Hälsö, near Göteborg - Saturday, 6 August

Geoff

Last night was fine in the car park, apart from some oick doing two circuits of it on a motor bike around 1am. Still, it was nothing compared to the place we left.

I went off walking around 7am. Seeing the area in daylight, across the road was a cafe and visitor centre. I walked up the road a bit and went down a long flight of wooden stairs to the shore of Skårsjön, a very large inland lake, if lake it was - I'm not sure if there is a maximum size for a lake before it becomes an inland sea. Or might it be a fjord, although I think maybe a fjord has an outlet to the sea.

Nearby, I explored the nearby area of heathland. It is a protected area. I hadn't known that heathlands as restricted to Western Europe (including the UK, of course). One small part of it had a large tombstone rising up from it with many much smaller stones, apparently the result of a cholera outbreak in 1834 when 48 local people died. There is also a Bronze Age burial site here. The views from here were far reaching.

We drove to Göteborg, our destination being the Volvo Museum. It is housed in a large modern building in an industrial area. We learned of the beginnings of the company in the 1920s. There were many vehicles on display, including early cars, buses and lorries, together with cars of the 1930s right through to the present day, including concept cars. We enjoyed it very much.

Our planned stop for the night wasn't far although we drove on to a ferry to get to it. The ferry was free and largely unmanned, boarding and leaving being controlled by traffic lights. The ferry took us on a short journey to the island of Öckerö. From there, we crossed by bridge to Hälsö, where we are parked on the shore looking out to various islands. It is a marvellous outlook. I have walked around much of the island this afternoon, clambering up to the island's highest point, Stuvö vale, with panoramic views from the top across the sea to various islands nearby.

The whole area here is rocky, rising above the lower parts of the island. I was guided to the top and down the other side by someone who had walked the route with a yellow paint aerosol, leaving spots of yellow paint every now and then. Desecration maybe but it saved a lot of time. I also found my way to a tiny cove with a tiny beach, accessed via a path shown on my Pocket Earth map but not signposted on the ground. There was even a patch of grass where I could have pitched my tarp had I been here without the camper van. It was quite magical.

More American cars here!

Amanda

We enjoyed a quiet night, with the exception of a visit from a motorbike whose rider found it amusing to race around the parking area revving up beside each of the four campervans at 1.30 am. Fortunately he or she quickly tired of the joke. G went off for an early morning walk and discovered lots of interesting things, not least a Visitor Centre in the car park on the other side of the lane. We whiled away some time there after breakfast and walked around the adjoining area enjoying the views, nature and history.

Our plan was to explore the Göteborg archipelago, where we had located a Camperstop on the island of Hälsö. G was excited to discover that the Volvo Museum was on our route, on the outskirts of Göteborg, and we duly stopped off there. Very worthwhile and all well presented, with enough old Volvos and Volvo history to satisfy even him. (A brief aside - we have enjoyed the numerous classic American cars which are driven around over here, something we don't see too often at home.)

Onwards to the Archipelago by way of a free ferry which wove its way between the islands. It is a bit other-worldly, all rocky outcrops smoothed and rounded presumably by the sea and the wind; a little bleak but fascinating and rather beautiful. It's as if we've been dropped into the setting of "the Shipping News". It is quite windy here on the quayside on Hälsö, although the setting sun is creating a beautiful light over the water, the white timber houses and the sailing boats which are whizzing past. A most impressive large white one with lots of people on and "SAILING FOR JESUS" written along the side has just sailed across the sound in front of us.

I think we shall be rocked to sleep tonight by the wind!