. As we went the threatening sky because less bothersome- it didn't seem to be raining, didn't seem like we were going to have a downpour, so instead I viewed it as very pleasant biking weather- not too hot, not too bright. And it was warm enough that a little wet wasn't going to bother us too much. After the Hoganas playground we hugged the coast line on a lovely wide bike trail away from the road past scattered houses, beaches with birds. Then we moved inland into some quiet neighborhoods and found another playground with a flying fox- the kids favorite since New Zealand. Wasn't as good as NZ flying foxes but was still a lovely break. We then crossed the peninsula into farm land- corn, soy(?), horses, sheep, cows. It was great fun for the kids to spot the animals. Around lunch time we happened to - no joke- roll right into a Texas style BBQ place in the middle of the farms. It was pretty much all bikers there- while the trail never seemed crowded and we ran into very few other distance bikers- it's clear this area caters to them. We enjoyed a lovely American (!) meal likely eating friends of the cows we had just passed by (therefore fresh!) and were ready to set back out. This section of the trail was along country roads without a divided trail but there were very few cars and they gave a very wide appropriate berth. I felt okay with it and I'm real skittish about biking near cars.
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| Yum! |
To this point on this magical day the kids were pretty darn happy. Ollie (6) was on the tag a long with me and he seemed happy as a clam, alternating talking to me, singing, talking to himself, pointing out sights and telling me about "my world" an imaginary world he has been cultivating for months. Zooey seemed happy enough barging ahead at the front and not complaining at all. Sometimes it's hard to tell if she is enjoying vs enduring but she seemed pretty happy at each stop. That girl also understands the value of Type 2 fun. Overall it seemed like a good day for her. Fynnie was doing great as well- he'd often be leaning forward in the trailer for a better view of the sites and rarely did we need to stop to snack him or encourage him- he was good.
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| Best placed coffee/ice cream/potty |
As the afternoon went on, Zooey was starting to feel the mileage and she would have been happy to end maybe 7 miles before we did. At one point there was a semi-urgent restaurant need (and need for morale boosting) and just in the nick of time a wonderful little road stop materialized with restrooms, coffee and ice cream. This gave everyone the boost they needed to roll the rest of the way into Angelholm. We estimate it was about a 24 mile day. It started raining as we arrived so we settled into our Airbnb and Adam procured groceries for dinner and a new helmet as there was a stepping-on-helmet mishap at the coffee/ice cream stop. Some of us meandered to a nearby playground for a bit. Just a stellar stellar day.
Day 3 (train) from Angelholm to Bastad
Sometimes when life hands you lemons you have to accept them gracefully and pivot. That’s what we did on what was supposed to be Day 3 of our bike ride. Poor Z fell off her bike on wet cobblestone 2 blocks into our ride. She was fine but pretty beat up and in a decent amount of pain. The whole family handled it super well. Z recovered and communicated her needs well. Adam and I remained calm and quickly came up with a pivot- procuring bike transport, making quick plans for the day with minimal walking. The boys were very understanding of staying at the same playground in the rain for two hours as we worked this all out. Then the kids and I went to the Angelholm train museum (thanks to my friend S for the tip- can you believe her in laws happen to live in this exact small Swedish town?) while Adam waited in the rain for the bike transport service (thanks Adam).
We then took the train from Angelholm to Bastad which is a resort town frequented mostly by Swedes as far as we could tell. Of course we walked the wrong way at first but Zooey totally uncomplainingly walked on her bad knees for about a mile to get to the hotel. I think she was grateful that we instantly understood her need to pivot when she fell- I was really proud of our family rally this day.  |
| By foot or pedal |
Then we checked into our apparently fantastic hotel (minimal research but somehow was just right!) early. The kids LOVED the pool, we swam twice and the pool climbing wall gave Z the motivation and reassurance that her knees would be fine for the next day. Fynnie and I enjoyed some windy beach time.
