Across Sweden Part 3 - Sveriges Route 66: The stage through the south of Sweden offers plenty of highlights on the way back to the Baltic Sea. The Göta Canal lives up to its promise
Coast to coast. There are these dream roads, these arterial routes of longing, where the journey itself is the destination and the actual arrival is delayed as long as possible. These include legends such as European Route 6 to the North Cape, the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego or the legendary Route 66, which starts on the shores of Lake Michigan and leads all the way to the Pacific coast of California. All you have to do is get in the car and look ahead for a unique adventure to take its course.
Wheat fields, wild landscapes and a wide horizon in front of the windscreen are not only available on four wheels and a ribbon of shiny asphalt: a waterway in Europe can also keep up. It runs through the south of Sweden, also from coast to coast, a nautical Route 66. 400 kilometres long, it can be divided into three sections: The first is along the Trollhätte Canal from Gothenburg on the Baltic Sea up to Vänersborg on Lake Vänern. We reported on this stage in last year's November issue (BOOTE 11/2020). This was followed in the February issue (BOOTE 2/2021) by the crossing of Sweden's largest lake from Vänersborg to the small town of Sjötorp on the eastern shore of Lake Vänern. The first half of the journey is now behind us, but the long journey was worth it: because what awaits us now is not just the highlight of the whole adventure in geographical terms: the historic Göta Canal.
Sjötorp owes its fame entirely to the canal, both in the past and today. Although its days as an important transshipment centre for goods are over, tourists and day trippers now come here. The cosy town is well equipped with cafés and restaurants. The beautifully restored red buildings of the kanalbolag still stand at the harbour, and there is even a dry dock. And the canal museum there also sets the mood for the days of cruising ahead.
THE TRAILSOf course, the first "steps" on the Göta Canal can also be tackled straight away: "Sjötorp 1" is only the first of eight locks in the area of the village, with the upper outer harbour for guests located between the double locks "2-3" and "4-5". A good opportunity to familiarise yourself with the structural peculiarities of the canal. There are only rings and bollards to guide the lines at the top next to the edge of the chamber, while the stone chamber walls are smooth and offer no assistance. This means that a crew member has to step over the front line in front of the gate and "tow" the boat into the chamber in the good old fashioned way with a little motor assistance. The average lift is around 2.5 metres, so 10-metre lines are appropriate.
After the fore line has been put over and returned on board, the person ashore takes the aft line and repeats the process. It sounds complicated, but it ensures controlled procedures and has long since become routine by the time you leave Sjötorp anyway - especially as the friendly lock staff always have everything in view. You are almost never travelling alone anyway; the lock operations ensure that small convoys form and then travel through the landscape together.
THE VÄSTGÖTADELENThis panorama, through whose fields, meadows and forests the waterway only winds, used to be called Västergötland and is now part of the larger province of Västra Götalands län, which stretches as far as Vättern. The lake forms the border with Östergötland. The two sections of the Göta Canal are named accordingly: The western section, Västgötadelen, connects Sjötorp with Karlsborg over a distance of 65 kilometres. After Lyrestad, it climbs in quick succession over three double and one triple lock at Hajstorp to almost 87 metres above sea level. Töreboda is a good place to end the first day's stage. The route continues at this level for a few more kilometres the next day until the Göta Canal finally reaches its highest point at 91.5 metres: Lanthöjde, marked by an obelisk. It stands on a small island that was created when a very narrow bend in the canal was subsequently straightened by cutting through it.
THE VIKENNowhere in the entire itinerary are you as close to the sky of southern Sweden as on the quiet expanses of Viken. This is where the watershed between the coasts runs. The last lock at Tåtorp serves only to regulate the level of the canal down to Sjötorp. The Viken is its natural reservoir. If you want to make up time, you can now put the pedal to the metal over the next 22 kilometres. But you can also take your time and enjoy the journey in peace and quiet, with a wildly wooded shore in the background and tiny islands in front, just big enough for a few pine trees. Narrow passages such as Brosundet are buoyed with floating poles. The passage ends with the passage of the Spetnäs Canal and Billströmmen. Here, the rock faces get so close that there is a one-way system: Vehicles travelling east have priority.
This is followed by Forsvik, where a plaque commemorates the fact that King Charles XIII travelled here personally in 1813 to inaugurate the first lock of the Göta Canal - and Sweden's first iron bascule bridge, now a technical monument. The route continues along the barrel line across the flat Bottensjön lake to Karlsborg.
KARLSBORGThe fact that this town of 5,000 inhabitants has always been an important garrison of the Swedish army is not immediately obvious. Even the mighty fortress, completed in 1870, makes no difference - which may be due to Scandinavian casualness, but also to the simple fact that even royal bodyguards like to swap camouflage suits for T-shirts in summer. The sand and sun on the beach not only attract soldiers on hot days, but also holidaymakers. Boat guests will find moorings between Bottensjön and Vättern on both sides of the bascule bridge at Rödesundet. www.vastsverige.com/karlsborg
THE FATHERSlooks like a notch that was cut into the granite of Götaland ages ago. In fact, geologists believe that tectonic processes around 800 million years ago are responsible for its formation. With an extension of 120 kilometres in a north-south direction and an area of 1900 square kilometres, Vättern is only second to Lake Vänern in Sweden - but it is still four times the size of Lake Constance. The canal route leads right across: 33 kilometres separate Karlsborg from Motala on the eastern shore. But beware of unsafe weather conditions! It's not hard to guess where the lake got its ominous name from.
