Before we got our Grand California, we were always drawn to the USA. We love the vastness and solitude there, no German thoroughness, just have his peace.
That’s exactly what we had found in Wyoming, a fairly sparsely populated state. Before we could leave for our next trip, the worldwide Corona Pandemic broke out and travel was impossible.
This circumstance led us somehow and via detours to the Grand California. Again, we realized very quickly that the pitches and campsites in Germany and Europe are not really our thing. You’re not really on your own and certainly not in nature.
Through an acquaintance we came to the idea to go to Sweden with the Grand California, we were already a few times before in Sweden, but always in cities like Stockholm or Gothenburg and these were just cities. At first glance, Sweden promises everything we loved about the U.S., or rather Wyoming in particular. Lots of nature, forests and few people.
The first visit with our Grand California to Sweden was in the fall of 2021. At that time we arrived in Helsingborg on the Swedish west coast, from there we drove in the direction of Borås. We quickly realized that it is quite crowded in the south of Sweden, lonely places were a rarity.
The Park4Night problem
Park4Night is probably used by 99 percent of the camping community, including us. This app is both a blessing and a curse, because in addition to normal campsites, it lists mainly sites for “free standing”. What is a gray area in Germany, becomes normality in Norway, Finland and Sweden, although wild camping in the camper is not covered by the Everyman’s Right, however, it is tolerated as long as no clear sign with camping prohibitions is posted. With the help of Park4Night you can find fantastic places to stay, especially in the Nordic countries. Sounds first of all like a blessing, but in the same breath we now come to the curse, especially in the peak season, one is almost under guarantee on the places, which are supposed to promise loneliness and freedom, not alone. If things go really badly, the predecessors have left the place littered. This is annoying in more ways than one, not only for us, but also for the people who live near these places or simply take care of their land. Here we have not yet talked about the general selfish behavior of mankind, such as hogging the space or the like.
Only those who cover many kilometers are rewarded
The first few days we did not even want the feeling of freedom and loneliness. Even if we found a place where we were to ourselves, there were always houses or small villages nearby. Please don’t get it wrong, this was or is beautiful, but not our definition of loneliness.
The lonely Sweden begins above Karlstad, which is about 520 kilometers north of Malmö. So really lonely and quiet it becomes again 1200 kilometers further north, in and around Laponia we have found what we were looking for. Nature, animals, peace and solitude. At the peak, we really didn’t see another person for 2 days.
So we are talking about a driving distance of about 3000 kilometers from Germany, since you also have to go back, it is 6000 kilometers without detours. That’s a good thing too! Otherwise, Laponia probably wouldn’t be this magical place it is anymore either.
Sweden, love at second sight
As described above, in all of our trips to Sweden, the first few days were not as lonely as we would have liked. The true love of Sweden for us was born in the Arctic Circle. We would visit again and again this beautiful country with its flora and fauna, perhaps it has even become the place of longing. However, we wouldn’t want to take a vacation in southern Sweden, it’s just too crowded. The biggest problem, however, is that the Swedes have also reacted to the masses in the south. The “free standing”, especially in the coastal areas, is de facto no longer possible, for example, it has now been banned in the well-known places of Öland. We have already mentioned a few reasons for this above.
If you want to escape tourists and people, you have to drive many kilometers north, the whole best out of season! Another tip: forgo Park4Night, search for gravel roads via Google Maps and drive, yes, sometimes for hours, but there is usually always a solitary reward waiting at the end.
Finally, a word on the subject of campfires
The Everyman’s Right allows you to build a fire in nature. But even here there are rules, unfortunately, common sense is not enough. For example, in Norway and Finland it is generally forbidden to light a fire in nature from mid-April to mid-September. With dry forests in mind, this makes perfect sense.
The Swedes take a slightly different approach, there is the government free app Brandrisk Ute, which shows via the location in a traffic light system whether it is allowed to make a fire or not.
Unfortunately, we saw a lot of posts on Instagram where people made a fire and posted it completely proudly, even though it was strictly forbidden there at the time. Inform yourself about the laws and dangers beforehand! It is not only dangerous, but also forbidden, which in the end has consequences for everyone. Everyman’s right means also everyman’s duty!
