On a sunny September Saturday (21st), I had the pleasure to visit Söderåsen National Park and hike the Hjortesprång Trail (Blue Trail), together with my dear colleagues and friends from India, Jinu and Shiva,
Söderåsen National Park is a beautiful area in Skåne, southern Sweden. It’s known for its rich biodiversity, scenic landscapes, and a variety of hiking trails. The park is part of the Söderåsen Ridge, which is a geological formation that offers rolling hills, deep ravines, and lush forests, making it a fantastic destination for hiking.
We parked at entré Skäralid, where you also find the Naturum Visitor Center that has an exhibition and café, where we bought a very good take-away sandwich for lunch. You can also get snacks, water and coffee/tea to-go.
There are a number of different trails in the area and one of the most popular is the Hjortesprång Trail (Blue Trail), that offers breathtaking views and an opportunity to experience the area’s diverse nature. The trail is a well-marked circular route that is about 8 kilometers. It takes you through some of the most picturesque parts of Söderåsen, with varying terrain that includes open meadows, dense forests, and viewpoints offering panoramic vistas of the surrounding landscape. The trail is suitable for both casual hikers and more experienced trekkers. It can be a bit challenging at times due to the hilly and uneven terrain.
As you hike along the trail, you’ll pass through different ecosystems, including lush hardwood forests, which are home to a wide variety of plants and animals. The trail is particularly beautiful in spring and summer when wildflowers bloom and the forest is green, but it also offers a unique experience in autumn, with the colors of the changing leaves.
One of the key attractions along the trail is Hjortesprånget (“The Deer Leap”). A dramatic viewpoint located at a high point and offers a fantastic view of the Söderåsen Ridge, as well as a deep valley below. The viewpoint is named after a legendary event where a deer supposedly leapt across a ravine.
Kullaberg is a rocky peninsula, located in northwestern Skåne, along the Kattegat coast, just a 1.2-hour drive north of Malmö. This area is famed for its stunning landscapes, dramatic cliffs, rich biodiversity, and world-class hiking opportunities.
After obsessively watching the weather forecast for days, I decided to tackle the Skåneleden Trail on Thursday, 25 July. This summer’s weather has been wildly unpredictable, but my decision paid off — the conditions were perfect.
The natural beauty and diverse landscapes of the Kullaberg Nature Reserve include winding pathways of trails with lush, towering beech forests, fascinating caves and dramatic coastline views.
Just outside the charming village center of Mölle, there is a free parking lot for hikers. The trail starts right next to a chapel, next to the parking lot. Following the orange and blue markers for the north coast.
The first goal, after some serious uphill effort, was Håkull, Kullaberg’s highest point at 187 meters above sea level. The panoramic view from the top is extraordinary, making the challenging hike up (and down) well worth it.
Next detour from the orange trail led me to Josefinelust Beach, named after King Oscar 1’s wife, Josefina, who fell in love with its beauty during a visit in 1865. This area doesn’t have a beautiful pebble beach; it’s also home to some of the caves this area is known for. Note: The path down and up is very steep, with a “stairway” providing some much-needed assistance.
At the very tip of the Kullaberg Nature Reserve stands the key landmark — Kullens Lighthouse. It’s one of the oldest and most powerful lighthouses in Scandinavia, having “Saved lives since 1561.” The current structure, built in the late 19th century, houses a museum and observation deck with fantastic panoramic views. Nearby, the Kullaberg Naturum Visitor Centre offers fun activities and engaging nature and animal exhibitions. One quirky feature was a cigarette voting box asking, “Which animal keeps it cleanest at home: Badger or human male?” 🙂 Another exhibit showcased birdhouses with various items and information on how long these items take to decompose in nature.
While exploring, my Garmin watch ran out of juice. I put it in my pocket with a power bank to charge, but after a kilometer or so, I noticed it was missing. Retracing my steps, I found it! Some kind soul had placed it on a rock in plain sight. Huge thanks to that awesome person!
The trail from the lighthouse back to Mölle, along the south side of the peninsula, is marked with red signs alongside Skåneleden’s orange markers. This section offers more coastal views than the forest trail on the north side.
Next, I reached Ransvik Beach, once notorious as a “stronghold of sin” because it was the first place in Sweden where men and women swam together.
