We knew there was a lot to see and do in and around Trollhattan, but despite allocating four nights, we ended up staying an extra two. From a fabulous berth in the park setting of intimate Spikon Gasthamn, we viewed the Trollhattan Falls and the Gota Alv river, visited the Saab Museum, made a day trip see the remarkable aqueduct along the Dalsland Canal, toured the old and new Trollhattan locks, and attended the Motocross GP of Sweden. We’d still not had our fill, so we spent a sixth night in Trollhattan at a small marina at the top of the Trollhattan Locks to enjoy the ships passing through. And throughout our week there we enjoyed several excellent meals at Trollhattan’s many restaurants.
Below are trip highlights from August 21st through 26th, 2019 at Trollhattan, Sweden. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.
 |
Trollhattan Falls
Position: 58°16.81’N, 12°16.69’E
The Trollhattan Falls have been a tourist attraction since the 18th century, but no longer flow since the Gota Alv river was dammed for power in the early 1900s. At scheduled times in the summer, the falls are released as a tourist attraction, sending over 300,000 liters of water pour second gushing into the gorge.
|
 |
Danubia
Position: 58°17.23’N, 12°17.13’E
We loved the view to the big ships passing along the Trollhatte Canal from our berth at Spikon Gasthamn. The maximum speed in the canal is 5 knots, so the 272ft (83m) Danubia doesn’t generate much wake as it passes.
|
 |
Aspen
Position: 58°17.23’N, 12°17.13’E
The Trollhattan road bridge raised for the 270ft (82m) cargo ship Aspen of Delfzijl, Netherlands, viewed from our berth at Spikon Gasthamn.
|
 |
Juno
Position: 58°17.23’N, 12°17.13’E
The canal cruise ship Juno en route to Gothenburg from Stockholm. We passed the Juno along the Gota Canal a couple of weeks back.
|
 |
Saab Car Museum
Position: 58°16.30’N, 12°16.54’E
Saab Automobile was headquartered in Trollhattan before declaring bankruptcy in 2012. The Saab museum there has a great display of the company’s history, including the historic Saab Long Run where in 1986 three Saab Turbos set 2 world and 21 international endurance records at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
|
 |
Saab 99 Turbo Rally
Position: 58°16.31’N, 12°16.58’E
Saab cars were actively raced and the Saab Car Museum had one section devoted to racing. This is a 1979 Saab 99 Turbo Rally that won the Swedish Rally, the first time a turbo-charged car had won a World Rally Championship. The 2-liter turbocharged engine produced 270hp and the car could reach 0-100kph in 6 seconds.
|
 |
Innovatum
Position: 58°16.49’N, 12°16.95’E
Old Trollhatte Canal lock gates dating from 1916, and another painted egg, at the entrance to the Innovatum area, the former manufacturing site of Trollhattan-based NOHAB that manufactured turbines and locomotives. NOHAB built the turbines for the Olidan Hydroelectric Station and the portal crane we saw yesterday was built to transport goods from the NOHAB plant. Today the Innovatum area tenants include the Saab Car Museum, a science center and several start-ups.
|
 |
Albino Aid
Position: 58°16.45’N, 12°16.92’E
The sculpture Albino Aid by Kent Karlsson outside the Innovatum area.
|
 |
Water Tower
Position: 58°16.94’N, 12°17.45’E
The old Trollhattan water tower, now converted to apartments.
|
 |
Pasion Tapas
Position: 58°17.06’N, 12°17.35’E
A delicious meal on the terrace at Pasion Tapas with a California Zinfandel. We like big reds and the wine has become quite popular in Sweden over the past couple of years.
|
 |
Dalsland Canal
Position: 58°49.28’N, 12°24.65’E
The Dalsland Canal was conceived in the mid-1800s to provide a communications route through roadless areas of western Sweden. Only short sections of canal between large lakes would need to be built, so the construction was relatively cost-effective. Haverud rapids, however, were a major obstacle. Nils Ericson, the designer of the Trollhatte Canal and the Saimaa Canal in Finland, proposed an amazing aqueduct to carry boats over the gorge.
|
 |
Trollhattan Locks
Position: 58°15.91’N, 12°15.34’E
The first set of locks were completed at Trollhattan in 1800 as part of the Trollhatte Canal to connect Gothenburg on the Swedish west coast with the industry in Lake Vanern. In 1844 a second set of locks was constructed to match the maximum dimensions of the newly-completed Gota Canal, allowing ships to travel between Stockholm and Gothenburg. In 1916, a third set of locks was built to allow even larger ships. This third set still is in use today, supporting “Vanermax” ships of up to 291 ft (89 m) long, with a 44-ft (13.4 m) beam, a 17.7 (5.4 m) draft and a 88-ft (27m) air draft.
|
 |
MXGP of Sweden
Position: 58°20.39’N, 12°1.10’E
We’re always up for an opportunity to take in a world-class sporting event, even if it’s a sport that is new to us. So when we heard that a FIM Motocross World Championship contest was being held about twenty miles from Trollhattan in Uddevalla, Sweden, we just had to attend. Last year’s racing drew 30,000 people, so it’s a major event.
|
 |
Trollhattan Locks Marina
Position: 58°15.93’N, 12°15.92’E
From Spikon Gasthamn in downtown Trollhattan we made a ridiculously short 2nm run to a small marina at the top of the Trollhattan locks that was the basin at the topmost flight of the 1844 locks. We figured it would be fun to spend a night in the area and enjoy the boat traffic in the locks, similar to the final night of our westbound trip through the Kiel Canal last year.
|
 |
Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.
On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps. |
Hi there,
I’m having trouble navigating back to the picture but I wanted to say that your idea of using a suction cup to stay close to the hull while scrubbing grime off the waterline is simply brilliant! I’ve been using various lines and other methods to try and hang on but your method would be much better…
Thanks for the tip, I will be sure to try that the next time I need to do this on our boat. (Nordic Tug 37)
This is what we are using and it works fairly well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MX9MDA.
Thank you James.
I will be ordering one.
Cheers.