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Wild Swimming in Sweden's Hidden Lakes

Hike to remote wild swim spots, wild camp by a secluded lake and enjoy a long-standing tradition in Scandinavia, a wood-fired sauna

This trip is no longer on sale

Trip Ref #10351

Wild Swimming in Sweden's Hidden Lakes

Hike to remote wild swim spots, wild camp by a secluded lake and enjoy a long-standing tradition in Scandinavia, a wood-fired sauna

DURATION
2 nights
LOCATION
Sweden
ANNUAL LEAVE
1 day off work
SEASON
May-Sep
GROUP SIZE
Up to 14 people
MEETING POINT
Köping Train Station, Sweden
ACCOMMODATION
Classic

Wild camping

OVERALL RATING

0.0

This trip is brand new
DIFFICULTY
Moderate

You should be a capable swimmer and able to handle at least 1 mile (the equivalent of 60 lengths of a 25m pool).

Trek through the Taiga ecosystem between swims and keep watch for moose, beavers, wolves and even lynx along the way

Swim in secret lakes and head out into star-lit waters while listening for the unmistakable howls of the grey wolf

Wild camp deep in pristine boreal forest and feast on foraged supper prepared over the campfire

Day 1

Head into the wild

Hiking

1hr

Wild Swimming

1-2hrs

Meet your host at Köping station and head deep into pine forests of central Sweden. Explore your boreal wonderland and stretch your legs with a short hike to your first swimming location. Literally dive straight in and swim the crisp and pristine waters surrounded by the Taiga ecosystem. Then it's dinner round the campfire and a chat with your guide before hitting the hay under the stars.

Day 2

Hit the water

Hiking

2-3hrs

Wild Swimming

2-4hrs

Early start today for those who fancy a swim in a nearby lake before breakfast around the campfire. After breakfast you’ll head deeper into the wilds on a mission to locate more hidden lakes. Swim the refreshing waters of several different lakes before recovering with lunch and a wood-fired sauna on the shoreline. As dusk falls, and the forest comes alive, you'll set out on a swim under the stars while listening out for the unmistakable howls of the grey wolf. Hike back to camp under torchlight keeping your eyes akimbo for roe deer, beaver, wolves and even lynx, along the way.

Day 3

Final swim

Yoga

1hr

Wild Swimming

1hr

Wake up to a spot of forest yoga before trekking to your final secluded swim location. After your last wild swim return to camp and tuck into breakfast and a much-needed coffee. You’ll pack down and leave your wild location, ready for the drive back to Köping station in time for your train ride on to Stockholm.

Included

Guides

Expert, English-speaking local guides

Accommodation

2 nights wild camping

Meals

All meals cooked over an open fire

Transfers

From the start point and back again

Equipment

All camping equipment

Not Included

Flights to and from the meeting point

Travel insurance

Personal expenses

Visas where required

Day 1

Wild camping · Twin tent

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 2

Wild camping · Twin tent

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 3

Departure day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

What is the food like?

Meals are an all hands on deck experience, from cooking to cleaning up. The meals will be prepared and cooked by the group over an open fire. The food on this trip is not only delicious but uses local and freshly foraged ingredients whenever possible. This includes eggs, root vegetables and local meats from nearby farms, and wild boar from a local hunter. You will also forage some of the ingredients yourself, including juniper, blueberries and chanterelles, all of which will find a creative place in a scrumptious dish.

Given this trip is in such a remote location, it can challenging to accommodate alternative dietary requirements, such as vegans. Vegetarians and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.

What is the accommodation like?

Wild Camping

You will spend 2 nights wild camping deep in the forest. Each tent is equipped with an inflatable mat, sheets, pillow, pillow cover and sleeping bag. A dry toilet is available nearby your camp, there won't be a shower but you'll be swimming in lakes and having some wood-fired sauna action at camp. You'll have hammocks hanging around the camp and be cooking together over an open fire.

The Area

map

Logistics

Starts

Köping Train Station

15:00 on Day 1

Ends

Köping Train Station

12:00 on Day 3

Transfers

Your host will meet you at Köping Train Station and transfer you to the start point of your wild adventure. On the final day, your host will take you back to Köping Train Station.

Travel options

You can fly to Stockholm Arlanda and get the train to Köping Station for the 15:00 pick-up. The train takes 1 hr 50 mins. If you're combining it with a visit to Stockholm, then take the Arlanda Express to the city, which takes 20 mins. The train from Stockholm Central to Köping Station then takes 1 hr 15 mins. You can check out train options here

There is time to catch a late evening flight home from Stockholm Arlanda any time from 18:00 onwards or depart the next day.

For those who wish to avoid flying, Stockholm Central Station is well connected with high-speed trains from London via Hamburg and Amsterdam. The journey will take an average of 26 hours and usually involve 3 changes.

Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear

In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.

What's Included

  • Tent
  • Season 2 sleeping bag
  • Inflatable mattress
  • Sheets
  • Pillow and pillow cover
  • Seat pad

What do I need to bring?

BAGS
Soft duffel bag or rucksack
Daypack (25+ litres)

CLOTHES
Waterproof and windproof jacket
Fleece jacket or similar
Trousers/shorts/skirts for hiking
T-shirts
Underwear & socks
Swimsuits
Towel
Sunglasses
Sunhat
Warm hat
Something to sleep in
Waterproof hiking boots (worn-in)
Lightweight shoes for around camp

OTHER
Power bank or solar charger
Passports (and visas)
Travel Insurance documents
Suncream
Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
Toilet kit (toilet paper, biodegradable bags to carry paper out to dispose of)
Alcohol hand-gel
Face mask
Headlamp Reusable water bottle (x1 litre)

OPTIONAL
Swim Cap
Goggles
Earplugs
Energy bars and snacks
Camera

No optional extras are available for this trip.

This trip is brand new

We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.

We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 38kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

This is an active trip with full days of swimming and hiking, however the pace is relaxed and there are plenty of rest and snack stops. You will need good fitness levels - and be able to swim! - however the trip suits both experienced and less experienced swimmers. On most days there will be more swimming options for anyone with the energy and keenness to go further. Otherwise, the group will do the moderate length option each day.

Not only experienced swimmers will love this trip. This is also a perfect chance for anyone who swims in a pool a couple of times a week to try their first wild swimming holiday.

On a typical day temperatures are between 15-25°C and in the evening temperatures are between 10-15°C. Lake temperatures depend on the weather conditions, but on average are around 15°C during the summer and 11°C in autumn.

The average lake temperatures throughout the summer swimming season are; June: 15°C/ 59°F July: 15°C/ 59°F Aug: 15°C/ 59°F Sept: 11°C/ 51°F The majority of people do not use a wetsuit apart from at the very start or very end of the season, however your host can advise you if this is necessary as lake temperatures can vary.

For current advice about travelling in Sweden, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here

Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.

Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.

Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.

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