After roughly 15 km, I arrived at the charming fishing village of Mölle. At the end of the pier in the small harbor, I treated myself to a well-deserved dinner at Systrarna på piren, enjoying a fantastic view of the village, sea, and sunset.
Difficulty: Varies from easy to challenging, with some (very) steep and rocky sections.
Terrain: Coastal cliffs, dense forests, meadows, and rocky shores.
Trail Markings: The Skåneleden Trail is well-marked with orange signs and information boards. North trail is marked blue and south is marked red.
Best Time to Visit: Spring and summer are the most popular seasons, with mild weather and longer daylight hours. Autumn also offers beautiful foliage and fewer crowds.
Monday 8 July I was invited by a friend to join a canoe trip on Holjeån, a small creek close to the village Näsum. We rented canoe and equipment from Wetlandi Canoe Center and started from Västanå Kvarn (mill).
Västanå Mill is one of the country’s oldest industrial facilities still in operation. Records (an invoice to the Danes) indicate that there has been a mill here since at least 1380. Although not as old, the stone bridge over the river just south of the mill is still impressive. The bridge is nearly 50 meters long, and since no traffic has been allowed since the 1950s, one can peacefully gaze over the river from the bridge.
Under the bridge we encountered our first challenge. When we should pass the small stream, I got the tip to try and “brake” as much as possible to avoid going to the right, that was apparently not a good idea. Maybe I braked too much since we went to the left and got suck on some rocks. Got loose and could continue to the next challenge.
After approximately 1 km down river there was a log across the river, under water. Since the water level was quite low we could not pass over it without some extra work. Climbed on to the part of the log that was over water and could drag the canoe over.
When entering Ivösjön the sky opened up and there was lots of rain, hale, wind, waves, thunder and lightning. Got a little nervous and we decided to paddle to the shore to take “shelter” (very limited but we were not on the lake). After half an hour it was gone and we could see the sun again and continue to the end station Klackabacken.
The distance from Västanå mill and Klackabacken is 7 km. A narrow river with fantastic and magical scenery.
It is a fascinating place. A former monastery, then a castle and now a hotel. It has a museum, an old monastery kitchen, a chapel, a beautiful park and som hiking trails. The night porter, Bosse, told us about the ghost Patrik, 10 years old, who is a friendly ghost that haunt the castle. He got a cold breath from a mun when Patrik saw him die, getting stuck in the water mill. One day Patrik was gone and they never found him. Many years later bones from a child was found in a well… If you visit the hotel and feel a chilled breeze, it could be Patrik.
The last couple of years the castle has been the scenery for the Swedish music program “Stjärnorna på slottet”.
India is a diverse country with a population of 1.4 billion people (2022), that is close to 18% of the world population. The people are known for their rich culture, traditions, and hospitality.
India has a variety of religions, over 2 million temples, 22 official languages, many ethnic groups, each with its unique customs, traditions and cuisine. India is also known for its vibrant festivals, such as Diwali, Holi, and Durga Puja.
During my trip in the south west part of the country in October (2023), I was very fascinated by the characters, colors and scenery. Meet some of them here:
Day1:
Flight KLM to Schipol Airport. Sprinter train to Centraal Station. Smart that we could use our Visa card as travel pass on the public transport. Checked in at Eden Hotel. Nice hotel with good location. Small shop for snacks and drinks, bar and pool table (free).
Walkabout: Dam square, Anna Franks house/museum (did not go inside) and much more in the neighborhood, Dinner at De Nachtwacht
Day 2:
Breakfast at the rooftop restaurant Blue with nice 360 degrees view over Amsterdam.
Walkabout: Cool gallery AbrahamArt Gallery – Museumplein with RijksMuseum, Van Gogh and Stedelijk Museum We didn’t enter any of the museums, viewed the exterior. Headed to the Heineken Experience for a tour, a visit at the bar and their rooftop bar with very nice view and beer cocktails.
Dinner at a small and very good Thai restaurant, NK Thai Noodles close by. We asked for the dishes made Thai mode – Quote from waitress: “are yo sure?” 🙂 – It was spicy and tasty.
Finished the day with an evening stroll to the Skinny Bridge and play some pool.
