Island Hopping on Foot and Spa Town Söderköping - Departure from Stockholm

After a few days in Stockholm, we continued our journey and looked forward to experiencing more of Sweden's nature.

On a kayaking trip, we received a tip from our guide to go hiking in the Stendörren Nature Reserve.

It includes several skerries and the surrounding water area, meaning some of the islands can only be reached by boat.

However, hiking trails over suspension bridges allow for walking exploration of various small islands.

The paths lead over rocks and through the forest on the larger peninsula of Aspö.

There is also an exhibition about the surroundings at the Naturum, which was closed during our visit.

The café was still open, and we were able to warm up with a coffee since the weather was significantly cooler than the previous day.

The nature reserve offers beautiful views and a diverse landscape overall. A visit there is highly recommended.

We then continued to the town of Söderköping, which is located directly on the Göta Canal.

There is a lock where several small boats, and later a sailing ship, passed while we were there.

We took a stroll through the former spa town, where old buildings still testify to its past as a health resort.

Today, it is still very touristy, with numerous cafés and restaurants lining the canal shore.

Historically, the town was also significant as an international port in the Middle Ages.

In this power center, even kings and queens were crowned.

Due to the Scandinavian land uplift, however, the harbor became inaccessible by ship from the end of the 16th century onwards, leading to a decline in the town's importance.

We were particularly recommended to try the delicious ice cream in the town. At the town hall square, we indulged in an ice cream cone, even though the temperatures were more suitable for hot beverages... It still tasted great, and the praise from the recommenders was fully justified.

To conclude our walk, we climbed about 70 meters up a staircase to an observation point from which we could overlook the town and the canal.

We then went back through the forest with a gentler descent to our parking spot.