Nature

Water characterises this section of trail which runs through natural forests interspersed with spruce plantations in central north Skåne. The forests are lush and rich, especially along the meanderings of the Hörlingeån River where they take on an almost rain forest-like quality. At times the river is bubbling with life and speed; at others, it flows lazily. Now and then the landscape opens up to reveal grazed pastures.

At the south end of the trail is Vedema Recreation Area, a fen at the foot of the ridge where the reeds grow tall providing a healthy habitat for birds. See if you can spot the unusual swamp horsetail, a vascular plant that grows in dense colonies here. And then it’s time to climb the beech-covered slopes of the Hörjaåsen Ridge up to the top. A few kilometres east of Vedema you pass an area with rounded boulders. This area and these boulders are from a time when Skåne was located at the equator and covered in rainforest. The many ridges of this area were formed when the European and African plates were on the move and finally collided.

Cultural History

It appears time has stood still in the villages you pass along this section of trail, with the little Falun red cottages and stone walls as tall as a man. Aggarp in particular has retained the feel of the 1800s, with its well-preserved stone arch bridge and an old windmill. 

The ruins of at least ten mills line the Hörlingeån River. If you are willing to walk just a few extra steps you can visit the most impressive of these – Skulkamöllan.

Poor crofters lived in the area around Vedema where the land was difficult to cultivate. In the 1870s, a tradesman, Otto Daniel Krook, donated money for planting these "unsuitable" lands. This was the beginning of the woodlands you are hiking through today.