Soderasens National Park to Maglebjar 37km Section Hike. Sweden.

The Skaneleden Trail in far Southern Sweden is a collection of long distance tracks squiggling their way across all parts of Skane County.  They are categorised into various regions by the sub section designations SL1 to SL5. Sounds confusing but it's not really.

I hiked a tiny chunk between pretty Soderasens National Park near Asltorp on the SL3 which is the dotted line that tears across the guts of the region..
The hard-to-see yellow dots are my kick off and get off points on the trail.

Map sourced from www.mynewsdesk.com

I took 3 days, 2 nights hiking this portion of trail from Tuesday 11 September to Thursday 13 September.

Safari Track Rating :A few bumps but mostly easy level walking along well marked single track and quiet country roads.  There are a couple of shelters and places to source water (sometimes) as well as the ICA supermarket at Rostanga near Soderasens.

I used the official Skaneleden SL3 map which cost $150 Swedish Krona (around $23 AUD) and planning resources on the official Skaneleden website here which has a good English translation.

I initially accessed the Skaneleden from Copenhagen over the border in Denmark where I had been having a kick ass week driving around Jutland, running crazy distances, drinking beer and talking about Vikings with my mate Hans and his mates and wife Zita. I had a blast and Denmark is now one of favourite European destinations, very cool people and an easy place to have fun. 😀

I rolled into Malmo and jumped on a different train bound North for Stehag, a rural locality in Southern Sweden.  A bus with the designation 518 was waiting nearby as I alighted and 25 minutes later I was pushing through light rain outside the park office at Soderasens National Park.
The bus stops at the Western gate, piece of piss, easy as.

Recommend utilising the Skanetrafiken app which covers all trains and buses in the Skane region.  You can plan your journey, pay online and scan yourself on whilst boarding.

https://www.skanetrafiken.se

I grabbed a map from the park information centre and headed off Eastwards.  Soderasens is a small area of protected land (you can walk most of the trails in a day) featuring dramatic valleys and ravines, providing a contrast to the normally flat landscape of the Skane region.

Beech and oak trees predominate and frequent orange markers lead the way.  Skittish deer scattered at my appearance and lush fungi begged for attention.

www.visitskane.com

I bailed out of the rain for a bite and a break in a dilapidated old farm building that is now a free hiker cabin.  Teenage graffiti in English was splashed all over the walls and I made use of the water supply and dry space for a while.

The path exits the park at Rostanga where there are a few facilities like a shop and accommodation options.  I banged up a deserted road to a nature reserve and stopped for the night at Jallabjar shelter.

Luckily the weather was playing games and drizzling soft rain; the water pump refused to draw any liquid from the ground.  I located a few puddles and filtered away.
A few days later I talked with a couple of local Swedish hikers and they informed me that the previous Summer was super dry and it is common to struggle to find water along parts of the Skaneleden.  Yah for the rain?!!

Next day was a mixture of lonely country roads and bewitching Oak & Ash clad forest.  Numerous reminders of peoples of the past were encountered via ancient stone walls and interpretative signage along the way.

I scooped up water from an old church at Hallarod and bounced along a winding track to the lake at Frostavallen.

Ignoring the roaring animal cries from the nearby zoo, I slept deep, deep sleep in my tent near the Maglebjar shelter.  There were houses nearby and the area is popular for Swedish tourists but as usual I was not disturbed.

The next morning I failed to locate any more water and so reluctantly decided to cut myself loose and vacate the trail at Hoor, a large town with rail connections to Malmo & Copenhagen, a few kilometres away.  I figured my planned week long hike to Brosarp would be slightly agitating if water continued to be as elusive as it had been the last 2 days.

The promise of hot food and wandering along early in the day under a cloudless sunrise spurred me on down the purpose built bike path to Hoor.  The crowds of commuters looked glum as they waited for trains to cart them off to employment in far off cities.

Times like this had me realising how very fortunate I was to have the health and motivation to take on these adventures.  Good vibes!

Mileage:

• Soderasens to Jallabjar  11km
• Jallabjar to Maglebjar    26km + road walk to Hoor 4km

Kullaleden Trail, Skane Region, Sweden.

