Visby to Själsö

Our latest Gotland adventure feels like such a long time ago already (it has only been a few weeks really). We were really looking forward to disconnecting from everyday life, and started counting down the days until we set sail, as soon as we’d booked the trip!

Bright blue skies were just what we hoped for on the first morning, as we planned to spend a day walking along the coast from Visby to Själsö. The ocean was unbelievably calm; it was hard to see where the water ended and the sky began. Swans and small birds were fishing for breakfast amongst the rocks next to the sea wall.

I have a penchant for collecting sea glass, so we scanned the pebbles for colourful treasure. Scott has a knack for finding blue pieces (the best of all).

The sun was surprisingly hot but we spent the day yo-yo’ing between feeling too warm, then too cold in the shade. We were overheating as we approached Snäck, which was the perfect place to stop and rest. You can’t really tell from these photos but we were stood on a concrete jetty (photo from a previous trip). There are two side by side, stretching out into the Baltic Sea. I love this place, especially on a moody day.

I looked down at this turquoise water and couldn’t resist going in. Not fully, just a leg dip, as I didn’t have any swimwear with me. The water was freezing but it felt amazing once the first plunge was out of the way.

Snäckstranden feels like the last part of civilisation before the coastline becomes quieter and wilder. Off season, at least.

These white stones are beautiful but they sure are blinding to look at on a sunny day. The entire coastline is peppered with them and one of the reasons I love the landscape so much.

We reached Brucebo naturreservat just in time for lunch. Scott managed to get all the way through when he last visited but I was blocked by cows. So I was pleased to see none at all this time!

This bench was our lunch spot. We sat watching the sea with a picnic — the sound of us chomping through a large bag of crisps was the only thing disturbing the peace.

We planned to head to a cafe around Själsö hamn in the afternoon but unfortunately, Scott realised it would close before we got there! Both on a bit of a calorie bonk, we decided to walk to Själsö Bageri for fika instead.

The roads around Själsö were very quiet, with only a few houses here and there. Själsö Bageri was busy though. You can see why, looking at this bread…

We shared chocolate ice cream, a cardamom bun and some local strawberry juice. If you’re reading this from Sweden and haven’t tried Gute Glass yet, you must 🙂 I’ve made trying all the flavours my new mission.

Sugary fika came us extra energy for walking all the way back to Visby. We walked a total of 30,000 steps, mostly along pebbles. I didn’t really want the walk to end but we were going to one of our favourite restaurants for dinner, so that was good motivation to get back.

Later that evening, we watched the sun set from Strandpromenaden. We heard funny birds that sounded like amused old ladies, but no amount of Googling has helped me work out what they were. Maybe someone reading will know?

Visby always gives us amazing sunsets; a perfect end to the day!