4000 km across Scandinavia - the stories we will never forget

After months of welcoming guests, replying to emails and working on new projects, it was finally time for our summer holiday.

For us, going away as small business owners is never as simple as locking the door and leaving. There are always last-minute jobs to finish, emails to answer and little details to organise before we can properly switch off.

One of the reasons we love road trips is the freedom they give us. There is no flight to catch, no strict timetable to follow and no pressure to reach the next destination by a certain hour. We decide when to leave, where to stop and how quickly to travel.

Day 1

After answering our final emails, we eventually left home around midday and headed west towards Sweden, crossing the border at Kolari.

The next four hours took us along mostly empty roads through forests, past lakes and rivers, and by beautiful old red wooden houses with perfectly kept gardens. Around 200 kilometres were gravel roads, which perhaps our car did not appreciate quite as much as we did. The only real traffic came in the form of reindeer.

After a few hours of Paul’s impressively smooth driving (honestly, he could probably compete in the Dakar Rally), both Gooseberry and I fell asleep. Paul carried on listening to Formula 1 podcasts while we were snoring.

Our first destination was Arctic Bath.

We stayed in one of the floating cabins on the river and immediately settled into holiday mode with a sauna and a swim before dinner. The tasting menu was excellent, and the following morning we returned to the sauna before cooling off once more in the river.

Arctic Bath is an interesting place with a good restaurant and lovely staff. Visiting out of season meant there were only three other couples staying, making the whole experience very peaceful.

The main building is architecturally striking, and seeing it for the first time is impressive. The floating cabins are interesting from the outside, but inside we felt there was a missed opportunity. The architecture seems to take priority over the guest experience.

We have always believed that if you build a place surrounded by beautiful nature, people should be able to enjoy those views from inside just as much as they do outside.

Overall, it was a wonderful start to our holiday. Quiet, slow and exactly what we needed.

Day 2

The next day we continued south through the middle of Sweden. For almost six hours the scenery barely changed – endless forests, quiet lakes, the occasional gravel road and hardly another car in sight. In places, it looked so much like the roads near our home in Lapland that it felt very familiar.

Before arriving at the hotel, we made a small detour to visit the shop of one of my favourite creators, Jonna Jinton. Exactly a year earlier we had travelled there for the opening of her shop and were lucky enough to receive one of the 150 tiny paintings that make up one giant painting she had created as a gift for visitors. It was lovely to stop by and meet Jonna again.

By the evening we reached our next stop, Gin Hotel. The destination was the hotel itself rather than the town, as it was simply an overnight stop on our way to Stockholm.

We have learnt to keep our expectations fairly low when staying in smaller towns across the Nordics. Too often, accommodation is functional rather than memorable.

Gin Hotel was the complete opposite.

From the moment we arrived, it was clear that every detail had been carefully considered. The room, restaurant and breakfast area all felt thoughtfully designed, with quality materials and a calm atmosphere. One of our favourite touches was the collection of cookbooks, design books and other interesting publications placed around the hotel for guests to browse. It is a small detail, but one that encourages people to slow down and relax.

The hotel is located next to the water, making it perfect for an evening and morning walk with Gooseberry. Breakfast was excellent, and by the time we left we both agreed it had been a wonderful surprise.

The surrounding region, the High Coast, is a paradise for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. We did not include it in this year’s itinerary, but we explored some of the area on a previous trips and would happily return one day.

It was the perfect stop before continuing our journey to Stockholm.

Day 3

The next morning we left in the rain and drove the final four hours to Stockholm.

On the way we crossed the bridge at Sundsvall. The toll bill will arrive in the post in a few months’ time and it will probably cost less than the postage.

Whenever we travel south, The Winery Hotel has become our regular stop in Stockholm. Its location suits us perfectly. It is just outside the city centre, so we avoid driving through busy traffic, yet a short taxi ride takes us straight into the heart of the city. There is also a large park and lake nearby, making it ideal for Gooseberry’s walks.

