In the previous blog post I mentioned the iron ore trains that leave the mine in Kiruna carrying ore through to Narvik where it is loaded onto ships. To get to Narvik, we would follow a similar route but by road.
Due to track maintenance the train we wanted to catch wasn’t operating the days we were in Kiruna, so we had booked a local bus service (Kiruna Buss). I had emailed earlier in the day to confirm the pickup point and had a very short response (a Swedish thing). Would it turn up? There are no other people here and we are miles from anywhere. Trust the process!
A Volkswagen van pulls up. “You going to Narvik?”. “Yes” I replied. I am from Kiruna Buss. They only had 3 passengers, so using a small van for the 3-hour journey is better than a big bus. There is just one problem, there are only 2 of us. Off we go!
Our driver was fantastic. Giving us a commentary on the journey and then the phone rings. I noticed the caller ID said “Boss”. The driver switches to speaking Swedish. My Swedish lessons paid off, I could hear him telling his boss that the passenger absolutely wasn’t there on time we left and the “bus” had left on time. Get him a helicopter or something to that effect was the drivers suggestion before he hung up. Onward we went through epic arctic landscapes.
The entire drive was endless views of autumn colours, lakes and mountains. This really is a spectacular place to travel. We saw the occasional campervan and a few cars, but there is a feeling of remoteness that I like. Most of the photos I had seen of this area were winter wonderlands with snow as far as you could see. I think it is just as beautiful here in autumn.
We stopped for the required drive break at Abisko National Park. This place is outstandingly beautiful and somewhere I had read about many times over the years. It is a jewel in the crown of Swedish landscapes. There is a lodge here that people use as a base camp for hiking in this region. We were outside the holiday peak period but there were still a few people at the Abisko Turiststation hostels. If we had time, this would have been a fantastic place to spend a few days.
Abisko Turiststation is the starting point for the Kungsleden (Kings Trail). This 450km long trail takes you through the epic landscapes of northern Sweden. I can image hiking through this spectacular environment and sleeping under the Northern Lights. There are 16 huts along the trail, spaced between 10-20km apart. There are some sections without huts, but there other accommodation options. We did a short walk from the gate.
We drove through to Riksgransen, the last settlement before crossing the boarder a few hundred metres away. Instantly the landscape changes, buildings on rocks with views of lakes, forest and mountains. The different laws mean Norwegians can build almost anywhere, but Swedes are limited to specific areas due to the National Park.
Onward we drove, through mountainous landscapes before the bridge to Narvik came into view. I am a history buff and this was a place that I had on my travel list for a long time.
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