Arvika - Gothenburg, Stages 3 and 4

From Gustavsfors, we took road 172 to Bengtfors, which is also very idyllic by the lake. Dalsland is one of the very typical canoe areas in Sweden and is crossed by the Dalsland Canal, built in the 19th century (1860s). Therefore, there are beautiful views of lakes and often also paddlers in many corners. However, the mountains in between have steep inclines. South of Bengtfors, the road became busier, but due to the destination campsite, we were able to leave it soon. Here and there, we came across folding bridges, once even one parallel for rail and one for the road, with the rail only being folded down when the train comes.

The last approximately 9 km were tough again: paved, but with strong roller coaster-like hills (nice) and slopes of up to 11% (not nice at all). However, the destination Håverud was worth it: there, the Dalsland Canal crosses a rapids as an aqueduct.

Gustavsfors - Håverud

59 km, 602 meters uphill

In the morning, we watched the locks for a while, and shortly before noon, we continued. To our relief, the hills were not as severe as the previous day. We followed the Dalsland bike route, which was flat for quite a while (parallel to Lake Vänern). In the afternoon, there was rain, which the forecast didn't predict, repeatedly and sometimes very heavy. Near Vänersborg, we found a "Vandrarhem" with a vacant room, where we were warmly welcomed.

Håverud - Vargön

76 km, 412 meters uphill