***  SWEDEN  2016   -  WEEKS 1~2  ***

CAMPING IN SWEDEN 2016 - Lund, Göteborg, Kungälv, Bohuslän Bronze Age rock engravings, Trollhättan, Dalsland Canal and Håverud Aqueduct:

The journey out to Sweden:  after a long winter, and delayed start to this year's travels with health concerns, it was a moment to be savoured sitting beer in hand as the Harwich~Hook of Holland ferry pulled away from the dock; our 2016 trip to Sweden was finally underway. Again this year we had the long 550 mile transcontinental drive to reach Sweden, across Holland and Northern Germany, the Puttgarden~Rødby ferry to Denmark, and finally across the Öresund Bridge with the straits this time sullenly grey; the crossing of that magnificent engineering structure (see left), though expensive now at €54, is always a thrilling experience (Photo 1 - Crossing the Öresund Bridge). At the Swedish side of the bridge, we had expected traffic queues with the re-introduction of border checks to control levels of illegal immigrants entering Sweden, but a cursory glance at our passports caused no delays; the border guard appreciated our supportive words for Sweden's tougher line to protect its borders, and wished us a good stay in this year's host country.

Click on the 3 highlighted areas of map for details of South-West Sweden

We planned to spend a day in the University city of Lund after a first night's camp at Lomma, but having crossed the Öresund at 2-00pm, we had time this afternoon for a preliminary visit for more functional jobs such as buying a Swedish SIM card for our mobile phone. Around Malmö on the motorway to approach Lund from the south, we eventually found Lund's Phone Shop and a paying car park in nearby Märtens Torget which we knew from our 2013 visit to Lund. At this stage we had no Swedish coins, and when the automat would not accept our credit card, a local man in a generous act of kindness paid our hour's parking charge. Having secured our Telia SIM card, we still had time to walk through to the Tourist Information Centre in Stortorget for a city plan. Having already experienced the helpfulness of Lund's citizens, the girl at the TIC told us that Lund so prides itself on helpfulness and good service that it operates a helpfulness competition: she gave us a pin badge to present to the Lundite whom we judged to be most helpful, though it was not clear at this stage what the recipient should do with the badge or how the recognition was awarded. But we accepted the challenge, and collected our city plan and the usual crop of leaflets ready for tomorrow. Having extricated ourselves from Lund centre in the late afternoon traffic, we headed for Lomma for provisions from the ICA supermarket, and our first night camp at Habo-Ljung Camping on the shore of the Öresund (see left). It was a gloomy evening with a chill wind blowing from across an equally grey Öresund. We were back in Sweden and could relax at last.

The University city of Lund:  on another dull, grey morning, we drove back into Lund and found the parking area recommended by the TIC and close to the city centre. But now came further problems with payment: the machine refused to accept non-Swedish credit cards and we sought help from an elderly gentleman who also failed to make it read our card. In the true spirit of Helpful Lund however, and to our acute embarrassment, he also insisted on paying our parking charge with his card; we were overwhelmed at this generosity and explained Lund's pin-badge award for excellent service which we insisted on awarding to him. In complete puzzlement at these strange English people, he took the badge along with our insistent thanks, and went on his way! This was the second such act of helpful kindness we had received in Helpful Lund, and we came to the conclusion that, while Lundites are by nature courteous and helpful, the town's parking automats are cussedly uncooperative towards overseas visitors.

Lund is a delightful University city, and its student population gives it a lively youthful air; see Log of our 2013 visit to Lund. Today there were hints of drizzle in the air for our re-visit, but taking no waterproofs with foolhardy bravado we set out to walk around to the Cathedral through Lund's quaint old street's lined with cottages charmingly a-blossom with scented roses. We reached the Cathedral just as the Astronomical Clock's midday performance was coming to an end and a service was beginning in the nave; we should have to return later to see the magnificent Romanesque architecture. We had last visited Lund in gloriously spring sunshine in May 2013, and still being term time then, the beautiful gardens of Lundagård were filled with young undergraduates sitting on the lawns under the trees. Today in mid-June, term had finished; it was cold with the beginnings of drizzle, the sky was a lifeless grey with little light for photography, and the gardens were deserted. Our plan for today was for lunch at the students' union cafeteria, and we walked up past the magnificent classically styled Universitets Huset building (see above left) heading for the Akademinska Föreningen for lunch. Normally during term time, visitors could use the cafeteria, but today out of term a conference was taking place and the cafeteria was reserved for delegates. We were however given details of another student cafeteria near the University library. Along Sandgatan, set amid tall, noble trees and beautiful gardens rose the magnificent red-brick Gothic University Library (see right) (Photo 2 - Lund University Library), and just behind this in the more modest languages library building we found the Sol cafeteria for a good value lunch.

After lunch we headed for the University Botanical Gardens (Botaniska Trädgården), the sky now threateningly dark with the beginnings of rain in the air as we hurried along Biskopsgatan under the dark trees past various university institutes. By the time we reached the Gardens, rain was falling, and having secured a layout plan, we headed for the greenhouses. Founded in the 1690s as a study garden for medical students, the University Botanical Museum was established at its present location, then the outskirts of Lund, in the mid-19th century by the botanist Jacob Georg Agardh. who designed the gardens' layout and greenhouses. Today the 8 hectares of gardens grow over 7,000 plant species and still supports the University's Botany studies. As we entered the greenhouses, pouring rain began; we had just reached shelter in time. The Conservatory greenhouses contain both wild and cultivated species from all over the world, and as the pouring rain hammered on the glass roofs, we spent the next hour examining these exotic plants (Photo 3 - Lund Botanical Gardens) (see left), including those from tropical rain forests, huge arid-adapted desert cactus, plants from Mediterranean climates including Papyrus, Hibiscus (see right) and insectivorous Pitcher Plants, exotic ferns, and a greenhouse full of tropical orchids which bore little resemblance to the orchid flowers we were accustomed to seeing in the Arctic.

The rain eased at last to a heavy drizzle, and we walked around to the rear of the greenhouses to see the Gardens' centrepiece, the Tulip Trees whose huge blossom forms the Botanic Garden's emblem. But in mid-June the trees' flowering was past, and with just one small umbrella to shelter both of us from the still persistent rain, we headed back towards the Cathedral, really not having done justice to the Botanical Gardens. In sunny weather, you could easily spend a half-day in these lovely surroundings. Back through narrow streets, past Lund's old brick buildings, we reached the rear of the 12th century Romanesque Cathedral, its 3 storey high apse crowned by an impressive gallery. Inside, we had 15 minutes before the 3-00pm performance of the Astronomical Clock, to photograph the huge gilded mosaic figure of Christ in Glory lining the dome of the apse above the high altar triptych (Photo 4 - Gilded mosaic at Lund Cathedral). As 3-00pm approached, we joined the group of tourists waiting to see the Astronomical Clock's working: 2 mounted knights atop struck swords 3 times, the little wooden doors on the front panel opened, and a procession of mechanical figures led by the Magi paraded around past the Virgin and infant to the tune of In Dulce Jubilo (see left). It was all over in a moment, and as the lights went on again, we went down into the crypt to see again the figures of Finn the legendary giant builder of the Cathedral with his wife and child clinging to the pillars. It was such a pity that today the dull, wet weather had meant we had not seen Lund at its best, as 3 years ago, especially around the University and Cathedral. But we had met some generously helpful Lundites and duly awarded our badge for good service to the kindly gent who had paid for our parking; we had also secured our Swedish SIM card.

