FEAST OF SWEDEN

Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.

- Simon Richardson

Knowing he's always wanted to visit Sweden but unsure exactly why, Simon Richardson samples the country's gravel roads

I knew it was a place I'd always wanted to visit when do you ever hear anything bad about Sweden? - but it would turn out knowing the lyrics of half a dozen ABBA songs, occasionally shopping in Ikea, and being able to name a few of Sweden's major cities and sports-people meant I didn't know much at all. Why had I always wanted to visit? I didn't even know that.

Even if the country was as good as I'd imagined, I was about to explore it on two wheels, and let's be honest, when was the last time you met someone who'd gone to Sweden with their bike? Let alone their gravel bike. Despite the country's reputation, my expectations of its cycling were low, so low that when the invite from Visit Sweden arrived, I almost sent a polite "thanks but no thanks" reply. "Come and ride in Sweden's Dalsland region," it read. "Never heard of it!" I thought.

But my desire to visit Sweden meant the opportunity was too good to pass up, even if this was the umpteenth different region in Europe claiming to be the next gravel destination. So it was that in early June I found myself riding along endless, rolling gravel roads through luscious green forests, past crystal clear lakes, and eating a meal in a campsite that would put a double Michelin star chef to shame. The list of things I loved about Sweden was about to become more tangible and much longer.

Gloriously green