Beneath the foliage of ancient beech trees, along cliffs, beaches and fields of wheat. Everywhere you look, they emerge: the orange signs of the Skåneleden, the famous long-distance hiking trail through the south of Sweden. These are the ten most stunning stops along the trail.

1180 km – 5 sub trails – 89 sections
Over 1.000 kilometres. You can’t cover it in a day. Not even in a week. Many people choose to walk sections every year, just like on the famous pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The Skåneleden trail is divided into five multiple-day sub trails and 89 sections, varying between 5 and 25 kilometres in length. Each route has its charms. One part guides you through tiny fishing villages, another goes past steep cliffs, bright white churches, abandoned beaches, and then crosses phenomenal beech forests. You can spend the night anywhere you like: in your tent beneath the stars or in a small hotel along the trail. Even camping wild is allowed, thanks to Swedish Everyman’s Right, Allemansrätten.

Allemansrätten
Many people believe that, in many ways, Sweden is a utopia. These people often refer to the educational system and the gender equality between man and woman. However, there is more to Sweden that makes it special, especially for hikers: Allemansrätten. You have the right of way, or freedom to roam, everywhere. A Trespasser’s Welcome. The Swedes aren’t bothered at all. Fancy a chanterelle? Feel free to pick one. Would you like some blueberries? Go right ahead. Do you have to cross a farmer’s land? Nobody is going to stop you, even though it is private property. Even camping wild is allowed in Sweden because of this age-old right. However, there are some do’s and don’ts.

•   Don’t empty out the forest and don’t pick any protected plants
•   Limit your stay on someone’s private property to one night.
•   Close all fences behind you.
•   Don’t leave any waste behind.
•   Be careful with fires.
•   Respect local flora and fauna.

By far the most famous megalith is Stonehenge in England. Sweden has its own Stonehenge; a stone monument near the town of Kåseberga, located atop an impressive cliff. You will hardly ever find a place more magical than this: a Viking ship of rock art. Ales Stenar. The monument dates back to Viking times and is 67 meters long, 19 meters wide and counts 59 boulders that weigh almost 2 tonnes each. No one knows who built Ales Stenar, or why. Some claim it is a tombstone to mark a burial ground. Others think the boulders were used as a sundial. During summer and winter, the sun sets on exact opposite rocks, which means they were not placed there at random. Nonsense, according to another school of thought; Ales Stenar is nothing more than a regular shrine.

It is common for megaliths to be enigmatic. Were the gods astronauts, or the Vikings astronomers? Or are we standing on ancient graves of a people that conquered the seven seas? In any case, the first tourist photograph of Ales Stenar was taken in 1914.

In the summer of 2019, Sweden gained a new and unique outdoor crash pad: two wooden wind shelters, Birk and Birka, situated at Hovdala Hiking Centre with a magnificent view of lake Finjansjön. The name of the campsite could not be more appropriate: Between Dusk and Dawn. In Birk or Birka you wake up with the sun shining on your face.

On the beach stands an abandoned fishing cabin, several spikes in the sand for fishers to dry their nets. When it rains, you can find shelter here and leave a message in the guestbook. Another day in Paradise, it reads. Yet it’s not raining, and it is not going to rain either. You can tell from the sky it is going to be a beautiful day.
Haväng is prettiest in the morning, about half an hour before sunrise, [when the heather is still crisp, and the horizon slowly transforms into a Mark Rothko painting. A ray of light, the promise of a new day.

Here you walk among animals: sheep, horned dung beetles, pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies. You almost step on some sea holly because you get distracted by a flock of swans, skimming the surface of the water. You automatically whisper here, especially when you pass Havängdösen, a 5500-year-old megalith, Ales Stenar’s little sister.
The best is yet to come. The reflection of tree roots in the Verkeå river, which discharges into the Baltic Sea. The sunbeams above it. Almost imperceptibly, the day has begun. No need for a jacket now.

Stenshuvud towers over the sea, 97 meters high; it literally means ‘Stone Head’. The climb is not too steep, just a one-kilometre hike from the main entrance of the park. The reward is a marvellous panoramic view of the Baltic Sea and the green of the hornbeams that covers Stenshuvuds National Park. This area, slightly south of Kivik, was declared a national park in 1986 and covers 401 hectares, 80 of which are sea. A park with (by Swedish standards) wide sandy beaches, a lighthouse, erratically mossy rocks, rivers, heather, pine trees and ancient beech trees. It is also the habitat of the hazel dormouse, which is the park’s symbol. Each year the park draws 500.000 visitors. It can get rather crowded, especially at the weekends, so to enjoy a peaceful hike you should start your day early.
The Skåneleden guides you right through the park, from Kivik in the north to Simrishamn in the south. Follow the orange signs with the letters SL4 (Skåneleden 4).

Tired of hiking? Let’s take it up a notch. The Kullaberg Peninsula is one huge adrenaline rush. You can mountain bike, surf, and abseil, or you can try to spot bottlenose dolphins in a boat travelling over the waves at 90 kilometres per hour.