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Our journey starts at Northern Soul Journeys, surrounded by deep woodlands and waterways. Our route along Beaver creek starts further north still, so after a short drive to the launch point we’ll set off into the wilds as we carve our way through a rarely used waterway. After a days travel we’ll establish a fly camp and spend the night one an island in the lake. From we travel the next morning to our Summerland camp, where a full day learning a suite of bushcraft inspired expedition skills from foraging to craft projects begins. We then make our along the second half of our journey to the sea, now as the waterways open into several lakes connected by creeks we explore an ecosystem that is unknown here in the UK. The final leg of the trip sees our creek join a much larger and slow flowing river which will take us to our final night on the trip, at a traditional Swedish sauna.
Canoeing through the tranquil creeks in northern Sweden offers an experience like no other, where the rich woodlands embrace you on both sides far from the tourist tracks. As you paddle gently along the meandering waters, the serenity of the landscape is punctuated by the calls of distant wildlife and the rustle of leaves. Your specialist guides lead the way, ensuring not only safety but also enriching your understanding of the unique ecosystem around you. Each day leads to a new wild camping spot beneath a canopy of mixed leaves, where the crackle of a fire and the scent of spruce create a comforting ambience. This journey is a harmonious blend of adventure, effort, and tranquillity, allowing for a deeper connection to nature and the allure of the great outdoors.
Embarking on a canoe trip through Sweden’s backwoods offers a unique opportunity to deepen your connection with nature. By integrating bushcraft skills into your journey, we’ll can develop your personal ability to thrive in this environment, ensuring safety and bolstering your adventure. Learn to identify edible plants along the way, build a fire for warmth and cooking, and craft essential tools from natural materials. With a knowledge of navigation and foraging, you can confidently explore waterways and woods we’re travelling through. Embrace the art of living harmoniously with the environment, making your Swedish canoe trip not only a physical journey but a transformative one, steeped in the traditions of bushcraft.
The whole area is a wildlife haven and the canoe is the perfect way to get close to some of Sweden’s forest occupants; Nestled within the captivating landscapes of northern Sweden lies a realm teeming with remarkable wildlife. From the majestic moose roaming the dense forests to the elusive capercaillie foraging in the undergrowth, this region offers a truly inspiring experience for nature enthusiasts. As you venture into the heart of this Nordic wilderness, the sighting of a towering moose, its impressive antlers silhouetted against the backdrop of towering pines, is a moment of pure awe. These gentle giants, adapted to the harsh climate, graze peacefully, a testament to the delicate balance of this ecosystem. The birdlife of northern Sweden is equally captivating, with the graceful flight of the majestic golden eagle soaring overhead, and the melodic calls of the Siberian jay echoing through the trees. The opportunity to witness these avian wonders in their untamed environment is a true delight for the senses. Exploring the pristine lakes and rivers of this region also offers the chance to spot the elusive Eurasian beaver, its industrious dam-building activities shaping the landscape and providing a vital habitat for countless other species.
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DAY 1 - Launch at Beaver Creek north of Northern Soul Journeys, flat water paddling skills to an island camp
DAY 2 - Continue along the journey to arrive at a lakeside camp.
DAY 3-4 - Basecamp choose your adventure phase, bushcraft and expedition skills training
DAY 5 - Open water canoeing and paddling, poling, lining skills, join the main river. Moving water paddling. Camp at a riverside cabin/ sauna.
DAY 6 - Morning of paddling along the main river to our final lunch spot to close the trip!
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Canoe trip planning
Loading a canoe & gear shakedown
Flat water paddling skills; strokes and trim
Moving water skills; strokes, route choice
Expedition canoe skills; poling, snubbing, lining, tracking & portaging
Bushcraft for the canoe journey
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Firelighting masterclass
Tree and plant ID & edible, medicinal and utilitarian uses.
Fungi: identify edible and poisonous species and how to cook
Fishing techniques: rod and line
Cookery techniques: preparing and smoking fish, reflector oven cookery, breads.
Wildlife tracking: identify animal tracks and signs.
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Carving: Craft your own single piece canoe paddle from locally sourced Spruce, under guidance and tuition from the team. Paddle the remained of the journey with your paddle. Prior experience with an axe and mocotaugan is recommended.
Survival Scenario: During the 48 hour basecamp phase you can test your skills with a personalised survival experience. Your guides will hold off on any further explanation until the time comes, where what you carry inside will count for more than what’s in your gear. Full commitment has its rewards.
Forage basket making and forage walk: Spend a day learning to make a basket from forest materials, ready for a day walking with Jeremias to a local beauty spot foraging along the way.
Solo: And of course, if you’re ideal scenario is to spend two days hanging in a hammock, fishing, whittling, swimming… we’re in an incredible place with all of nature to occupy you’re every desire. You can choose to simply ‘be’.
DETAILS:
Travel and arrival - Detailed joining instructions will be sent out to you well in advance of the expedition.
You will need to make your own way to Lulea, Sweden. Mostly we find our participants enjoy flying in a day or so ahead of the trip to see Lulea and spend some time in the town.
We will collect everyone from Lulea via minibus at 9am on Day 1 and drive you to the trip start point of the trip. This journey is around an hours drive.
Accommodation - All canoe wild camping.
Food and Drink - This expedition is catered with food provided for breakfasts and evening meals. Food will be typical canoe camping fayre. We take our catering seriously and we aim to make the food one of the highlights of the trip. We can cater to vegetarians and some medical intolerances but vegans and more unusual food requirements can be tricky when group cooking. We are always happy to chat about this before booking. You will need to bring your own lunches and snacks.
Weather/conditions - Sweden at the time of year can be changeable, warm days with cold nights. Please make sure you read the kit list thoroughly.
Age requirements - 18+.