A curious but good value overnight camp at Kvidinge:  in very heavy evening traffic and with rain beginning again, we headed north on the E6/E20 motorway towards Helsingborg, and turned east on E4 to find tonight's campsite in the village of Kvidinge. Along a side lane just off the village main street, Kvidinge-badets Camping, far from being the crowded, holiday-making venue which its name suggested, turned out to be a curiously old-fashioned open-air swimming pool with an adjacent, deserted camping area. The friendly girl at reception welcomed us with a surprised smile: we don't have many visitors from England, she said in fluent English, and in a sense you could understand why; for what reason would anyone come here! She explained that it was run by the local municipality primarily as a swimming facility for local school children, with a flat, grassy camping area as an added extra on the neighbouring land. But it would serve us well as a peaceful overnight stay, and good value at just 180 SEK which included use of the pool had the chill weather allowed. It fact it was a thoroughly miserable evening and despite being early June, we needed the heater on for warmth. The following morning, we woke to hazy sun as local school children arrived for their swimming lesson, all very quiet and well-behaved (see right).

A curious monument at Kvidinge, and excellent VW service yet again at Ångelholm:  leaving Kvidinge, we paused at the village outskirts to investigate a curious monument; this turned out to commemorate an obscure piece of early 19th century Swedish history, which doubtless few Swedes would be able to explain. The reforming and enlightened Gustav III was assassinated by disgruntled aristocrats in 1792, and was succeeded by his young and inept son Gustav IV. After the disastrous war with Imperial Russia resulting in the loss of Finland in 1809, Gustav was deposed and his elderly and infirm uncle was proclaimed king as Karl XIII; he died childless soon after. Everything was now arranged for the Danish Prince Karl-August to assume the Swedish monarchy, but again fate intervened: while on military manoeuvres in Skåne, Karl-August fell from his horse here at Kvidinge, dying from a stroke it was said. The monument was erected in his honour at the place of his death, but the column's plinth was never completed with his statue; and here the topless monument to Karl-August remains to this day at the edge of the village (see left). Meanwhile the frustrated Swedes continued scratching around for a monarch, and invited Napoleon's little known marshal, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, to become king of Sweden; he accepted, establishing the Bernadotte dynasty which continues to this day, and the rest of course is history.

We turned north to Ångelholm, knowing that there was VW garage there that in 2013 had replaced (without charge) a faulty reversing light on our camper. This year we had been faced with a potentially more serious problem: a problemsome turbo-charger on our outward drive seemed to have corrected itself, but we wanted to have this checked. At the Ångelholm VW garage, the receptionist spoke good English and a mechanic took an immediate look: the engine diagnostics confirmed that the initial failure was now corrected and assured us all was well. Again no charge was made, and they wished us a safe journey in Sweden. Once more we were grateful for the excellent VW service which we have consistently enjoyed the length and breadth of Europe.

The Varberg Radio Station UNESCO World Heritage Site:  rejoining the E6 motorway, we made good progress northward, with George's turbo now performing normally on the gradients. The weather varied between dark threatening storm clouds and dazzlingly bright sunny spells, and we paused for lunch at a beautifully landscaped picnic-aire near to Falkenberg. At Junction 53, we turned off to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Varberg Radio Station. WW1 had isolated Sweden and showed how vulnerable the undersea telegraphic cable link to America was, given the numbers of Swedish émigrés in USA. As a result, in 1922 the Swedish Parliament decided to build a Very Low Frequency radio station as a transatlantic radio-telegraphy link to the RCA Radio Central Station in New York, as part of an emerging world-wide radio-telegraphic network. The station was built at Varberg in SW Sweden, equipped with an Alexanderson rotating armature electro-mechanical transmitter, designed by the Swedish-American Ernst Frederick Alexanderson (1879~1975), a creative pioneer of electrical engineering, radio and electronics who during his lifetime registered over 300 patents. With a radio power output of 200Kw, the Varberg station (call sign SAQ) achieved transatlantic transmissions at 17.2Khz (17,400m wave length) by means of an incredible 2.2km long antenna mounted on a linear series of 6 127m high pylons spread across the countryside (see right). The station was opened in 1924 by King Gustav V, and continued working until the 1950s when the Alexanderson electro-mechanical rotary transmitter was replaced with modern electronic short wave transmitters for transatlantic telecommunications. The original Alexanderson equipment and antenna array are preserved and are now recognised as a World Heritage Site.

Reaching the radio station site in the heart of the countryside, its enormous antenna pylons visible for miles around, we learnt more about its history and details of its technical working. The guide explained that, in the early days of the station's working, members of the Swedish public would write messages to relatives in USA on telegram forms at a local post office; these were relayed by land-line telegraphy to a central office in Göteborg, where the message in morse was converted to punched paper-tape and transmitted by wire to Varberg. Here electro-mechanical devices converted the morse at far greater speed than a human operator could key (see right), for transmission by the Alexanderson generator and enormous antenna array across the Atlantic. In New York, the received morse signal was re-converted to plain text and delivered to the recipient by telegram boy. A tour of the station enabled us to see the huge electro-mechanical rotary transmitting apparatus (see above left) (Photo 5 - Alexanderson electro-mechanical transmitter) which is still operational and transmits 3 times each year. Outside, we followed the transmitting cables out to the antenna link, and walked over to stand under the nearest of the 127m high aerial pylons, which were themselves a remarkable piece of construction for the 1920s. In these days of worldwide satellite telecommunications, our visit to the Varberg Radio Station was a fascinating insight into both the technical working and social history of early long distance communications by telegrams and wireless telegraphy.

Kungälv Vandrarhem (hostel)-Camping:  continuing north on E6/20 motorway in an horrendous downpour, we passed through the Göteborg conurbation in busy evening rush hour traffic. Beyond the city, we turned off to Kungälv where we had reserved a space at the Vandrarhem (hostel)-Camping with the expected approaching Midsummer holiday weekend. As we sat in slow-moving Göteborg traffic congestion, the warden thoughtfully sent us a welcoming text message with the camping access code since she finished work at 6-00pm. Crossing the river at the approach to the town, past Kungälv's over-towering hill-top medieval fortress, the Bohus Fästning, our first stop was the ICA-Maxi supermarket for provisions and bus tickets for tomorrow's journey into Göteborg by bus from Kungälv. Back at the small campsite, we settled into our reserved riverside spot (see above left); it was by now almost 8-00pm and we were exhausted after a busy but interesting day and long drive in stressful traffic.

A re-visit to Göteborg:  the following morning we walked the 500m across the river bridge to the bus stop at Eriksdal to catch the Grön Express bus which ran every 10 minutes into Göteborg (see Log of our 2013 visit to Göteborg). Following the stops on the bus' illuminated display during the 20 minute ride into the city, we got off at the Nordstan shopping centre, and crossed to the Central Railway Station (Photo 6 - Göteborg's Central Railway Station). The country's oldest station built in 1856 still retained its grand façade and elegant ticket hall (see right). Our Scandinavian city visits always seem to start in a railway station ticket hall and end in the buffet-bar! On the far side of Nordstan shopping centre, we crossed Östra Hamngatan to Gustav Adolfs Torg to re-visit the statue of Gustav II Adolphus pointing imperiously to the spot where he wished his new port-city to be founded in 1621 at the mouth of the Göta Älv river. Today's weather forecast was not good, and although it was not yet raining, the sky was gloomily overcast for His Imperial Majesty's photograph (Photo 7 - Statue of King Gustav II Adolphus). We walked the zigzag course of the Rosenlunds-kanalen, which once formed the moat of the original city's fortified perimeter (see left), bringing us around to Kungsportsplatsen where city trams crossed the bridge (Photo 8 - Göteborg city trams). Across the square in the barrel-roofed 1880 market hall of Stora Saluhallen, we bought a filling lunch at one of the food stalls whose popularity with locals indicated its good value food (see right), and after lunch ambled around the attractive market stalls (Photo 9 - Stora Saluhallen market hall).

