Oslofjord glistens beneath the midsummer sun as the train trundles alongside it. The summer solstice is just days away, and swimmers, boaters and kayakers are splashing in the glassy water of the 100km fjord.
Moments later, I gaze to my left to see a wildflower meadow frothing with cowslip and clumps of pink and purple lupine.
At the top of the field is a single farmhouse; ochre-yellow with neat timber cladding, it wouldn’t look out of place in a children’s storybook.
I’m poring over these idyllic views as I travel south on Swedish operator Snälltåget’s inaugural direct service between Norway’s capital, Oslo, and Malmö, on the southern tip of Sweden, following the Kattegat Sea. My ticket cost just 149 SEK (£12), though once on board I decide to upgrade to a private compartment for less than £50.
The 600km route stops in Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg in Norway, followed by Trollhättan, Gothenburg, Mölndal, Varberg, Halmstad, Helsingborg and Lund in Sweden, arriving in Malmö six and a half hours after departing Oslo Central.
