A fly drive through the Jutland peninsula or the pretty island of Zealand offers a mix of superb sandy beaches, windswept coastline, rolling hills, peaceful lakes and untouched forests. An hour’s train ride south from the city is Nynäsgård, on Nynäshamn, the southernmost outpost of the archipelago. Whether you want to go along to a community party or soak up the gorgeous summer scenery, Nordic Visitor can help make it happen. In southern Scandinavia, for example, the climate is hot enough for orchards of apple and pear trees, whereas north of the Arctic Circle the only obvious hints of summer’s arrival might be slightly greener grass and slightly less snow.

To make a Nordic Summer, combine 2 ounces of aquavit with 1 ounce of Aperol and 1 ounce of fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker. The occasion originates in an early 20 th-century Swedish law restricting crayfish harvesting to the end of August. Aquavit is a clear spirit produced in Scandinavian countries and flavored with a variety of botanicals. It's also a place to enjoy the best in Norwegian food and drink, with artisan breweries, cider producers and a host of restaurants offering fresh, seasonal produce found right across the region.

This is perhaps somewhat more popular already in the Nordics than elsewhere due to high summerhouse ownership rates, with around half of all Norwegians having access to a hytte, for example. Sweden has a slightly different take on things, with its midsommar consisting of a dance around a flower-studded maypole.

Epic mountain landscapes, grazing reindeer herds, Sami communities, ambling elks and ferocious wolverines, and rare and vivid flora are the natural highs on a hiking trip into the Unesco Sarek national park in Lapland. Inspired by those festivities, our Nordic Summer Gin is just the thing to sip from the solstice onwards. On 29 May, Denmark’s fifth national park, the Royal North Sealand, opens on its largest island, Zealand. They believed that the presence of evil spirits was strong during the longest day of the year, so they would light huge bonfires to ward off dark forces. Just opened my Sipper’s mini bottle of Nordic summer gin; of all the mini bottles you have sent me this is by far the tastiest – especially in its simplicity with just ice and Mediterranean tonic water.The white beaches of North Jutland are known for their cute wooden cottages, which thousands of Danes make a beeline for when the sun appears. A floating sauna that can be towed into the middle of the lake adds to the magic of Stedsans, a wildly romantic camping and cabin site on Lake Halla, two hours’ drive from Gothenburg.

Many of these breathtaking spectacles can be accessed from the country’s famous Ring Road, a circular route of more than 1. It’s here that 35-year-old Sirly Ylläsjärvi and 39-year-old Heidi Seikkula opened Aurora Estate in 2015. Built to transport iron ore in the late 1800s, the Malmbanan railway, or Iron Ore Line, runs from the mines around Kiruna in north Sweden to the port of Luleå on the Baltic and Narvik, on the North Sea in Norway. The result is a vibrant gin that tastes like Swedish summer, with an additional waft of sun-warmed liquorice. This really does work well and I love the idea of using traditional ingredients as apposed to modern day chemicals.

Our talented distillers have selected botanicals you’d be likely to find in a traditional aquavit, including fresh dill, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds, plus an extra flourish of fragrant star anise and saline samphire. Since the holiday is so connected with a retreat to nature, those remaining in the cities are also likely to get some peace and quiet over Midsummer. This season makes its presence felt with a (sometimes modest) rise in the mercury, frequent bright sunshine during the day and a long, drawn-out twilight best enjoyed beside a campfire on the shore of a pristine lake.

I found it works great as a general purpose deterrent to insects like the Midge and Mozzy, and for everyday use it feels much better than DEET.

The Atlantic Road – perhaps the region's most spectacular drive – zigzags across bridges and islands between the charming towns of Molde and Kristiansand. This democratic principle makes beauty spots accessible to everyone regardless of who owns the land, and means you’re not crammed into a campsite with other tourists. The Settler Chair from Robens is designed to compliment the Outback range of tents and takes its inspiration from the same nostalgic influences with its attractive design and subtle colours. For example, it is said that cows are able to speak, seals become human, and elves may interact with you on Jónsmessa.