My Scandinavian summer: a campervan trip across Denmark and southern Sweden

Our writer, partner and dog hit the road to Malmö, joining the locals at campsites and pausing for swims, walks and sauna sessions en route

I’m a mid-life cliche. I bought a campervan (Margo) and a dog (Maggie May) in lockdown. I dream of a life in Scandinavia – of forests, fika and foraging. I swim in the cold sea. But however cliched, the campervan has allowed my partner, me and the dog to go on adventures we couldn’t afford otherwise. We’ve roamed the Lake District, and camped on the Welsh coast. Last year, we hit the continent.

We meant to do it in 2022, aiming for northern Spain, but wildfires meant a last-minute pivot to Wales (which was wonderful but didn’t scratch the “abroad” itch). So last June we tried again, but instead of heading to the sunbaked south we turned east from Calais towards Denmark and southern Sweden. We had just over two weeks, aiming for Malmö.