Nature

There are tell-tale signs from the last ice age over all of Scandinavia including along the rolling hills of this section of trail. There are many small pools in the area, and the majority are from ice hollows, left behind by retreating glaciers. North of Resåkra you pass ancient pastures and grazed woodlands. The purple western marsh orchid flowers in the damp hollows in early summer.

If you have never seen a peat lake, this is your chance. The reason the waters of Eksholmssjön Lake look so black is because of the organic matter that leaches in from adjoining peat soil. Peat lakes are often mildly acidic at the bottom and low in oxygen. But life has evolved to cope with these challenges, and there are plenty of interesting plants and beetles here. 

Cultural History

Malmö Airport lies just south of this stretch of trail, and every now and then you will see a plane taking off or coming in for landing. You can set up tent at campsites at either end of the trail, or you can take the two-kilometre walk to the airport to sleep in a luxury hotel, or even catch a flight home. Until the airport was built in the 1970s, there was a small village here with medieval origins – Sturup. But modern times require modern measures. The villagers were relocated and the village of Sturup was erased from the map.

The old pastures and grazed woodlands north of Resåkra are the outlying fields where the villagers of Sturup picked wood, berries, mushrooms and herbs. Of course, this is also where they grazed their animals and the result today is a wild array of meadow plants and flowers to tickle your senses. 

Some of the little pools along this stretch of trail are not from the ice age. The same peat that colours Eksholmssjön Lake was also dug and cut from the landscape, taken home, and dried for fuel for heat and cooking. 

This short trail is a small treasure in the landscape of Skåne, often overlooked.