The longest day of the year is almost here, and nobody makes more of the summer solstice than Sweden and Finland, who both mark it with a public holiday.
In Sweden, especially in the one sixth of the country lying north of the Arctic circle, the sun’s refusal to set is a welcome polar opposite to midwinter’s plunge into bitter coldness and round the clock darkness.
The end of June is the lightest time of all, the northern latitude making for an extreme and magical lighting phenomena where even the witching hour passes in a mystical half-light.
The weekend nearest to the official longest day sends the Nordic people from towns and cities to country cottages, campsites and marinas. There, on 24 June 2005 they celebrate Midsummer’s Eve.
Festival goers gather around a maypole for traditional games, song and dance, before enjoying a dinner of potatoes and pickled herring followed by fresh strawberries and schnapps.
Popular resorts are the islands Oeland and Gotland, the Stockholm archipelago, outside Bohuslaen on the west coast, and above all, the province of Dalarna (Dalecarlia).
While tourists enjoy the spectacle of the white Nordic lights, the natives put a midsummer night’s gleam to more practical use – squeezing as many festivities and outdoor pursuits as possible into the 24-hour daylight.
Hiking, white-water rafting and climbing are popular night time activities from May through August, high peaks and furious rapids making for adrenaline-charged vantage points from which to experience the midnight sun in all its glory.
For more information on midsummer breaks to Sweden visit www.visit-sweden.com.
Photos: www.imagebank.sweden.se copyright Goeran Assner (hikers), Patrick Traeghaerdt (shooting the rapids/sunset), Henrik Trygg (climber) and Tomas Utsi (sun through trees). Please note Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
Top five summer adventures for Scandinavia's longest days
Hiking
To enjoy the course of the sun across hundreds of miles of mountain scenery, the Swedes aim to reach the top of Kebnekaise, their highest peak, by midnight.
Skiing
Whizzing down the slopes in shorts and T-shirt at midnight is a classic pursuit enjoyed in Europe’s northernmost resort in Riksgraensen.
White-water rafting
Extreme rafters head to Gevsjoestroemmarna for Sweden’s steepest navigatable stretches of water with its fabled six-metre drop.
Climbing
Experienced climbers enjoy the isolation of Sarek’s undisturbed wilderness and classic peaks; Stora Sjoefallet National Park in Lapland attracts those after ice falls.
Activity Holidays
Those pursuing gentler activities head to family resorts in the Swedish mountains like Idre Fjaell, where visitors can jog, swim and go river rafting.
