Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking; You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.

- Cindy Ross

 

Hikes

  • Annapurna, Nepal

    After about an hour of bouncing along the roads, once we’d managed to make it out of Kathmandu, we got our first proper glance at the Himalayas.

  • Bohusleden, Sweden

    Bohusleden is a trail that stretches over 370 kilometres through the heart of Sweden's stunning landscapes. This trail is a journey through dense forests, over tranquil lakes, and across rugged cliffs, offering a chance to experience the untouched beauty of Sweden.

  • Gotaleden, Sweden

    A 71 kilometer trail from Gothenburg to Alingsås.

  • Höga Kusten, Sweden

    Höga Kusten, or the High Coast, is a hiker's paradise nestled in the heart of Sweden. This trail is a celebration of nature's grandeur, offering a unique blend of towering cliffs, verdant forests, and the serene Baltic Sea. As you traverse the trail, you'll be treated to breathtaking views that are a testament to the power and beauty of natural forces.

  • Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

    Turning 42 on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, I hiked the Machame route from Machame Gate to Uhuru Peak, and down to Mweke Gate.

  • Kungsleden, Sweden

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • Tiveden, Sweden

    Once a refuge for outlaws during the Middle Ages, Tiveden National Park is now a sanctuary for nature lovers. Whether you're drawn to the towering 15-metre boulder known as the Junker Jägare's stone or the serene forest trails, Tiveden offers a unique blend of history and natural beauty.

  • Utvandrarleden, Sweden

    Approximately 110 kilometres around, the Utvandraleden, or Emigrants Trail is a picturesque hike giving you a chance to see some of the sights of Vilhelm Moberg’s quadrilogy of tales.

Utvandrarleden
Utvandrarleden Sebastian Shaw Utvandrarleden Sebastian Shaw

Utvandrarleden

Approximately 110 kilometres around, the Utvandraleden, or Emigrants Trail is a picturesque hike giving you a chance to see some of the sights of Vilhelm Moberg’s quadrilogy of tales abut the Swedish farmers and labourers who headed out to the United States in search of a better life.

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Etapp 04 - Kåsjön to Jonsered
Bohusleden Sebastian Shaw Bohusleden Sebastian Shaw

Etapp 04 - Kåsjön to Jonsered

This section of Bohusleden is only 8 kilometres long and is of moderate difficultly. Lots of dirt trails and gravel tracks make the eight kilometres fly by. Several lovely lakes dot the hike's distance.

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Etapp 04 - Jonsered to Lerum
Gotaleden Sebastian Shaw Gotaleden Sebastian Shaw

Etapp 04 - Jonsered to Lerum

At the end of the season, a friend and I headed out to the forests east of Gothenburg for a short weekend hike. It was the first evening that the temperature dipped to -4 degrees and so we had a very cold evening.

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Trail 01 - Trollkyrkerundan
Tivedens Sebastian Shaw Tivedens Sebastian Shaw

Trail 01 - Trollkyrkerundan

Perhaps the most challenging trail in the forest for its size, you will be climbing two challenging hills just under five kilometres long. Stora and Lila Trollkyrka. The trail shares a long section with trail 5 (Blue) and gives you the chance to see the two famous hills and a few other sights.

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Trail 04 - Trehörningsrundan
Tivedens Sebastian Shaw Tivedens Sebastian Shaw

Trail 04 - Trehörningsrundan

The longest single trail in the park, the purple Trehörningsrundan, circumnavigates the lake. Entering from Vitsands it would be easy to assume it is an easy and often walkwayed hike, but it is actually one of the most challenging to complete.

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Trail 05 - Oxögabergsrundan
Tivedens Sebastian Shaw Tivedens Sebastian Shaw

Trail 05 - Oxögabergsrundan

One of the longer trails in the park is winds between rift valleys and faults formed a thousand million years ago. Much of the hike is through mossy wet spruce forests, but at one point, you reach Tjádersogen.

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Trail 09 - Stigmansrundan
Tivedens Sebastian Shaw Tivedens Sebastian Shaw

Trail 09 - Stigmansrundan

Connecting to both the purple (4) and white trails (7), Sigmansrundan is a medium length trail through primary undergrowth and old-growth forest. It is fairly easy, and you can move quickly through it. There is a mix of lichen and dry areas along with fairly humid forests. We found a likely looking large rock, climbed up and had lunch there, watching people walk past us.

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Trail 07 - Junker Jägarerundan
Tivedens Sebastian Shaw Tivedens Sebastian Shaw

Trail 07 - Junker Jägarerundan

Squire Hunter’s trail is fairly short, twice the length of Tärnekullerundan, and does not have the same variety of terrain to make it as interesting, but it does have two particular things to make it worth while. Firstly it is a good bridge onto trail 9, rather than using the purple trail, and secondly, there is the famous Boulder.

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Route 6 - Skoved - Ullånger
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 6 - Skoved - Ullånger

After leaving Skoved, you are heading back into the forest, but on regular roadways rather than trails. You also pass a tiny homestead or hamlet with a couple of houses and the 64km sign, marking the midway point of the High Coast trail. There is no other sign of reaching the middle.

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Route 7 - Skuleberget to Skoved
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 7 - Skuleberget to Skoved

This trail, though listed as intermediate flew by, taking you through grasslands and forests, its pretty and quaint, but before you know it you’ve reached Skoved and are on the final section to Ullånger.

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Route 8 - Entré Syd to Skuleberget
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 8 - Entré Syd to Skuleberget

The south entrance is much like the north, with toilets, and sheltered seatings with a fire-pit and various rubbish bins. There is a view point back over the forest (or forward across what you will see if you are hiking north to south.

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Route 9 - Skuleskogens Nationalpark
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 9 - Skuleskogens Nationalpark

About one kilometre past the North Entrance is one of the few locations you are able to camp in the National Park. The right of roaming does not apply here. There was, but all accounts, a nicer place to camp another four kilometres further on, but by this point I’d been walking about 14 hours and was exhausted.

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Route 10 - Köpmanholmen to Entré Nord
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 10 - Köpmanholmen to Entré Nord

I missed this entire section, as my friend gave me a lift by boat to Köpmanholmen and then by car to Entré Nord. However, whilst there is some nice scenery at the tail end of route 11 that I missed, all of Route 10 is walking along the main roads through Köpmanholmen. One day I will come back and do the whole of the Höga Kusten trail, but when time is a premium, I advise you to skip it if you can.

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Route 11 - Sandlågan to Köpmanholmen
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 11 - Sandlågan to Köpmanholmen

Just past the connection of Route 12 and 11, my Turkish friend stopped at a campsite for some food and a break. Like me he had been walking since 5:30 am, but unlike me, he had taken the High Coast trail the whole way and so had had a tall hill to climb, that I’d missed by going along the coast through Paddal.

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Route 12 - Svedjeholmen to Sandlågan
Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw Hoga Kusten Sebastian Shaw

Route 12 - Svedjeholmen to Sandlågan

From here, I was back on the main trail and had made a friend—a Turkish video game developer who lived in Stockholm who was also walking the High Coast Trail. We ended up walking together for about two hours, it was a nice break from the silence, but I think we were both glad to go our separate ways eventually.

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Bottenstugan i Svartedalen
Sebastian Shaw Sebastian Shaw

Bottenstugan i Svartedalen

Some friends and I went hiking in Bottenstugan i Svartedalen, an area of natural beauty north of Gothenburg. The trails connect to Bohusleden, meaning you can trek back the 50 or so kilometers to Gothenburg, something a few of us plan to do.

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