The hotel has a relaxed atmosphere, a rooftop pool and bar, cool designed rooms and a welcoming lounge. As the name suggests, wine is at the centre of everything they do – they even produce their own wine on site.

Fun fact - years ago, when we were living in London and I was working in the corporate world, I regularly travelled to this very area to visit one of my client's offices. At the time, I never imagined that one day it would become a familiar stop on our road trips through Scandinavia. Life has a funny way of coming full circle.

That afternoon we met our friends and took a boat to one of Stockholm’s small islands called Stora Fjäderholmen, where we wandered through artisan workshops and independent craft shops before enjoying dinner together.

Afterwards, we took the boat back into the city and walked to our friends’ apartment on the top floor of a tall building overlooking the rooftops of Stockholm.

Then something completely unexpected happened.

A few days before leaving home, we had watched a documentary about starling murmurations in the UK. I remember saying to Paul that seeing one in real life was one of my biggest dreams.

Standing there above the city, I suddenly noticed hundreds of birds moving together across the evening sky.

A small starling murmuration.

I could hardly believe it. Of all the places I imagined I might one day experience it, the rooftops of central Stockholm were certainly not one of them.

It was a reminder that sometimes the most memorable moments happen when you are not looking for them. You simply never know when or where a dream might come true.

Day 4

The next day was all about enjoying Stockholm at a slower pace.

We wandered through the city, did some shopping and, of course, made time for fika (twice!!) 

If you have never heard of fika, it is a Swedish tradition of taking a break to enjoy coffee, something sweet and good conversation. It is less about the coffee itself and more about slowing down for a while.

We have exactly the same tradition in Poland, although without such a lovely name. It is simply, “Come over for coffee and cake.” It is something I grew up with, and it has stayed with me ever since. Even now, if friends drop by unexpectedly, I feel slightly embarrassed if I do not have something homemade or sweet to offer alongside a cup of coffee.

Later that day, our friends joined us at the hotel for dinner and a tour of the hotel’s winery. Watching wine being produced in the middle of Stockholm is certainly not something you expect to find in a city hotel, and it made our stay there feel even more unique.

Most of all, it was simply wonderful to spend time together with our friends. 

Living in Finnish Lapland means we do not get to see friends as often as we would like, so these moments always feel special. Saying goodbye is never easy, but this time it was made much easier by knowing that they will be visiting Levi this winter.

It was the perfect end to our time in Stockholm before continuing our journey south.

Day 5

We left Stockholm in the morning and after a few hours driving we were looking for somewhere to stop for a coffee and discovered a cute farm shop and cider press surrounded by a beautiful apple orchard (Rudenstams Gårdsbutik & Kafé).

The drive to Copenhagen was short and easy crossing the Øresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark.

This is one of our favourite cities. It feels calm, clean and easy to explore, while still being a proper capital. There is a wonderful balance between city life and nature, and it always feels as though people here genuinely have time to enjoy both.

We have visited Copenhagen many times and always stay at Manon Les Suites.

For us, it has everything we look for in a city hotel: a park nearby for Gooseberry’s walks, spacious and beautifully designed rooms, an excellent breakfast and a restaurant that is perfect after a day of travelling.

The biggest surprise, however, is hidden in the centre of the hotel.

A swimming pool surrounded by hundreds of hanging plants creates the feeling of stepping into a tropical greenhouse rather than being in the middle of a busy city. It is one of those spaces that instantly slows you down.

The hotel is within walking distance of the city centre and also close to one of our favourite food districts. Although it sits beside a busy multi-lane road, that has never really bothered us. When we visit cities, we like to stay right in the middle of them. We enjoy the energy, the architecture and the restaurants. But every visit also reminds us why we chose a different life.

Walking through cities always makes us appreciate even more the decision we made all those years ago to leave London, take a huge risk and build a new life in Finnish Lapland.

