We left Stockholm mid-morning heading towards Malmö by following the coastal roads. When we decided on our first stop on the day to stretch our legs and have lunch, we found ourselves in Västervik. Having satisfied our hunger we ventured out to walk around the town. It was generally made up of small street and old wooden homes. They were very pretty. The rest of the town was really quiet, with hardly a person in sight.

Vastervik, Sweden

Soon enough it was time to hit the road and find an overnight camping spot to rest for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Again, Sarah found an awesome spot in a place just outside Kalmar in southeastern Sweden. As we arrived we were driving through a very nice neighbourhood on the coast looking across to the island of Öland. We pulled up in a car park with rows separated by 2m high hedges and facing the water. There were two other motorhomes so we decided that it was ok to stop for the night. It was a very pretty outlook and we parked to make the most of the view.

The following morning we were blessed with sunshine so unloaded the bikes and headed along the cycle trails that led north away from our overnight stop. They were great, deserted and reasonably level. It was a great way to explore our surroundings. We returned having clocked nearly 10 miles. After a short stop and a bite to eat, I decided to see where the trails leading south would take me.

Kalmar Castle, Kalmar, Sweden

Having followed the single track trails for about 20 minutes I arrived at Kalmar. It was a town built around a port. It had many modern buildings on the outskirts, but the real treat was discovering the castle in the middle of town. While admiring this I noted that there were a great deal of fit people all heading for the park next door, so I felt like I had to go and explore. When I rounded the hedge there was a 5km assault course all set up ready for the competitors who were spread all over the grass with their family and friends.

View of the camper at our camping spot, Kalmar, Sweden

Once I had seen enough I turned and headed back towards the camper and an outdoor wild shower - wow, the water felt cold, no doubt exaggerated by the lovely sunshine. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading our books. It felt great to stop moving and simply chill out.

This was definitely one of our highlights of Sweden so far.