An Adventure Into The World's Best Pike Fishing Waters

The weather was typical for an autumn's day in Sweden. Blue sky, crisp air and total piece and quiet. The stage was set.

Our aluminium boat bobbed gentle from side to side causing the only audible sound for miles around. My guide for the day Hans had assured me that the spinner currently on my line was a good one. What did I know. They all looked the same to me. I just wanted to catch a large pike.

God, the environment here is just unbelievable! I found myself saying this over and over again. Stockholm’s inner archipelago is a hidden gem. I’ve heard it being said before and I’ve read a few articles on it but I could never imagine how beautiful it really was.

My reel was working over-time. I eagerly wound in the spinner at speed which was causing the fish line to jig around slightly as it headed in back towards the boat. “Just take it easy”, was the advice from Hans, who incidentally has caught some of Sweden’s largest Pike and featured in over 40 TV documentaries around the world. They were to be wise words.

I still had the remnants of a ham sandwich in my mouth when the my spinner suddenly snagged something. I flipped back on my rod and heard the distinct clicks of the reel. “What have I snagged now”, I thought as I began to turn the reel in some more. Wait a minute! I could actually feel something pulling the line.

I turned to look over my shoulder in the direction of my guide, only to notice he was in the process of landing what turned out to be a fairly large perch. “I think I might have caught something” I announced.

By now it was obvious that whatever I had caught was not going to be landed without a fight and what I fight it turned out to be. With instructions coming in loud from over my shoulder I struggled to bring the fish under control as the line whizzed out more than I was reeling it in.

I was lost in battle. So much so that I nearly fell out of the boat. If it was not for the rescue by an intervening arm I would have had an early bath. Damn this is beginning to be hard work. No wonder, the familiar shape of a pike momentarily broke the waters surface as it made another dive down under the boat. Wow that look big!

The net came to the rescue, as my guide lowered it into the water and instructed me to try and steer the pike into its direction. Easier said than done. I don’t think I’d even had time to swallow my sandwich in all the excitement.

“Take a look at that!” announced Hans, “That’s a beauty”. It sure was. I’d seen nothing that large in my life. You could have fit your head in its mouth! Weighing in at 9.4kg, it was the biggest fish I had ever caught.

It was one of three I caught that day and the icing on the cake of what was a wonderful day. No matter where you’ve fished before or your skill level, this is an experience not to be missed. The equipment was top notch the location was incredible and the fishing was great.

Thanks to my guide Hans for his patience and taking me to such a special place!

This package is available at www.ActivitiesInSweden.com

Dare To Experience A More Adventurous Conference Abroad Without Costing The Earth?

Conference and Team Building in Majestic Sweden

For decades Stockholm has been at the centre of the International Meetings Market, hosting many International Fairs and meetings and not forgetting the annual Nobel festivities, but has the full potential of this countries many unique benefits really been unearthed?

I’m sure the outdated view that Sweden is expensive, has had a major impact on its popularity in the past but not any more. In fact Sweden’s capital Stockholm, is now extremely affordable and can compete comfortably with all the major cities around Europe.

As an Englishman now living in Sweden, it really amazes me how little people know about this country and the potential life changing experiences it offers. Putting aside the fact that it’s the third largest country in western Europe with a population of only 9 million people and with few social and cultural tensions, Sweden is a highly modern and sophisticated country and widely acknowledge to be one of Europe’s most dynamic regions and a world leader in environmental issues.

The capital city of Stockholm rates favourably as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With is winding waterways surrounding the 14 island that make up this historic city, it’s truly breathtaking. Here you would quite rightly expect to find many world conference venue’s and you do but only a stones throw away from the city centre and out of sight of many of Sweden’s business visitors, are some real hidden gems that would not fail to impress the more adventurous planners amongst you.

So what makes Sweden such a unique prospect? Regular conferencing is an integral part of the majority of Swedish businesses and this is reflected in the amount of high quality venues the country has to offer. Now add to that the fact that Sweden is widely know as Europe’s Last Wilderness, with 450,000 km² of untouched wilderness, of which 53% is made up of forests and with over 227,000 lakes, you have the perfect recipe for a range of unique and beautiful venue locations, which are conducive to producing creative thought and ultimately conferencing.

