Scandinavia… Not a country, but a beautiful area. Scandinavia is the collective name for the following Northern countries; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Looking at history, Finland and Iceland also belong to Scandinavia: according to the Norwegian council, they also belong. All in all, Scandinavia is huge (more than a million square kilometers), while about 24 million people live there. For comparison; The Netherlands is more than 41,000 square kilometers with about 17 million inhabitants.

Of all western European countries, the Scandinavian countries probably have the most more or less untouched nature. In addition, they are countries that are easily accessible from the Netherlands. Norway is characterized by, among other things, the fjords and the Trollstigen, known to many motorcyclists. And where Sweden is known as wide and relaxing, everyone knows Finland as the land of 1000 lakes. All in all, legitimate reasons to traverse this beautiful nature in the north of Europe by means of a number of routes.

The route starts in Arjeplog at the hotel where you spent the night. First you will pass a supermarket where you can stock up on food and drinks for the road. A little further you can fill the tank if you have not already done so. The route runs through an area where it is not really crowded. If a restaurant is closed for whatever reason at a planned stop, you can fall back on your own food and drinks.

After about 2 kilometers you are already outside the built-up area and you imagine yourself in no man's land. You drive the first kilometer on beautiful pieces of asphalt through a wooded area. After 20 kilometers, you will pass Östra Radnejaure, a lake in the municipality of Arjeplog in Lapland, which is part of the main catchment area of the Skellefteälven River. The lake has an area of 1.8 square kilometers and is located 443 meters above sea level. The lake is drained by the watercourse Radnejaurälven. Nice to stop, have a look over the water and of course take a picture of it.

Further along the route you will pass the Byske, a river that belongs to the top due to rivers with wild salmon. Such a concentration of salmon water cannot be found anywhere else in Sweden - and the crown jewel is without a doubt the Byske River.
The Byske River is a formidable fly fishing river. Just think that the river has made an impressive drop of 38 meters in the last 11 kilometers before reaching the sea - and one fishing license covers a total river stretch of 100 kilometers - two banks! The Byske River is also very accessible. Roads run along the north side of the river, and forest roads run along much of the south side.
The river fishes very well in June. July, on the other hand, often means swimming weather with a slightly too high water temperature. It makes fishing a lot more difficult. In August temperatures normally drop and schools of smaller salmon enter the river. In addition to casting heavy sinking lines, a Byske fisherman must be willing to wade deep.
Not always natural and not in every spot, but fishing in the Byske River is difficult, especially early in the season. This means that the Byske River is not for everyone. On the other hand, few fish warm the heart of a tired fly fisherman like a silvery Byske River salmon.
30 kilometers the river flows under the road that you drive over. Nice place to stop for a photo, at this point the river shows that it is not just a peaceful stream. That is also not possible if it is in the top 5 of salmon rivers.

In Arvidsjaur you pass Lappstaden, the largest preserved Sami settlement in the world. When you decide to travel to the north of Scandinavia, you enter the land of the Sami. The Sami people are the only original and indigenous people in Europe and are an important cultural and historical pillar in the history of Scandinavia. At various places in Sweden you can get acquainted with the culture and customs of this originally nomadic people. Lappstaden is one such place: this church village is the largest preserved Sami settlement in the world.
It is at the beginning of the 17th century that the first churches are built in Lapland. The Church of Arvidsjaur was completed in 1607. The church wanted to teach the Sami Christianity and Christian doctrine and as a result a law was enacted requiring a minimum number of church services to be attended per year.
Quite difficult for a nomadic people, who spent a great deal of time traveling around with their reindeer. That is why tents (gåhties or goahties) were built on the route to the church, in which the sami could spend the night. Since the distances in the north of Scandinavia can be long anyway, the locals built a number of huts close to the church where churchgoers could house during their visit to the church. In Arvidsjaur there was a section for the Sami (Lappstaden), a section for farmers and a section for traders. Each section had its own huts and today only Lappstaden exists. Nice to take a look.
Afterwards you can enjoy a cup of coffee in one of the surrounding catering establishments in the village.

Almost halfway along the route you cross a railway, the Inlandsbaan. This is the more famous name of the Gällivare - Kristinehamn railway line. It is a 1296 kilometer long railway that runs through the interior of northern and central Sweden. The railway starts in Kristinehamn in the Värmland countryside and ends in Gällivare in Lapland. The train only runs between June and the end of August and mainly carries tourists. We distinguish two parts of the process; the southern one between Kristinehamn and Östersund, using the railway from Mora; and the northern part, from Östersund to Gallivare. This route will be used twice a day from summer 2010; however, one of these two trains does not go beyond Storuman. In winter, the track is used by night trains from southern Sweden to winter sports areas. During a larger part of the year, the line is also used for freight transport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
At the end of the Inlandsbanan in Gällivare there is a connection with the Ore Railway, which connects the Swedish city of Luleå and the Norwegian town of Narvik. At the beginning of the Inlandsbanan, in Kristinehamn, there is a connection with the Värmlandsbanan railway line, which runs through a part of west Närke and a large part of Värmland. The Nykroppa-Mora route is in too bad a condition for rail traffic, Inlandsbanan AB (the company) uses coaches on this route. The Kristinehamn-Nykroppa section is used for passenger services by Tågåkeriet i Berglagen. Part of the remaining track between Nykroppa and Mora can be ridden with bicycle lorries in summer.

In Moskosel, the route runs along the Rallarmuseet, which tells the story of the workers who worked on the construction of the railway. The domestic railroad was constructed with sweat, muscle, skewers, shovels and wheelbarrows of rice and logs. The workers worked 10 hours a day except Saturdays when they only worked 5 hours and were off on Sundays. But the ones who had the worst were the chefs, who cooked every day and were therefore never free. More about the hard life of the workers and the work around the Inlandsbanan can be found in the museum, where it is also possible to get guided tours. There is also a cafe for lunch, handicraft sales and a mini railway for children. There is an exhibition about the Akkavare accident in 1956.

In Käbdalis you can provide the engine with some fuel, a few meters further there is a possibility to provide yourself with the necessary fuel. Traveling can make you hungry. You can see from the ski lifts that you are in a winter sports area here, the hill where you are pulled up in winter when there is snow might have already betrayed that.

After a nice view over the water of the Tårrajaur lake you come to the Polcirkelns Cafe. This cafe is located on the Arctic Circle, so it's nice to stop for a while. You can drink a cup of coffee or browse around in the souvenir shop that is available. You can also get a certificate as proof that you have been to the polar circle.
Outside the boundary is indicated with white stones. If you walk down the stairs from the cafe, you walk right with the white stones. So you walk over the border down the stairs. Funny detail.

Shortly after entering the polar circle you will arrive in Jokkmokk, the place where the end point of this route is, at Hotel Akerlund. A nicely appreciated hotel with a bar and a sauna. So the beer for the discussion of the route will be okay. You can eat at one of the surrounding restaurants, all within walking distance.
For campers, three campsites are indicated in the vicinity of the end point: Skabram Camping & Stugby, Arctic Camp Jokkmokk and Jokkmokks Camping Center.

If you still have some time, you can visit the Ajtte Museum museum in Jokkmokk. It is the most important museum of Sami culture. You can also find information about the Scandinavian mountains with their flora and fauna. A botanical garden, Jokkmokks fjällträdgård, is part of the museum.

Have fun driving this route!