The next day was quite a bit windier so we took advantage of the excellent range of shops, walking through a delightful town centre to the furthest supermarket for a major restocking. There was an excellent range of products but a bit of a load to carry back down the hill to the boat.

On our way to the shops and back again

Borgholm’s church in a deserted square

The town was decorated with these – they look like school projects – but when we came back from the shop, they were gone

Park near the harbour

 Several posh villas were constructed in the 19^th century

After lunch we set off to explore Borgholm’s Slott – a big castle visible as we sailed up the coast – the site of which dated back to the 12th century although it had been rebuilt several times, and which gave the town its name. The walk there is through a nature reserve and although we didn’t see much wildlife a small deer wandered across our path and later we saw a well disguised toad. A passing walker said she had lived there 40 years and never seen one, but she was maintaining a fast pace, and using Nordic poles, so she may have just speared them and passed on without realising.

Wildlife in the nature reserve

A different sort of wildlife and the view of the castle from the bottom of the cliff it stands on the top of

Views of the castle. In some places sound effects were triggered as we approached. In the entrance it was horses hooves but by these steps it was a woman wailing

And views from the castle

  At least I’m not as fat as the owner of these trousers. Apparently they had meals with 72 courses!

A model of the castle as it would have been. The 3 legged dog is commemorating a time when hunting was banned and no farmers’ dogs could have more than 3 legs to prevent them hunting.

The route back took us close to the Swedish royal family’s summer residence at Solliden, but it is too early for them to be there yet. As we walked over a tiny (dryish) stream for a moment we saw a snake sunning itself on some rocks, but it slithered off into hiding before we could get cameras out.

These were displayed at a craft shop at Solliden. Apparently cocks are a popular souvenir (Not sure why though!)

Path through the nature reserve

We paused before going to the boat to look at a sea bathing pavilion, at the end of a long jetty near the harbour. Needless to say it was closed and we couldn’t work out exactly where swimming took place, but it must be OK as a previous king had praised it and it has been rebuilt 3 times after being carried away by storms. (I think that the last time they used European money, which probably made the decision easier)

The sea bathing pavilion. In the second picture you can just see the steps down into the water underneath, but it does appear as if you end up swimming among the concrete supports

After a powerful thunderstorm and torrential rain in the night, the wind was still quite strong so we opted to stay another day and, once again, catch up with the jobs that didn’t get done after launching. The forecast for Wednesday was quieter although wind direction was still quite unhelpful, but we hope for the best.