Along Kungsports-avenyn, where trams trundled along the elegant boulevard, we turned off into Vasagatan, admiring the impressive red-brick art nouveau buildings which lined the street and opposite Vasa-Platsen Göteborg University's main building (Photo 10 - Göteborg University). At the far end by the University library, the small park by the 19th century Haga Kyrkan church contains a moving memorial to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish businessman-diplomat who in 1944 secured the rescue of 1000s of Hungarian Jews from German extermination by issuing Swedish passports, Schutz Passes (Protection Pass) identifying the bearers as Swedish subjects awaiting repatriation. Across the far side of the canal, the Feskekörka indoor fish-market resembles from the outside a Neo-Gothic church (see left); inside however the stalls are laden with every kind of fish and shellfish, all looking mouth-wateringly attractive (Photo 11 - Feskekörka fish-market) (see below left), but at prices way beyond our pocket.

Re-crossing the bridge, we ambled back through the delightful canal-side parkland of Kungspark, photographing passing trams and students lolling on the grassy canal embankment (Photo 12 - City trams at Kungspark). After a cursory look inside the distinctly inelegant Neo-classical Domkyrkan, whose flower gardens were more attractive than the cathedral itself, we headed across Norra Hamngatan up towards the Lilla Hamn marina. During the day, the sky had progressively brightened with a bright but sultry hot sun, but now threateningly dark cloud was gathering; the forecast for heavy rain looked likely to be accurate. The rain began as we photographed the lip-stick shaped skyscraper of Utsiken which towered over the marina and sailing clipper moored in the harbour (Photo 13 - Lip-stick shaped skyscraper of Utsiken) and took shelter from the rain in the foyer of Göteborg's harbour-side opera house; the eye can so easily pass over such unattractively unimpressive modern buildings. Braving the now persistent light rain, we threaded a way through the equally unimpressive office blocks which overshadowed the marina, to find the entrance to the Utsiken tower, suddenly realising we were standing right outside it as it towered over us. It cost an expensive 40kr each to ascend in the lift the 22 storeys of the 86m high tower, but the viewing gallery gave a bird's eye panorama over Göteborg's industrial city skyline (see right). The most impressive view was along the wide Göta Älv river, with its docks and ship-yards (Photo 14 - Göteborg panorama viewed from Utsiken); from this viewpoint, you could see why this river highway from the sea was chosen as the location for Sweden's west coast maritime trading centre. Inland, particularly with gloomily grey rain squall clouds now obscuring the view, the city-scape revealed Göteborg's gritty industrial origins. We took our photos, descended in the lift and, weary from our day of walking the city streets, returned to Central Station for an expensive beer in the buffet-bar where multi-screen TVs relayed UEFA Cup football matches. A Grön Express bus was waiting at the Nordstan bus-stands and with traffic now less congested, we were soon back at Eriksdal to walk back across the bridge below Kungälv's medieval fortress to the campsite.

The Blomsholm Stone Ship-setting burial mound:  on a sunny morning, we re-joined the E6 to head north through Bohuslän. Despite fears of aggressively speeding Norwegians heading for the border, the motorway was surprisingly quiet making for a relaxed drive north through increasingly hilly terrain, magnificently forested and with bare rocky outcrops; we were now seeing our first pine and spruces. Over the last 3 years since we had last driven this road, the motorway had been completed and a huge new shopping complex built near to Tanumshede to attract Norwegian cross-border shoppers. By mid-afternoon we turned off close to Strömstad and followed a rural lane to the farmstead at Blomsholm where the Iron Age stone ship-setting could be seen standing proud on a hillock amid fields of cereals, and lit by the afternoon sun (see left). The stone ship was erected in the late Iron Age around 500~11050 AD, 40m long and made up of 49 standing stones arranged in the shape of a long boat, the prow and stern-post stones standing 4m high. Although it is the largest such boat-grave in Sweden, little is known of its history. Boats clearly were of ritual importance to prehistoric northern peoples as rock art shows, symbolising the passage from life to death. The hillock forming the tumulus beneath the stone-circle has never been excavated, but at a time when sea levels were higher than now and the lower ground near the grave would have been the shore-line of an inlet from a fjord. the ship-setting's scale and prominent position indicates it marked the burial site of a powerful chieftain. On a warm, sunny afternoon, we followed the pathway leading up onto the burial mound, and looking along the length of the stone ship at close range, you gained a full impression of its 40m length (see right) (Photo 15 - Blomsholm Stone Ship-setting).

The Massleberg Bronze Age rock-engravings:  this whole area had clearly been a significant burial ground with some 40 Iron Age graves and stone circles on the hillside across the lane, but there was no time to explore these if we were to find the nearby Massleberg Bronze Age rock-engravings. From the village of Skee, we followed a single-track lane to a farmstead at Massleberg, and just along a trackway we found a rock-outcrop panel with the red-painted rock-engravings (hällristningar in Swedish). The most prominent depiction showed a human figure holding up a whole boat; these 'boat-lifter' figures occur throughout Bohuslän Bronze Age rock-engravings, and are thought to symbolise some unknown legend, perhaps boat sacrifice (see left). Another boat carried a stag with star-shaped antlers and 2 lur players; 2 superimposed boats were shown carrying warriors fighting with spears (Photo 16 - Massleberg Bronze Age rock-engravings), and another depicted a hunting scene with an antlered deer surrounded by dogs and the figure of a hunter (see right).

Tanums Camping near Tanumshede:  we returned down the motorway passing through beautiful forested hill-country with its flat-panelled rocky outcrops, just inviting rock-engraving, we turned off to the village of Tanumshede and Tanums Camping. This was the sort of small, peaceful and straightforward campsite we favour, with just a couple of tents as neighbours. All looked perfect until it came to the price: 280kr and extra coins for showers and washing-up hot water was ludicrously OTT for a simple site with basic facilities and no wi-fi internet. It was no wonder the place was almost empty even at almost midsummer, but we negotiated a lower price with the curious Chilean warden who would certainly win no prizes at a grace and charm contest. We pitched at the top end of the camping area to enjoy the full evening sun in these wonderful forested surroundings (see left) and a supper of Swedish meatballs (kötbullar) in lingonberry sauce. Later that evening, one of those ludicrously monstrous mega-buses arrived, a veritable apartment block on 6 wheels, with en-suite ballroom, billiards room and indoor swimming pool judging by its size 4 times the length and twice the height of a VW camper; here was the subject of much ridicule and contempt, accommodating just 2 people who immediately began twirling their over-sized satellite dish in search of soap operas to satisfy a limited intellect. The fact that they were in the midst of the most wonderful natural surroundings seemed to have gone unnoticed.

The Tanum-Vitlyke Bronze Age rock-engravings:  our reason for coming here was to spend the day exploring the World Heritage site of the Tanum Bronze Age rock-engravings. The panels of rock art around North Bohuslän, dating from the mid-late Bronze Age around 1500~500 BC, were chiselled onto flat bed-rock granite using flint tools. At that time, sea levels were higher than today so that most of the panels were along fjord shore-lines. The Tanum rock-engravings were created by settled agriculturalists who supplemented their pastoral existence keeping sheep, pigs and cattle and working the land to grow barley and rye, with hunting in the surrounding forests. Bronze was bartered from Europe for skins and local produce, and smelted for weapons and ceremonial ornaments. Although difficult to interpret, the art-work of some 300 human and animal figures, boats and other symbols is thought to represent religious ceremonial ritual, fertility rites and representation of the passage from life to death, and the engravings have controversially been coloured in with red paint to make them more visible to modern day visitors. The carved rock-art figures supported by archaeological finds show a continuity of occupation and land use for over 1000 years. There are 4 areas of rock engravings, and the panel at Tanum-Vitlycke was clearly visible on the opposite hillside, and we were able to enjoy an undisturbed hour examining these in close detail (Photo 17 - Tanum-Vitlyke Bronze Age rock-engravings) and marvelling at these expressive pieces ritual art-work created 3,000 years ago. There were spear-men (see below left), axe-men, and bow-men, and a suppliant worshipping beside a snake-like bolt of lightning representing a deity; a Bronze Age forerunner of a horned helmeted Thor, god of thunder, is shown riding in his chariot pulled by a he-goat with an accompanying bolt of lightning (see left). There were many boats with their notional crew-men (Photo 18 - Engraved boat with crew and axe-men) thought to represent ritually the passage from this life to the kingdom of the dead, with one carrying multiple lur players. At the top of the panel, the most renowned of the images, a ritual marriage scene with the officiating priest holding an axe over the embracing couple (see above right). Lower down the pane, a grieving female figure with her distinctive plait appears kneeling in mourning beside a deceased male lying before her (see right).

