Original subtitles

Escape with us on a magical midsummer journey

as we meander through central Sweden.

This charming train will give us

a rare glimpse into the country's rich cultural heart...

It's always magic here.

..before taking us far into the Arctic wilderness,

where reindeer roam...

..and the high summer sun never dips below the horizon.

I see all the flowers, all the trees,

all the mountains and snow -

Sarek is land for a reindeer, a land for me too.

We'll hear tales of lake monsters...

Going to the propeller,

we could not survive, I think.

..and meet the people who live and work along this

little-known route.

I love my landscape.

Yes, I do. I really do.

This is no ordinary railway journey.

This is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world.

Sweden.

We're in mid-west Sweden, about to embark on a leisurely

and characterful two-day adventure.

It's just after lunchtime at Mora Station, where we're hopping

aboard a 1970s Italian-made rail car...

..which is only in service for ten weeks a year over summer.

We'll have three onboard guides along our 663-mile route.

The first is Elisabeth, who will be with us

throughout day one.

Welcome on board this train that's bound for Ostersund tonight,

and tomorrow we are going up to Gallivare.

I try to guide you.

The guides oversee everything from feeding passengers information

about the journey to pointing them towards the facilities.

In this train,

we have a toilet in the middle of the train

that you can use - you have to be strong because the door

is... You have to push at the door.

Otherwise you can't get it up.

The door might be a bit stiff, but everything else on this train

is pretty relaxed.

While there's a timetable,

there's wiggle room for the driver to stop along the way to allow

passengers like Lars to take in the sights.

I think train is very relaxing.

It's very comfortable to just sit there and look at the nature

and, yeah, just enjoy the trip.

It's perfect, in my opinion.

Our first leg starts in Mora in Dalarna County, the home

of Swedish folk tradition. We'll then head north to Storsjon,

where a lake monster is said to lurk before arriving in Ostersund,

where we'll stop for the night. On day two we'll travel

into Swedish Lapland, where we'll disembark to visit

a famous smokery,

before we cross the Arctic Circle to meet a forager at Jokkmokk.

Finally, we'll reach Gallivare, where our train terminates

and where we'll helicopter into the Sarek National Park.

We're travelling through the Dalarna province, known as Sweden

in miniature because it encapsulates so much of the country's culture,

including its iconic red buildings.

That's typical Dalarna, Sweden scenery with its red houses,

and I haven't seen this type of painting of houses anywhere else.

It's a tradition that dates back over 300 years, thanks to a vast

nearby copper mountain, which produces the iron ochre

that gives the paint its colour.

Back in the 17th century, this mine was providing 70% of Europe's

copper, bankrolling Sweden.

But after it collapsed in 1687, it became the source of today's

famous falun red paint.

SHE SPEAKS SWEDISH

This is the home of another Swedish red icon - a decorative wooden horse

called the Dala horse.

Local craftsmen have been carving them for over 200 years,

and we're getting off the train to see one of them in action -

Stefan.

When people think of Sweden, they think of Dala horses,

and it's nice to be a part of that and to be able to pass it on.

I'm proud of that.

The carving and painting of these toy horses is a skill that's

been passed down since the 17th century, when it started out

as a hobby, keeping workers busy through Sweden's long nights.

The men worked in the forests during the winter months,

and the days were short and dark quite early, so they spent a lot

of time in the cabins and many times they carved a horse.

Eventually, the toy horses gained economic value. As people began

using them to barter,

their production became a valuable sideline for many a peasant family,

and the designs grew more and more intricate.

We have a basic pattern to follow, but yet we do have quite some

freedom to give our own touch to each horse, and they become

very lively and colourful.

We used to say that when we're completed with the horses,

when the tail is done, that's the last touch.

Finished. Done.

HORN BLASTS

Back on our little Italian-made train, we're enjoying some

of the best vistas Dalarna has to offer, something Elisabeth

never tires of.

We have a summer season and a winter season, and people ask me,

do you think it's boring? And it's never boring.

Never, ever, because every day is different and you see

how the nature changes.

You see all the animals.