Fitness/ability - You need a basic level of fitness to attend this expedition. No previous canoeing experience is necessary, although you may get more from the course if you have completed a taster session. We suggest that being able to walk 5km at least each day is a good minimum bench mark. Some days we will be paddling 10km or so, which while not particularly strenuous, can make some muscles ache a bit if not conditioned. We want you to enjoy the expedition so please contact us with any questions on this.
Payment - To book we will take a 25% non returnable deposit with the balance due 10 weeks before the expedition start date. See our full Terms and Conditions.
Insurance - We have comprehensive liability insurance and risk assessments. We strongly suggest that you have your own travel insurance policy that covers your kit and yourself for the planned travel and activity plans.
First Aid/Medical - The leaders are experienced in remote first aid. We will carry a comprehensive expedition first aid kit and Garmin Inreach device for emergencies. Please bring with you plenty of any required personal medication.
Kit List
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(If you have your own of any of the following and would like to bring it please feel free)
Personal floatation device
Paddles
Canoes
Cooking equipment
Water filters
Group shelter
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You are limited to one day-pack per person no bigger than 45 liters, with extra kit stored in a portage pack no bigger than 100 litres. This is to ensure we have nice, balanced boats and space to be comfortable as we travel.
Personal kit should be packed into durable dry-bags (Ortlieb or Exped make good ones), vital items to be double bagged i.e. sleeping gear, dry clothes.
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Items to be kept in a small rucksack, the idea is this pack will contain anything you might need during the day without you having to open your overnight gear pack whilst travelling. On ordinary rucksack is fine for this.
Brew kit- mug, spoon, tea/coffee/hot chocolate etc (a small camping stove is a useful extra)
Waterproofs: jacket and trousers
Head-torch and spare batteries
Water bottle
Wooly Hat
Flask for hot water/ hot drink
Small First aid kit- plasters, painkillers, steri-wipes etc (should fit in a trouser pocket).
Toilet kit- tissues, hand sanitizer, lighter, wet-wipes
Sun-cream and insect repellent - Smidge or something with deet in it works.
Sunglasses
Midge head net - The ones by Smidge are good - most others have mesh sizes too large.
DITCH KIT (inside its own dedicated dry bag within your day pack)
Good warm thick jacket/fleece
Thick woolly hat
Warm glovesWarm Buff/ scarf
Good thermal base-layer top
Chocolate bar
Orange survival bag
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This kit should be stowed in a portage pack.
Warm Sleeping bag-in its own dry bag
Sleeping mat
Tent/tarp/hammock
A full set of warm, dry clothes for the end of the day.
Waterproof socks/ warm socks
Camp shoes ( old trainers or lightweight boots area ideal)
Wash kit: toothbrush/paste, soap, small towel as minimum
Spectacles/contact lenses/spares
Plate/bowl and eating utensils
One luxury item-a book, MP3 player, etc
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Knee Protection - canoe kneeling pad or soft, comfortable knee pads.
Waterproof whistle to be carried on your person.
A fixed blade knife - Mora knives are perfect.
Canoeing footwear that will get wet - old trainers are fine, some folks like neoprene booties.
Meet the Team
JD has been delivering canoe expeditions since 2017 when he launched the Long Water trip with Robin Heath. Since then he’s led several trips every year and shared his joy of journeying with customers from all walks of life.
Combining bushcraft with canoe trips is one of JD’s favourite outdoor endeavours, and helping to up-skill clients in their own pursuit of adventure have become a firm drive for all the tours at Howl.
JD relished the opportunity to lead canoe expeditions in Sweden with his colleagues, finding joy in the serene landscapes and the camaraderie that happens along the way. Navigating the tranquil waters, we share stories and laughter, and are strengthened by the challenges of the journey. For JD, each expedition became not just a test of skill and teamwork, but also a chance to foster connections in an environment that encouraged both adventure and reflection.
Honing these skills over 16 years of bushcraft instruction created a desire to gain validity in what he was passing on to students and is reflected in the significant amount of time both living and teaching these skills in the context of wilderness travel and training courses.
‘’Throughout my career as a bushcraft instructor and expedition guide, I have had a growing sense of the importance to convey authenticity in the skills I would be passing on to others. I strive for honesty by teaching only from direct experience and immersing myself in a bushcraft lifestyle. I try to practice what I preach.’’
Adam recognised early on that a central tenet of bushcraft is an understanding of plants and their applications. This has led to a lifelong fascination with the uses of natural materials for outdoor living. Opting for wool blankets over sleeping bags, natural shelters instead of tents, wood fires in place of gas burners and wherever possible handmade clothing and equipment. This has helped to temper his instruction with a measure of realism.
Never truly satisfied with a short trip into the outdoors Adam has spent months at a time living in Sweden’s forests. Over three winter seasons he has cumulatively spent ten months living off grid in the Canadian bush. Working as an assistant snowshoe guide and instructor, he has covered more than 300 miles by snowshoe and moccasins in Ontario’s wilderness areas.
Born and raised in a small town of Sub-Arctic Sweden, the heart of the Boreal Forest, Jeremias has life long experience of the ins and outs of arctic living.
Since 2010 he has worked professionally, and trained, in the outdoor field as a guide with everything from dive guiding in Tenerife, Swedish Mountain leader qualification, Snowmobile guiding high above the arctic circle, skiing etc and since 2017 with sled dogs together with his wife and their own pack of Alaskan Huskies.
Still living on his homestead in the middle of the Boreal Forest he works with Nature and River restoration projects during the spring, summer and fall period, (as well as fishing and hunting) the forest is both his place of work and home.
Whether guiding dogmushing, snowshoeing or hiking he loves to show and teach folks from all over the world about the simple way of being out in, no matter the season.