Every trip south reminds us how much we enjoy visiting cities. And every trip reminds us how happy we are to come home.

Day 6 – Our birthday

This year was a special one. I turned 50, and Gooseberry turned 9.

Yes, we share the same birthday. It was never planned. We had chosen the breeder and waited almost a year for Gooseberry to arrive. On the drive home with our tiny puppy, I looked at his birth certificate and suddenly realised that he had been born on exactly the same day as me. Since then, every birthday has been a shared celebration - Aggie & little crazy monster Gooseberry. 

This year I wanted to keep it slow. The day started with Gooseberry’s morning walk, followed by coffee and, of course, a pastry.

In the afternoon we visited Aire Ancient Baths, one of our favourite places in Copenhagen. Hidden inside an old brick brewery, it is one of those spaces where every detail has been carefully considered. Wherever you look, there is a sense of calm. Every visit reminds us how powerful thoughtful design can be.

Nearby, we discovered a wonderful independent furniture shop filled with pieces by iconic Danish designers. There was one chair in particular that immediately caught our attention, and we are seriously considering it for our new Pupu cabin. Let’s see if it will eventually find its way to Foxfires.

In the evening we celebrated with dinner at Kødbyens Fiskebar, our favourite fish restaurant in Copenhagen, before walking back to the hotel so Gooseberry could enjoy a bit more exploring before bedtime.

I actually like getting older.

Ok, ok… I know what you are thinking. That is crazy.

And maybe you are right. There is not much to like about a body that does not feel quite as fit as it used to, especially when our 17-hour winter workdays feel a little harder every year.

But what I really love is how my mind has changed with age. I no longer feel the need to prove anything to anyone. I understand that I am responsible for creating my own future. No one else. Just me, my decisions and my hard work. 

There is something incredibly freeing about that. It gives me the confidence to keep building a life that I genuinely love.

But I am also incredibly lucky that I am not building it alone. Paul shares the same outlook on life. We both believe in working hard, taking responsibility for our choices and creating the life we want to live together. Paul is different in one way, he is not happy about getting older! 

We also believe that kindness matters. One of our favourite films, "Klaus", has a simple message that has stayed with us ever since we first watched it: "a simple act of kindness always sparks another".

Day 7

One of the main reasons we came to Copenhagen was for inspiration.

This summer we are building our new guest cabin and if you have followed Foxfires for a while, you will know that we design every space ourselves and carefully choose every detail that goes into it.

For us, Copenhagen is one of the best places to do exactly that.

I have never enjoyed buying furniture or interiors online. I want to see them, touch them and understand how they feel before making a decision. Quality matters to us, and sometimes the smallest detail can completely change a space.

People often say that there is no point investing too much in holiday accommodation because things will eventually be damaged or treated without care.

We have always believed the opposite.

From the very beginning we have tried to create spaces that we would genuinely love to stay in ourselves. We choose the best quality we can afford at the time and trust our guests to appreciate and respect the care that has gone into creating them.

So we spent the day exploring design shops, collecting ideas and searching for pieces that felt just right for our new beautiful cabin. And yes, we found and bought a few.

Naturally, a day of shopping in Copenhagen also included many breaks for excellent coffee, pastries and good food. Kong Hans hole-in-the-wall bakery was definitely Gooseberry’s favourite. He was totally fascinated by its location. 

Day 8

After breakfast we took Gooseberry for his usual morning walk before heading back into the city to collect the pieces we had chosen for our new cabin.

Before leaving Copenhagen, there was one more place we wanted to visit: Broens Gadekøkken, an open-air street food market that we always enjoy returning to.

After lunch we crossed the bridge into one of the quieter residential neighbourhoods and stopped for one last coffee and pastry at Hart Bakery.

It was one of those perfect summer afternoons. Warm without being too hot, sitting outside by the water and watching the city quietly go about its day.