I love this.

In the winter, everything is white, white, white, white,

and in the summer, everything is green, green, green.

And so it's the same, but very different.

The Swedish people love their nature,

celebrating it year-round.

We're lucky enough to be here during a high point in the calendar -

midsummer, and no place does it bigger than Dalarna.

Ladies and gentlemen, Orsa.

And we're alighting here to join the festivities with host Mikaela.

We come together and eat and sing and dance around the maypole.

Early in the morning, we come together and we do these flower

crowns, so it's a very traditional

and good feeling thing we do,

and we start midsummer with that.

The festival is all about giving thanks to Mother Nature.

The flowers, a symbol of rebirth and fertility, are gathered

by the women who wear traditional costume,

each one unique to her own parish.

The girls used to pick seven

different flowers and then they put them under the pillows

and they sleep on it.

And then they say they can dream about their future husbands.

So I think it's magic.

And no party is complete without dancing around the maypole

and singing about, well, frogs, obviously.

We have this dance called Sma Grodorna.

It's a song about small frogs and no ears and no tails, and we go

around the pole dancing together and we sing...

# Sma grodorna, sma grodorna

# Da da da da da da. #

Yeah, we have fun. So fun.

So it's always magic here.

We're leaving the midsummer madness behind...

..to continue through the centre of Sweden...

..toward the wild waters of Dalarna.

It's day one of a slow scenic jaunt aboard a retro train, which takes us

through the heart of Sweden, stopping along the way so passengers

can linger at leisure.

Well, I like Sweden and the landscape very much,

because it's not so crowded.

You have a lot of nature.

You can be by yourself in the nature and the forests.

Coming out like this is very, very relaxing for body and soul,

I would say.

With the first leg of this 663-mile journey behind us, our train

will continue through Dalarna.

We'll visit a traditional farmhouse for refuelling before moving

on to a great lake with a mythical monster,

after which we'll make an overnight stop in the county capital,

Ostersund.

We're still deep in Dalarna, travelling

towards a vast sandstone canyon.

And there's only one way to get across the top of it.

Built in 1902, this bridge might look rickety,

but it's certainly stood the test of time.

111-feet high, it traverses the Aman River and midway across,

our train slows to offer passengers views of the stunning

Storstupet waterfall down below.

The view you have from the bridge,

it's amazing.

This is very high.

Very beautiful, really amazing what nature can do.

You become very impressed by the things that nature can create

and also a little bit humble.

Lars is certainly impressed, but lingering at that height

wasn't for everyone.

It's like my feet are hurting a bit because it's so high up.

And then they were like, "Let's stop here."

I'm like, "No, just go."

It's mid-afternoon and passengers are getting peckish, so our train

will soon be making a very special stop to pick up some refreshment.

Now we are coming through Fagelsjo.

You want to translate it?

It's Bird Lake, and it's a little, little village in the water.

We'll be collecting some fika, which loosely translates as coffee

and cake, but it's much more than just a word

to the Swedish people.

Fika is stronger than a tradition, it's an institution,

where we drink coffee and maybe have some cake or sandwich

in the afternoon, and it's very similar to the afternoon tea

that you have in UK.

If Swedes don't get the coffee during the day, they will become

very, very troublesome and even angry.

Difficult as it is to imagine Lars angry, with a pit stop

mere moments away,

it's something we'll hopefully never have to witness.

SHE SPEAKS SWEDISH

Food.

Look, there she stands with coffee and sandwiches, hopefully.

Look forward to have something to eat.

Today's food has been specially prepared two miles from our stop,

in a cafe attached to a folk museum.

The train Inlandsbanan goes by Fagelsjo station twice a day

and usually it stops for about a 20-minute stop and we go there

and we serve Swedish fika.

We have a person in the cafe baking these delicious cinnamon buns

that are very traditional.

Gisen is manager of seven original farm houses built by 17th-century

Finnish settlers, now open to visitors.

One of them was closed up over 100 years ago and frozen in time.

The farmhouse is from 1818.

