It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life when school has started. The free time of the weekday evenings just disappears into a black hole of activities and parent-teacher meetings, and the weekends are spent in the shopping center hunting for children's clothes and shoes, shopping for the week's food and sleeping on the couch. Maybe that's why I really appreciate our day trips around Stockholm so unimaginably much. Tyresta is our go-to place for unplanned excursions with maximum relaxation. Good sausage, flat bread, shrimp salad, a large thermos of coffee and a few hours among primeval forest and forest stars, and I have recharged my energy levels again. Saturday's excursion to Tyresta was actually exactly what I needed. I love Stockholm and its intense range of everything from restaurants to culture, but sometimes you just want to hear the silence and the birds chirping. Be invigorated by the smoke from a fire, help a little toad over a path or feel the rough bark of an ancient pine tree.
But even as much as I love hiking in Tyresta, I sometimes long for new forests and ponds. But how do I get there? This weekend I found the book "Hike in Stockholm – 62 scenic day hikes from Skokloster in the north to Nynäshamn in the south". A whole book with hiking trails between 5-15 km long, with many circular hikes and to places I've never even heard of! The large castle tour in Bogesund, the Stora Gålöslingan, Jungfrusundåsen on Ekerö and Törnskogen - have you heard of these outdoor areas? At least I hadn't!
The book not only has detailed descriptions of what you encounter along the trails themselves, but also has lots of nice nature pictures and maps to help you find your way. I have a feeling that this book will be my inspiration for many years to come, because of the 62 hiking trails in the book, we have so far only sniffed five of the trails.
Now it's time to put together a plan for the coming weeks, so that we can maximize the glory of autumn. With a bit of luck it will hopefully be possible to hike well into chilly November, so I wish for an autumn filled with hiking with frost crunching underfoot and my top hat pulled down over my ears.
A detail that I appreciate a little extra about the book is that it also tells about lovely cafes and restaurants near the hiking trails. Ending a hike with a waffle with cream in a castle or in a bridge cabin, must be the ultimate hike, right?
Last Saturday I realized that there is a post that I really should write. A remember list of all the things that are good to take with you on a day hike. This Tyresta excursion we managed to forget our grill sticks, other times we forget the milk or the coffee mugs. I get to take it as my calling this fall – to write a packing list for day trips. Remembering to bring a lighter definitely makes sausage grilling easier! :)
Now I'm going to go check out the slow cooker that's working hard (but slowly) in the kitchen. Persian lamb stew is on the menu tonight, a really good end to a lovely weekend. :) Have a great Sunday night and if you haven't voted yet - run to the polls NOW!
Do you want to read more about what it's like to hike in Tyresta National Park? Take a look at my picture-packed post Day trip: Tyresta National Park or on my tips on others day trips from Stockholm.
It is so easy to forget all the beauty that is around the corner here at home. I myself am very keen on that book and go on a journey of discovery :)