Litsleby rock-engravings:  4 kms away, the Litsleby group of rock-engravings is set among delightful pine woodland and contains some 80 simple bier-like representations of boats, with just upturned lines of gunwale and keel connected by vertical lines and shields. But the entire panel is dominated by the 2.3m high figure of a giant spear-brandishing deity (Photo 19 - Litsleby spear god), dating from around 1200~1000 BC, a time in the middle Bronze Age when burial customs changed from inhumation in burial chambers with grave goods to cremation. The spear god depicted at Litsleby is perhaps a forerunner of the god Odin. A track led up through the pine woods, to another panel of engraved horse riding warriors carrying spear and rectangular shield (see right). The consistency of design suggested the work of one artist. Archaeological evidence shows that such rectangular Celtic shields came into currency in the early Iron Age, replacing the rounded shields of the Bronze Age; this helps to date these engraving to around 300 BC, making them the latest of the Tanum rock-art, and one of the world's oldest depictions of horsemen bearing lance and shield (Photo 20 - Mounted warrior engravings). The peaceful setting of the pine woods, the scent of the pine trees and the forest floor of Bilberry and Lingonberry, gave the Litsleby engravings a magical, mysterious air, the most memorable of the Tanum rock-art sites.

The Aspeberget rock-engravings:  the nearby panels of rock-engravings at Aspeberget show some of the only depictions of everyday work in Bronze Age pastoralist society: a farmer ploughing with an ard (predecessor of the plough) pulled by a pair of oxen, perhaps an invocation for a good harvest; above this a line of bulls driven by a herdsman reflects the importance of oxen and cattle at this time, as draught animals, and providing leather, milk, meat and manure (see left). The bull as a ritual symbol of strength, courage and fertility is found across all Europe in contemporary Bronze Age culture and mythology. A group of axe-men holding shields suggests a ritual battle scene, and below this a boat engraving with inward-curved prow and stern carries a huge crew of rowers and a lur player (see right); boats needing a crew of this size were beyond the technology of this time, and clearly were only of ritual significance symbolising the passage from life to death. At the top of the panel, a large solar symbol shows the sun being adored by 2 women with plaits. The next panel shows a curious human figure with over-sized hands bearing a group of 29 cup-marks arranged in 4 groups of 7, thought to represent a calendar (Photo 21 - Calendar figure). Above this was an engraving showing a perfect representation of a 4-wheeled chariot or wagon. A further panel showed a procession of dancing figures including one female with her plaited hair among the line of males (see below left). But of particular interest below these was an engraving of a bull with a small axe-bearing figure leaping between the bull's horns, so reminiscent of the bull-leaping frescoes from contemporary Minoan Crete (Photo 22 - Bull-leaping figure).

Fossum rock-engravings:  on the far side of Tanumshede village, another group of rock-engravings at Fossum at the foot of an outcrop facing the sun looked out across the valley surrounded by hills, a typical location for Bohuslän rock-engravings. The engravings begin with the depiction of a woman with long plaited hair and arm raised in adoration (see right). A hunter stabs a deer with his spear, another raises his bow towards prey (see below left), and a group of 3 hunters with axes is shown with a pack of hunting dogs; such portrayal of hunting scenes is thought to be an invocation for success in the hunt for food. A group of 3 axe-men shows the distinctly detailed weapons which, when compared with archaeological finds, enabled the Fossum panel to be dated to around 600 BC (Photo 23 - Fossum axe-men engravings). A curious group with a pair of figures wearing what appears to be bird beak masks and carrying staffs is portrayed as mirrored reversed images of each other in ritual dance.

A disappointment at Klädesholmen fishing harbour:  the following morning we returned south on the E6 motorway, with the weather now heavily overcast with drizzly rain. Our plan was to cross the Bohuslän islands of Orust and Tjörn and to camp again at the guest-harbour on the western tip of Klädesholmen, the outer island of the Tjörn archipelago. Since we were here 3 years ago, what had then been a quiet road was now festooned with speed cameras and the pleasant rural environment contaminated with building sites. With all this, plus road works and gloomy wet weather, it was now a tedious drive. Finally reaching Klädesholmen, we threaded our way through the village's narrow street and across onto the outer islet and fishing harbour where we had enjoyed a peaceful wild-camp among the fishing boats in 2013. By now the south-westerly gusty wind was driving rain from the sea; the guest-harbour was deserted and harbour master's office locked, but worse still, a sign now forbade camping. The harbour master drew up in his car, and made it quite clear that our presence was no longer welcome: No camping, he insisted, you have to go! So that was that. In pouring rain we took stock. The nearest acceptable campsite was Stenrösets Camping near to Trollhätten, and we phoned to check, since it was approaching the Midsummer holiday; they had space for tonight but would be full at the weekend. Back over Tjörn bridge to the mainland, we made our way on uncertain back roads in pouring rain, eventually reaching Stenrösets at 6-00pm. The owner welcomed us hospitably after our long drive, and we found a quiet corner looking out into dark woodland (see right); at least we had a viable campsite for tonight. It was so miserably dark and chill that, even in mid summer, we had heating on.

A day in Trollhätten:  overnight the rain had stopped but the weather was still dismally gloomy; some Midsummer Day! The sky gradually brightened, but it was one of those mornings when time moved faster than we did. Facilities at Stenrösets were excellent, and the site-wide wi-fi enabled us to keep check on the weather forecast. Today had begun with only the vaguest plan of walking the Halleberg nature trail, but after re-stocking with provisions at an ICA supermarket in the western suburbs of Trollhätten, with no conscious effort today gradually evolved into a day in Trollhätten, a town which developed on the banks of the Göta River/Canal with a fascinating industrial history. We parked down at the southern side of the Trollhätten Canal by the flight of locks which lowers the navigable waterway down to the level of the ongoing Götälven river after bypassing the Trollhätten rapids gorge. Crossing the top-lock footbridge, we were just in time to watch 2 leisure craft pass into the lock basin (see right); the lock drained, the lower gates opened and the boats sailed on towards the remaining flight of locks towards Göteborg (Photo 24 - Göta Canal locks at Trollhätten). After eating our lunch sandwiches in the now brightly shining sunshine, we watched 2 more boats make the upward passage through the locks, and enjoyed a salt-lakrits (liquorice) ice-cream (Swedish delicacy) from the kiosk (see left). We needed to find the VW garage in Trollhätten to replace a blown rear-brake light bulb, and the fluently English-speaking lad at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) marked on a town plan the garage's location. Armed with this, we headed for an industrial estate in north Trollhätten just off the E45 ring-road; it was hard to imagine this was the same road which, as the Inlandsvägen, stretched the entire length of Sweden northwards as far as Karesuando. At the garage, we explained our need, but all the mechanics were busy today; could we come back in the morning?

