This article is classified "Real"
Being a hitchhiker on the road and trying to get to Gotska Sandoen, which is an island in the middle of the Baltic sea, can't be recommended to any inexperienced hiker. There are a number of reasons why this task can be hard to fulfil. The first difficulty is that the island doesn't have any bridges or ferries that allow you to hitchhike in a car to the island. Hikers not discouraged by this fact try to get on the boat that operates a route between May and August every year. The boat traffics the island three times a week during these months, if the wind isn't too rough, in which case the island can't be reached by boat. Gotska Sandoen doesn't have any wharf so the weather must be good enough, so that the passengers can jump ashore. The whole island is built up by sand and gravel, which means that the beach is very shelving and constantly changing. The distance across the island is approximately 7 kilometres and the total length of the beach is 25 kilometres. The highest point on the island reaches 42 meters above the sea level and about 90 per cent of the area is covered with pine trees. The next difficulty you encounter trying to get to the island is that there exists a maximum number of people that are allowed to visit the island at the same time, namely 100 persons. The hitchhiker who has managed to arrive at the island has seven days to explore the island and its nature. Another thing that makes it hard for hikers is the signs that are visible around the whole island, "Restricted Area, Entry prohibited to aliens". Because of the fact that Gotska Sandoen is a part of Sweden, hikers who are not citizens of Sweden aren't allowed to visit the island. For the most times this means that the interested hitchhiker gives up, before going through the trouble and waiting time to become a citizen of Sweden. To everyone not fortunate enough to get to visit Gotska Sandoen, I can only say that the island is beautiful and has excellent sand beaches.