There was just one thing missing from this trip to Copenhagen. Lunch at Seks. We first met the owners, a Polish couple, almost ten years ago in Bolivia during our honeymoon while watching the Dakar Rally. Since then we have stayed in touch and always try to visit when we are in Copenhagen. They cook simple dishes, full of flavour, inspired by both their Polish roots and their travels around the world. Unfortunately, this time they were on holiday too. Another reason to come back.

After five days in big cities, it was time for the three of us to go back to nature. So before leaving Copenhagen, Paul surprised us with one final stop at the beach just outside the city centre. Gooseberry was SO happy! And then just over two hours later we arrived at our next destination: Eriksberg Hotel & Nature Reserve.

The hotel sits in the middle of a 925-hectare fenced nature reserve, home to more than 1,500 free-roaming animals, including deer, wild boar and European bison.

One of the things that makes this place so special is that the hotel is located inside the reserve itself. Instead of driving somewhere to look for wildlife, you can simply sit in your room and watch deer and bison wandering past your window.

The accommodation is spread across beautifully restored 400-year-old farm buildings and The Ark, a spectacular ship-shaped lodge with its famous glass-floor suites.

Travelling with Gooseberry meant we could not stay in one of those rooms, but our room high up in The Ark came with a spectacular view and a lovely terrace overlooking the open grassland. It felt like the perfect place to sit quietly and wait for wildlife to appear.

There is also a heated outdoor pool where you can watch animals grazing just metres away, as well as two restaurants, including an award-winning restaurant specialising in locally sourced wild game.

That evening the casual restaurant was hosting a barbecue with live music.

After dinner we sat on our terrace, hoping to spot some wildlife. Nothing. Well… apart from a few geese and ducks. We even woke up a few times during the night to look outside. Still nothing. It felt surprisingly familiar. A little like waiting for the Northern Lights.

Day 9

In the early afternoon the hotel prepared a picnic lunch for us and we took it for a walk through the forest to the coast and found a quiet spot by the water. Sitting there with no one else around, listening only to the sea and the birds, felt like the perfect way to slow down before the excitement of searching for the bison. 

In the afternoon we set off to explore the nature reserve by car. Our biggest hope was to see the European bison.

We have them in Poland too, but somehow we have never managed to visit the area where they live. Seeing them had been on Paul’s wish list for years.

As we drove through the reserve, we passed groups of deer grazing in the forests and open meadows. Beautiful, but still no bison.

Then, suddenly, I spotted them.

A small herd was resting on a rocky hillside among the trees.

We stopped the car and simply watched.

One of the reasons we rarely join organised tours is that we love experiencing nature at our own pace. No timetable, no rushing to the next stop, no crowd of people around us. Just us, the wildlife and time to enjoy the moment.

It is one of the reasons we always encourage visitors to Lapland to choose smaller family-run activity providers whenever possible and definitely avoid mass tourism tours. 

Eventually we drove on, hoping we might also find the wild boar. We did not.

Instead, we decided to return to the place where we had first seen the bison. As we approached, they were walking across the road directly in front of us. We stopped the car again and watched as they slowly crossed, completely unbothered by our presence. Some wandered just a few metres away, quietly grazing beside us while deer moved through the landscape around them.

We did not move or speak. We simply sat there, taking it all in.

Sometimes nature gives you moments that are impossible to describe properly. You know you will remember them for the rest of your life, yet no photograph ever quite captures how they felt.

After about an hour, one of the hotel’s tour car arrived. It stayed for a few minutes before continuing their tour. It had squeaky brakes that spooked the Bison and they started moving away from the road. 

We realised once again how fortunate we are. We could stay for as long as we liked, with no schedule and no one waiting for us to move on.

Back at the hotel later that afternoon, we looked out from our terrace and smiled. The bison had wandered onto the open grassland directly in front of our room. Clearly in the previous night with live music it was just too loud for wildlife to be around. 

For a while we watched them grazing alongside the deer while birds flew across the reserve. Some rolled in the sand, others quietly rested as the evening drew in.

