Jokkmokk

1 story · 1 publicationRSS

The GuardianSep 9, 2026

Europe’s wildest pilgrimage route: a trek through the mountains of north-west Sweden

A remote 18th-century chapel deep in Sami lands is the goal of the Präststigen, a 37-mile trail that traverses some of the country’s most spectacular scenery I wasn’t exactly in “Sunday best”, but I had made some effort. Well, I’d changed my underwear for the first time in a couple of days and given myself a baby-wipe bath. Still, as we filed into the chapel at Alkavare, I felt more a member of…

15 things in this story
  • Laponia AdventuresPlaceLocal guiding operator offering new group trips
  • Elsewhere
  • PräststigenTrailKvikkjokk, Sweden37-mile route from Kvikkjokk to Alkavare chapel
  • Alkavare chapelSightKvikkjokk, SwedenRemote 18th-century chapel in Sami lands
  • Sarek national parkSightKvikkjokk, SwedenOver 100 glaciers, six peaks above 2,000 metres and no marked trails.
  • Kungsleden trailTrailKvikkjokk, SwedenMore famous trail with scant sections in Sarek
  • SápmiNeighborhoodKvikkjokk, SwedenSami word for Laponia area, also refers to themselves
  • Sakkat lakeSightKvikkjokk, SwedenLake crossed by boat to reach the trailhead
  • BårddetjåhkkåSightKvikkjokk, SwedenCloud-covered summit with an observatory built in 1911
  • VállevággePlaceKvikkjokk, SwedenValley hiked through deeper into Sarek
  • Priest’s PathTrailKvikkjokk, SwedenGuidebook by Hans Fowelin, only published in Swedish
  • Linnaeus’s trailTrailKvikkjokk, SwedenFirst part of Priest’s trail, visited by Carl Linnaeus
  • Alggajavvre lakeSightKvikkjokk, SwedenGlacial blue lake near Alkavare chapel
  • Miellätno riverSightKvikkjokk, SwedenRiver crossed using rowing boats left by park rangers
  • Padjelanta national parkSightKvikkjokk, SwedenPark just over the border from Sarek
  • otillgänglighetspunktenSightKvikkjokk, SwedenSweden's point furthest from any road or town
Read the full piece at The Guardian →
↑↓ to navigate · Enter to open · Esc to close