Hello folks,
We have just spent the most wonderful weekend in the mountains and it has truly renewed my soul... it was exactly what I needed and I can highly recommend a trip to Hemavan (30km from the Norwegian border) to anyone who loves dramatic vistas, imposing mountains and glorious lakes to take a dip in.
In the UK our favourite place to go was the beautiful Lake district in Cumbria. I still remember the first time I ever went there. Jonathan took me not long after we first started seeing each other and the moment we rounded a corner heading towards Great Langdale is etched in my minds eye forever. From windy woodland roads to turning a bend to suddenly see a huge mountain come into view surrounded by rolling green hills was absolutely breathtaking and has impacted me ever since. It was the beginning of a love story with walking on the fells and a deep connection with being outside in nature ... I must have been about 20 years old.
I have missed that feeling of being so small in a landscape... with great imposing mountains all around and heading to Hemavan has given me my fix. I feel very lucky that I have managed to get there twice in the last couple of months, once in at the end of August with three dear friends and then at the end of September with Jonathan, the girls and Kya the dog ! Each time the scenery has been stunning and also completely contrasting.
In August we were blessed with blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunshine and the very first peeks of an approaching Autumn. The winds were chilly up on the tops and we had a lot of fun huddling into bushes and hillsides to shelter from the cooling breeze as we ate our lunch. Heading back downhill the wind would drop and we would find ourselves stripping off hats and jackets to sit on my friends decking with a glass of wine in the early evening warmth of the sun. The weather was so favourable that two of us even took a dip in a calm pool of crystal clear mountain water at the top of some beautiful waterfalls. The water was surprisingly pleasant and not as bone shatteringly cold as one might expect it to be... although my other two friends who opted to stay dry may just disagree !!!
We had the most wonderful time, four women away from it all, talking about eveything from our children and homes to the pleasures of perimenopause !! We laughed a lot and also shared our worries... we walked, we sauna'd and we watched reindeer wander on the mountain tops. We snacked on freshly plucked blueberries as we strolled along enjoying the view and each others company, it really was medicine for the soul.
On this most recent trip the weather was changeable and the scenery was outstandingly beautiful. Autumn has taken grip with a strong hold and our eyes were bewitched with colours of a flame everywhere we looked.
We arrived on the Thursday evening in pouring rain and high winds... blustery gusts of wind sending yellow orange leaf confetti whirling through the air. As we settled into our accommodation we planned the next days trip and looked forward to heading up the mountainside in a gondola to spend the afternoon walking on the tops.
I had been in the gondola on my previous trip and as someone who has a fear of heights I was naturally challenged by the ascent but having done it once I knew I could do it again.
Jonathan and the girls were looking forward to it and the views are absolutely joyous as you head up. As you gaze across the forest land rising higher and higher, shimmering lakes like mirrors reveal themselves in a landscape like a painting, something really special.
As you will know by now, I love being outdoors in the elements and this is my idea of heaven. Words not needed as we walked admiring mother natures paint palette all around us... I must have taken a million photographs and stocked up on Autumnal inspiration for lots of artwork ... my favourite time of year aside from Christmas.
We spent the whole weekend wandering out between rain showers, looking for treasure in the form of pretty quartz in the rivers and waterfalls, we played the odd board game, cosied up on the sofa with Netflix and ate great food in a local pub... something we have really missed !! Sweden doesn't really do pubs, especially in rural areas !
While our trips were different they were also the same, the common thread being spending time with those who mean a lot to you. Stepping away from the busyness of life and filling your lungs and heart with clean air and beauty. Something very easy to do here.
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