This area of Kronoberg County—around Älmhult—may not be particularly glamorous, but it made for a charming and simple weekend outing from Malmö with a kid. There is at least one clean, comfortable and affordable rental near the lake at Möckelns badplats (with bikes for rent). While this apartment was located a few kms outside the town of Älmhult itself, there is local bus that stops a few hundred meters away and that particular accommodation was within feasible walking distance from the town’s train station with easy connections to Malmö. Once bored of the beach and playground (where you can swim in clear, crisp water and grill over a fire), there is a gentle bike ride on mostly dirt and gravel roads through Swedish farmlands up to Råshult where you can have a quick fika. If you’re feeling brave like I was, on the way back to Malmö, you can bike on a mix of dedicated bicycle lanes and open roads through forests and farmlands to Osby and jump on a train back south from there. There were some cars on the faster roads (up to 70km/hr) but they kept a respectful passing distance. I followed Google Maps’ biking directions for the most part, but re-routing where it attempted to send me onto the major highway.
Siena Anstis 