Swede sensation

It's probably a fair assumption to say that most of you reading this did not head, or even consider heading, north-east for your summer holidays this year, or indeed any other year.

Obviously most Brits head south, west or east, and whether it's to the Med, the States, or maybe further afield, you can be sure it's somewhere warm.

Surely only the brave, or stupid, would head in a direction where, you would think (wrongly), the chances of good weather are even less likely - if that is possible - than found in a Great British Summer.

But consider the benefits: no nasty jabs to protect you against a catalogue of tropical ailments; no bouts of Benidorm Belly, or any of its many variations; and considerably less chance of a serious case of sunburn.

But that is not all Sweden has to offer. Great beaches, wide-open spaces, historic towns and vibrant, cosmopolitan cities are among its attractions. Western Europe's third-largest country, it has 25,000 protected Iron Age graveyards and burial mounds, 24 national parks, nine Unesco World Heritage Sites and 10,000km of trekking and cycle paths. And no, it's not that expensive - we found that most things are the same price, or even cheaper, than goods in England, petrol included.

We got there on the convenient DFDS car ferry from Newcastle, which takes about 25 hours to reach Gothenburg, via Christiansand, in Norway.

Anticipating high food prices on board, we took our own food for the crossing, and, despite growing more than a little sick of cheese and tomato sandwiches by the end of the voyage, were glad we did so.

The assorted restaurants and cafes on the ship serve everything from sandwiches to gourmet food, and were indeed a bit pricey, particularly if, like us, you are on a tight budget. If you have the cash to splash out, you can pay a not unreasonable £20 for a three-course meal in the la carte restaurant.

On the return trip, sick to the back teeth of sarnies, we shelled out for a plate of fish and chips (£4-ish) to share, but took them back and demanded our money back because they were, at best lukewarm.

Otherwise, both voyages were pleasant. There is plenty to do on board, although having our seven-month-old daughter Ella with us excluded us from enjoying the cinemas, (older) kids' play areas, casino, nightclub, pubs, bars and swimming pool.

The cabin accommodation, with en suite shower and toilet, was basic, but clean and comfortable, and if you think of the trip as a means of transport, rather than a cruise, it certainly beats the train, a coach or a long drive to the continent.

DFDS can also arrange you accommodation in Scandinavia, be it camping, city hotels, touring holidays, or cottage holidays. Our "cottage", situated a stone's throw from the beach near the town of Bstad (don't laugh) turned out to be a well-off Swedish family's holiday home, complete with four bedrooms.

It boasted a marble-esque tiled floor, floor-to-ceiling windows along two walls of the living room, and the type of dining table with high-backed chairs favoured by evil despots plotting to take over the world in Bond movies.

The view over the bay was fantastic, and we enjoyed some sensational sunsets.

Because the west coast of Sweden was unfortunately being battered by unseasonable wet weather during our week there, it also provided a vantage point for watching some impressive storms.

One day we were even treated to Malteser-sized hail, but the weather is not always so British: anyone visiting the area in the weeks before or after us would have enjoyed temperatures in the 80s. We have just found out that this summer was the hottest and sunniest in Sweden for the last 150 years. The only two bad weeks were the ones when we were there.

The west coast is popular with Swedes from elsewhere in the country, but isn't really geared to mass tourism, which, I would argue, is a good thing. It's more the sort of place where you make your own fun if the weather is not conducive to sitting on the beach, and we spent our days relaxing, exploring the villages, towns and cities in the area, and trying to keep baby Ella entertained.

Our final two days were spent in Gothenburg. It's a great city - picturesque, clean, lively, safe, with lots to do - and we could have spent much more time there. It is one of a number of DFDS's city cruise break destinations.

We spent most of the day at the city centre Liseberg amusement park, which is the most visited tourist attraction in the country. It costs about £3 to get in, and you then pay per ride (a pass giving you unlimited rides for a day costs about £16), although children under seven are admitted free. A cross between a traditional fun fair and Alton Towers, it boasts one of the scariest rollercoasters imaginable, the Hangover.

A local friend had warned me that at weekends queues for rides were some-times "as long as 15 minutes", which is about what you'd have to wait on a quiet wet Wednesday at somewhere like Disneyworld.

For those who prefer intellectual stimulation to adrenaline rushes, there is the Gothenburg Opera, housed in the ultra-modern Opera House, and the Museum of Fine Art, as well as a long list of smaller museums and galleries. If you are luckier than we were with the weather, take a boat trip through the Gothenburg archipelago, which is made up of about 100 islands and is stunningly beautiful.

Sweden is not an obvious holiday destina-tion - and indeed the vast majority of passengers on the ferry in both directions were Scandinavians visiting, or returning from the UK, and not Brits - but if you are growing bored of your annual package holiday to the Med, you may be pleasantly surprised.

In fact, we like it so much we are now living in Sweden.

Updated: 15:38 Friday, September 27, 2002