The last couple that lived in this farm up until 1910 decided

to build a brand-new house and modernise with electricity

and running water, and moved across the yard on Christmas Eve

in 1910 and decided to just lock the doors to the old farmhouse

and keep it and preserve it for future generations.

With its interior totally intact, all the family's possessions

still lie in situ, exactly as they would have

over two centuries ago.

And as well as being able to immerse themselves in 17th-century living,

visitors can enjoy the fika that's freshly prepared

here every day.

Wow. Won't you try?

Yes.

It's good? It's delicious.

All we need is a cup of coffee.

Thank you.

Back on board, passengers are revived

and tempers remain un-frayed.

THEY SPEAK SWEDISH

We're now heading into Jamtland, a sprawling, sparsely-populated

province in the mid-west, home to some of the country's tallest peaks

and numerous mountain lakes.

I want you to look at this because this is so...

This is the most amazing about Jamtland -

you see the lake, you see the mountains, you see the light,

especially in this time of year.

I love my landscape.

Yes, I do. I really do.

Our train is passing the fifth-largest lake in the country,

which is also huge in Swedish folklore, thanks to a resident

monster said to lurk in its murky 250-foot depths.

Sweden's own Loch Ness Monster was first spotted in 1635 by a local

church minister who described it as a strange animal with a black

serpent-like body and cat-like head.

We've gone off the rails to get onto a boat with Kurt and Evert -

who's come up close and personal with the monster twice - to see

if it will rear its head today.

Beautiful day.

Yes, perfect.

Hopefully, we can see anything.

How many years was it when you have this experience

with the great lake monster?

First time, '94, and second time, 2005.

I was fishing,

and then something got on the line,

down, and the boat started to go backwards.

In the next moment comes something like a long cow...

..longer than the boat. Right.

It was dangerous because the body of this animal was about two metres

from the propeller and if it goes the propeller,

we would not survive, I think.

I am also very afraid.

That's amazing.

Did you see how long it was? At least 15 metres long. 50? 15 metres.

While it's possible Kurt's fallen for a local fisherman's joke,

hook, line and sinker,

there have been around 500 similar sightings over the last 400 years.

How does it feel to be back?

Oh, it's good.

And here is a place for a monster.

But like many great legends,

this monster is keeping a low profile today.

And it remains a fascinating myth.

Back on the train, passengers are enjoying watching the landscape

change as we enter an area thick with birch forests.

This trip is as much a celebration of nature

as a way of getting from A to B.

The Swedes' love of nature extends beyond just being outdoors

in all seasons -

nature also means nourishment.

And their passion for foraging has put them

on the global gourmet map.

We've stepped off the train to meet Peter, who makes wine

from birch sap, Sweden's national tree.

You need a lot of sap when you're making wine.

So every spring, I collect

about 100,000 litres in 20-21 days.

That's my window.

When are you harvesting sap, you drill a little hole

in the tree and then you put the tube into the tree and the birch

sap is dropping down to the can, plastic can, and it fills

this can in about two days.

Over 20 years ago, Peter chanced upon a birch sap wine recipe

in a botanical book from 1785.

He spent years adapting it to perfect the taste

of his Swedish Sav.

Today, his distillery produces 200,000 bottles a year,

exporting around the world.

The wine is special because it's very dry.

It's not so much sugar in it, and also it tastes like you're

walking in a birch forest.

That's amazing.

And also the alcohol,

you don't even feel the alcohol.

It's a truly unique sparkling wine made from nature,

using great innovation.

Back on our Inlandsbanan train, it's just gone 6pm...

Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be coming to the station in Ostersund.

..and we're pulling in to Ostersund, the largest city in the province,

where we'll be stopping for the night.

So thank you very much and have a nice evening.

Goodbye.

Tomorrow we continue north, where we'll sample some

locally-smoked food before we cross over into the Arctic Circle

and fly over the breathtaking Sarek National Park.

It's day two of a midsummer adventure aboard our little 1970s

rail car from mid-Sweden into the Arctic.

Just after 7am, we're about to depart Ostersund station

alongside two new passengers and our second host on this trip,

William.

