Log Cabins in Sweden

Log cabins in Sweden - romance and adventure in the forest

A Swedish log cabin is an iconic image - surrounded by forest, perhaps perched on a lake shore, it is an image of tranquility and quiet beauty.

Wood is a wonderful material for building a house. Its excellent insulating properties mean that log cabins remain warm in winter and cool in summer, plus their aesthetic appeal and welcoming atmosphere make log cabins an ideal choice for a close-to-nature holiday.

Throughout human history, people have turned to wooden structures for a mixture of comfort and durability. One story tells of a Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights who, around 1500, insisted that wooden accommodation be built on to his stone castle to provide a greater feeling of warmth and cosiness. Many cabins built around the same time still survive today in the forests of Scandinavia, the Alps and the Balkans. While there are many established techniques for building log cabins and many regions of the world have developed their own methods, it is Scandinavian log cabins, with their round logs and bottom-cut corner notches, which have remained most popular and are most commonly seen throughout the world. Attractive and natural from the outside, log cabins are also snug and welcoming on the inside, and curled up with the one you love next to a roaring fire in a log cabin in the wilderness is surely many people's vision of the perfect romantic evening.

Nature Travels offers two distinct types of log cabin holiday in Sweden, one with a firm focus on romance, the other an ideal base for outdoor activities in the surrounding wilderness.

Romance

Our Romantic Adventure in Forest Log Cabin is a very unusual experience indeed. Situated deep in the forests of Bergslagen on the edge of an authentic charcoaler village, this traditional Swedish log cabin lies just a few metres from the lake and is ideal for short romantic breaks. All food is prepared for you during the experience, and can be left at your door by your forest host if you wish, giving you and your partner all the time you need to enjoy each other's company. The log cabin is small but comfortably furnished, intimate and welcoming. Shut the door and it will feel as if the rest of the world has simply ceased to exist. There is no electricity anywhere in the charcoaler village - only candles, lanterns and the glow of love in your heart to light your way!

Photo: Marcus Jonson

Photo: Marcus Jonson

Some couples visiting the romantic log cabin go in at the beginning of their experience, close the door behind them, and, apart from appearing occasionally for food or to take a refreshing dip in the lake, are rarely seen again until it is time to go home! Other couples prefer to get out and about - and the surrounding forests provide a perfect setting for romantic strolls through quiet woodlands, or why not borrow the rowing boat and head out for a picnic on your own private island? As the sun sets, take a sauna in the nearby wood-heated cabin before diving into the lake to cool off! Depending on the weekend you are there, you may also choose to add an elk safari - meeting the King of the Forest in its natural habitat, or howl along with a local wolf pack on our Howling with Wolves experience.

Photo: Marcus Jonson

Photo: Marcus Jonson

The Romantic Log Cabin experience is an ideal break for couples of any age, whether you are discovering the heady joy of a new love or celebrating a landmark wedding anniversary, and was named as one of the world's Top 50 Green Getaways by The Independent.

"...a cosy cabin in the Swedish wilderness combines romance with roughing it....Our cabin may have had a pebble floor and no windows, but the candles, fluffy duvets, white linen sheets and sheepskins didn't speak of hardship. Meals are prepared by the staff and eaten around the campfire, but there's also a hamper of Fairtrade chocolate, organic Shiraz, crisps and pears." Rhiannon Batten writing in The Observer 28/10/07