Splendid isolation on an autumnal break in Sweden

Lobster fishing, sea dipping and going off-grid far from the madding crowd makes for the ultimate autumn retreat, says Justine Gosling

The Hermitage at Swedish Country Living offers spartan luxury (Justine Gosling)

It took less than two hours to drive from Gothenberg airport to Hamburgsund, where we met the passenger boat taking us to the little archipelago of Väderöarna, in the Kosterhavet marine National Park. 

The most westerly islands in Sweden, Väderöarna is the last outpost; the final frontier. Originally home to sea pilots and their families until the mid-1960s, the island is now open year-round to a maximum of 36 guests per night to enjoy the sea breeze and isolation.  

And isolation really is Sweden’s specialty – 95 per cent of its massive land mass of 450,295 square kilometres, 3.5 times the size of England, is uninhabited.

In calm waters and under cloudless blue skies, myself and two friends toasted the start of our weekend by opening a bottle of wine and plonking ourselves on the floor of the open stern to watch land disappear as the boat pulled out of the harbour. The islands of Väderöarna appeared like a few grey pebbles sitting on the water, dotted with the resort’s red-wood cabins.  

Wanting to see the sunset from the perfect position, we dumped our bags in our rooms as soon as we arrived, changed into swimsuits, and headed straight for the hot tub at the water’s edge. I’d guess the air temperature was a fresh 14 degrees, but there was no wind and my body soon relaxed as I submerged myself into the soothing 41-degree water, heated by wood-chip fire. 

As I bathed, the sky turned pale pink, making the ocean below look positively inviting. It was a shock lowering my heated red skin into the cold, salty water, but it felt so invigorating that I repeated the tub-to-sea routine three times in total. We were feeling so chilled out and lazy that we managed only to drag ourselves from the water to eat our freshly caught lobster dinner, eaten while still in our swimwear and robes. After an indulgent chocolate torte dessert, and with wine glasses in hand, it was just a 10 metre walk back to the tub for star gazing. I went to bed still smelling like some sort of salty sea creature.

Having slept long and deep, we rose early to catch the promised spectacular sunrise, which didn’t disappoint. With a few extra layers over our PJs, at 7.15am we walked up to the island’s view point to take in the waking golden glow. With the mainland only faintly visible in the far distance beyond the choppy waters, the island felt like a sanctuary.

The first Monday after 20 September, lobster fishing starts here and guests can join in. Donning luminous, waterproof, sumo-sized suits, we jumped on the boat and made bets on how many crustaceans we’d catch. Staggering around deck like drunken sailors, owing to the two-metre-high waves, was fun for a short while – but there was only so much my delicate stomach could take, despite ferociously chewing anti-seasickness gum. From the back of the boat, the fish in my delicious lunch pie were returned to the sea. We caught just one smallish, sacred lobster.

I’d recovered sufficiently for our journey back to the mainland and drive to the next destination about an hour away, a single-roomed wood cabin in the forest. Built entirely from hand by the owners, David and Marie, and completely off grid, the Hermitage cabin at Swedish Country Living offered spartan luxury. Wild strawberries grew on the cabin’s roof and there was no water or electricity. Lying on the bed was like reclining on a marshmallow, and I only reluctantly got out of it to use the outside loo or put more wood on the fire. I fell asleep listening to the crackles of flame and seeing the flickering shadows through my closed eyelids.

Surrounded by pine and silver birch trees, as day began to break and light poured in through the windows, I awoke looking at trees and felt truly alone in the wilds. Just to be sure, I rolled out of bed, re-lit the fire and looked outside. Just us and the trees it was.  

 I fell asleep listening to the crackles of flame and seeing the flickering shadows through my closed eyelids

We ate all our meals in the main house with, and cooked by, the family, who used the farm’s fresh, organic produce. Over a breakfast of homemade sourdough and the mornings eggs, David and Marie’s son, Jonathan, told us about his passion for growing some of the vegetables we’d eaten and how the animals on the farm work in harmony. “The ducks eat the slugs on the vegetable patch, the flowers support our beehives and I’ve built a palatial nesting box to encourage owls to come and eat the voles that are nibbling all my root vegetables,” he said.  

Later, we went for a walk around the grounds. David and Marie took us to meet the farm animals and showed us which mushrooms were safe to pick (and then devour in a creamy grain risotto with fried sage leaves for lunch).

Poet Edward Hays wrote: “O sacred season of autumn, be my teacher, for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.” A weekend in Sweden, spent immersed in nature and cut off from the rest of the world, certainly did just that.  

Travel essentials

The overnight lobster package at Väderöarna, including boat transfers, accommodation with hot tub and sauna, lobster safari, lunch, breakfast and three-course Lobster dinner, costs from £250 per person.

The Hermitage at Swedish Country Living costs £110 per person, B&B.