Backe - Handöl

Today is a great day! We have a lot planned. Keyword: Vatten (water)…

We are up early, leave our accommodation right after breakfast and head south-west. Four and a half hours of driving separate us from our next Airbnb, which by the way is also very adventurous, but more on that later.

On the way we stock up on supplies at the big ICA MAXI in Östersund and fill the tank while we are at it. Right after that we drive to a rest area to enjoy our lunch outdoors in the sun by a lake. A few swarms of mosquitoes mean that we end up eating the last few bites in the closed car after all.

We make our first bigger stop at Ristafallet. Ristafallet is known from the film adaptation of Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter and is one of the biggest waterfalls in Sweden, with a water volume of 100 to 400 m³/s. The waterfall is very easy to reach, and there are paths that follow the course of the water. It is spectacular how much water flows there. The spray hits us in the face and covers the camera and lenses as we take photos. We really enjoy the raw power of this place. On the way back we meet two Germans of about our age who are travelling in their camper. We chat with the two of them and get some good tips for southern Sweden.

Onwards. Our next stop? A waterfall, just like before! This time it is the Tännforsen, the biggest waterfall in Sweden in terms of volume. In spring the water volume rises to an extreme 740 m³/s. This leads to a veritable explosion of water when it plunges down. It creates an incredible amount of spray that whips us in the face, even when we stand further away from the waterfall to take photos. What is particularly fascinating is that with the sun as it is now (it is already evening) a double rainbow appears, and of course we take photos of it, suitably impressed.

Off again. Our next stop? The next waterfall! Right next to our accommodation is the Handölsforsen. Unbelievable amounts of water flow there too, and they are also used to produce electricity. There is a suspension bridge that leads across the raging river. In the middle of the bridge we can really feel the force of the thundering water (the bridge vibrates and sways noticeably). We take some impressive photos, some of them with the drone.

On to our last stop for today: Our Airbnb. The host already called us this morning to explain how to find the cabin. It is very remote and has no running water either. We have to park by the road and walk the last quarter of an hour, as the path leads straight through the forest. We find the key in a key box and let ourselves into the cabin. It is handcrafted entirely from wood, inside and out. We have a lot of space and it looks really nice inside. Towards evening it gets a little dark, as the lamps give off hardly any light, but that’s just as well, because it gives us a chance of seeing wild animals passing our little cabin on their nightly search for food in the forest.