After dinner we relaxed in the outdoor spa, still watching the wildlife in front of us.It was impossible to look away.

Without question, it was the highlight of our entire road trip.

Day 10

The next morning we woke to an extraordinary view. Bison and deer were still resting peacefully outside our window.

After breakfast we began our journey north again. Gooseberry quickly fell asleep, Paul put on another Formula 1 podcast and I continue writing this blog.

We had planned to stop at a cafe we already knew a few hours later, but after only thirty minutes we passed a beautiful little cafe called Röshults Vedugnsbageri and decided, almost without thinking, to turn around.

It turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of the trip. Fresh pastries, excellent coffee and a wonderfully cosy atmosphere, tucked away far from the main tourist routes.

As we continued along the smaller back roads, I must have said “wow” a hundred times.

Beautiful old wooden cabins appeared around almost every corner. Many leaned slightly after decades of settling into the ground, with crooked roofs and uneven walls, but somehow that only added to their charm. Weathered timber has a character that new buildings simply cannot recreate.

Travelling on these quieter roads completely changes the journey. You notice the villages. You stop more often. You discover places you never planned to visit.

Yes, it takes longer, but by the time you reach your destination you feel as though the journey itself has been part of the holiday.

Our next destination was Åre but as it was about 14 hours drive away, we stopped overnight in a small town about half way along the route. Living so far north means that every trip south, or back home again, usually requires an overnight stop somewhere along the way. Stopping overnight in those towns it’s really just to sleep in a bed and continue our journey as soon as we wake up next morning. Finding memorable places to stay in the middle of Sweden, Finland or Norway is not always easy, and neither is finding restaurants that make you want to linger over dinner.

For us, travel has never been only about reaching the destination. The drive, the scenery, the cafes, the accommodation and the food are all part of the experience. That is why we rarely choose the fastest route. The adventure begins the moment we leave home.

Day 11

We left the little town early the next morning and continued our journey to Åre.

Of course, we chose the back roads again. Along the way we passed several lovely coffee places and stopped for fika at one located in an open-air museum (Ytterhogdals hembygdsgård Gammelträde). It was one of those places we would probably never have found if we had stayed on the motorway.

By late afternoon we arrived in Åre ski resort and headed into the village for an early dinner.

This was our second visit to Sweden’s best-known mountain resort. In many ways it reminds us of Levi, although the mountains are bigger, the hiking seems endless and there are countless trails for mountain biking. Paul had hoped to try some of them, but there simply was not enough time. We will definitely be back one day. For longer.

We stayed once again at Copperhill Mountain Lodge, located about a 10-minute drive from the village.

The hotel sits high on one of the hills, and the last three kilometres take you along a wonderfully twisty road lined with beautiful wooden cabins. The hotel itself has a very distinctive architecture, and the dog-friendly rooms have direct access to the forest, which is perfect for us. Gooseberry loved it too. However next time we will stay in one of those beautiful cabins instead. Even though the hotel was quiet during our stay, it still feel more like large hotel than the kind of accommodation we enjoy most. Smaller places feel more personal and that is exactly the type of experience we look for when we travel.

Day 12

Åre is one of those ski resorts where summer feels just as alive as winter.

Everywhere you look, people are hiking, cycling or heading into the mountains. Seeing so many people outdoors is really inspiring and makes us want to be even more active ourselves.

That morning we took the funicular up the mountain before setting off on one of the hiking trails. After about 45 minutes we reached the summit, where we were rewarded with spectacular views across the surrounding mountains.

This is exactly the kind of place where we feel most at home. Gooseberry also loved every minute of it. One thing that immediately caught our attention was the forest. Compared with Levi, the trees are enormous, giving the landscape a completely different feel.

