From the forests of Finland to the mountains of Norway and Sweden, Scandinavia has much to offer the backpacker – and we’re publishing a new range of Scandi-themed features here on our website.
If you like your backpacking wild, you won’t want to miss the upcoming September 2018 issue of The Great Outdoors (on sale Friday August 17). We’re including a free 35-page supplement on the subject of Scandinavia outdoors, and to celebrate we’re opening a new section on our website with features from our archive that anyone can read here online.
In recent years, there’s been an increase in the number of British backpackers heading to Scandinavia. Travel is relatively affordable, there are plenty of places to explore, and it’s easier to find genuine wildness in Scandinavia than it is in the UK. For many, that’s a real attraction.
“In the UK I have always gravitated towards the less travelled path, increasingly seeking out the remotest spots on our small island,” says backpacker James Boulter in his feature A Journey of Discovery. “Sadly, over the past decade I have noticed such places shrinking, the illusion of wildness diminishing. Wind turbines have begun appearing on the horizon, tracks of sporting estates crisscrossing the moors. My initial response was to look across the Atlantic to the long-distance trails in the United States and Canada. It was only when looking at maps of Norway, Sweden and Finland that I realised the potential much closer to home.”
But planning your first trip can be daunting – these countries are huge, with a seemingly limitless supply of mountains, tundra, and forests. That’s why we’ve taken care to cover the basics in our Scandinavia Outdoors supplement, from first principles such as getting to your destination and budgeting to some of the best places to consider for an initial wilderness foray. More experienced readers will find plenty to enjoy too, especially features from our Guest Editor Mark Waring, who is an experienced stravaiger in the Scandinavian wild places.
Why not subscribe?
There are still a few days to wait until our September issue goes on sale (although subscribers will get theirs a few days early, of course!) In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy the features we’ve already published in Scandinavia Outdoors – and don’t forget to bookmark the page, as we’ll be publishing more online while the issue is on sale.
