The cabin glowing in the forest at dusk

Västerlanda · Cabin manual

Welcome to the cabin.

No grid, no rush. Just the lake, the forest and you.

You're about to detox, slow down, reconnect with nature and, hopefully, have an awesome stay.

Before you do, please read these instructions carefully. They're short, and they matter: off-grid life runs on a few simple routines.

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Parking pinOpen in Google Maps Drinking waterThree ways The toiletHow it works EmergencyCall 112

01 · Check-in

Getting here

What to bring

It's off-grid and about a 15-minute walk from the car, so pack smart.

  • A backpack rather than a rolling suitcase. The forest road is bumpy and hilly.
  • A head torch or flashlight, especially if you arrive after dark.
  • Drinking water for the first day. The water filter takes its time.
  • Food for your stay. The nearest shops are in Lilla Edet, about 8 km away.
  • Biodegradable soap and shampoo. Everything ends up in the lake.
  • Good shoes, swimwear and a warm layer. Evenings by the lake get chilly.
  • A power bank. The solar battery is for the basics.
  • Insect repellent in summer.
Sheets are included, so no need to bring your own.

Parking

  • Next to the parking is a red house. That's our closest neighbour.
  • Park in front of the parking sign.
Open the parking pin
The main cabin and its deck, seen from the meadowThe Camp Westland sign on the pathThe cabin among the pines, across the lakeView over the lake towards the cabinThe covered porch with blue sofasThe cabin in winter snow

The walk in

  1. Start at the parkingRight next to where you park, a road leads straight up into the forest. You can't miss it.
  2. Follow the road for about 1.2 kmKeep going until you reach our property.
  3. Look for the lakeThe cabin is on your right. Welcome home.
Check the check-in manual in the Airbnb app for more info.

02 · The main cabin

Kitchen

Keep it clean

  • Food and garbage attract mice and insects. Keep the kitchen clean and store food in closed containers.
  • No smoking inside. Farts are allowed.
  • Cleaning is included, but we'll be very grateful if you leave the cabin nice and tidy.

Doing the dishes

Yes, boring. Still mandatory.

  1. Heat lake water in the large pot.
  2. Pour the warm water into the sink.
  3. Use the beige plastic container for cold rinsing water.
  4. Put the clean dishes in the dish rack.
Feeling lazy? We get it. Use paper cups and plates, then burn them afterwards.
Never wash dishes in the lake. The fish have already had breakfast. Only use biodegradable cleaning products.

Garbage & recycling

  • Plastic
  • Paper
  • Glass
  • Metal
  • Food waste
  • Sorted wasteInto our bins by the parking, marked with a yellow dot. Stickers inside show what goes where.
  • PaperCan also be burned in the oil barrel or at the grill place.
  • Food wasteIn the black compost bin behind the house, about 20 m away.
The gas stove with the water filter beside itKitchen corner with stove, gas canister and fridgeThe kitchenThe dining table by the windows

Gas stove Cooking

  1. The gas container is next to the stove. Open it by turning the knob clockwise.
  2. Press in the knob on the stove and turn it to release the gas.
  3. Light the gas with a lighter.
  4. When you're done: turn off the gas container first, then the stove knob.

Gas fridge Cold drinks

  1. Open the valve handle on the gas canister (marked open/close). Just a little, not all the way.
  2. Press and hold both round buttons on the fridge at the same time.
  3. You'll hear clicking, then a hissing sound. That means it's on. 🔥
The fridge runs on gas. When it's not in use, close the valve on the canister.

03 · Three ways

Drinking water

  1. 1

    Filter lake water

    Fetch clear water from the lake and pour it into the top hatch of the water filter. The filter cleans it for you.

  2. 2

    Buy drinking water

    Available in the nearest town, Lilla Edet.

  3. 3

    Fetch free water

    Fill up for free from the tap outside the petrol station next to Rasta Värdshus. Bring a container.

    Rasta Lilla Edet on the map

04 · Sleeping arrangements

Where to sleep

The wooden bunk bed, made up with sheets

Bunk bed

Two beds, ready to use as they are. Sheets are included.

