Recurring events – around Österå, Falun
- The Swedish ski games in Fis world cup usually take place in January-February at Lugnet in Falun.
- Vasalopp Week occurs in the transition between February and March.
- More smaller ski competitions can be found on the Dalarna Ski Federation’s competition calendar.
- Runn Winter Week usually takes place in February.
- Runndagarna always happens in week 32.
- Vansbro Swimming occurs in the transition between June and July.
- Alive Festival is on July 8-10, 2027 (a new music festival around the same time as the Peace & Love festival used to take place.)
- In the tourism information’s calendar at visitdalarna.se, you can access much of what happens in Dalarna.
What our guests have done
- fished in Varpan. Here you can buy fishing licenses online.
A map of the fishing area is located at the bottom of the varpanfvof.se homepage. - hiked from Falun to Rättvik.
- visited museums, including the mine in Falun, Karin and Carl Larsson’s home, the Zorn museum, Orsa Predator Park.
- jogging and walking routes in Österå (also run around Varpan (1.3 km).
- watched the Vansbrosimningen
- participated in activities during Vasaloppet week.
- watched the World Ski Championship 2015
- watched >> Swedish Ski Games
- watched and participated in other smaller ski competitions
- visited relatives, attended celebrations, and got married.
… more
Winter and summer activities.
Vinter
Skis
cross-country
You can view the track status here:
skidspar.se
sparstatus.se
Learn more about where to ski …
If you want to go skiing, it’s about a 40-minute drive to “Romme alpin” in Borlänge in one direction and 20 minutes to Bjursås alpin in the other direction. Approximately two hours of driving will take you to the Orsa Grönklitt ski area (where the predator park is located). Just under three hours’ drive towards the Norwegian border will get you to Sälenfjällen (Stöten, etc.), and just under four hours will take you to Idrefjäll.
Smaller slopes closer by are Svärdsjöliften in Hillersboda and Källviksbacken in Falun. Cross-country skiing and other winter sports can be found at Lugnet, and a very popular, somewhat snow-sure area that is considered very beautiful is Sörskog. It is located between Falun and Rättvik. Take the exit in Bjursås towards Gärdsjö and drive Svedjelundsvägen. A smaller, simpler track is available, for example, in Sundborn, 15 minutes away.
- Lugnet 10 min
- Sundborn 15 min
- Sörskog 30 min
Skis
downhill
You can view the status of larger slopes here: snörapporten.se
Learn more about where to ski …
If you want to go skiing, it’s about a 40-minute drive to “Romme alpin” in Borlänge in one direction and 20 minutes to Bjursås alpin in the other direction. Approximately two hours of driving will take you to the Orsa Grönklitt ski area (where the predator park is located). Just under three hours’ drive towards the Norwegian border will get you to Sälenfjällen (Stöten, etc.), and just under four hours will take you to Idrefjäll.
Smaller slopes closer by are Svärdsjöliften in Hillersboda and Källviksbacken in Falun. Cross-country skiing and other winter sports can be found at Lugnet, and a very popular, somewhat snow-sure area that is considered very beautiful is Sörskog. It is located between Falun and Rättvik. Take the exit in Bjursås towards Gärdsjö and drive Svedjelundsvägen. A smaller, simpler track is available, for example, in Sundborn, 15 minutes away.
- Svärdsjöliften 30 min
- Källviksbacken 15 min
- Romme alpin 40 min
- Bjursås alpin 20 min
- Orsa Grönklitt 2 hours
- Sälenfjällen 3 hours
- Idrefjäll 4 hours
Ice skates, ice yacht
Bring your ice skates for: long-distance skating
ice sailing
If it has been very cold and the ice has formed on Lake Varpan nearby, it’s nice to go skating. If it has also snowed, it’s possible to go skiing as well. If one of our neighbors has cleared a track, skating might still be an option. It is about 100 meters down to the beach.
Cleared tracks for long-distance skating can otherwise be found on Lake Runn, near Falun, and it is about a 15-minute drive from here. You can park at Hälsinggårdsbryggan or somewhere along the road towards Roxnäs to get started.
- Lake Varpan (if snow-free or plowed, smaller lake, may have shallow areas) 150 meters
- Lake Rogsjön (if snow-free) 15 min
- Lake Runn, usually has plowed tracks. 15 min
ice status can be found on the site runn-is.net.
Snowmobile
Arrive by snowmobile.
A path leads past Bobergsbåtar 75 m from our B&B.
