You can take the bus or the tube – if the bicycle paths been properly plowed you can even go by bike. Hellasgården in the Nacka Nature Reserve is just ten minutes away from central Stockholm with public transport.

In the summer, spring and autumn you go there and walk or run in the forests, have a swim in the lakes or just enjoy the scenery from a rock. This time of the year you can go skating on the lakes or skiing both on the lakes and in the surrounding woods.

Brotorpsstugan

A classic place to take a break is Brotopsstugan, a small cottage, situated beside a canal between Söderbysjön and Dammtorpssjön (see map below). It belongs to a local orientation club, Skogsluffarna, and is open every Saturday and Sunday between January and March.

Inside the cottage it’s often narrow and packed with people, but the cheap and tasty waffles, the coffee and home baked buns are worth the crowding. And besides: there’s plenty of room outside. To have your waffle and coffee on a bench outside Brotorpsstugan a sunny, late February Sunday is a little piece of heaven.

Coffee break in the semi-wild.

The glittering prize.

The camp fire inside.

It’s a good spot for beginners, too. It’ only 2 kilometers of skating or skiing from Dammtorpssjön to Brotorpssjön. If you get tired after the “fika” (Swedish word for having a cup of coffee;-), you can just walk a few hundred meters up to the tube in Skarpnäck.

A break by the canal close to Brotorpsstugan

And here’s some other good spots for local adventures during the Sports Holiday:

* Tyresta Nature Reserve – skiing in the backwoods, just a quarter of an hour from central Stockholm. Amazing!

* Hagaparken – large, beautiful park, perfect for a walk. You can also go skating on nearby Brunnsviken, that has a plowed track.

* Skating/skiing/walking on Sicklasjön and Järlasjön. The lakes freeze early and will surely be thick enough for people all through February. But remember: always bring ice prods and a safety line when you’re on the ice.

* Downhill skiing in Hammabybacken – smack in the middle of Stockholm there’s a small slope. Great coffee is at a walking distance in Hammarby Sjöstad.

* Skiing in Ursvik, in the northern outskirts of Stockholm. Beware of the killer track Ursvik Ultra, a 15 km up-and-down ride that will take the breath out of the most well trained.