Note that it is certainly possible to take bikes on the trains in Sweden- and this was plan B if we couldn't quickly arrange transport. In fact it is encouraged and pretty easy if you are an adult. Not so much with kid trailers and tag a longs. Can't fit on the elevator, would have big trouble with steps, may not fit on a busy bike train car. So we were grateful we could arrange transport to make it a smooth day. I was very surprised that we didn't run into other families on the trail! We saw one other family with a probably 10 year old. That's it! No other trailers, no other tag alongs, outside of the towns. Might have been the time of year- Swedish schools were back in session- but I was surprised that we didn't see bikepackers with babies or toddlers. We also saw very few (maybe no) Americans. The southwest region of Sweden is not an international tourist destination. It is a mostly rural, beautiful area, but not many out of country tourists. In fact, I threw the Lonely Planet Sweden guidebook in my bag at the last minute as a resource but none of the towns we stopped at on our ride even made it in the book! I actually LOVE traveling this way but I didn't realize before we left how off-the-beaten-trail it was! (Though very well marked and maintained off-the-beaten-trail!)
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| Sign of adventure |
Day 4: Bastad to Halmstad 30 miles
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| Nature preserve |
Next up, day 4 of our bike ride. We awoke to a beautiful morning, lovely weather and a tailwind, hurrah! Most importantly Z felt healed enough to hit the trials. This was our biggest day mileage wise but all felt rested and moved to hop to it. The good vibes continued as we biked through suburban areas and then multiple nature preserves along the coast. It was an interesting ride through small towns, neighborhoods, nature preserves for a long while and then ultimately quite a bit of Halmstad, a bit more urban biking, as our hotel was actually 5 miles past Halmsted near Tylosand.
We right away found a nice playground so the kids played while Adam stocked up on snacks at the grocery store. Not too long later (no idea the distance but everyone seemed happy so it flew by) we found a giant bounce pillow which was a huge favorite for the kids.
We ended up hungry and lunch ready when we were in a forest preserve near a bird sanctuary and easily found a very convenient picnic table that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere but was exactly where we needed it to be! Around this time, we came across the only obstruction/imperfection on the trail- a downed tree- but it was easy to walk around so just served to add to the adventure. The Halmstad bit of the trail was plus/minus, safe and well marked but pretty urban and bland. Not complaining, just informing. Wouldn't say it needs to be skipped or anything- just that folks were tired and it wasn't a particularly pretty way to end an otherwise beautiful journey. But the Halmstad Golfarena resort was a lovely true end to our bike- great playground, safe bike room, wonderful new modern cabins. All in all day 4 was around 30 miles and everyone did great!
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| Nature preserve and bird sanctuary |
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| End of ride! We made it! |
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| Playground at destination. Well earned |
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| Smorgastarta |
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| Ingvar, my crew, Calle, Elisabeth |
It was a joy to talk to Ingvar about his life, his interests and to glean pearls from his VAST knowledge of our family history in Sweden and in the US. He knows so much about US relatives I didn’t know I had and so much about my Grandpa Mel, now deceased. In fact, Ingvar reminded me so much of Mel that it felt like I was getting a little bonus time with my beloved grandpa. Spending time with my third cousin Calle was so great. I’m grateful that he donated a day from his busy life as a dad of 3 teens to be with us. I loved learning about his life and talking about shared themes in our families even though we live an ocean away- so many similarities!
The kids, for their part, were fantastic. Zooey was very interested in the adult conversation and spent hours each day listening to the chatting. Ollie and Fynn did great hanging out around the house making their own fun sometimes ring-led by Z (thanks Z!).
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| On the ferris wheel |
We ended our trip in Copenhagen for 3 nights. Frankly, this was unnecessarily. The day at Tivoli was wonderful, a joy, enjoyed by all and I highly recommend if you happen to be in Copenhagen (this is coming from someone who does NOT at all like Disney or amusement parks- Tivoli is a special place). But for us Copenhagen was a nice, clean, bike friendly big city, with emphasis on big city, and I am more of a small town, nature kinda gal. Unlike London, which for some reason won the kids' hearts, we all felt pretty neutral about Copenhagen and probably won't be back. There were some fun playgrounds but still they paled compared to our love, Switzerland:)
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| My loves. |
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