Join a weekend retreat in the Swedish deep forest lakes in August 2024. Three days of serene open water swims, cooking over the fire, saunas and forest walks will mend body and soul.
The clear water and 250 islands of lake Sommen afford long point to point swims while lakes Malgen, Svarten, Axsjön and Lillsjön provide loops ranging from 1 to 6 km. Read on below for details, itinerary and booking. Places are limited, early booking is recommended.
Where do we swim?
We’ve mapped out a total of 30 km over three days, which should hopefully be enough for even the most adventurous in the group. The longer swims have options for both entering and exiting midway through, and some of the shorter ones are loops. Just get out when you’re ready, or do another lap if you are not.
The schedule below is a suggestion, we’ll decide together day to day based on the conditions and our mood.
Friday morning. 6k Bjälnäs – Malexander. We will do the shortened western point to point, starting in Bjalnas and ending up in Malexander in time for lunch and a rest.
Friday evening. 2k (4k) loop in Axsjön. We’ll do this at last light if we can, it’s a beautiful evening swim. Maybe just before a late evening meal.
Saturday morning. 6k out and back around Fläskholmen. We’ll start early and get back in time to cook ourselves a massive brunch over the open fire at the beach.
Saturday evening. 4k (2k) loop in Svarten. We will round the day off at this secluded lake. The name Svarten means “the dark one”; the surface is like a black mirror.
Sunday morning. 10k Döraberget – Malexander. This is a long and fun swim to round of the weekend. You can get in late or out early for a shortened version.
Below are some of the swims mapped out.
This longs swim sets off from below a sheer rock face and the local door (Döra) to the troll underworld. Mostly following the shoreline we will hop some islands and short crossings. This swim will start with a boat ride and there will be an opportunity to join or exit halfway through.
Starting from a sandy beach, swimming along the forested shoreline, rounding Fläskholmen, we double back for a bit and then skirt some lovely little islands on our return. This swim can end with an open fire barbecue. Conditions should be sheltered and no boat routes will be crossed.
Axsjön is a small clear water lake surrounded by forest, no boat traffic and very nice for any swim. Near houses and can be “busy” – meaning you might hear and even see some people. Particularly beautiful in evenings and mornings.
Where do we stay?
We’ve got two places booked for the two nights of August 23-25, 2024. We’ve got all five rooms of the very cosy Svea Hotel, and as if that was not enough we’ve booked an adjacent flash two bedroom flat/house (both links are in Swedish, use the pictures to feed your imagination). There are seven rooms in all, and no one should have to share a bed for lack of beds. The hotel provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s a couple of more restaurants in the village and a grocery if we want to cook in the flat.
FAQ
How do we know these swims are suitable? At least one of us will have done them or at the very least kayaked them in advance.
How do we know the group is suitable? We are swimming friends and friends friends, this will be on trust. If someone is not vouched for we might ask for 1k time and experience.
What’s the group size? We are thinking around 12, and support with one boat plus one or two kayaks on the longer open water swim. The swims will go ahead no matter how small the group.
What’s the swim plan? The plan above is a suggestion. We will see when we see each other and the conditions how realistic it is. We will work it out together. Flexibility and safety are key.
What are the swims like? We will do routes along the shore and with short island hops. No point to points across expanses of water, though some shorter crossings might be needed. There is light boat traffic, if we need to cross will be in tight groups near support boat and kayaks.
What about safety? Everyone needs a tow float, and a bright cap and a wetsuit if it’s cold or if they lack experience. Support boat will have first aid and warm gear, hot and sweet drinks, and one of the swimmers on board. There is a protocol and chain of escalation for summoning help if needed. Kayak first, then kayak summons boat if necessary and boat summons external help if necessary. The local volunteer fire brigade will know we are swimming, and so will emergency services in case people call it in.
What about pacing? It’s each to their own. We might start slower swimmers first but we will not try to enforce grouping unless it becomes ridiculously spread out, then we might ask the front to double back.
How do we get to the swims? We will walk or drive to some swims and do loops. For the long point to point we might drive and leave the cars to be picked up later, or get help to drive us out. We might also go out in boats.
What about liability and insurance? This is self organised by the group, we’re just swimming with friends. That being said, you should really get insurance for the trip and make sure it covers open water swimming.
Axniks 