Beautiful Cycling Along the Gulf of Bothnia

The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost extension of the Baltic Sea. Sweden is on the west and Finland on the east, and the two countries meet at the northern edge of this body of water. It is 450 miles long (from south to north) and 50-150 miles wide.

When we began planning our Scandinavia bike trip 6-8 months ago, we hoped to bike from Stockholm to Helsinki by traveling around the entire Gulf of Bothnia. We had to abandon this route when we realized that the northernmost part is so sparsely populated that the distances between hotels became too far apart, more than the maximum of about 70 miles that we're willing to bike in a day. So, instead, our route takes us up to Umea, Sweden, a little more than halfway up the Gulf. We then then take a ferry across the Gulf to Vassa, Finland, after which we head southeast to Helsinki.

We've been biking up along the Gulf for the past two days (Monday and Tuesday). Even at this southern part of the Gulf, towns and services are fairly sparse, so there are few places for us to take breaks and to have lunch. The scenery has been wonderful, with quiet roads through forests, farmland, and picturesque towns. Our overnight stops were nice, moderate-sized towns with a choice of dining spots: Gavle (population 71,000) on Monday and Soderhamn (population 12,000) on Tuesday.

Map of the Gulf of Bothnia


Scenery on Monday and Tuesday

Riverside homes with decks, in Gavle


Lunch and Rest Stops

Lunch on Monday

Lunch on Tuesday

Mid-morning rest stop on Tuesday. We prefer a place with cold drinks and WiFi, but this was the best place we could find to take a break. Carol is checking her email.