On a well-travelled route to wintry Sweden
SetraWorld Magazine

On a well-travelled route to wintry Sweden

On the road to Idre in Sweden with the ComfortClass 500.

Scandinavia as a fashionable destination in winter: in Idre, the most popular snow-sport arena in Sweden, travel company Rucksack Reisen offers cross-country skiing, dog sledding, snow-shoe hikes and lots more. From Hamburg, we travel with the Setra S 516 HD via Denmark and Gothenburg to central Sweden.

From the top of Idre Fjäll, a perfect covering of snow spreads out in all directions to the horizon. To the south is the frozen Njupeskär, the highest waterfall in Sweden. To the north is the start of the ascent to the 1,131-metre-high Städjan. In between there are typical pine forests, where, according to the Swedes, Father Christmas lives. Jultomten would certainly find it peaceful here: queues for lifts or ski hire are nowhere to be seen in Idre, and neither is the hustle and bustle of après-ski. Now and then a Sámi crosses the path on a snowmobile with his herd of reindeer. And sometimes it takes several days before the tour hikers meet another person in the central-Swedish outback.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

Winter sports fans and nature lovers, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are increasingly choosing Scandinavia as a travel destination.

“One of the most experienced providers of this rustic winter holiday is Rucksack Reisen from Münster.”

Here, in the Dalarna province on the border to Norway, you are in the middle of the great, white open. Winter sports fans, who are looking for relaxation and recreation, are therefore increasingly choosing Scandinavia. One of the most experienced providers of this rustic winter holiday is Rucksack Reisen from Münster. Their camp in Idre has space for over 40 holiday guests and provides a very Nordic combination of activities: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snow-shoe hiking, ski hiking, dog sledge rides, snowmobile trips, ice fishing, horse riding and sauna are all on offer. “Not only this winter has there been better snow in Sweden than in the Alps,” says Rucksack marketing director Klaus Lange: “What is more, ski passes and equipment hire are cheaper.”

Among those travelling is Hans Jörg Fritz, an absolute snow and mountain expert. The mountain guide from Hall in Tyrol has done winter sports since childhood and has now discovered the Swedish provinces of Lapland and Dalarna. “I appreciate this wonderful vastness on the high plains, the trips where you cook outside and can see the Northern Lights in spring,” says Hans Jörg, who is at the camp for ski hiking. “Because the ecological aspect is also important to me, I can imagine taking such a coach tour more often.”

The Idre winter camp in Sweden offers a variety of sporting options

The Idre winter camp in Sweden offers a variety of sporting options. The carrier LippeBus with a Setra S 516 HD in the ComfortClass 500 ensured a relaxed journey from Hamburg.

The Idre winter camp in Sweden offers a variety of sporting options

The Idre winter camp in Sweden offers a variety of sporting options. The carrier LippeBus with a Setra S 516 HD in the ComfortClass 500 ensured a relaxed journey from Hamburg.

The Idre winter camp in Sweden offers a variety of sporting options

The journey starts nearly every Friday evening between December and April from the central bus station in Hamburg. As the carrier, Rucksack Reisen has been working with LippeBus for ten years. The company from Ascheberg in the Münsterland region predominantly relies on Setra in its coach fleet of 12 vehicles. Today, the ComfortClass Setra 516 HD model will take us to Sweden. The most important equipment feature on the outward journey lasting over 17 hours: the 53 very comfortable reclining seats. What is more, the high-decker has a large storage compartment for the ski equipment and the provisions for the winter camp. The wheel is shared by Detlev Nowacks and Dirk Kosemund, two experienced drivers through Sweden. “Welcome on board. The most important thing first: we all call each other ‘du’ (informal German for ‘you’) here,” says Kosemund over the on-board microphone. “We want you to feel at home. That is why we are travelling with one of the best coaches on the market, a Setra. Not least because it comes with outstanding safety and comfort equipment.”

On the road to Idre in Sweden with the ComfortClass 500

“With Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Brake Assist and Lane Assist, these long night drives have become much safer and more pleasant.”

Dirk Kosemund

From Hamburg the 516 HD rolls towards Puttgarden in the sunset, where the first of two short ferry crossings begins. After 45 minutes on the Prinsesse Benedikte, we pass the Danish border crossing in Rødby. The route then continues via Copenhagen on to Helsingør, from where we cross to the picturesque Swedish port of Helsingborg. After arriving around midnight, there is still a long 880 kilometres northwards to go. Whilst Nowacks drives the coach along the pitch-black E45 main road, Dirk Kosemund explains how the safety equipment on the Setra 516 HD makes life easier for the driver: “With Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Brake Assist and Lane Assist, these long night drives have become much safer and more pleasant.”

The next morning, we finally arrive in Idre at 400 metres above sea level, with temperatures around zero. Despite the night journey, the travellers are well rested and fortify themselves in the camp’s main building with a hearty breakfast. They then make their way straight to the sports shop to hire equipment for the cross-country skiing lesson on the camp’s training circuit. In the meantime, another group is preparing for the return leg to Hamburg. After a “great and strenuous week” with challenging husky tours, Martine Koch from Hameln is looking forward to the return trip on the very comfortable coach.

LippeBus managing director Martin Schöttler also agrees: “For long-distance travel, the Setra coaches, above all the 500 series, are very reliable and well equipped. Just as important as this product quality for us is the well-developed service network provided by EvoBus, in which Setra’s high customer focus can be seen.” Because tighter requirements apply in the Scandinavian winter. As country roads and motorways are seldom spread with salt, the roads in winter are covered with a tightly packed layer of snow. Without first-class winter tyres and snow chains for an emergency, such a tour would be reckless.

Guests like Martine Koch and Hans Jörg Fritz are typical of the clientele of Rucksack Reisen. They appreciate experiencing nature and the environmentally and uncomplicated outward journey in the comfortable coach. They are thus in line with current trends: Rucksack Reisen has already been awarded the Golden Palm several times by Geo Saison magazine and won the Travel Award from the Scandinavian travel magazine Nordis for the winter camp in Idre. That is why Klaus Lange and Martin Schöttler are already planning for the next winter season. What is already certain is that the transfer to Sweden will be assumed once again by a vehicle predestined for the purpose: the Setra 516 HD operated by LippeBus.

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