South West Sweden

The bulk of the West Coast archipelago is north of Gothenburg. There are a few interesting islands and an inland route going south, but largely the skerries peter out about 10 miles south of Gothenburg, and the coast becomes somewhat hilly albeit rather plain. There a few ‘away-from-it-all’ dormitory marinas, (we stopped at Lerkil), but then little interest until you get to the ferry port and surprisingly large town of Varberg. South of Varberg is Falkenburg and then eventually Helsingborg – just across the water from Denmark.

An overnight stop about 20 miles from Gothenburg, but don’t go expecting nightlife. The marina is really a dormitory for west coast residents, and apart from a cafe/shop, there is not much here. On the plus side however, there is a Watski dealer and a thriving boatyard.

There are a couple of shallow patches on the entrance to Varberg, so its well worth going up to the channel bouy before turning. The rather dull harbour hides an intertesting and surprisingly large town. The harbour is to starboard of the ferry port, and once past the marina (for locals only), the inner harbour pool is for guests. In high season boats cram in to a stern anchor, but in other times you can lie alongside the quay. Water and Electricity are in short supply, and the showers are a long walk round the harbour from the moorings on the Port side. Ferries run from here twice a day to Grenaa in Denmark.

There are a number of craft workshops at the end of the marina, and the Trädgården shopping mall, incorporating a Konsum supermarket, is about 5 minutes walk (There is a much better ICA at the other end of the town), as is the railway station. The town, just beyond the supermarket, is built on the grid principle round a large square (markets on some days), but the grid is much less in evidence than elsewhere. There are a broad range of resturants (at least 20) catering for all tastes, and plenty of shops.

Right by the harbour is a strange building looking like a cross between the Taj Mahal and the Brighton Pavillion - it turns out to be an open air swimming pool. Also adjacent is the imposing Varberg Castle, which dates from 1588, and is now a museum.

About 5km south of Varberg is the village of Träslövsläge, with its own large marina.