Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Travel – Sweden: Ice pick

Now is the time to skate Stockholm’s archipelago, says Fraser Nelson

issue 25 February 2012

Now is the time to skate Stockholm’s archipelago, says Fraser Nelson

There are two times to visit Sweden: the height of summer or the depths of winter. If you have to choose, go now. Diving into the waters of Stockholm’s archipelago is a joy you can more or less imagine: skating across them, and having a snow barbecue afterwards, is something that has to be done to be believed.

Every year, British lovers of winter sports do head off to the slopes in Italy, France, Austria or Switzerland — it doesn’t really matter what country, because the set-up is the same. But Sweden is unique. The Stockholm archipelago boasts something like 30,000 different islands and at this time of year you can skate between a lot of them. Doing so has become more popular over the years, due to less snowfall in winter.

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