The blue sofa bed in the living roomSofa bed and wood stove

Sofa bed

  1. Lift the seat and fold down the backrest. No force needed. Voilà!
  2. Put the mattress cover over the sofa.
  3. Make the bed as usual.
Please be careful with drinks and food on the sofa.

The floor

Go ahead, tough guy.

Floor plan

Bunk bedSofa bedDining tableFireplaceKitchenLiving room↑ Entrance

05 · Staying warm

Fireplace

The wood stoveLiving room with the wood stove and sofa

The damper

OpenHandle points down.
No smoke.
ClosedHandle at 90°.
Lots of smoke.
Once the fire is burning, close the fireplace door for the best heat.

How much wood?

  • Summer: 1–2 logs is enough to warm up the cabin.
  • Winter: you'll need more.
  • Don't overdo it. The cabin takes a while to heat up and can easily get too hot. Sleeping in a sauna sucks.

Firewood

You get a little firewood to get started. After that:

  • Buy a bag from us. They're right behind the sauna, so there's nothing to carry. See below.
  • Or bring your own. Firewood bags are sold at e.g. Byggmax in Trollhättan.
  • Outdoor fires and grilling: collect branches, fallen small trees and dead wood in the forest. Then you can keep the fire going as long as you like. And gathering wood is half the fun.

Buy firewood

200 SEKor 20 €· per bag

One 40-litre bag of chopped firewood. The bags are behind the sauna.

  • Sauna1 bag ≈ 2 sauna sessions
  • Fireplace, summer1–2 logs warms the cabin
  • Fireplace, wintertakes more, so plan ahead
1bag

Enough for about 2 saunas.

Pay 200 SEK with PayPal Opens PayPal with the amount filled in. Then grab your bags behind the sauna.
A fire blanket and fire extinguisher are next to the fireplace. A carbon monoxide alarm warns you if the air becomes toxic.

06 · Battery & solar panels

Power

The deck with the solar panel

The lithium battery

It has USB ports and a 220 V outlet.

  1. Press the small button on the section you want to use.
  2. Plug in your device.
Go easy on it, or it runs out of power. Also: put the phone away for a while, dude. Look at some trees!

Lights

On top of the white cabinet above the battery is a power strip with all the cabin's lamps plugged in. The light switches are on the strip too.

Don't unplug the cable between the power strip and the battery.
Keep water away from the battery. Lithium batteries and water are a very bad combination, and it's expensive.

07 · The outside

Around the cabin

The small cabinEntrance to the small cabin

Cabin #2

The small one, with a double bed. If you're more than four guests, you get access to it.It's unheated, so bring warm layers in the cold season.

Inside the toilet houseThe path to the toilet house

The toilet house

Also known as the royal WC.

  1. Sit on the toilet to open the hatch. This is important.
  2. Inside is a bucket with a green biodegradable bag.
  3. The toilet separates liquid and solid waste.
  4. Solid waste goes into the bin.
  5. When the bag is full, tie it shut and put it in the black compost bin by the road entrance.
  6. Use the cleaning products if needed.
  7. Empty the toilet before you leave at the end of your stay.
Peeing in nature is fine, just not on the blueberries. Grrrr. Outside the property is best. Never leave toilet paper in nature: use the toilet or the compost.

Enjoy the view.

View from the deck over the fire pit and the lakeThe lake on a sunny dayThe jettyRafts on the lakeLake view from the porchSunset over the lakeDusk over the lakeMist and rain over the lakeRain over the lakeThe frozen lake in winter

The lake

  • Feel free to use the rafts.
  • Don't dive too steeply.
  • Only biodegradable shampoo and soap.
  • No dishes in the lake.
The stone sauna with its wooden doorInside the sauna: the wooden benchesThe wood-fired sauna stoveThe sauna's rock wall and thermometerThe hand-carved Badstufa signThe sauna door and the path down

The sauna

The stone house with the "Badstufa" sign.

Down by the lake you'll find our wood-fired sauna. Heat it up, enjoy the peace and quiet, then cool off with a dip straight in the lake.

