Friggebod Friday - Fiskbod/Fiskhodda

As one travels around Scandinavia, one sees the shed format used in different ways, writes Sy Willmer, Shedworking's North Europe correspondent. Rental holiday cabins are popular with Swedes but even more appealing to mobile Germans and the travelling Dutch. Picture the scene, a natural beauty spot where the rolling pine forest meets the lake, holidaymakers frolicking in the clear waters and a petrol station surrounded by red and white cabins just off the motorway. Ok, not where one would choose to spend the entirety of the summer holidays but these places make an excellent overnight stay when moving across the Nordic region.Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and the Danes are naturally attracted to water and a Friggebod or Fiskbod (fisk = fish) is where one may choose to stay when sailing or fishing. In Scandinavia, fresh or sea water is never far away and the shed as boathouse is prevalent on the rocky west coast where Sweden meets Norway, up in the Fjords and in the archipelagos in the east between Stockholm and Finland. Scandinavia’s commercial fishermen also like a good shed, not only as boathouses but also for smoking and sales venues. In a similar manner to the front at Hastings in Sussex, excellent examples of traditional wooden Swedish fishmonger’s huts covered in layer upon layer of thick paint can be visited close to the museum and city castle of Malmö in southern Sweden. Fiskhodda is the local name for these charming buildings that are held in great affection in these parts.A two story shed is a viable option: compact of course but cosy in the extreme!