The excellent Trollhätten Camping:  by now it was approaching 4-00pm, and it seemed sensible to stay tonight at Trollhätten Camping, the admirable local campsite we had used in 2013 (see log of our 2013 visit to Trollhätten), before the busy Midsummer holiday weekend. We received the same smiling hospitably welcoming reception as before, and in fact the site was remarkably quiet; why would anyone want to come to Trollhätten for the holiday? the managing couple exclaimed in surprise; we could suggest a dozen and one reasons for admiring Trollhätten's industrial heritage and the magnificent Göta Canal and hydro-generating infrastructure. They suggested a pitch that would enjoy evening sun, and we settled in. There was time this afternoon to walk into town on the lovely footpath along the causeway dividing the dredged navigable canal-channel from the natural course of the Göta Älv. From the campsite, the path led along the canal bank and crossed the magnificent lifting railway bridge, the central section of which raises complete with electrified railway track 27m between the pair of towers to allow boats to pass below the bridge along the canal.

As we started along the causeway footpath on the far side of the bridge, the warning bells began sounding and to our amazement the bridge's central decking began lifting to allow 2 yachts to move forward and pass beneath along the canal (see left); once through, the decking re-lowered, and a train duly passed across the railway bridge, all a tribute to Trollhätten's traditional engineering prowess. We continued along the Spiköstigan causeway, created originally from silt dredged out to deepen this section of the canal, as a divide from the shallower natural river on the far side. Now landscaped with trees and parkland, it makes a pleasant approach to the city centre especially on a sunny afternoon. We ambled along past the gest-hamn marina to reach the Kraff-bron and Spikon-bron, which together form Trollhätten's main city crossing of the Göta Canal and River and must cause traffic chaos when the bridge lifts to allow boats to pass. Back along cobbled Strandgatan, and on a bright sunny afternoon, the canal-side terrace of the Trollhättens Arbetarförening (Working-mens) pub was one temptation too many; we sat for an hour enjoying the ambience, sunshine and Pripps Blå draught beer (brewed in Göteborg) (see above right), before walking back along the canal to the campsite. We had observed at our 2013 stay how, for a city campsite, the woodland setting of Trollhätten Camping created a green oasis of peacefulness among the city's industrial surroundings and traffic (see left), with just the sound of birdsong and occasional trains trundling across the lifting bridge. Facilities were faultlessly modern and clean and second to none; the only lacking feature was wi-fi internet which the warden was trying to get the owners, Trollhätten Commune, to install. Even so with all its positive features, the site certainly still merited our top rating as one of the trip's finest campsites. Tonight the campsite was remarkably empty for the Midsummer holiday week, leaving us to enjoy the company of just a few like-minded neighbours in tents or small campers like ours. After today's gloomy, wet start, with uncertain plans and even more uncertain camping options with campsites being so busy, the day had evolved into a thoroughly enjoyable time in Trollhätten; we now had clear plans for the rest of the week and the Midsummer holiday weekend. And as we sat enjoying the last of the sun in the peace of the evening, 2 large hares were scooting around under the campsite trees.

Excellent VW service yet again and a walk on the Halleberg Plateau Nature Reserve:  today's first appointment was at Toveks Bil VW garage to get George's rear/brake light bulb replaced. The mechanic fitted the bulb, and in line with the usual standard of VW service, no charge was made. After a provisions stock-up, we headed around the E45 ring-road towards Vännersborg and Värgön and up to the Halleberg Plateau Nature Reserve. The sun was still bright, and we set off with the intention of walking the circular nature trail on the densely wooded plateau out to the Predikstolen look-out point on the northern edge of the rocky escarpment overlooking Lake Vänern. Despite having a detailed map from our 2013 visit, familiarity-bred overconfidence caused us carelessly to ignore obvious navigational features in the dense woodland, and we set off down a steep rocky pathway above the escarpment believing this was the start of the eastern loop of the route we had followed last time. More careful examination of the map would have shown that our intended path in fact began higher up, but we blithely pressed on regardlessly with the route becoming less and less distinct ending in pathless forest. Only then, duly chastened by a wasted hour's random wandering through the lower forest, did we bother to consult our map; there was nothing for it but to turn back to find the regular path out to Predikstolen (see left). We continued ahead on the now clear and way-marked path out to the look-out point from where we could look across the breadth of Lake Vänern to the northern shore (see above right). On our last visit to the attractive Halleberg forests in May 2013, we had seen lots of spring time flora, but today the forest floor was the 'flat' green of midsummer with little flora to be seen other than bushes of unripe Bilberries.

A rural escape from Midsummer madness at peaceful Dalskogs Camping:  with all other campsites in the area likely to be overfull for the holiday weekend, we had found a small site tucked away safely from Midsummer madness at the tiny rural hamlet of Dalskogs, well away inland from the west coast near Mellerud; this should at least be peaceful. In busy late afternoon traffic, we passed through Vännersborg, crossed the Göta Canal where locks controlled its emergence from Lake Vänern, and headed north on E45. Contrary to expectations that E45 would be highway standard, this stretch turned out to be single carriageway with 70kph limits, passing through a series of small settlements with a regular succession of speed cameras, making for a slow and tedious drive up to Mellerud; we turned off inland from here to find Dalskogs. All we could find was a deserted stugby (huts encampment) and hostel, and knocking at the neighbouring house produced no answer. Phone calls brought response, but the elderly owner spoke not a word of English, and no understanding of our attempt to speak Swedish; neither he nor we could understand a word the other was saying resulting in frustrating impasse. We were about to give up, when an elderly neighbour appeared, this time English-speaking; he led us along the village street to a small camping area tucked away behind a barn. The campsite owner had called him and asked him to help us. He showed us round, and checked that the WC/showers and antique power supplies were operable; thankful for his help, we settled into what had once been Dalskogs Camping (see above right). It was all now rather passé, and we speculated as to the place's history: it had clearly once been a functioning campsite-stugby, but perhaps the owner had now grown old and could no longer maintain it; the hostel and stugby were now closed, and the campsite seemed unlikely to survive for much longer. Dalskogs village was certainly a peaceful place, and its campsite a curiously antiquated enigma, but it would serve its purpose for our rest day tomorrow in pleasant rural surroundings, and later as the evening grew dusky, a mother muntjac deer with 3 fawns grazed their way across the neighbouring pastures.

Return to Trollhätten Camping for Midsummer weekend:  the following morning, the helpful neighbour came round again to ensure all was well and for us to pay him the 250kr for our 2 nights' camping to pass on to the owner with our thanks. His news, which was headlines in all the Swedish morning newspapers, was that Brexit (as he called it) had triumphed in the UK EU-referendum with a poll of 52%, and as a result Cameron was to resign as PM. All of this would need verifying with the BBC, but it was an intriguing start to our Midsummer Eve. We returned to Trollhätten to reserve our place for the weekend at Trollhätten Camping, and drove out to the huge commercial park at Översby, hoping the shops would be open on what was a national holiday for us to stock up with provisions and hunt for a replacement electric kettle to replace ours which had died a death last evening. Fortunately the ICA supermarket was open but the electrical stores were closed for the weekend.

A traditional Swedish Midsummer festival:  from the TIC we had details of a traditional Midsommar-firande event with dressing and raising of the Midsummer Pole and traditional music and dancing, near to Sjuntorp, a village south of Trollhätten. Along an unsurfaced rural lane, people were gathering by a lake-side café where the Midsummer Pole was awaiting its floral dressing. The local pastor gave a few words of welcome, and families joined in the dressing of the pole and its hanging hoops with birch greenery and ferns (Photo 25 - Dressing the Midsummer Pole). Within a short time the garlanded pole was raised in the centre of the cleared dancing area (see above left), and a group of singers and musicians led families and children, all with garlands of flowers on their heads, in traditional ring-dancing around the Midsummer Pole (Stången) (see above right). Another group of musicians took over playing traditional folk music (see right) for a performance of Swedish folk dancing around the Midsummer Pole (see left). We were particularly interested in one of the traditional instruments being played, the Nyckel-harpa (key-fiddle), which we had seen in 2013 being played so very competently by young buskers (Photo 26 - Nyckel-harpa - key-fiddle).

