Nature

As you start your trek heading south, the first point of natural interest is the old deciduous forest near Hjularöd Slott Castle. Seemingly insignificant mouldy stumps and the partially rotted trunks of aging oak and ash are teeming with life. Insects are busy creating a labyrinth of tunnels and the developing cavities attract nesting birds, the giant European hornet Vespa crabro, beetles and bats. It is the process of decay itself that makes this a key conservation habitat. You can also find exclusive plants, such as grey sedge, the grass lesser hairy brome, the stonecrop Sedum telephium and naturalised bushes of downy rose.

Climb down into a grazed ravine lined with brittle, 400-million-year-old shale. Shale forms when clay particles sink to the bottom of a sea and thanks to the presence of many graptolite fossils, the shale can be reliably dated to 400 million years ago. Graptolites are extinct marine creatures that floated in colonies, with the individuals all joined by a type of nerve cord. Splash about in your bare feet a bit. Maybe you can find a graptolite fossil.

South of Harlösa, you cross a bridge over the Kävlingeån Creek, and then follow the abandoned railway line, now carpeted with flowers, where heat-seeking insects and reptiles thrive. The old railway embankment carries you into Vombsänkan, a flatland nestled between the horsts of Romeleåsen Ridge and Linderödsåsen Ridge, with wide open views over the countryside with its wetlands and shallow lakes. Your trail ends at Krankesjön Lake. Here you can pitch your tent and get out your binoculars. With a maximum depth of 2 metres and surrounded by vast reed belts, Krankesjön Lake is an internationally-renowned bird sanctuary.

Cultural History

Hjularöd Castle is not open to the public, but you can admire it from a distance as you pass by. First mentioned in the 1300s, the current building is considerably younger and built in the 1800s. A fascination with knights was sweeping across Europe at the time, and the castle was built more for this romantic idea, rather than to fulfil any defensive purpose. You also pass by the Harlösa Donationshus, or the local poor house where the staff of Hjularöd Castle retired to live when they could no longer fulfil their duties. Harlösa church dates to the 1100s, with additions made in the 1700s and 1800s. But the baptismal font, made of sandstone, is part of the original furnishings.

There are many bridges to cross along this section of Skåneleden Trail, including one of the oldest stone arched bridges in Skåne, and a riveted iron railway bridge. Like so many other villages and towns in Skåne, it was the railway which turned Harlösa into a flourishing station community. No less than five railway lines converged here.