Hvide Sande - Glaskogen Naturreservat

Denmark to Sweden, with sun, rain and almost a stowaway cat.

Denmark was a beautiful tonic after the comedown to earth we experienced early on. We walked, talked and swam where before we’d have huffed, puffed and kept as still as can be. The vastness of the landscape struck us, and although much less populated it felt familiar. Like England but from a past time where the countryside stretches uninterrupted, further than your own eyes can see.

We drove the length of the west coast, stopping at lakes, beaches and bunkers along the way. So grateful were we of the cooler climate that when the inevitable rain came we barely noticed, it simply served as an excuse to spend time indoors, forcing us into lazy days.

In the north we visited more relatives and were met with generous hospitality and nostalgic family tales. It felt strange to leave our van again after one week - we weren't certain we deserved to swap our home on wheels for the comfort of a cabin in the woods. We’re slowly figuring out though that there is no right or wrong way to be, so when kindness and opportunity greets you, greet it back - who knows when it will next arise. Thanks then, to Hanne and Jasper for the most incredible 2 nights, we can only hope to meet more people on the road like you.

We washed, relaxed and almost acquired a stow-away cat before making a reluctant departure from Denmark and east into Sweden. For three days we explored Gothenburg in bright sunshine. Were it not for impending rain or an eagerness to head north we would have happily stayed three more. Here we found a balance of city, country and expansive sea that felt unique to this place over any we’re visited before. But the rain did come, and we did go, in search of lakes and walking trails which didn’t take long to find.

The integrity of our handiwork in the van has been put to the test in extreme heat and now torrential rain and it’s come through with head high and wings wide. So much so that now, stuck inside on a rainy day in Sweden we’re exactly where we want to be.