A day of exploration of Trollhätten's industrial heritage:  as the sun broke through this morning, there was more wildlife to enjoy at Trollhätten Camping, with a red squirrel scampering busily between the trees, and a spotted woodpecker tapping away for his breakfast grubs on a pine trunk. We had timed our main visit to Trollhätten for a Saturday when at 3-00pm the sluice gates of the Hojums hydro-electric dam are opened to create of fiercesomely impressive waterfall cascade; this floods down briefly re-filling the now normally dry gorge of the Göta River which is harnessed by Trollhätten's 2 hydro-electric power (HEP) generating stations. We had been so impressed by this spectacle on our 2013 visit that we wanted to see it again. There were 2 aspects of Trollhätten's industrial heritage to see today: it was an opportunity to explore again the Göta Canal created by Sweden's brilliant 19th century civil engineer Nils Ericson (1802~70), and to visit the Olidan HEP generating station built in 1910 to harness the power of the Göta River falls.

Nil Ericson's Trollhätten Canal:  this morning we again crossed the lifting railway bridge (see above left) and walked into town on the Spiköstigan causeway path alongside the canal (see right). The sky had virtually cleared and the sun shone brightly; it looked to be a lovely Midsummer Day. Unlike yesterday when everywhere was deserted, today there were lots of families out for a morning stroll in the parkland. Reaching the Kraffbron, we continued ahead on the footpath through the beautifully landscaped strip of land separating Ericson's 1844 Göta Canal and the artificial channel which, when the HEP generating stations were built in the early 20th century, diverted the river water from the gorge to feed the turbines of the Olidan power plant. The path passed the huge sluice gate which controlled the Olidan water intake, and which in its early days took 8 men 2 hours to lift manually. The path brought us out by Trollhätten's church, the land for which along with cost of building and maintenance had been donated by the canal company whose director was Nils Ericson, in compensation for disruption to the early town caused by the canal's construction. We continued down Kyrkbrogatan and followed the towpath above the canal. This showed Ericson's creative genius in bypassing the line of the totally impassable gorge of the natural river with its huge height drop and rapids by cutting his 1844 canal on a parallel course but further uphill along a shelf through the bedrock for almost 4kms (see log of our 2013 visit to Göta Canal). It was as daring a solution as his similarly shelved canal and bridging aqueduct for the Dalsland Canal at Håverud which we should see later in the week. Ericson was as creatively brilliant a civil and mechanical engineer as Brunel and went on to develop the early Swedish railway network.

In bright sunshine, we followed the canal footpath around to the basin at the head of Trollhätten's flight of locks which lowered the canal 150 feet to rejoin the Göta Älv where it became navigable again below the rapids. We sat under the shade of trees in the beautifully landscaped gardens by the locks to eat our lunch sandwiches; today there were many more locals about enjoying a Midsummer Day ice cream in the sunshine. We walked back around the lane past pleasant cottage gardens to reach the Insikten exhibition centre run by Vattenfall, the Swedish power generating company. The young staff were welcoming and helpfully informative, suggesting that after seeing the exhibition here, we view the 3-00 pm opening of the sluice gates and resultant waterfalls then go on the 3-30 visit to Olidan HEP generating station. Although largely Vattenfall propaganda, the Insikten displays showed Sweden's energy consumption is produced 44% by nuclear power, 46% by hydro-generation, but only 1% by wind power. So for all the visual pollution that vast numbers of giant wind-turbines make on the natural environment across the country, their contribution to meeting energy demand is minimal, a lesson that UK would do well to note.

Trollhättan's dam sluice-gate waterfalls spectacle:  anticipating crowds and competition for spaces at the vantage point on the Oscar Bridge for viewing the waterfalls spectacle with the weekly sluice gates opening this afternoon, we hurried along Kraftwerksväg (Power Station Street) and up the step-way by the Hojum HEP plant onto Oscarbron to chose a spot on the high-arching bridge above the gorge for optimal view of the waterfalls filling the presently dry gorge (see log of our 2013 viewing of the sluice gates waterfalls). Visitors gathered gradually, and as 3-0pm approached, a Swedish/English introductory commentary was relayed over the Hojums PA system. We readied cameras, focussing on the 2 sets of sluice gates of the Hojums dam 800m along high above the dry rocky gorge bed (Photo 27 - Dry gorge before Hojums dam sluice gate opening) (see above left). Suddenly tongues of white cascade appeared at the distant left-hand sluice, gradually spreading down the narrow rocky channel (see above right). As the advancing cascade of water reached the junction of the divided gorge below, the second and larger sluice opened with the wider cascade surging down to fill the gorge (Photo 28 - Main sluice gates open creating second cascade), the advancing body of white water merging with the first and advancing into the wider body of the main gorge below us (see above left and right) (Photo 29 - 2 cascades merging into torrent filling formerly dry gorge). This year, a third cascade was added emerging in a torrent from an outflow beneath the Hojums power plant, augmenting further the surging body of water now filling the lower gorge 150 feet below the bridge where we stood (Photo 30 - Third cascade merging into torrent filling the gorge). The entire length of the formerly dry rocky bed of the gorge was now totally filled by the white water torrent from the opened sluices, re-creating the image of what the Göta Älv rapids falls would have been like before the era of 20th century HEP exploitation (Photo 31 - Gorge now fully flooded by torrent) (see left). We continued to take our photos over the 5 minutes from the first appearance of the cascades below the opened sluices, advancing in apparent slow motion as the merged surging white water torrent filled the entire gorge. Then equally suddenly, the sluices were closed shutting off the water flow, the higher torrent ceased and gradually the tidal current within the gorge drained away down the upper channel, but still filling what 10 minutes earlier had been the entirely dry rocky bed of the main gorge below us (Photo 32 - Sluice gates now closed and torrent draining away) (see above right). The view from the opposite side of the bridge showed the torrent still flowing downstream in full spate (see left). Having achieved our set of photos of the sluice gates waterfalls spectacle, we now walked back down to Insikten for the visit to the Olidan hydro-electric generating station

20th Century exploitation of the Göta River falls and rapids for hydro-electric power generation:  with the increase in freight traffic along the Göta Canal during the second half of the 19th century, the town of Trollhätten grew along the banks of the canal. Small scale engineering works driven by water power developed along the fall of the natural gorge of the Göta Älv at Trollhätten. The Göta River carries more water than any other Swedish river, falling 44m in the short stretch from the river's exit from Lake Vänern down to the sea at Göteborg; 32m of this fall occurs at the gorges of Trollhätten. What had been such a formidable navigation obstacle to the early 19th century canal builders, became a source of industrial power in the second half of the 19th century with water-powered engineering industry developing along the gorge at Trollhätten. The stone remains of these early industrial sites and factories can still be seen in the Göta gorge below the Hojums power plant. Then as the demand for electricity increased, work began in 1909 on Sweden's first Hydro-electric power (HEP) generating plant at Olidan, harnessing the 32m fall in the Göta River at this point. The plant opened in 1910 with a capacity of 77 Mw, remarkably meeting the entire country's electricity needs at that time, particularly for railways. The Porjus dam and hydro-electric generating plant was built 5 years later in 1915 in the far north to power the Malmbanan railway line transporting iron ore from the mines at Gällivare and Kiruna to the ports of Luleå and Narvik. Three further HEP plants were built in the first half of the 20th century to harness the Göta River's 44m fall from Lake Vänern: Lilla Edet (1926-43 Mw), Vargön (1934-34 Mw), and Hojums also at Trollhätten (1941-172 Mw).

