Following the intensive three days of the ECF AGM in Stockholm my wife and I decided on a very low key, chill out day on Sunday.

And for that we followed the example of millions of residents and visitors each year who head out to Djurgården, the former Royal Game Park. This large island is an oasis of green space almost reaching the centre of the city, easily reached by bike and by foot.

It connects to the main land area of Stockholm by one very busy bridge close to the city and other quiet back ways that connects across a quiet channel for small boats.

Bikes are the best way to get around because most of the millions of visitors head for the western, city end of the island where there are important museums, exhibitions and an amusement park. Many of them come by foot, which is a great thing, but it keeps them concentrated in one area.

By bike we were able to use a great network of of well made paths that took us to the quiet and woody eastern section, sticking out towards the Stockholm Archipelago and offering great views in all directions and a nice opportunity to build a photo gallery.

Here we found the obvious legacy of a previous era when this was a wild park and an exclusive retreat.  Expensive private houses were tucked in the trees surrounded by wildlife and flowers in abundance and really not so many people had arrived compared to the busy spots nearby.

With our bikes from the Stockholm CityBike system it was so easy to find spots to relax, chill out and take a spot of lunch, just as planned.

 
*Not to be confused with the Danish Royal Hunting Park Dyrehave which I also visited – last autumn