While Jonköping and the island of Visingsö in the south are too far away for detours, the charming north is within striking distance. It's just under 50 kilometres through the Norra-Vätterns archipelago and the densely wooded Stora Hammarsundet to the pretty little town of Askersund. A little off the beaten track, but a real insider tip. www.visitaskersund.se
VADSTENABut at least you shouldn't miss it - because nowhere else in the area is mooring more spectacular. In fact, the moorings for guests are located directly in the former moat just below the walls of Vadstena Castle. Gustav Wasa had the imposing complex built as an imperial castle in the middle of the 16th century. Today it is considered a model of Swedish Renaissance defence architecture (www.vadstenaslott.com ). And Vadstena has even more stone gems to offer, such as the oldest town hall in the country (dating back to the 15th century) and the Gothic convent church of the Birgittinnen convent from 1440. You can also enjoy a delicious meal at Wasa on Storgatan, for example. On the other hand, with this royal view directly from the berth, you can also dine in style on board ...
MOTALA on the other hand, is considered the modern "capital" of the Göta Canal in several respects. The ground-breaking ceremony took place here in 1810. Baltzar von Platen, officer, politician and driving force behind the project, centred the entire infrastructure required for the decades of work in Motala, which became the first ever industrial location in Sweden, which was dominated by agriculture at the time. "Verkstad Motala" soon became a trademark for steam engines worldwide. The canal company still has its headquarters at the harbour today, and its founder is as close to it as ever: it was the era of late Romanticism when the Count, who was born on Rügen, died in Christiania, now Oslo, in 1829 - three years before his canal was completed. However, at his own request, his grave was erected on the shore in Motala, on a raised terrace with a clear view of the waterway. In 1834, the first steamship started a regular service between Gothenburg and Stockholm. Its name: "Admiral von Platen". The floating jetties of the gästhamn are located at the entrance to the eastern half of the canal before the first lock on the northern bank. start.motala.se
THE ÖSTGÖTADELENAround 90 kilometres are still missing on the way to the Baltic Sea. This is the stretch of the eastern part of the canal, the Östgötadelen. From Motala, the route continues downwards. It starts with the Borenshult lock staircase with five successive chambers down to Boren. The ten-kilometre-long, reed-lined lake is so shallow that there are shallow spots even in seemingly open water. They are only buoyed on the south side. So be careful in poor visibility.
Another level lock follows in Borensberg. The canal then loops undisturbed through the gently undulating fields of Östergötland's old cultural landscape. Farms, grain silos and the straight rows of trees of avenues characterise the picture. Walkers and cyclists can be seen on the towpath along the banks, and the remote-controlled roller bridges open up automatically for the convoys of pleasure craft.
THE LOCKS OF BERG However, the tranquil country route leads right into the centre of the largest folk festival in the entire passage - and onto the most famous stage: the locks of Berg. After Ljungsbro, the terrain falls away very quickly to the last large lake in the canal, Roxen. The difference in altitude is overcome by no less than eleven locks on the last kilometre before the shore. Hordes of tourists ensure that they retain their status as one of Sweden's most famous photo motifs. The ensemble is so famous that two of its "members" even have royal names: the Berg double lock is followed by the Oscars lock, also with two chambers, and finally the Carl-Johans lock staircase with seven chambers in a row. There are exactly 28.8 metres between the top and the bottom, and as the traffic only moves in one direction at a time, it's not surprising that the experience can take a few hours, especially if you don't get your turn straight away. Many people spend the night in the harbour basin halfway up, still above the lock stairs. Here you are more sheltered than directly on the lake - and closer to the refreshments.
THE KINDA CHANNEL A tight schedule ensures that the vast majority of crews cross the Roxen without a stopover. The lake offers the possibility of another attractive extension to the cruise: the Kinda Canal branches off on the southern shore near Linköping, the second historic waterway connected to the main system alongside the Dalsland Canal on Lake Vänern. This summer, the 80-kilometre-long secondary system is celebrating its 150th birthday - but in contrast to the lively Göta Canal, time really does seem to have stood still here. An area close to nature and full of tranquillity. www.visitlinkoping.se/kinda-kanal
SÖDERKÖPING But after the hustle and bustle in Berg, the Göta Canal is now much quieter again: The last section of the journey has begun, with barely more than 20 kilometres to go, forest and fields on the banks again. The Asplången is passed, followed by another series of double and single locks, before reaching Söderköping, the last major town on the Göta Canal. This pretty little town also attracts tourists; the gästhamn is located right in the centre, surrounded by cafés and right next to the Lock, Hop & Barrel Brewery. You can get the full view from the vantage point on Ramunderberg, which towers just north of the canal. visit.soderkoping.se
MEM Shortly afterwards, the Göta Canal comes to a completely unspectacular end at the Mem lock - and with it our 400 kilometre journey on the maritime dream road across the south of Sweden, Sveriges Route 66. The other coast has been reached. Ahead lies the long Slätbaken Fjord, the beautiful archipelago of Sankt Anna and behind it the open Baltic Sea. Once you have also left the lower stem gate of Mems sluss behind you, the moorings in the outer harbour make the tempting offer of a last night on the Göta Canal - even if you already have salt water under your keel again.