The vast majority of these thought provoking venues benefit from secluded locations and 99% of them are located next to a lake and also surrounded by thick forests. Themes range from tradition Swedish castles to modern purpose built conference centres and all supply first class facilities and service.

To further challenge and bond your employees these venues can offer a fantastic range of team building activities, involving an effective mix of the surrounding countryside and the natural waterways, all of which are on your doorstep. The activities are always conducted by professional companies who are obliged to abide by strict eco-friendly rules and regulations, ensuring your activities do not burden the environment.

It’s a simple but successful formula the Swedes have developed by taking their employee’s away from their everyday surroundings and then to immerse them in a calm, relaxing and natural environment. In return their employee’s react in a more positive and creative manner, ready to learn new experiences and ultimately develop their personal skills.

Surprisingly, venues in Sweden offer all of these great benefits at rates low than that of London and many of the top European destinations. 24hr delegate rates start from around £95 per head and even at that price you’ll be getting a high quality experience, rivalling anything you’ve experienced in the past. I challenge you to ask anyone who has been to Sweden, did their visit turnout to be a positive and profound experience, the answer is always YES!

Better still, since the introduction of the budget airlines, getting here has never been easier or cheaper. With daily flights from many European destinations airlines such as Ryanair, Stirling & Whizzair have now opened up a whole new world of affordable and accessible travel. Offering flights from as little as £30 return, there’s never been a better time to sample a more adventurous conference or meeting.

I’ll leave you now to ponder over the overwhelming facts that Sweden truly is a unique and adventurous prospect for an overseas meeting destination. I sincerely hope you’ll consider Sweden for your next meeting. If you’re already interested in looking into this further, we’ve a selection of fantastic venues chosen for their USP’s within the international market and whom have added a selection of addition benefits for booking your meeting through us. You can view them at select-meetings.com

Happy conferencing!

Useful links:

VisitSweden.com

Stockholmtown.com

Kiruna, in Sweden's Winter Lapland

1300km North of Stockholm lies the city of Kiruna. With a population just 20,000 it sits in the middle of Norrlands wilderness. Built around a mining community at the end of the 1800's the city was designed with the time's foremost experts with architecture and community planning. Kiruna was the first Swedish community with a city planned around the climate. The streets were designed to follow the terrain in an irregular pattern in order to curb the Arctic winds. The city is also built on the side of a mountain, which means higher temperatures. Despite its northerly location the city centre
temperature rarely drops below -20.

During the winter months the city is plunged into darkness as the sun barely gets chance to show itself. Even so, the city is far from dark. A combination of the moon & stars reflecting off the snow give a beautiful glow to Kiruna and not forgetting the extraordinary Northern Lights which crackle across a cloudless evening sky.

Just an hour and half's drive away is the Abisko Mountain Station considered as the best place on earth to view the Northern Lights. With its fresh clean air and its practically cloud free skies the conditions for seeing the lights are optimal. More or less aurora occurs every night but to detect it the skies have to be dark. The period from September to March is best time of year.

Kiruna is also home to the unique Ice Hotel which gets rebuilt year after from the ice of the local Torne river. With its ice sculptures and fine works of art the Ice Hotel is truly an experience that should not be missed.

Snow and ice are a big feature in Kiruna and there's plenty of it! Families seeking snow, Santa Claus and winter activities need look no further, as the city caters well for people wanting to make the most of this unique and snowy landscape. With a large range of activities ranging from dog sledging, snowmobile tours, cross country skiing, wild moose safari's, northern light tours, hunting, ice fishing, ice sculpting & the Ice hotel to mention but a few, there's really something of interest for everyone!

This is also true of Kiruna's accommodation with many interesting types available. As well as a good choice of comfortable hotels and guest houses, Kiruna also offers a choice of original and exclusive ideas such as the Ice Hotel, Wilderness cabins, lodges, igloos and traditional wig wams.

The city centre also offers a good selection of shops and restaurants, so your able to take time out from your winter activities if you wish. You'll find a good selection of local handy crafts most of which are designed by the local Sami population, who incidentally herd all the reindeer in the area.

Despite it's location getting to Kiruna is surprisingly easy. With daily flights by SAS Airlines and an overnight train from Stockholm, it's within easy reach no matter where you're travelling from.

If you'd like to visit this untouched wilderness visit www.ActivitiesInSweden.com for more details.