.It doesn't have to be this way. On similar latitudes to much of Britain, the good folk of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland embrace winter. Why wouldn't you when colder months mean a countryside transformed into a land fit for fairytales? When they bring adventures such as skiing and snowshoeing? When the northern lights dance across inky skies and excellent insulation means that you can wear T-shirts indoors despite freezing temperatures outside?This is, let's not forget, the region that came up with hygge, a mood of cosy hunkering-down that's rooted in wellbeing, not desperation. It's also the region that has turned sauna-going into an art — a convivial steam among pals followed by a plunge into icy water is an essential part of the Scandinavian winter experience. A cabin with a sauna pairs these two concepts in one appealing package, and if that cabin is luxurious, so much the better.In Finland and Sweden many such cabins are in Lapland wilderness resorts. It's here, about 150 miles inside the Arctic Circle, that you find the winter wonderland of dreams: rides on sleighs pulled by huskies through snow-draped forests; reindeer; the northern lights shimmering above frozen lakes fringed by pines. Nights are so cold and still that the air is almost brittle, yet you're toasty in an Arctic onesie, and will be shirtsleeves for dinner in a log-cabin restaurant.Norwegians view winter more as an opportunity to relax after a hectic summer. Expect ultra-minimalist cabins with awesome views, silence and precise, hyper-local New Nordic cuisine — especially on their country's far northern coasts.Wherever you end up, the experience can be){kind=link}
As anyone who has stood on a frozen railway platform as “Cancelled” flickers across the departures and arrivals boards will confirm, Britain is not good at winter. A light dusting of snow reduces the entire transport system to a crawl – road and rail, private and public. Our houses leak heat (well, the houses of anyone who can afford heat do).
It doesn’t have to be this way. On similar latitudes to much of Britain, the good folk of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland embrace winter. Why wouldn’t you when colder months mean a countryside transformed into a land fit for fairytales? When they bring adventures such as skiing and snowshoeing? When the northern lights dance across inky skies and excellent insulation means that you can wear T-shirts indoors despite freezing temperatures outside?
This is, let’s not forget, the region that came up with hygge, a mood of cosy hunkering-down that’s rooted in wellbeing, not desperation. It’s also the region that has turned sauna-going into an art – a convivial steam among pals followed by a plunge into icy water is an essential part of the Scandinavian winter experience. A cabin with a sauna pairs these two concepts in one appealing package, and if that cabin is luxurious, so much the better.
In Finland and Sweden many such cabins are in Lapland wilderness resorts. It’s here, about 150 miles inside the Arctic Circle, that you find the winter wonderland of dreams: rides on sleighs pulled by huskies through snow-draped forests; reindeer; the northern lights shimmering above frozen lakes fringed by pines. Nights are so cold and still that the air is almost brittle, yet you’re toasty in an Arctic onesie, and will be shirtsleeves for dinner in a log-cabin restaurant.
Norwegians view winter more as an opportunity to relax after a hectic summer. Expect ultra-minimalist cabins with awesome views, silence and precise, hyper-local New Nordic cuisine – especially on their country’s far northern coasts.