Gokart Bollnäs

In Bollnäs, in the Hälsingland region of central Sweden, Gokart Bollnäs lines up a four-hundred-metre indoor track billed as the largest in the Gävleborg region. You drive electric karts here, with their crisp, silent acceleration, on a covered layout that runs in any weather. The format suits families trying it for the first time just as well as groups of friends set on battling the clock.

Karting stays open to everyone, no licence or experience needed: a briefing, a helmet, and you launch into a few flying laps. Opening hours cover a good part of the week, Thursday to Sunday, with wider slots at the weekend, so it pays to check before heading over. The track also offers group packages and a summer pass for youngsters up to sixteen, handy during the school holidays. A version with music and dimmed lights spices up the sessions on booking, for birthdays and outings with friends.

Bollnäs is a town in Hälsingland, an eastern Swedish province known for its large decorated farmhouses with painted interiors, listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Crossed by the Ljusnan river, the region alternates forests, lakes and hills, great for hiking in summer and cross-country skiing in winter. Bollnäs is easily reached by road or rail from Gävle and Söderhamn, making it a convenient stop for anyone touring central Sweden in search of an activity sheltered from the cold.