Chasing The Midnight Sun – Graveling on the longest days in Scandinavia

It’s quarter to twelve at night and the light is that same color you normally expect around eight o’clock in the evening. Soft, warm, a bit golden. We’re driving on a narrow gravel path between two lakes and no one is looking at their watch. That’s the effect of the midnight sun: you lose all sense of time. Around the summer solstice, at the end of June, the sun doesn’t set until after half past eleven in southern Sweden and it rises again around half past four. In between, the sky remains a kind of permanent twilight. In Finland, at the height of Lahti, you have about 19 hours of direct daylight. That means: no hurry, no lights, no pressure to be back before dark. Gravel in Finland or Sweden during the Midnight Sun is a wonderful option to do in the summer.

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Dalsland – Sweden in miniature

If you have to choose one region for your first Scandinavian gravel trip, then Dalsland an option. The province lies north of Gothenburg, towards the Norwegian border, and is known as “Sweden in miniature”: forests, hills, more than 2,000 lakes, and hundreds of kilometers of unpaved roads that wind through it all.

The underpass is predominantly hardpack gravel, wide enough for two bikes side by side, but narrow enough to give the feeling of riding somewhere where very few people come. That’s true too. After 30 km you think: this is a good ride. And then you get that Dalsland climb where you just have to get out of the saddle for a moment. A 55 km round could easily add up to 900 meters of elevation gain.

For those who want to stay longer: the Union members is a 350 km route that connects Moss in Norway with Karlstad in Sweden, right through the heart of Dalsland. Ideal for a week of bikepacking. And then there is the annual Dalsland Gravel Race (mid-September), with distances of 40 to 320 km for those who want it a bit more competitive. Late evening driving is possible. Traffic is then gone, the lights are soft, and you have the surroundings to yourself.

Overnight stay in Dalsland: bike-friendly accommodations on this map

Below you will find accommodations in Dalsland; the bike-friendly hotels are highlighted with a separate label.

Småland – red houses and strawberry cake

Småland Sweden is the postcard version of it. Red wooden houses, white windowsills, blooming meadows. Astrid Lindgren grew up here. The terrain is hilly. It feels like the Sweden you have always imagined. Red wooden houses, endless forests and lakes that pop up everywhere between the trees. It is the region where Astrid Lindgren set her stories, and you can still feel that when you cycle along the winding gravel roads past places like Vimmerby, Mariannelund and Bullerbyn. Here, gravel biking is not just about speed, but about experiencing the landscape itself.

What makes gravel in Småland special is the combination of endless gravel roads, car-free routes and terrain that constantly floods with light. The roads lead you through deep forests, past clear lakes and over the Småland plateau, where climbing and descending alternate naturally. The area was not named the best gravel bike trail in Sweden for nothing: the variety is vast, the trails are excellently maintained and the sense of freedom is omnipresent everywhere.

Around Hestraviken And Isaberg is a mix of hilly asphalt and forest gravel. Nice loops like the Bäckhultsleden (forest, climbing) and the Stora Sjöleden (lakes, something flatter). If you prefer to drive along the coast? Then it's Västervik archipelago an option: hopping around the island by bike and ferry.

Småland is also the place where fika is a kind of natural law. Coffee, cinnamon bread, bench by the water. “Should we have one more fika?” the question arises. Around midsummer, the Swedish strawberries are at their best, because the long days provide extra sugar. Serve them on a strawberry cake. Tasty meal!

Lahti – fast gravel roads, ski trails, rollercoaster

Then Finland. Lahti is located 100 km north of Helsinki and has grown into the epicentre of European gravel, thanks in part to FNLD GRVL, The event that F1 driver Valtteri Bottas co-founded.

The area around Lahti revolves around fast, tight gravel over former cross-country ski trails. Wide, continuous, with a surface that seems made for speed. But those short, steep rollers ruin you if you start too hard. The terrain is deceptively flat at first glance, but your legs know better after 80 km.

In Lahti: you drive in a setting built for winter sports, and you can feel it. Wide tracks through pine forests, hardly any traffic,

Lake Lakeland Finland – the green rollercoaster

Further north and east, it opens up Finnish Merengebied present as a network of more than 1,100 km of bikepacking trails. The region around Saimaa It is the heart: bridges, pontoons, beach after beach.

Of Puumala Archipelago Route (60 km) is highly recommended: steep climbs interspersed with views over the lake that make you stop for a moment. The Green Gold Gravel Loop It continues to move northwards and requests wider tires, 45-50 mm, because the ground is becoming softer.

And then there’s swimming. The routes are designed so that you rarely spend more than a few minutes away from a lake. Bring a towel, a micro-lock for the bike, ready. “First sauna, then food,” someone says. That seems to be the order here. After a day on the bike: heat and cold water for recovery.

Rituals and customs

Midsommar (Sweden) and Juhannus (Finland) are more than just a kind of festival. There are rituals involved that fit surprisingly well with a bike trip.

Just to give you an example: pick seven different wildflowers on a midsummer evening, lay them under your pillow, and you are said to dream about your future partner. The condition: you must be silent during the picking. Some traditions even require you to climb over seven fences. We’ll skip that part (after all, we have our clickers under our shoes).

In Finland, everything revolves around the sauna. On Juhannus Day, a vulture Used, a bundle of fresh birch twigs with which you gently massage yourself. The effect: better blood circulation, clean skin, and the whole room smells like summer. That’ll hit differently.

Practical: What you need to know about graveling in the Midsummer Night

Both Sweden and Finland know about it. right to wander: Right of all people to vote (SE) and Right of the unemployed (FI). You are allowed to cycle, hike and camp overnight in most areas. The rule is simple: don't disturb or damage the environment.

Furthermore: take a sleep mask along with me (that light doesn't go out), mosquito spray (July is peak season), and do a daily text check if you’ve been driving through tall grass. A small light set is also smart. Midnight sun isn’t a full midday sun; it’s dusk, and cars see you less well than you think. Also consider these things on your Packing list

Have you driven around in Scandinavia during midsummer? We’d love to hear where, which routes, and whether you have a fika or sauna first. Drop your tips!