Culinary Kayaking Adventure - Saint Anna Archipelago of Sweden

Day 1: The Roots of our Culinary Traditions

1. Do the North
   20h
   We begin our journey in the inner archipelago, surrounded by large forested islands and a cultural landscape that invokes the feeling of travelling back in time. Traditional old wooden houses are dotted along the bay.
   
   After a short paddle we take a lunch break by a pretty sea meadow, one of Saint Anna's most unique habitats, where salt-resistant plants thrive along the edge of the sea. We forage edible greens as well as rose hips, hawthorne and barberries, wild remains from a time when the island was inhabited.
   
   We continue our paddle through the inner archipelago. By now, we're completely submerged in the area, with a maze of islands stretching out in all directions. In the late afternoon we arrive to our camp for the night, where our culinary guide is waiting, already busy preparing for an evening and morning full of wild cooking.
   
   We all help cook a delicious meal for the evening as well as prepare items for upcoming days. We forage for sorrel, orpine, chives and juniper berries.

Day 2: Darlings of our Modern Culinary Soul

1. 1 day
   As we peek through the opening of our tents, we are hopefully met by a mirror-calm sea with the blue sky reflected in the water in the most gorgeous of ways. A morning dip is a refreshing way to start the day.
   
   After breakfast, we set off for our paddle exploration of the day. We paddle through stunning bird sanctuaries, clusters of little islands with abundant bird life. Very likely we'll see Sea Eagles gliding high up in the sky, and if lucky we may spot seals.
   
   We're in the middle part of the archipelago now, where the islands are smaller and more plentiful. We aim to reach our next camp in the early afternoon, a completely different habitat than the pine trees and moss of our last island. Here we are surrounded by deciduous forest with open glades marked by grazing animals. It's a great landscape for foraging mushrooms and berries. Wild herbs grow on the meadows, and we pick oregano and ground-ivy to use for dinner.

Day 3: The Fisherman Arrives with his Catch

1. 1 day
   If the weather allows, we'll head to the outer archipelago. It's a very different landscape than the one we left behind - hundreds of tiny barren islands with sparse wind-pined trees and a unique flora of salt-resistant plants. The blue horizon is our backdrop and the solitude out here is amazing.
   
   After quite a strenuous paddle we make our way back to our camp by late afternoon. The local fisherman will arrive with his catch of the day and we'll make a proper feast for our last night in the archipelago. We invite the rest of the Do the North crew to join!

Day 4: As Local as it Gets

1. 12h
   Our last morning of waking up in our tranquil island wonderland. We pack up our camp and fill our bellies with a hardy breakfast.
   
   We paddle towards a different site on the mainland than where we started, passing though new bird sanctuaries as we near the end of our fantastic exploration. A narrow canal takes us from the wilderness maze, then all of a sudden civilisation appears in a bay full of little cabins and old houses.
   
   You will leave Saint Anna full of inspiration to take your wilderness cooking to another level, just about anything is possible!

Pickup details

We pick you up at 10.00 in Norrköping, either at the train station or at a hotel/hostel of your choice Norrköping is the major hub of the area and we recommend flying in the night before and staying the night. It's a beautiful city with many restaurants and an interesting water-scape. 
Ryanair, London Stanstead etc - Stockholm Skavsta Airport
Stockholm Skavsta (NYO) is conveniently located bewteeen Stockholm and Norrköping. An airport shuttle takes you to Norrköping (55 mins).
Stockholm Arlanda Airport
Stockholms main airport is further away. Take a direct train from the airport to Norrköping (2 hours). 
KLM, Amsterdam to Linköping City Airport
Linköping is just a 25 minute train ride from Norrköping. A very quick cab ride takes you from the airport to the train.

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Minimum age is 18 years
• Max weight 120 kg
• Kayaking beginners welcome, should have a genuine interest in cooking