Just the two of us

Kayaking in Sweden
Short haul ... islands are rarely more than a kilometre apart.



This four-day sea-kayaking trip in Stockholm's 24,000-island archipelago, my first without a guide, is largely about snakes, sharks, bears, hurricanes and dangerous ocean currents. More specifically, the lack of them. When it's your first DIY in a new discipline, you want to avoid at least some of the more treacherous elements. In the Stockholm archipelago, your most serious foes are mosquitoes at dusk and the occasional rogue tick. The only time you're likely to feel out of your element is stepping out of the kayak in populated areas, where the spray-skirt that looks so natural while in the boat looks more like a bad comic's prop - as though you've stepped through a soggy sombrero then pulled it up around your waist for a cheap laugh.

But the real draw of the Swedish archipelago is the scenery. From above, it must look like someone dumped a bag of giant green potatoes into the sea. Lumpy, round, weathered isles with tufts of green pines standing up like a spiked haircut. Some islands are several kilometres around, some are the size of Ikea dinette sets, some are dotted with birds, other with small cabins or multi-million pound homes. Some are completely uninhabited. Few have excellent beaches, but that's where the kayak comes in handy. You can paddle right up to your own private sandbar and spread out a picnic, follow that with a nap, then a swim. Nordic paradise.

When I kayaked along the glaciers of Patagonia some years ago, there was a small group of fellow kayakers, two guides, and one powerboat carrying extra supplies. The guides brought along and prepared all the meals.

Here, we just have a map, two mobile phones in waterproof cases, a GPS, a tent that Swedish law dictates we can put up just about anywhere, even on private property, and, for our own instant catering, a 4kg bag of peanuts, raisins and M&Ms. The kayaks and boating accessories can be rented at several places around Stockholm for £15-£25 per day; our double kayak cost £100 for the week. The two-seater moves slightly faster than the solo model and, more importantly, allows both of us to paddle at our own pace without any waiting.

Our entire plan is not to have one. Just paddle in whichever direction looks appealing for as long as our arms will take us. Then, once tired, we'll check the map and cross-reference it with a free brochure of cabin listings from the tourist office, ring up the nearest one, and see if they can accommodate us. (The entire archipelago has mobile phone coverage.)

The tent is good to have along, but we refer to it only by its code name: Plan B. As we reason, when you're paddling six to 10 hours a day, it's nice to get a bit of sleep. The archipelago has a few nice hotels and B&Bs, but we are trying to find that middle ground to keep the budget under control. At about £15 per night for a basic cabin with a little kitchen, we manage just fine. At each cabin, we are the only ones there. This is part luck and part design. If you can avoid paddling from late June to early August, you miss the peak season. No matter how many guests the owners may have hosted, they don't let it show. We are treated like visiting dignitaries at each stop. Sometimes, the owner walks down to the beach to greet us upon arrival.

We pack along enough food for the entire trip, mostly pasta, with a rather unappetising assortment of canned tomatoes, beans, tuna and such. Then we pleasantly discover we can supplement our selection with stops at waterside grocery stores and marinas. When lucky, we happen upon locally grown strawberries and fresh fish (the local catch includes herring and, our favourite, turbot) to accompany the pasta for our evenings in the cabins. There are a number of excellent restaurants in the archipelago, including Oaxen, listed as one of the top 50 in the world by Restaurant magazine, but we give most a miss in favour of more secluded picnics on our own private islands.

The clear water seldom stretches more than a kilometre in any direction before lapping up on the shore of an island. They're so close, you can use them strategically to block the wind no matter which direction you're paddling.

There were a few tense moments - darting across a channel between two ferries and getting caught in the turbulent wake of the first one as the second approached - but the panic was nothing we couldn't remedy with a few beers at the end of the day.

Getting there

Scandinavian Airlines (020-8990 7159, flysas.com) flies to Stockholm from Edinburgh from £134 rtn inc tax, Heathrow (£99) and Manchester (£108). DFDS Seaways (08705 333000, dfds.co.uk) sails Newcastle-Gothenburg from £300 rtn for two with a car. For rail connections, see Rail Europe (0870 5848848, raileurope.co.uk) or seat61.com.

Kayak rental: Skärgårdens Kanotcenter, Vaxholm (+854 137790, kanotcenter.com), on an island 40 minutes from central Stockholm by ferry, so starting here allows you to skip the part of the archipelago with the most boat traffic; guided tours available. Dalarö Kajak, Dalarö (+739 741034, dalarokajak.se), 1hr south of Stockholm by train/bus, ideal for exploring the southern part of the archipelago; guided tours available. Svima Sport (+873 02210, svima.se), 5 minutes by bus or subway from central Stockholm; prices are slightly higher, but you can also rent for a few hours and paddle around central Stockholm.

Where to stay

Stockholm Tourist Centre (+850 828508, stockholmtown.com) has a list of cabins.

Where to eat

There are a number of excellent restaurants in the archipelago including Oaxen (oaxenkrog.se) in the southern archipelago, Grinda (grindawardshus.se) in the central archipelago, and Smådalarö Gård (smadalarogard.se), just a short paddle from Dalarö Kajak.

Further information

Swedish Tourist Board (020-7108 6168, visitsweden.com).

Country code: 00 46.

Flight time: London-Stockholm 2½hrs.

£1 = 13.06 kronor.