“Forget the quality of granite in Yosemite, Squamish, Mello. Bohuslän is better.” —Pete Whittaker
Sound enticing? Pack your rack and your bug spray, and join me on the west coast of Sweden for a few days – or a full week – of climbing, sauna, and sea swims at the start of June.
Spreadsheet (with permissions switched ON): NLMC Bohuslän 30 May–8 June 2025 - Google Sheets
How to get there
Bohuslän is about an hour and a half north of Gothenburg by car, and three hours south of Oslo. You can fly to either and rent a car, but Sweden is generally cheaper than Norway and there are currently return flights from London to Gothenburg for less than £100.
I’ll be renting a car at the airport and depending on numbers, we might need more people to do so.
Where to stay
I’ve enquired with Häller Klättercamping, a climbing hostel at the base of one of the main crags, and they have availability for a large-ish group that week. I’d need to let them know by early March so they can book us in, but they also have a campsite in case people decide to join closer to the time, and they’re out of rooms.
There also seem to be lots of cottages on Airbnb in the area.
What’s the climbing like, then?
Mostly trad, though during the pandemic, a number of new sport crags were developed. I hear there are also boulders.
For a detailed destination guide in English, check out Peter Whittaker’s piece on UKC.
There is a Swedish guidebook from 2015 which can be bought online here – also available from the hostel. Many crags, such as Häller, seem registered on UKC also.
Find out more about the general area in Crackaholic, a home-made film that is very much of its time. Don’t be alarmed by how difficult and unprotected all the routes look – there is a range of grades at most of the crags.
Here’s a film about the recent sport development (Swedish language only).
What’s this about saunas?
There’s a sauna and swim spot a 20-minute drive from Häller, where I, for one, will be going at the end of the day. Bookable from between 8–10pm most days.
Dö they speåk English in Sweden?
Yes. And I speak Swedish, so can translate if necessary, and help interpret the guidebook.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TICK-BORNE ENCEPHALITIS (TBE)
Finally, I have to mention the fact that tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is now endemic in the entire Scandinavian peninsula, and so for anyone considering outdoorsy activities in the region, the official advice is to get vaccinated. I checked with the hostel and they confirmed this.
You need at least two injections, given at least two weeks apart, to be protected for travel. You should have the first injection at least one month before travelling. I go to Sweden a lot, so my jabs are up-to-date – I had my last booster shot at Superdrug and it cost £67.
Anyone participating in the trip should do their own research and weigh up the risk themselves, but it’s worth saying that there have been recorded cases in many climbing areas on the continent, including the Alps – so it might not be a bad idea to get jabbed anyway.