One bag of firewood heats the sauna about twice. The bags are behind the sauna: buy one for 200 SEK / 20 €.
Fire pit with the tripod and potSteaks ready for the grill over the fire pitThe fire pit with a view of the lake

Cooking outside

  • Cook over the outdoor fireplace with the tripod.
  • Don't hang more than 7 kg on the tripod.
  • Keep water close by in case of mega flames.
  • Don't make fires anywhere else.

08 · Read this one

Safety

  • Never leave candles unattended. The house is made of wood. So is the forest. You get the idea. 🔥
  • Fire blanket and extinguisher: next to the fireplace in the house. 🧯
  • A green first-aid kit is in the house for minor injuries.
  • At the outdoor fireplace, grill area or oil barrel, always keep water nearby and ready.
  • Don't drink and swim unless you're fully confident in your abilities.
  • Don't throw axes or knives at each other. Make something nice with them instead.

If everything goes south:

Call 112

Where you are

If you call 112, say you're at a cabin by the lake Stora Tjärnevatten in Västerlanda, Lilla Edet municipality. Your phone usually sends your position automatically, but have it ready.

  • Parking58.09506, 12.08815
    The cabin is about 1.2 km up the forest road.

09 · Surroundings

Nearby

Mossy spruce forestMoss and tall pinesA stream in the forestA boulder caveMorning mist through the pinesThe forest in deep snow

The property is 3,700 m². The rest of the forest is privately owned.

In Sweden we have allemansrätten, the Right of Public Access: everyone may roam freely in nature, with respect and responsibility. Picking mushrooms and berries is fine, but only pick what you know.

Things to do

  • Swim and take the rafts outJump in from the jetty. Morning swims are the best.
  • Sauna and a dipHeat up the sauna, then cool off straight in the lake.
  • FishingThere's small perch in the lake for some casual fishing.
  • WildlifeMoose, wild boar and other forest animals live here. Keep your distance, especially from wild boar with young.
  • Berries and mushroomsBlueberries in July–August, lingonberries in August–September, chanterelles from July. Only pick what you know.
  • Forest walksMoss, streams and big boulders to explore. Walk quietly and you might spot a moose.
  • The night skyNo street lights anywhere near. On a clear night, step outside and look up.

Lilla Edet ~8 km

10 · Checklist

Before you leave

Tick them off as you go. Your phone remembers.

0 of 7

Last but not least

The old hippie speech

Mandatory. Barefoot, slightly weird, but important.

Morning mist over the lake

Leave the cabin, the property and the forest as lovely as you found them, or even lovelier if the forest spirits move you.

Please don't leave trash in nature. Mother Earth is already dealing with enough nonsense.

Watch your step out there. Mushrooms, blueberries, moss, tiny bugs and confused little animals live here too. Rest in peace, Hubert the mouse. You were small, but your legend is big.

Use only biodegradable shampoo, soap and cleaning products. The lake is not a bathtub, a dishwasher or a chemistry experiment.

Don't throw anything into the water. Not bottles. Not food. Not "just this one little thing". Yes, someone actually did that. No, the lake was not impressed.

Do not pet Amadeus (the wolf). He looks fluffy. He is not customer service.

Smokers are welcome outside. Put cigarette butts in a bucket first, then in the garbage. The forest likes smoke signals only in historical documentaries.

A cold beer, grilled food and a quiet evening by the fire? Highly recommended. Ancient forest medicine.

Walking or swimming naked is completely fine. This is Sweden, for God's sake. Just wave confidently if the squirrel judges you.

Make sweet love under the moon, whisper poetry to the trees, or simply sit quietly and feel your nervous system return from the modern world.

Most importantly: enjoy your stay. Breathe deeply. Look at the lake. Listen to the forest. It is freaking awesome out here.

Chris, Ellen & RikardYours truly. Keep this guide as a memory if you like.

From Airbnb

What guests say

4.84
★★★★★32 reviews
  • Cleanliness4.5
  • Accuracy4.9
  • Check-in4.8
  • Communication4.9
  • Location4.8
  • Value4.5

100% of guests in the past year gave the location 5 stars.

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