On a very hot summers day we visited this Sculpture park in the great outdoors of Pilane in Sweden. It was a little exposed and so one of those days you end up rushing a bit to get to the ice creams. The park was very special and the sculptures all the more so.There were exhibits by Ai Wei Wei and Charlotte Gyllenhammar, there is a millennia old burial ground and there are spectacular views. Oh and they are huge!
The summer of 2023 we had a special trip to Sweden to see our daughter Hannah and Chris who have moved to Gothenburg. (Gothenburg). We went with Katie and Rick and our grandson (3). This day we took the bus and tram from our airBnB to Hannah’s home, a bus and a ferry down the archipelago to the furthest south island within reach Vrango. For those of you who think Sweden is expensive the day travel out and back was £4, all transport was on time and we had no wait longer than 2 minutes, and all transport was electric. On the island we walked through the small villages, the harbour and the nature reserve, we had a picnic by the sea and a swim in the Baltic despite a few jelly fish. We saw very few people, lots of birds and the sun shone – very special.
Today we are in the Zermatt region of the Alps and a bit frustrated as there is not the spectacular view of the big fella. But it is a beautiful spot – almost 2000 m travel up on a railway built in 1898! So the top is 3135m and on this day we had to acclimatise. Enjoy the views and atmosphere.
Get the gloves on! We ride up from Saas Fee at 1309m to Millelallalin at 3456m. Come out on snow and sit underneath Allalinhorn. This just explores the area around the cable car station. There is a scary walk around the edges and across the glacier to be saved for a later trip. You’ll need to acclimatise and also get used to walking on snow. Oh and not forgetting all the summer skiers tramping down having gone up about 5 am and finished midday as the sun disrupts the surfaces.
This is a place to amble and observe and enjoy a Swiss hot chocolate. We have walked up towards the peak in glorious sunshine and after half an hour a complete white out came as a bit of a scare.
This walk has a climb about 500m starting and finishing at Blea Tarn. We find this very quiet spot just between the Great Langdale valley and the Little Langdale valley. On the descent we get to the three shires stone where the historic boundary of Westmorland, Cumberland and Lancashire met. More importantly the local pub in little Langdale ( the Three shires) is definitely a Dexter favourite.
There are two similar photos at the end, and you’ll agree that’s because its’ a view to just absorb. Had it not been such a cold autumnal day we might have swum.
Today is a long walk in fact 5-7 days staying in BandB overnights. We start in Melrose in the Scottish Borders and move into England and Northumberland. It’s 100km. I did this walk as a retreat on my own after finishing at Trinity.
Not always nice weather a few April showers to cope with. We finish in Lindisfarne and see the place Cuthbert lived 634 AD to 687. He is one of those fascinating Celtic saints – I wonder what he would have made of our situation today.
Anyway brace yourselves for the weather but whilst this is a v quiet walk w few people those you meet will be very special and both were a deep joy.
This afternoon’s amble is to Malham Cove in North Yorkshire, near Skipton. This was a very bright late Spring day surrounded by Hawthorne blossom. after the walk down the valley there is a bit of a climb up but the path resembles the M1 for traffic and there is a proper staircase. There were people in trainers and ….oh you know. It’s hard getting the balance of not ‘meddling’ in nature but the need for protection, and allowing people to visit and thus strengthening or managing pathways to avoid the damage from millions of boots…..like mine.
Mr John Dexter blogs about school 