Stage 6

A month ago, I ran stages one and two of Bohusleden. Today, I found the time to pick up the trail where Anna and I ended our run last summer, continuing in the opposite direction with stage number six. This means that I have now completed the first six stages – 85 kilometres in total. Fortunately, that still leaves me with 265 kilometres of trails left to explore.

Starting beside the whitewashed 13th-century church in Angered, I set off at a brisk sub-5 min/km pace. But after a few kilometres, the trail turned more technical and began to climb, meaning that by the time I reached Stora Stentjärnen, I was more than ready to plunge into the ice-cold water. Unlike much of the world, Scandinavia has been stuck in a cold spell lately, so unsurprisingly, I had the lake all to myself.

The trail remained rough and rooted until it crossed into Bohus around the 12-kilometre mark. From there, the surface turned to asphalt, and I was able to pick up speed again, finishing the entire 17 km stage with an average pace of 5:52 min/km. I ended the run at Fontin Nature Reserve, in high spirits and already looking forward to returning, maybe for a hike with the kids later this month?