Well, good morning, everyone, and very welcome on board

to Inlandsbanan and our train that is bound for Gallivare.

My name is William.

I will be your train attendant working onboard today.

Alongside me in the forward part of the train, we have our lovely

train driver, Helle.

William will be guiding us along the next eight-hour stretch

of this whimsical jaunt.

And if you are one of those persons who like to be standing, I recommend

you to be seated.

An accident can happen far too easy and you will be the one

cleaning it up.

This rail journey is not only one of the world's most scenic...

..it's one of the most relaxed.

Its schedule allows for spontaneous stops along the way.

We have a timetable, but we don't need to rush from one point A

to point B - for us, the journey is the whole point.

So if it takes five minutes longer for us to reach the destination,

so be it.

200 miles into our journey, we're heading

towards the Arctic Circle.

Our train will continue north, where we'll sample some

locally-smoked food.

We'll then cross into the Saami territory of Jokkmokk...

..before reaching our destination, Gallivare.

We've just entered Swedish Lapland...

..and Maria and her husband are taking advantage of the long days

to see some of the area by bike.

It's exciting, it's a little bit different and...

..I want to see the north and the midnight sun for real.

Four hours into our journey,

we're now travelling through Laponia...

..and, as it's just past midday, it's time to sample some

traditional north Swedish fare.

This is where we eat our lunch because we don't have a

dining car with us.

This is privately owned little fish smokery.

He has won a lot of medals in the Swedish food championships.

We're at Bergmans Fisk & Vilt, the foundations of which began

in 1902, when Martin's grandfather began smoking his own fish.

The special thing is that we make it an old traditional way how people

have been making food in many hundred years.

As the fifth generation of smokers, Martin grew up learning the trade

from his uncles. After years of working as a hunting

and fishing guide

he decided to build his own smokehouse.

Here we have a salmon that we're going to smoke tonight.

So now this one is just laying salt for a couple of hours.

And after that, we put it on these wagons

and have a special marinade on.

This smoke, we started very early this morning, and this one is one

of our most popular products, this is a pepper-smoked salmon

and this one we have won the Swedish Championship with.

So this smoke we make every day, so we have fresh new smoked salmon

in our shop and also in the restaurant.

What makes this smoked fish so special is the firewood

that Martin uses -

it's from his own private fir forest.

So now we put on this one to make

a very good smell and taste.

And this is the wood that we use. When you tap them

and you make the high clink - ding, ding, ding - you know

that they are dry.

If they are too much water, boom, boom, boom.

That's how we control if the wood is dry.

Back on board, we've picked up a new gaggle of guests.

They're here with retired journalist turned tour guide Christina,

who led a hard-fought battle to save this railway.

1991 was the big fight, the real big fight when we asked people to sign

for Inlandsbanan if you want to have it stay.

20 years ago, government cutbacks threatened the line...

..but Christina used her newspaper to gather nearly half a million

signatures, and together with local communities along the route,

persuaded the powers that be to keep it open.

It was a journalistic scoop.

For me and for us, it was because we give people opportunity

to stay here, to earn their money, to live here.

It's something that is special.

Since we left Ostersund, we've covered over 230 miles.

We're continuing north through Lapland, Sweden's largest province,

but home to just 1.3% of the country's population.

We are soon coming to Sorsele,

which you can say is the halfway point for today's journey.

When we arrive, we'll be saying goodbye to William.

I'm switching trains, I'm taking the southbound train today.

So, bye-bye.

Karin is taking over and will be our third and final host on the last

five hours of this trip.

We have two teams, you can call it - one southern team and one

northern team, and I'm part of the northern team that goes

from Storuman to Gallivare.

Although this part of the country is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

it's so remote, it's unknown to many of its own people.

Even for people in Sweden it's very exotic.

Some of these people haven't seen reindeers before.

And they haven't met Lappish people.

It's important, and it's beautiful.

It's just before 7pm, and our train is about to reach the most

photographed place on the Inlandsbanan route.

We are at the Arctic Circle.

THEY SPEAK SWEDISH

Two days and 397 miles into our journey...

