Activities in Dalsland

Bohuslän and Dalsland are both Swedish regions that aren't necessarily considered heavyweights among Swedish landscapes in terms of international fame. People know Småland (because of Astrid Lindgren), Lapland (because of reindeer and the Northern Lights), and maybe Dalarna (because of the wooden horses) – but after that, things usually get a bit thin.

Having the privilege of a small, excellent fishing spot just 200 meters from your own front door is incredibly special. But keeping the uniqueness of this situation constantly in mind can be difficult. As creatures of habit, we tend to get used to everything, and what is special often fades during a relentless process of normalization.

The typical Swedish fjäll landscapes—barren, vast, rolling to mountainous, with plenty of water in between—were what first fascinated me about Sweden when I was young. A classic example is Femundsmarka. Even though it’s quite far south by Swedish standards, it’s still 500 kilometers from Munkedal. Too far for a small weekend tent trip with the kids. How convenient, then, that there’s a kind of fjäll right nearby. A nature reserve that of course can’t match a true fjäll landscape, but in character—and with a bit of imagination—definitely brings those wild regions to mind (proven, among other things, by the southernmost range of the fjäll birch and grey alder). Kynnefjell.

It was the most timeless period of my life—the first year of Corona, 2020. Parental leave, a newborn baby at home, and secluded life in a forest area outside Gothenburg—with friends visiting who were also on parental leave. A wonderful, surreal mix of emotions, blended with a dose of uncertainty and worry. And into that came the realization that I had overlooked something completely ordinary and obvious, yet absolutely magnificent in my life—because it seemed too complex, too dangerous, etc.: mushroom picking.

According to the founder of the Danish Happiness Museum in Copenhagen – at least that's how I remember it – the secret to a perfectly successful day is the combination of the following elements:
You do something meaningful (3) together with others (1) in nature (2).
And you can do all of that wonderfully in Herrestadsfjället!