Barefoot running in Sweden

My recent trip to Sweden found me in Västerås for one night either side of our two day conference at Kaffala and each day I managed to squeeze in a run. Sweden is a very clean and well appointed country, very barefoot friendly - I could gladly live there if I had the means.

First the Kafalla pictures. Both the roads and forest tracks here are good for barefoot running. The aerial view summarizes the routes I took. Of particular interest is the red route which is a circuit beginning and ending at a primary school. It runs through a sparse forest and is a well made track with street-lighting all the way, and a teepee to boot. I just cannot imagine any entity in Ireland spending that sort of money just to give kids a safe but beautiful route to walk around. I enjoyed running it both days.

As always, click on an image to zoom in.

Kafalla environs

The left-hand map corresponds to the aerial view above

This is part of the red route, note the street-lamps!

More red route

Near bottom of blue route

Small hydro scheme rated 90kW at bottom of blue route

Kafalla lake

Crossing the river at top of yellow route

Bridge at same, heading east

Lichen on red route

Teepee on red route

The school where the red route begins and ends

The next pictures are from my runs in Enhagen-Ekbacken, Västerås which is a port on an extensive inland lake or waterway that links with Stockholm. Our hosts own a boat and sometimes make that trip.

Private jetty near to our hosts' house

A golf course adjacent to the road had no fence so I gladly enjoyed it

I wonder why people bother with golf when they could run barefoot here?

Most of the roads around here have well-kept generous cycle tracks

The lake