Circumnavigation of the Baltic 12

Söderköping and the Göta Canal

I had a nice day visiting the small town of Söderköping one of the lock towns on the Göta Canal. The Göta Canal Starts at one end in the town of Sjötorp on lake Vänern (West Sweden) and ends in the Baltic at the Mem lock. Many years ago I remember visiting the canal while my ship was at Norrköping and so after over 40 years I was returning.

Söderköping is a wonder town, with lots of cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops along the lock side and tie up places for pleasure boats and passenger ships. There is a wonderful ice-cream parlour were you can get your ice (I had rum and raisin and Blueberry) and sit in the sun watching the boats entering and leaving the locks while dripping ice-cream down your jumper. I then went via the country roads to Norrkörping, popped into a shopping mall bought some victuals for the next couple of days, prawns, salmon, steak and some cinnamon rolls. I then returned to the campsite sat on the veranda and posted my Stockholm blog.

Today I am off along the Canal before turning south to Jönkörping.

Breakfast at the locks

I travelled along the  210 this is a very rural road crossing the canal every now and again, at Linkörping, I headed along a bye road to Berg, this is a nice town and a set of locks were the canal enters the locks after being part of the Roxen Lake. I stopped for breakfast at the lock, a nice toasted cheese and bacon sandwich and a pot of coffee. I then travelled along the scenic route along the canal and the Norrbysjön and Boren lakes until I arrived at the town of Motala, here the canal enters and crosses the Vättern and here I left the canal to drive south to Jönkörping, you can travel on the motorway, but it is much more relaxing to travel along the shores of the Vättern.

I arrived at the campsite at mid-afternoon, got booked in set up, had to jiggle the camper a bit but got the TV set up at last. This campsite right on the lake has a nice restaurant, shop all the mod cons. Very well situated and plenty of free spaces.

I had been planning on going to Götenborg, but I have now changed my mind, I think I shall travel down to the Helsingborg ferry and cross the big bridge over the Store-belt and Lille-belt bridges. I have flown over them passed under them but have never crossed them so I think it is time. So tomorrow I shall travel to Helsingborg stop the night and then catch the ferry to Helsingor.