Farmers in nineteenth-century Hälsingland had money, thanks to flax, timber and good land, and they spent it on houses. Their large wooden farmhouses, many of them painted red with Falun copper-mine pigment, often contained rooms reserved for festivities, decorated by itinerant painters with flowers, biblical scenes and allegories in bright colours. Seven of these farms, including Pallars in Järvsö, Gästgivars in Vallsta and Bommars in Letsbo, were inscribed together by UNESCO in 2012, and stepping into their painted rooms is like entering a folk tale.
It is a popular summer destination, with a ski slope that becomes a mountain biking centre in the warmer months, and the valley is dotted with old farms, meadows and lakes. Moose are common, especially at dawn and dusk, and the forests are full of berries and mushrooms in late summer. In June the nights are short and light, and the long, soft evenings are a joy.
The roads are a mix of smooth tarmac and gravel, with many quiet byways leading to remote farms and lakes. Traffic is light, but watch out for moose and deer, especially at dawn and dusk, and for timber trucks on the gravel roads. The landscape is gently rolling, with forests, fields and lakes, and the views across the Ljusnan valley are lovely. Summer is the season, from June to August, while winter brings snow and cold.
Järvsö itself has a filling station, a grocery and cafés, and Ljusdal, fifteen kilometres up the river, covers anything bigger. Try the local cheese and the cinnamon buns, and perhaps a fika in a café overlooking the river. The farmhouses are still privately owned, and some of them are open to visitors in summer, while others can be seen only from outside; check before visiting.