A tour of the Olidan HEP generating plant:  there were only 3 others along with us on the 3-30pm tour of the Olden hydro-electric generating plant, which Vattenfall offers free of charge during the summer months as part of its PR programme. The young Vattenfall guide issued us with hard-hats and led us down firstly to see the upper water-intake control plant above the red granite clad, fortress-like Olidan power station (see above right). The sturdiness of the plant's building had been further reinforced in 1940 against the threat of aerial bombing if the Germans had attacked Sweden after the invasion of Norway. Water for the 13 intakes is fed from the dammed river upstream along the artificial channel we had followed earlier (see left). We were then led steeply downhill to the machine hall where we could stand above the row of 8 horizontal turbines each with their drive shafts connecting to the huge generators (see right) (Photo 33 - Turbines and generators at Olidan HEP station). On the day of our visit, only one of the generators was supplying the grid with electricity, the others either idling or static. But the remarkable fact was that the entire plant was still powered by the original 1909 turbines and generators, all still generating power for the grid. Above the noise of the working machinery, we stood questioning the guide on the plant's working and taking our photos, full of admiration at this display of fully operational early 20th century electro-mechanical engineering. Plaques on the turbines with the date 1909 showed that the plant had been manufactured here in Trollhätten.

On the way back up the lane, we passed one of Hojums generating station's original huge vertical turbines set up for demonstration, and below the station, the remains of Pelhams locks, a brave but almost foolhardy attempt in the mid-18th century to construct a short length of canal cutting through the steepest part of the Göta falls, way beyond the lock technology of the day. By a huge manual effort, the canal was partly cut through forming a narrow but incredibly high cleft in the bedrock, but unsurprisingly it never came into usage. A viable route bypassing the falls had to wait another 90 years for Ericson's genius to devise a route further from the river's natural course. In hot afternoon sunshine, we walked back through a shady park alongside the reservoir which now holds back the upper section of the river to form a head of water to feed the Hojums generating plant. Out onto the footbridge above the dam whose sluice gates earlier had been opened to create the waterfalls, in the shady distance we could look back to our vantage point on the Oscarbron. Back across the main town bridge and along the Strandgatan canal embankment, we again stopped for a beer on the pub terrace, watching a trio of yachts waiting for the Kraffbron to lift to allow them to pass along the canal towards the slussar (locks). Sitting here in the sunshine was a fitting climax of a highly successful day spent around Trollhätten's industrial heritage of canal and hydro-electric exploitation of the Göta River falls' power. Back along to the campsite, Sheila put on a load of laundry in the campsite washing machine, and as we sat after supper, distant rumbles of thunder threatened a storm and change in weather.

Högsbyn Camping:  first stop on leaving Trollhätten was the shopping centre at Överby, hoping the electrical shops would be open for us buy a replacement kettle. We need not have worried: shopping was clearly what Swedes liked to do on a dreary Midsummer holiday Sunday morning since today the huge parking areas were full. Harald Nyberg was the sort of shop that stocked everything from toasters to cement mixers, and we got exactly the kettle needed. Having re-stocked with provisions, we extricated ourselves from the parking chaos and re-joined E45 NE-wards. Traffic in the opposite direction was nose-to-tail with Swedish holiday-makers returning from their weekend at the coast. Just after Mellerud, we turned off on a minor road through Åsenbruk, the -bruk ending of the name indicating that this had once been a Dalsland iron-smelting village; there was still extensive industry down by the railway line. Beyond Håverud we crossed the high bridge over the canal and aqueduct which we should visit tomorrow, and continued into deepest rural Dalsland towards Tisselskogs. The single-track lane wound a switchback course through gloomy forests for some 10 kms, eventually reaching Högsbyn where we turned off down to Högsbyn Camping. The view from the terrace up by the service house was magnificent looking out over Lake Råvarpen, part of the Dalsland Canal system, with its forested backdrop, exactly as recalled from our stay here in 2013 (see above left).

Högsbyn Nature Reserve and Bronze Age rock engravings:  the cloud had broken the following morning to give bright sun; there was still a lot of broken cloud but a cool breeze kept the cloud moving so that we were able to sit our for breakfast in the lee of George (see above right). Our plan for today was to walk the circuit of the Högsbyn Nature Reserve to see the less well-known Bronze Age rock engravings which exist here by the lake shore on bedrock panels. Leaving George at the campsite, we walked up past Högsbyn farm, over the railway line and along the lane. Earlier a freight train had passed around the forested hill-side above the lake, whistling at every farm crossing. We found the first of the Högsbyn rock engravings (hällristningar in Swedish) at the start of the walk (see left) (Photo 34 - Högsbyn rock engravings). The motifs here were quite different from those seen elsewhere: there was a range of boats some with elaborate prows, sun-wheels, cup-marks, sandal footprints some with strap marks, snake deities of varying lengths, but most intriguing of all, the procession of figures with spear-carrier and lur player all advancing behind a boat over which an acrobat performed a backward somersault (Photo 35 - Backward somersaulting acrobat engraving); this uncannily resembled the acrobatic bull-leaper portrayed on the almost contemporary frescoes in the Bronze Age Minoan palace at Knossos in Crete. We sat to eat our sandwiches, a spot which must rate as one of the trip's most memorable lunch spots looking out across a panel of 3,000 year old rock engravings and grassy meadows against the magnificent backdrop of Lake Råvarpen. And nearby we found among the long meadow grass a whole cluster of the most beautiful Heath Spotted Orchids (see right) (Photo 36 - Heath Spotted Orchid).

We followed the pathway down towards the lake, where on a small promontory right by the water's edge, tucked away from immediate view, we found more panels covered with a large variety of engraved motifs, some totally mystifying, including grid patterns of unknown significance, and what could be interpreted as Tree of Life symbols. There were 2 large boats with elaborate prow elevations, surrounded by a bewildering variety of mysterious symbols, sandal footprints some with straps, and sun-wheels (see right). Being set at a distance right by the water's edge in this glorious setting added to the mystique of this ritual site, particularly when lit by the bright sun against a backdrop of grimly dark clouds (Photo 37 - Lake-side rock engravings) (see left). Leaving the lake shore, we followed the footpath up through beautiful woodland, just as a heavy shower began. The pine wood floor was covered with Bilberry, Lingonberry and Lily of the Valley, with oak and rowan saplings. The shower soon passed and sun broke through again, enabling us fully to appreciate the beauty of this lovely woodland as sunlight filtered down through the trees. The path passed a headland above the lake, topped with the remains of an Iron Age burial mound; how lucky the man whose final resting place this had been. We emerged from the wood on the far side above pastures where sheep grazed and a path led back to the Högsbyn campsite by the lake-side. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon's walk, past rock engravings with an intriguing air of mystery about the reason for their creation by Bronze Age pastoralists 3,000 years ago. The miracle of this ritual artwork's survival added further to its mystical nature.

We woke to a clear sky and bright, early sun, the overnight wind having cleared last night's cloud mass. It was a lovely peaceful morning, looking out over breakfast from the camper's open slider with the sun glistening across the lake and the air filled with the sound of birdsong and wind rustling the trees. What more could you ask for than this?

