Walking on Gotland island for Orchids, Cranes and Vikings

Walking on Gotland Island for Orchids, Cranes and Vikings

Set far out in the Baltic Sea, Gotland island in early summer is a delight to explore, with undisturbed hay meadows and limestone outcrops carpeted with orchids; cranes trumpeting across fenland on the edge of small lakes; deserted beaches populated only by eider ducks and terns; red-painted wooden barns marking each isolated farm; and Scandinavia’s highest concentration of frescoed mediaeval churches.

Quiet though the island is today, there is evidence everywhere of former greatness. From the sixth century, the Vikings established trade routes from Gotland to Byzantium and western Asia, giving the islanders disproportionate income and influence, and by the twelfth century their membership of the Hanseatic League gave them the status of London or Paris, renowned for their wealth and strategic power. As a result, the town of Visby, where we conclude our stay, is a treasure trove of mediaeval architecture, listed by UNESCO and still enclosed by its ancient walls and ramparts.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

D included

After arriving by ferry from the mainland, or meeting at Visby airport by late afternoon we have a private transfer by road, (2 hours including a short ferry crossing to Fårö island) and settle into our accommodation, stylish Swedish design apartments, converted from 300 year-old farm buildings in meadows close to the sea. After a walk along the shore to watch barnacle geese, curlews, red-breasted mergansers and eiders in the midsummer evening light we have a candle-lit fish dinner in the charming restaurant.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

Following a typically Swedish buffet breakfast, we set off for a day exploring Fårö island, beginning with a walk along a coastal nature reserve where huge sea stacks, sculpted by waves, mark the edge of an eroded limestone cliff. We see a natural harbour and associated Viking cairn graves dating back 4,000 years before driving the short distance to Fårö, where the parish church has a dramatic painting of a seal hunt on ice in 1603, and the film director Ingmar Bergman is buried. After lunch we explore a cowslip-filled hay meadow and search for marsh, early marsh and fly orchids plus dark red helleborines. The nearby sedge- dominated fenland is home to cranes, corncrakes, barred warblers and scarlet grosbeak, and the stands of hazelnut bushes attract nutcrackers. Dark grey native Gotland sheep graze in the fields and their sedge-thatched shelters are characteristic of the landscape.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

Returning to Gotland main island, we travel in a leisurely fashion down the east coast, with frequent pauses to walk and explore, beginning with a nature reserve protecting the most important orchid site on the island, with stands of Lady’s Slipper, Butterfly, Marsh spotted, Burnt-tip and Fragrant orchids. We have lunch at a farm museum and see the 17C hop-garden before walking to see a Bronze Age boat-shaped grave, over 18 metres long and 5 metres wide. In Gothem church we admire the magnificent murals (painted in about 1300) depicting the farmer’s yearly life, before climbing a tower hide by a lake for views of geese, cranes and duck species, with marsh harriers and white-tailed sea eagles hunting the area. Red-painted traditional Swedish wooden chalets (well-appointed and spacious) are our home for the next two nights, situated just 5 minutes walk through pine forest to the shore.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

After seeing the parish church of Lye, where the chancel contains richly coloured 14C stained glass, we drive to the most southerly point of the island. As we walk along the coast and round small lakes protected as nature reserves, we hope to observe birds of prey such as goshawk, Montagu’s harriers and hobbies, as well as red-backed shrikes and breeding ruff and avocets. We visit the bird artist Lars Jonsson’s studio and museum (housed in a beautiful old rectory) and have lunch in the garden, before visiting the mediaeval church at Öja which contains a priceless late 13C wooden Holy Rood. The nearby parish meadow has been managed since the Iron Age and hosts many orchids as well as collared flycatchers in the surrounding woods - an isolated Gotland speciality.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

We walk in search of Gotland endemic plants on the west coast and by lunchtime arrive in Visby, entering through the mediaeval gates and following the narrow cobbled lanes to our first class hotel, a conversion of several historic buildings. We have a guided walking tour of the picturesque historic centre, including the late 12C Cathedral of St. Mary and the 11C Gunpowder Tower, before visiting the excellent Historical Museum of Gotland. Housed in an 18C distillery, the collections include the impressive Hall of Picture Stones and the Spillings Hoard, the largest Viking Age silver hoard found in the world. There is time to use the indoor pool or the sauna in our hotel before dinner in an excellent restaurant serving Swedish fusion food.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

After a short drive south we catch the morning boat for a half hour trip out to the protected island of Stora Karlsö, where high limestone cliffs support enormous colonies of razorbills and guillemots, plus the rare black guillemot, Velvet Scoters, Arctic terns and many gulls. A specialist local guide takes us on a walking tour of the island - the photographic opportunities from the viewpoints are marvellous, with birds sitting on eggs only metres away, and the whole experience is extraordinary, with birds wheeling and squawking everywhere. The island is also known for its rich flora, especially orchids, and there are caves with evidence of Stone Age inhabitants, and many fossils from ancient coral reefs when Gotland was located near the Equator. After a picnic we see the museum and the lighthouse before returning to Visby in the late afternoon.

DAY 7

B included

There is time to visit the charming Botanical Gardens or the interesting Art Museum of Visby before we transfer to the airport at midday for the short flight back to Stockholm and connecting flights home.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 7 on a double shared basis

All meals (with beer/soft drinks at lunches and wine at dinners) as listed in the daily notation

All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods

One way ferry ticket from Stockholm if linking both Opera and Gotland tours

Ticket for boat trip to Stora Karlsö island as described

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

Specialist local guiding (botanical and historical)

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Sweden. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Sweden.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Sweden. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Sweden by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for information on a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.