Day 3:
Brunch at the The Lobby, nice restaurant at Hotel V. Looked around the nice Joordan district and walked towards Wester Park to visit Amaze, an audio and video “museum”. In groups of eight you walk through a maze of different audio and video installations to finish in a big warehouse style room sitting on “fat boys” (big pillows) watching a light show on the walls and on the pillars accompanied with (loud) electronic music.
Took public transport back to the city and had a look at Red Light District – “no pictures please”.
Passed the Rembrandt museum, Had a good burrito at a small Mexican take away restaurant.
Day 4:
Great omelet brunch at Omelegg, very popular and good, recommend it. Expect to wait in line outside, no booking,
Theme of the day was rooftops. Started with a visit to Luminair, Fantastic view over Amsterdam. Continued to Nemo Science Museum that has a kind of park on roof, Crossed the harbour with a small ferry (free). Walked pass Adams Tower and had a peek at the Eye film “museum”. Visited De Ceuvel, an award-winning, sustainable planned workplace for creative and social enterprises on a former shipyard, The craft beer from the local brewery was good 🙂
Continued to Straat, a “museum” in a warehouse with some great street art. Amazed by the detail and size of some of the art work, fantastic! There was quite a heavy “scent” of spray paint.
Dinner at Ribs Factory, close to the hotel. Evening walkabout – the cocktail bar Luminair, night version, Great night view over the city. Next stop on the “cocktail rooftop bar crawl” was Malabar Cocktail bar also with great night view over the harbor and city.
Day 5:
Revisited Blue for a brunch with a view. Checked out the LEGO general store with some fantastic LEGO builds. Went on a Canal tour. Passed a French Fries shop with 3! security hosts to manage the line. Walked around Vondelpark where we saw the only people on bikes wearing helmet, 3 persons, the only ones during the whole stay! Very nice park with a brewery in the middle where we tasted the local brew.
On the way home we dropped by The Flying Dutchmen Coctail bar where some of the locals had their after work drink. Finished the day with dinner at Wagamama located across the street from the hotel. Then some backgammon at the hotel bar.
Day 6:
Checking out, Breakfast at Omelegg. Short break at the Centraal Station that is “under construction” for the next many years before heading to Schipol…
21-28 August Mickey and I visited the Greek island Limnos (Lemnos). The island is the 8th biggest in Greece, located in the center of the Northern Aegean sea.
We travelled with Apollo and stayed at Porto Myrina, Powered by Playitas. The hotel had a lot of different sport activities included in the price. At some activities you could just up show at the set time, others you should sign up for. We tried Yoga, Padel, Scuba diving, kajak, SUP and did a lot of laps in the pool.
Tuesday we did a 12 km hike to the “Antenna hill”. Beautiful 360 degree view over the landscape from the top:
Wednesday we experience “extreme weather conditions” where there came a SMS warning!
Spent the day playing backgammon and visit the fitness center:
Thursday we hiked up and around the Castle of Myrina, that could be considered as one of the most resistant and best fortresses in Greece:
Friday we rented a car (“jeep”) and drove around the island to see some of the sights – A dessert. Sand dunes (and a tank) at Gomati beach.
Extraordinary lava formations at Falacro and drove on some dirt roads – great fun! and might be the best sight of the day. A salt lake at Aliki, that was not white but muddy due to the rain storm.
Had lunch at the surf beach Keros. Should see some windmills at Kontias but probably also due to the storm, the path up to the windmills was closed. Many of the roads was very narrow, especially through the villages:
Saturday we did a 14 km hike to “The Church without roof” (Church of Panagia Kakaviotissa). This Greek Orthodox Church was built by refugee monks who fled to the mountain as early as around 1,416 AD and is one of its kind in the world.
The track towards the church we choose an alternative route that Google maps marked as a path. In reality there was not much of a path, only the ones the sheep and goats had made. We used Google maps as a compass to help us keep on the right track. An exciting adventure.
Hiking back from the church, it was more or less roads and “the beaten track” all the way back to the hotel.
Myrina is the capital and main port of Lemnos and counts on 4500 inhabitants. The settlement stretches around two beautiful bays and between stands the imposing Venetian castle surrounded by massive formations of volcanic rock.
Visitors are charmed by the old neoclassical mansions, Ottoman buildings and fountains, traditional houses, narrow streets and modern constructions that compose the setting of Myrina. Along the waterfront lie plenty of restaurants and traditional taverns.
