Who we are

We, Johan & Eva-Lena Philip have run Vidinge Gård since 2015 when we took over both the lodge and guest house and the lease Strömfiske Alsterån.

We live in a house next to the lodge with everyone's favorite, our dog Kenny, a working kelpie who originally came to us to herd sheep. Now we have no sheep anymore, so Kenny has been given new tasks to entertain guests, two- and four-legged, in the yard and along the river and of course socialize with his master and make sure he sees where the brown trout are.

When we are not hanging out and arranging for our guests, we like to spend time out in nature, along the river, on the lake or in the forests, with fishing, berry- and mushroom picking. Some of us (Johan) prefer to fish in the river while others (Eva-Lena) enjoy taking photos by the river; nature, butterflies, birds and the occasional fish.

On the farm we also have 3 cats. Josefin, our first cat who is the mother of the other two, Kajsa and Sonja. All three talented hunters but also sweet and kind who enjoy our guests.

Vidinge Gårds history

In 1901, Älghult's poorhouse was built and the first poorhouses were moved in in January 1902. At that time, it was not only the elderly but also a fairly large number of children lived on the poorhouse.

On April 3, 1923, the poorhouse burned down completely and was then rebuilt in its current form. The old people's home was run until 1966, when it was moved to Storgården in Älghult.

After rebuilding, the house became a nursing home in 1969 and was then named Vidingegården. That business was moved in the 1990s to Alstermo where it is still run under the name Smedsgård.

More history can be read with us gathered in a folder, mainly excerpts from the Älghult Chronicle.