The boat is a short walk from Aktse, so make sure you leave time to reach it before the departure time. The trip is a short hop over Lájtávrre and then a hike through forest and marshland before you climb the edge of a hill.

The final stretch is back down into the forest before you reach Pårte, which can be muddy and treacherous and is quite steep. If the weather has been dry, this is likely a reasonable descent, but it is one of the toughest sections in the mud.

Trail Information

Distance: 21 + 3km Boat

Difficulty: Hard (depending on weather)

Transport:

Boat: Tickets for the boat are bought at the STF cabin in their shop and can be paid for in cash or with a card. The boats run south at 09:00 and 17:00 and cost 250kr. If there are lots of people, they'll run several trips.

Rowboat: Visible from the main boat dock, the rowboats are available to take over the lake for free. You have to ensure there is always one left behind, so if you're in the last one, you'll need to bring a second back across and do the trip three times in total. Its three kilometres in total, but reasonably direct, so it is one of the 'better' choices if you want to save money.

Resupply: A medium-sized STF store is available at Aktse, offering a good range of food and drink choices. Depending on the season, there may also be Sami produce like reindeer sausage available.

Accommodation & Shopping

STF Aktse Fjällstuga

Aktse is a good-sized STF station, with a medium-sized shop offering everything you'd need a dedicated guest kitchen for anyone camping and a hostel for those wanting to stay indoors. Plenty of spots to set up a tent and running water from a Joik. There's also a fire pit to sit around in the evening, and the smoke will keep away many of the mosquitos.

The shop takes card and cash.

Its about a 30-minute walk from the station to the boat dock, so be prepared for this in the morning to ensure you get to the boat in time.

The camping cost is 200kr.

Laitaure

A small emergency cabin just on the south lake dock. A good place to wait for the boat to arrive, or in my case, to use for somewhere to sit and eat breakfast after the early morning crossing.

Jägge

A new, well-equipped emergency cabin. halfway between Aktse - Pårte

Side Trails

Skierffe

A day trip from Aktse, and one that is well worth it by all accounts, you can leave your gear at Aktse and hike the trail to Skierffe, which gives you incredible views over the merging rivers. If you've seen a dramatic photo of the King's Road, odds are it is from the Skierffe.

The Experience

Day 8 - 26th:

I made the most of civilization, eating my meal indoors at a table in the kitchen and spent the evening with the other campers around the fire. The smoke kept the worst of the mosquitos away, and it was a new way to spend a few hours.

The long trek the day before put me ahead of schedule, leaving only 37km to do over 3 days.

Day 9 - 27th:

An early start at 7:15 and skipping breakfast to make sure I was in plenty of time for the boat, and it turned out I wasn't even the first in the queue.

There were ten of us waiting for the boat by the 9 am departure time, so there were two trips; I was on the first, with a couple from Stockholm who'd been at the fire the evening before, a girl who'd been waiting at the pontoon since 7:30 am and a guy who thought it would be OK to chuck his back in the boat, resulting in his walking pole falling straight into the water.

Its only a ten minute trip by motorboat, though it would be a long row. Like most other docks on the south side of the lakes, there is a small emergency cabin just by the water's edge. I stopped in to have my breakfast there and was back on the trail again just before the second boat arrived.

The trek was a lot like the route to Aktse, heavy mosquitos presence, thick forest and a chance to rock and shrubs as you climb higher. Above the tree-line, the views are stunning. Sunlit lakes and rivers shine like glass as you stand on broken granite outcroppings.

After a few hours of hiking, I stopped at the wind-shelter, an excellent one with several log benches that would sleep four and a small pot-stove in the centre with emergency firewood. I took a long break, as the previous day was a heavy one. I was only planning on another five kilometres to give me a short 12 kilometres day the following hike ending with nine kilometres into Kvikkyok.

I met a guy from Stockholm who was doing 30-40 kilometres a day in the emergency cabin. He was planning on reaching Kvikkjokk that evening.

I was a third of the way to the end of Kungsleden, but by distance and by days walked, which is good, but strange with the extra I had been doing.

Despite the relatively short distance I was travelling, it was a tough day, and the final few kilometres were a slog, and I struggled to find a good location. There was limited water on the top of the hill, and I didn't have enough to stop until I found a small stream. Once there, and I found a relatively flat and grassy plain, I set up my tent. It was going to be a windy night as I was in the funnel of two small peaks and just before the trail started heading down.

This left me about eight kilometres until Pårtestugan the following day, then another sixteen into Kvikkjokk and two days to do that in. Simple.

I discovered at this point that my squeezable water filter had sprung a pinprick leak. Not an issue; it is only under pressure that the water leaks, and if you put your hand just right, it stays water-tight. But needed keeping an eye on.

There was a lot of heavy wind all night, deforming my tend significantly as it blew. It was a strange experience to be inside as the tent flexed so significantly. I was glad I'd used rocks on all the tent pegs to keep it stable.

Approx: 13km

Total: 151km (34%)

Day 10 - 28th:

I was back on the trail at 8:55 am, and I was glad I didn't continue the previous evening. The hour after my campsite to the first bridge was a steep slope down with many rocks and mud. Not a good spot to pitch a tent.

The forest was thick and humid with all the rain from the night before. This stretch has several bridges over streams, including a larger suspension bridge and almost a climbing frame that you can see on the maps.

The trees start to thin out as you get closer to Pårtestugan, and it morphs into a more traditional Swedish evergreen forest.