The Kullaleden Trail is an easy, well trod coastal section of the larger Skaneleden Trail network that squiggles all over the show for more than 1000km in Southern Sweden.  It passes through rural residential areas, pockets of temperate forest and sandy Scandinavian beaches on the Kullaberg Peninsula. 

Plenty of great views and facilities too, if needed.

The distance is about 70km + the 10km I did from Angelholm to the trail terminus at Utvalinge.

The Skaneleden was not designed as a one off thru-hike, rather a collection of long trails numbered SL1 to SL5 that wind and meander around the former Danish territory of Skane, where prolific public transport options facilitate the opportunities to jump on and off the path at will.

You can wander along part of the trail for an hour or 2 months.  Your call.

The Kullaleden is very well marked with orange blazes and signage and I never lost my way.  That speaks volumes... 😉 There are rustic 3 sided shelters plopped along the route every now and then and sometimes dubious water supplies to keep the easy pace interesting. 

Overall map of the Skaneleden Trail.  Map sourced from www.mynewsdesk.com

I took 3 cruisey days hiking the trail from Thursday 13 September to Saturday 15 September.

This map of the Kullaleden was posted about prolifically throughout the walk.  

Safari Track Rating: Mostly flat, easy to follow and a mixture of single track, forestry and residential roads.

I used the official Skaneleden SL5 map which cost $150 Swedish Krona (around $23 AUD) and planning resources on the official Skaneleden website here which has a good English translation.

The Kullaleden website here has all the basics in English. 

I also made contact with an Aussie bloke, Brian who is living in Copenhagen and has a handy blog about hiking in Scandinavia, in particular the Skaneleden; brian's blog

I bounced off the SL3 section of trail in the town of Hoor and rode the train to Angelholm on the coast, purchased a snazzy waterproof map at the Visitor Centre and fumbled my way on non official tracks to the start of the SL5 section at Utvalinge.  There was a slightly confusing 10km of 'I'm-pretty-sure-I'm-lost-but-if-I-keep-the sun-on-my-left-as-it-is-in-the-South-which-means-I'm-heading-West' and wandering through pine forests and rough tracks and then I got there. Eventually. I could have caught a cab but that would be lazy wouldn't it. 😉

I really feel at home in Scandanavia.  I like the landscapes, the great transport options and the opportunities to get out and wander around the countryside without restriction.
Coming off a long Ultramarathon in Western Denmark a few days beforehand and the unexpected cancellation of my flights to Greenland to hike the Arctic Circle Trail, had left me a tad weary and keen to seek an uncomplicated journey.
Hello Sweden again!

From Utvalinge onwards I chased the conspicuous orange markers and ducked in and out of pretty fishing villages and well heeled neighbourhoods.  Sheep tried to befriend me and cows smiled contentedly.  I pushed on West and crashed into Skaret campsite for the night.

Two older Swedish women were already chowing down on dinner and had their large green Hilleberg tent pitched out near the shelter.  I have a smaller version of that tent, it's bloody awesome in the mountains and snow in a ripping storm. We yakked away and swapped boring hiking stories. 😏

Skaret is a very cool spot.  Trees and grass and peaceful Swedish countryside.

A Danish climbing club maintains the site and has built a lean to and fire ring and seating just for Kullaleden hikers adjacent to their own.  Thanks folks!

I ate, brushed the fangs and crashed out for 10 hours.

Next morning I banged on up bumpy singletrack to the tip of the Kullaberg Penninsula where there is a visitor centre and a fantastic view of the Kattegatt Sea between Sweden and Denmark.

I purchased a coffee and jumped on the free Wifi and messaged my girlfriend Ree, checked the dogs were still alive and wandered around the lighthouse station.

Rain blew in early afternoon and I was back on bike paths and a mixture of coastal tracks and quiet streets leading past holiday shacks and retirees homes.

I toyed with the idea of grabbing a roof over my head for the night in Hoganas but decided to push on near the bustling caravan park in Lerberget and pulled the tent up in some bushes where no one could see me. I located a gas station nearby, scored a bag full of brews (they are only 3.5% alcohol in Sweden unless you go to the State owned monopoly Systembolaget) and kept out of the rain that Friday evening.

Next morning was a bizarre mixture of wiping sunscreen on my snout and sweating and then running for cover from hailstones and driving rain as the sun and clouds played chasey across the skies.

