You will be staying at the lodgings of Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, placed on the second floor of the former village school. From the kitchen/sitting room and from several of the rooms you have a beautiful view of the Bothnian Sea and the small bay just below the building. The bay contains a rich birdlife as well as Norrbyn's largest boat harbour.
During winter season the surrounding sea area is ice covered, which sometimes enables wonderful walks and cross country skiing. Do beware of the sea and lake ice stability and ask our staff before approaching any ice.
What to bring
One set of bed linen and a towel are provided on arrival. Also, the self-catering kitchen contains the usual utensils and kitchenware you would expect. If you drink speciality coffees or similar beverages we do suggest bringing your own grinder/filters. So, in summary, you should bring all other items you require including outdoor clothing, footware, swimware, beach/sauna towel, toiletries, a sleeping eye mask for summer and electrical adaptors (Sweden uses the European 2 pin sockets at 220-230v). Northern Sweden can have up to a 60 degree centigrade range in annual temperature over the year (-30 in winter to + 30 in summer) so do bare this in mind when packing for your stay.
We suggest bringing any medication you may need with you along with copies of medical prescriptions for those medications. The Swedish health care system is excellent, but obtaining medication with a foreign prescription may require a few steps and may be costly.
Sweden is a largely cashless society; even most banks do not take cash! It is thus necessary that you have some form of card-based method for any purchases you make (e.g. a credit card). You will see many Swedish residents use a digital payment system called Swish in addition to cards. For visitors, Swish is likely not available unless you already have a Swedish bank account and Swedish ID number, so a payment card is a necessity.
Other than medication, don’t worry if you forget anything, Umeå has plenty of shops so it is possible to purchase items you may have forgotten. The nearest shopping centre to Norrbyn is Avion (www.avionshopping.se) which is on the outskirts of the city but just 30 mins by car from the hostel.
The rooms
The rooms are available for guests at Umeå Marine Sciences Centre. There are ten 2-person rooms furnished with bunk beds along with shared toilets and shower rooms. We strive to have single occupancy in each room but this is not always possible.
Kitchen and common sitting room
The kitchen can also be used as a common sitting room. For cooking food there is a stove, microwave oven, refrigerator and freezer. As a guest you are welcome to use the kitchen equipment. At the field station there is ready-cooked food in the freezers for purchase also.
TV-room/sitting room
The tv-room is open for all guests. Please keep it tidy!
Laundry room
At the field station there is a washing machine and a dryer available for our guests. Please contact Ann-Charlotte Englund if you wish to use the washing utilities.
Gym and sauna (bastu in Swedish!)
On the ground floor of the hostel there is a simple community gym for the village that hostel residents are also allowed to use at no cost. It is basic but functional and please do remember this is a shared resource for the village so do keep it tidy. We are fortunate to have a bastu at UMF which looks out onto the beautiful Norrbyskär Island and Baltic. You are more than welcome to use this and no booking is required. Ann-Charlotte or your UMF host can show you were this is and how to use it.
Norrbyn and surroundings (food, shopping, services, etc.)
Norrbyn is situated on the Bothnian Sea coast (63 34'N, 19 50'0), 40 kilometres south of Umeå. Norrbyn is a part of the beautiful Norrbyn Archipelago, which is a highly appreciated tourist attraction. Norrbyskär has a very interesting history, being built up within just a couple of years to a close to complete society during the saw mill era. Today there is a restaurant, a museum and the possibility to learn more about the history by yourself or by attending guided tours of the island (open during Summer).
If you wish to go swimming there is a small beach directly next to UMF but we also recommend the beaches in the Öreälv estuary a few kilometres from Norrbyn. For thousands of years the river has carried sand to the river mouth where the landscape changes continuously. Here you will find one of the more exclusive beaches in the Umeå area, Örsten. Please let someone at UMF know if you intend to go swimming.
The Örefjärden-Snöan archipelago
Right outside of Norrbyn the marine protected area Örefjärden-Snöanskärgården is situated. The marine parts of the area were protected in 2012. Within the reserve there are three "Natura 2000" areas: the island of Bonden, the Snöan archipelago and the islet Sydostbrotten.
Hörnefors
The closest community is Hörnefors, 8 kilometres from Norrbyn. In Hörnefors there are two grocery stores (COOP and ICA), a pharmacy, health care centre, restaurants and a library. The ICA grocery store is also an agent for the post office, while the Coop grocery store acts as an agent for the liquor store (Systembolaget). From the travel centre trains and buses are available. A train ride to Umeå takes approximately 20 minutes and drops you off at the main Umeå University campus or in the center of the city centre.
In Hörnefors there is also an indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and jogging tracks. If you do not have a car of your own during your visit you have the possibility to borrow a bicycle or a car from UMF. Contact our staff to get more information.
Umeå
Umeå has a population of well over 120 000. The university with its 38 000 students is pushing the development, and the average age is lower than in many other Swedish cities. The city's youth and growth is evident in several ways, including in entrepreneurship and new businesses. You can find all sorts of shops and cultural activities in Umeå; a good place to start finding out more information is the Umeå tourist board website: Visitumea.se