More of the engineering genius of Nils Ericson at Håverud:  we planned to spend today by the Dalsland Canal locks at Håverud, exploring the wonderful engineering of the Håverud aqueduct. The sheer-sided, narrow, precipitous gorge and river-rapids, with the 10m height difference between the upper and lower lakes at Håverud, presented the early 19th century canal builders with a seemingly impassable obstacle. But again enter engineer supreme, Nils Ericson, who was given responsibility for the project of overcoming the obstacle at Håverud. Ericson, a remarkable engineer, much respected for his other achievements including the work to bypass the gorge at Trollhättan, conceived a brilliantly far-sighted and audacious solution. The problem at Håverud in the confined gorge was more complex than at Trollhättan: despite the narrow, sheer-sided gorge, Ericson however managed to squeeze his new cut alongside the river falls with an artificial 'shelf' chopped into the gorge side-face on the inner side and buttressed on the outer side by a man-made wall above the falls. But his pièce do résistance was to span the gorge itself with a 32.5m long steel trough aqueduct to link the 2 sections of his new cut along which conventional locks could manage the 10m height drop between the upper and lower lakes (see above left) (Photo 38 - Håverud gorge spanned by Nils Ericson's Aqueduct). This brilliant design concept won approval. Sections of the steel trough were fabricated in Stockholm and assembled on site to be slid into position bridging the gorge in the most confined space above the rapids. The sections were joined by some 33,000 rivets, and such was the craftsmanship that not one has ever needed replacement. Construction of the Dalsland Canal took 4 years and it was officially opened on 19 September 1868 by King Carl XV. Despite the brilliance of Ericson's solution for overcoming the Håverud obstacle, the Dalsland Canal was short-lived as a commercial trade route. Within decades Sweden's late-built railways caught up fast, and the line through Dalsland, ironically passing over Ericson's aqueduct on a steel trestle bridge, quickly took over the transport of goods and materials, leaving the canal to pleasure boats and holiday craft.

A day at the Dalsland Canal locks and aqueduct at Håverud:  we had scheduled our day around the times at which the tourist boats departed or arrived at the dock at Håverud, and therefore passed through the flight of canal locks and over the aqueduct, and the times of Mellerud~Bengtsfors trains crossing the gorge on the railway trestle-bridge. We left camp at Högsbyn early to drive back along the lane through the forests which glowed in the morning sunlight. Down at Håverud canal basin, the tour-boat M/S Dalslandia was filling with passengers, ready to depart up through the flight of locks. We drove up to the modern road bridge high above the village, which gave a perfect aerial panorama of the entire setting of the river's natural course down the gorge, the canal with its 4 locks, the railway bridge passing over the whole ensemble, and of course Ericson's aqueduct elegantly centre stage spanning the gorge. The natural and man-made marvels were spread out below us, and from this vantage point we watched as the boat left its mooring at the distant dock, and advanced up through the sequence of lower locks  (see above right). (Photo 39 - Boat passing through Håverud lower locks) When the waters of the third lock levelled, the top gates opened and M/S Dalslandia edged slowly forward to cross the magnificent steel trough of Ericson's aqueduct (see above left) (Photo 40 - Boat passing across Håverud Aqueduct) , and turned skilfully into the buttressed upper canal shelved along the gorge (Photo 41 - Crossing Aqueduct into buttressed canal) (see right). We crossed to the far side of the upper bridge, and with the sun shining to perfection, we had a similar aerial view of the boat passing along the upper section of Ericson's canal for her passage out through the top lock, and picking up speed into the distant Lake Åkläng (see left).

We followed the foot path down under the railway trellis-bridge to reach the tow path and crossed the narrow metal walkway above the aqueduct's 2m deep trough (see below right). Standing here so matter of factly today, the brilliance of the aqueduct's visionary design and the skill of its construction might so easily be taken for granted. From this position, we had a closer understanding of the sturdily buttressed, artificially-constructed wall which contained the outer side of Ericson's wide shelf to contain the canal's on-going passage on the far side of the aqueduct (Photo 42 - Towpath by Aqueduct and buttressed canal above natural gorge). All during the day as we explored the canal and aqueduct, the sluice gates controlling the natural outflow of water from Lake Åkläng into the Håverud gorge were left open. As a result this wild torrent surged down the bed of the lower gorge, filling the air with the constant roar of rushing white water. The tow-path gave a close quarters appreciation of the scale of problem which Ericson's daringly conceived canal and aqueduct had been designed to bypass (Photo 43 - Håverud gorge torrent). We continued ahead above the river's rocky natural gorge to the sluice gates through which water cascaded (see left). Crossing the canal on the lock-gates enabled us to examine how the shelf had been cut out of the gorge's sheer rock face, where drill marks from the original blasting showed the scale of construction required.

It was now time for the second boat of the day, and this time we stayed down at canal tow path level to follow its passage up through the locks and across the aqueduct (Photo 44 - Håverud lower locks and dock basin). We photographed M/S Nils Ericson as she left the dock (Photo 45 - M/S Nils Ericson leaving dock) and passed through the 2nd and 3rd locks (see below right), and re-crossing the aqueduct ourselves, we followed her progress across the steel trough and on through Ericson's artificially buttressed section of canal towards the top lock (Photo 46 - Crossing Aqueduct). After watching an early afternoon train cross the railway trestle-bridge high above the aqueduct, it was then that we noticed the deck of the bridge had lifted (see below left). To our surprise, this massive structure was hand-cranked to pivot upwards by means of a counter-weight (Photo 47 - Lifting railway bridge). The bridge had been raised to allow a small yacht to pass through the canal locks, its tall mast-top just clearing the lifted bridge. The yacht moved forward to cross the aqueduct (Photo 48 - Yacht crossing Aqueduct), and the railway bridge was hand-cranked down into position, which was just as well since an up train was due to cross northwards shortly. We positioned ourselves on the top road bridge to photograph the railcar move slowly across the trestle-bridge into Håverud station (Photo 49 - Railcar crossing trestle-bridge).

On the far side of the road bridge, we followed the nature trail which climbed steeply up the rocky hillside high above the sheer rock wall of the Håverud gorge. As Sheila clambered up, a small black grass snake which had been sunning itself on the rocks slowly uncoiled and slithered away. The path led across the forested hill-top and dropped steeply on wooden steps down into the upper gorge to the level of the natural water course where this emerged from Lake Åkläng and on the far side Ericson's upper canal cut. We crossed the footbridge above the sluice gate which was still partially open allowing the roaring torrent to surge down into the natural gorge below the massively buttressed retaining wall of Ericson's canal and on under the aqueduct. Along the top tow-path, 2 of the young lock-keepers were waiting to allow the returning tour-boat to pass through the locks. We waited and followed M/S Nils Ericson down through the top lock in the dark, narrow confines of the gorge, re-cross the aqueduct (Photo 50 - Re-crossing the Aqueduct), clear the aqueduct trough and on under the high railway trellis-bridge (see below right) (Photo 51 - Beginning descent of lower locks), and down through the lower 3 locks to the dock basin by the lower Lake Övre Upperudshöljen. Back up the rocky footpath under the railway bridge for the final time, we returned to the car park by the little café after a thoroughly enjoyable day amid the natural surroundings of Håverud. Back along the winding single-track lane through the forests to Tisselskogs and down to Högsbyn Camping, George settled back into his space up on the terrace overlooking the lake, with the afternoon sun shining directly into his slider; it was gloriously peaceful. We had enjoyed an excellent day, watching the boats pass through the Håverud locks and over the aqueduct; we were full of admiration at Nils Ericson's creative and daring genius in engineering his canal and aqueduct through the narrow gorge. It was all still going strong after 150 years, giving pleasure to 1000s of boating folk on the Dalsland Canal, even though in its day its life as a commercial enterprise was brief.

Moving on northwards through Bergslagen to Lake Siljan, Idre, Funäsdalen and Åredalen:  tomorrow we should leave the rural solitude of Dalsland to move on northwards around the shore of Lake Vänern. We turned off at Åsensbruk but before joining the E45 for the start of our northward drive to Karlstad, we diverted briefly into the hamlet of Köppmannebro to watch a boat leaving Lake Österbrosjön through the bottom lock of the Dalsland Canal to sail on into the inland sea of Lake Vänern (Photo 52 - Köppmannebro locks). The next phase of our trip would take us across the iron working region of Bergslagen to spend a day or 2 around Lake Siljan, then northward over high country for fell walking above the Österdalälven valley at Idre, and at Funäsdalen, and onwards to camp alongside the Indalsälven river in Åredalen. But that's all for the next edition which will follow shortly.

Next edition to be published quite soon

Sheila and Paul

Published: 31 August 2016 at Wikegårds Camping, Öland

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