The cranes and city buildings of Helsingborg grew taller and more defined on the Southern horizon as I drew closer.

The shelter at Domsten is in a fairly public spot but when I rolled in for a break and ditched my pack I discovered a young Danish guy still lying down in the middle of a late morning sleep in.
He was excited and pumped to be on his first solo multi day walk and informed me he was 'going into the wild!' (not likely on this trail but I loved his youthful enthusiasm and sense of wonder, he reminded me of me 20 years ago, I hope he enjoyed his hike)... a Jack Kerouac novel lay on his sleeping bag and he chattered away and explained his hopes and plans for the coming week.

The trail eventually turned into a wide bike path and the out skirts of historic Helsingborg was reached.  Which meant fresh vegetables, cold beer, and a shower.  

Not to forget crowds of tourists and getting lost in city streets.  I hadn't showered in a week so the stinky funk smell helped push me on to my cheap hotel room and a Thai food buffet.

Departing Helsingborg on the 20 minute ferry ride to Helsingor on the Danish coast.

Other faff;

*There are quite a few spots to jump on or off the trail and access a nearby bus top. 
Recommend grabbing the Skanetrafiken app and booking and paying the fare for where you want to travel electronically, then use your phone to scan in when alighting. 
Cash is not always accepted in Sweden.

*The public toilet facilities along the walk were always, mostly, very modern appliances with sensor washing systems and electric locking.  Clean & stocked & signposted.

*Mileage:

Day 1- Angelholm to Skaret  30km

Day 2- Skaret to near Lerberget 35.5km

Day 3- Lerberget to Helsingborg 14km

Salamajarvi National Park, Finland.

Sunday 25th September - Wednesday 28th September, 2016.

Peuran Polku Trail, Salamajarvi National Park - Central Finland.  About 60km all up.

Safari Track Grading; Easy, well marked flat forest wandering.

I started this blog as a way of helping others find out information about the walks and places I have been fortunate to experience and I recently remembered how scarce data was on this obscure yet tranquil park I visited last year in Finland so here's a serve.

Firstly I headed for Kokkola via the uber excellent Finnish train system after swinging over the Gulf of Bothnia on a big boat from Sweden.  Kokkola is a cool little city, quite untouristy and I had some rockin good Chinese food and luscious local ales.  Chasing supplies is easy with a few good supermarkets in the central area and I scored an internet discount fare on the local bus to a locality called Mottonen which is basically just a gas station on a highway.

I plodded up the road to the Park entrance for about 2 hours.  You head over the highway towards Joutenhovi in a North-East direction on the 6520 road.  The farmland was scattered with occasional homesteads and often I spied children's bicycles lying in the gutter near bus stops.  I'm taking it that the kids ride to the bus stop, ditch the bike, jump on the bus for school, and the bike is waiting for them when they make the return journey.  Love the honesty of these Nordic countries!

The trail starts on the left hand side of the road opposite the Joutenhovi accommodation centre.  It is flat, easy and I was as always in this enchanting part of the world, completely alone.  The shelter above, Pikku-Syrja, is reached after 6km of walking.

Sysilampi, situated at the South Eastern park entrance is a collection of former farming buildings that are used on a first come basis to doss down and get out of the yuck weather.  Fortunately my visit was blessed with cloudy but stable skies.  I plonked the tent up by the lakeside and had a fire and few stiff drinks.  Absolutely magic skies.  Nuff said!

The cabins had an array of cutlery and plates so I utilised these and tried to read the mostly Finnish entries in the journals and gave up.  The night sky was truly serene. I had to say it again. My favourite evening of the journey.  One of those 'I love my fricken crazy kick ass brilliant life' moments.

Next couple of days I meandered along some of the Peuran Polku Trail.  Without getting all drawn out and specific I will just say I kept the miles short, enjoyed the solitude and rare conversations with Finnish hikers and scooted back out to Mottonen, reluctantly, the same way I came in.  

This little chunk of Finnish wilderness was a great deviation off the tourist circuit (if there is a tourist circuit in Finland?! Go now! It's all yours!) and the effort of getting out there was well worth it.

Not the place for those that need spectacular views and waterfalls.   

Few people, rustic shelters, no litter, wood stacked high in sheds, curious wildlife and those lonely Nordic skies.  I'll be back.