You can see, for example:
Snow and ice sculpture
Well, there isn’t really much going on—other than what I might be doing in the garden for fun. The nearest big event I’ve found is over in the Sälen winter sports area.
Summer
Badplatsen vid sjön Varpan. The swimming area down by Lake Varpan 
En timmerställning, John Bauer skog, en av flera typer av skogsmark i omgivningarna. A timber stack, John Bauer forest—one of several types of forest land in the surrounding area. 
Vägar och stigar går intill kraftdammen. Roads and paths run alongside the power plant reservoir. 
Stigar ut i den dimhöljda skogen intill vår gård.Paths leading out into the mist-shrouded forest next to our farmyard.
Swimming
Dock with ladder and sandy bottom.
Sandy beach
Paddle
Take your canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard (SUP) for a trip on Varpan.
Sailing, windsurf
Take your board.
Walk, jog
Trails around our B&B: from 15 minutes to just over an hour.
See the map below.
Running, cycling, roller skiing
Många som bor inne i Falun
tar en träningsrunda runt Varpan.
13 km.
Swim, paddle, sail
The beach and swimming area is about 100 meters away.
Trails for walking, jogging, and running.
There are plenty of paths and roads around the village for walking, jogging, or running. You can access them directly from our house. Some are marked on the map with the time it takes for me to walk around at a decent pace.
The road/trail around Lake Varpan
Many from Falun run, cycle, or take roller skis around Varpan. It becomes a trip of 13 km.
Animals and nature.
In the forests of Dalarna, there are bears, wolves, and moose. Deer, foxes, and hares are frequent (food!) guests in our garden. Birds too. In short, we have a vibrant natural life. Encounters can occur on the forest paths.
Culture
Worldheritage and Village History
As mentioned earlier, the slag heaps are remnants of the iron and copper extraction from the ore mined at Falu Mine.
Other traces of local history throughout the village include handprints left on locally made clay bricks, a traditional tar still, and a village sawmill that was active as recently as the 2010s. The local hydroelectric power station is still in operation today, though its mill is no longer in use.
More photos to come …
For artists and nature lovers.
Disslöjor över strandens snötäckta slagghögar. Veils of mist over the beach’s snow-covered slag heaps. 
Disslöjor över strandens snötäckta slagghögar. Veils of mist over the beach’s snow-covered slag heaps. 
Sjön Varpan fotograf Dagny S. 
Is på kraftdammen. Ice on the power plant reservoir. 
Våris, islossning. Spring ice. Ice break-up. 
Våris, islossning. Spring ice. Ice break-up. 
Is på sjön Varpan. Ice on lake Varpan. 
Kärrstranden med block och vass mellan badplatserna nedanför Greenhouseroom. The marshy shoreline with boulders and reeds between the swimming areas below Greenhouseroom. Vägar och stigar går intill kraftdammen. Roads and paths run alongside the power plant reservoir. 
Dimma över sjön Varpan. Fog over Lake Varpan. 
Molnhöljd sol över sjön Varpan. Cloud-shrouded sun over Lake Varpan. 
Dimman lättar över Varpans stränder. The fog is lifting over the shores of Varpan. 
The boats’ flares glow against the slag-covered shore of Lake Varpan at dusk during the Walpurgis Eve boat race. 
Varpan från Österå badstrand 
Från växthuset (frukostrummet) ser man skogens höstfärger och en dimslöja spegla sig i sjön Varpans vatten. The view from the sunruoom. The autumn colors of the forest and a veil of mist are reflected in the waters of Lake Varpan. 
Lusthusets takutsmyckning glimmar i kvällssolen. The gazebo’s roof ornamentation glimmers in the evening sun.
The greenhouse works well as a studio during the morning hours when it is shaded by the forest outside. In the Österå village hall across the street, life drawing and model painting sessions are sometimes organized. Check out the site modellteckning.se.
Dalarnas Museum in Falun is well worth a visit, as is Magasinet. Zorn Museum in Mora takes about an hour to reach, and the home of Karin and Carl Larsson in Sundborn is about a 20-minute drive from here. The sculptor Arvid Backlund’s family home is also nearby.
For larger events.
If you’re looking for spacious venues for your course, wedding, family reunion, or whatever it might be, Österå bystuga offers ample areas with a kitchen and a large lawn next to the beach across the road from our B&B. An overnight stay with us can be convenient for both you as the organizer of the event and for you as a guest.