It was less than two weeks until Christmas, and I had one vacation day left. When the forecast called for crisp, sunny weather, I couldn’t resist the urge to get outdoors. After all, I hadn’t winter camped since my military training, and neither had I tested my new tent. So, I decided to take a midweek day off and head to the Björnö Nature Reserve for a much-needed adventure.

Earlier this year, David and I decided to cycle on Gotland. However, since we live in different places and the ferry schedules between Oskarshamn and Nynäshamn didn’t align well, we opted to cycle on Öland instead. I had seen very little of Öland myself, and with the change, we had the opportunity to explore the entire island rather than just half of Gotland. In the end, it turned out to be a fantastic decision!