Back in the village we wandered through the outdoor shops, cafes and restaurants before slowing the pace once again in the evening. Dinner had to be at Vinebaren which we know from our first trip last year. During our first visit to Åre, a local recommended it to us and we had a lovely dinner there. This time we asked another local exactly the same question. Without hesitation, they recommended Vinebaren. That confirmed everything we needed to know. Some places are simply worth returning to.

Day 13

Our final full day of the holiday was all about slowing down.

We started with a peaceful walk on the hill above the hotel. The landscape felt surprisingly familiar. The plants were much the same as those around our home in Lapland, and cloudberries were growing everywhere, although they still needed another couple of weeks before they would be ready.

Later we drove a few minutes to another forest walk, where we followed the rushing waters of Ristafallet through the trees.

Afterwards we stopped at Fävikens Lanthandel, a wonderful artisan bakery, cafe and food shop that had quickly become one of our favourite discoveries of the trip.

The afternoon was reserved for the hotel spa. It has won several international awards, including Sweden’s Best Ski Spa, so naturally we were looking forward to experiencing it. We stayed for about an hour. The setting has big potential, but for us it never quite created the calm atmosphere we had hoped for. The overall design is beautiful, but we felt it was missing the smaller details that transform a pleasant spa into a truly memorable one. Perhaps we are a little demanding when it comes to spas. After all, creating relaxing spaces has become a big part of our own lives.

Still, it is always fascinating to visit places like this. Every experience teaches us something new, whether it confirms an idea or inspires a different one.

Originally, this was meant to be the final night of our holiday before the long 13-hour drive home. Instead, we decided to add one more night, just to divide a long drive. 

But as neither of us wanted to end two wonderful weeks in an average hotel somewhere along the motorway or in a small town, we booked one final night at Arctic Bath. It felt like the perfect way to bring the journey full circle.

Day 14

Our final full day began with a peaceful walk in the forest with Gooseberry before breakfast.

After checking out, there was one place we could not resist visiting again before leaving Åre – Fävikens Lanthandel. One last coffee, one last pastry and of course some take-away buns and then it was time to continue our journey north.

The drive back to Arctic Bath took around eight hours. The final thirty minutes were once again on a gravel road, winding quietly through the forest. Much better than a motorway.

After another excellent dinner, we spent the evening sitting on the deck of our floating cabin, talking, watching the river flow by and listening to the birds settling down for the night.

Sometimes there is nothing more enjoyable than doing absolutely nothing and just watching nature. 

Day 15

Our final morning started really early as the river at 4am was so pretty!

We slept a little more before enjoying breakfast and going back to the sauna one last time. After warming up, we cooled off with a swim in the cold river. It was the perfect way to end our holiday.

As we packed the car and began the journey back to Levi, we both realised something. We were ready to go home. We had completely switched off, found new inspiration, enjoyed wonderful places, eaten far too many pastries and made memories that will stay with us for a very long time. Now we were looking forward to returning to Foxfires, continuing work on our new projects and preparing for another winter season.

Looking back, this road trip gave us far more than we expected. We discovered beautiful places, found inspiration for Foxfires, celebrated a milestone birthday and watched European bison from just a few metres away. But perhaps the most unexpected moment happened high above the rooftops of Stockholm, when a dream I had spoken about only a few days earlier quietly came true.

It was a reminder that some of life’s best moments cannot be planned. They simply appear when you least expect them.

Thinking about your own Scandinavian road trip?

If you are planning to visit Sweden or Denmark, we hope this article has given you a few ideas for unique places to stay, wonderful restaurants and cafes.

And if your journey also takes you further north to Finnish Lapland, we would love to welcome you to Foxfires.

Whether you are looking for a peaceful place to stay, a private Arctic Spa experience or simply more inspiration for planning your trip, you can find everything here:

🏡 Boutique adults-only accommodation in Levi

🔥 Private Arctic Spa

📖 Our Winter Guide to Levi Lapland

Thank you for travelling with us.

See you in Lapland

Aggie, Paul & Gooseberry

Every photograph in this article was taken by us.