..we finally reached the invisible line that marks the Arctic Circle,

where for days each year, the sun never dips below the horizon.

We're now just 60 miles from our destination,

where we'll take to the skies to visit Sarek National Park,

an ancient Saami stomping ground, to go in search

of its majestic reindeer.

We're 600 miles in to one of the world's most

scenic railway journeys...

..travelling through remote Swedish Lapland towards our

journey's end, Gallivare.

It's nearly 8pm...

..as we're about to pull in to the Arctic town of Jokkmokk,

our penultimate stop.

Meaning "river bend" in the indigenous language, this is known

as the Saami capital of Lapland...

..and we're getting off here to meet Eva, who spent years studying

and teaching a major part of Saami culture.

I am a forager, and for the last ten years, I have been teaching

what edible plants we have, both for eating, because that's my

passion, but also what spices and uses because we find so many

great things in the surroundings that we just take for granted.

Originally from Stockholm, Eva became an expert in what she calls

her wild pantry, when she met her Saami husband.

It's knowing which plants grow a lot, which ones

you have to be careful about, which ones are poisonous -

there are some.

These are the flowers of Labrador tea,

and this is a wild rhododendron that grows everywhere here

in the forest, and it's a little bit poisonous.

So you have to be careful.

But I use it as a spice, and it's also good to have a tea

against cough or fever and things like that.

So very, very aromatic and lovely plant.

And then we have all the berries, small green berries

that will become blue in July and really aromatic.

It's a bilberry.

In her kitchen, Eva uses her rich pickings to create delicacies such

as birch crackers, bark breads and traditional hot drinks.

I'm making my take on Swedish glogg,

and glogg is a little bit like gluhwein or spiced, sweetened wine.

So instead of wine, I use berries like lingonberries

and like blueberries and bilberries and crowberries.

So I made a juice out of those berries, and I sweeten

it a little bit.

And then I used the strongest spice

I know, which in this area is the Labrador tea.

And for me, this is sort of the flavour of the forest.

One for you. OK.

Back on board, we've left Jokkmokk behind, and Karin, our host,

is making the most of the endless summer light to enjoy the final

50-mile stretch.

A bit of a luxury to be able to sit down and enjoy the view

into Gallivare.

It's just after 9pm in the land of the midnight sun...

..and two days after we got on at Mora, we've finally made it

to Gallivare. An ancient iron mining town, it's the gateway

to Sweden's extraordinary Arctic region.

But our journey is not over.

The best is yet to come.

We're about to visit an ancient Saami stomping ground

in a most modern way.

We're joining Per-Olaf, a reindeer herder, to visit the spectacular

Sarek National Park, a true gem of the Arctic.

You know, that's a last wilderness in Europe, and I live there.

That's my home.

With nearly 100 glaciers and its famous Rapa Valley river delta,

this vast stretch of land is the most mountainous in Sweden.

It's been home to the indigenous people for millennia, and in 1910

it was made a protected national park.

It's also home to Per's herd of reindeer, who can roam for hundreds

of miles, so the easiest way to locate them is from the sky.

I need to eat this.

It's really good, really good.

Many, many vitamins from the sun.

Per-Olaf has managed - finally - to track them down.

REINDEER BELLS JANGLE

This is my reindeer, my fabulous reindeer.

HE SHOUTS IN SWEDISH

These elusive animals are the stuff of European legend,

and for thousands of years they provided the Saami with much

more than food, but clothing, transport and companionship.

It's a relationship founded upon deep respect.

It's really nice when they know me,

they smell me, they know my voice.

I grow up with the reindeer.

I'm born here.

This is my life.

I don't need money here.

I have food here and fish in the lake and meat

with the reindeer.

It's so peaceful.

Sarek is a land for a reindeer,

a land for me too.

On our 663-mile adventure

up through Sweden...

..we've experienced its classic culture

in the country's folk heartlands...

..we've enjoyed traditional foraged fare...

..and come up close and personal with Lapland's famed creatures...

..all aboard an eccentric slow train where deadlines are unimportant

and what matters most is the journey itself.