22-26 January 13 present and former colleagues from NNE spent at Saalbach-Hinterglem, Austria, for some days of skiing. The trip was planned for taking place last year but cancelled due to a virus. We were all looking forward to the trip but there was some uncertainty and anxiety up to the days before departure. The Danes needed a negative PCR-test (max 42 hours old). It was enough with a third booster shoot for the Swede but needed proof, train ticket, that I just arrived from Malmö the same day.
We travelled with Northlander and stayed at Skinetworks Hotel Pinzgauerhof in Hinterglem. Perfectly located close to the lift Reiterkogelbahn, ski rent Heil’s and after ski Goaßstall.
Friday and Saturday before arrival it was snowing. Sunday it was a little bit cloudy, Monday-Wednesday it was Kaiserwetter!!
14-21 of October, Mickey and I visited the small beach resort Agia Marina, Crete, not far from Chania. We travelled with TUI and stayed at Atlantica Caldera Village, room no. 212 with a great view from the balcony, overlooking the village, sea and the island Agioi Theodoroi, a nature reserve inhabited by the Kri-Kri goat.
Here follow some stories and pictures of what we did during our stay, enjoy.
Walkabouts:
Beach walk Agia Marina – Palatinas, 8 km.
Hill walk Agia Marina – Cave Nerospilia, 8 km. (the cave was closed)
Beach walk Agia Marina – Chania, 11 km.
Chania is the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast and consists of the city itself and several nearby villages.
On the way we had a break at Iguana Beach and passed Abandoned Graffiti House,
In Chania we walked along the Venetian Port, where we had lunch. We took the bus back to Agia Marina.
Bus day to Elafonisi:
Monday we went on a bus trip to the beach Elafonisi. The trip went via the gorge Topolia and a stop at Cave Agia Sofia (Wisdom of God) before we reached Elefonisi.
Here we spent a couple of hours walking around, swimming and relax on the beach. Elafonisi is an island when the tide is high and famous for it’s pink “sand”, that actually is seashells. Since many tourists have taken the sand with them home, there isn’t much left. The authorities have strengthen the rules and set high penalty for removing the sand.
Many thanks to our guide Joanna, who told many good stories about the culture of Crete and the scenery we passed through.
Beach walk at Elafonisi, 2 km.
Rent-a-car day:
Wednesday we rented a VW Up from a local travel agency, Beyond Travel, on the main street in Agia Marina.
The journey: Agia Mariana – Gorge of Imbros – Hora Sfakion – Frangokastello – Giorgioupoli – Kourna Lake – Agia Marina.
The gorge of Imbros is the second most popular gorge, after Samaria. for walkers on Crete. The gorge of Imbros was the main route through which Allied Forces evacuated Crete in late May 1941 after losing the Battle of Crete. Close to 20.000 troops (mainly New Zealanders, Australians and Brits) headed from the North of the island through the gorge of Imbros to Komitades and Hora Sfakion where they were due to be picked up by ships and taken to Egypt. About 13.000 made it onto ships. The rest were made prisoners by the Germans or escaped to the hills. There is a monument in Hora Sfakion commemorating these events.
Hora Sfakion is a small village with a main harbour front of tavernas, two minimarkets, a butcher, and a bakery. There is a quiet local beach immediately west of the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby. Hóra Sfakíon has a variety of tourist accommodations: rooms, studios, and apartments. The local economy is based on tourism, fishing, olive-oil production, and sheep and goat herding.
28 May – 1 June, 1941, British and Australian forces was evacuated from this bay after passing the the gorge of Imbros.
Frangokastello is a castle and scattered settlement on the south coast of Crete. The castle was built by the Venetians in 1371–1374 as a garrison to impose order on the rebellious Sfakia region, to deter pirates, and to protect Venetian nobles and their properties.
Returning to the north coast, Mickey found an alternative way on Google Maps. A small winding road with around 25 hairpin turns. I admit I was little nervous driving up this road. Very steep, narrow, no crash barrier, parts of the road broken and fallen off on one side, stones and rocks fallen on to the road on the other. Glad we didn’t meet any cars…
Due to the narrow road and suffering from a little bit anxiety, I “forgot” to take photos of the beautiful scenery. Found this picture on Google Maps.
Credit: Wolfgang Johannes
Formerly a small fishing village, Georgioupolis is more of tourist town now. The town square is surrounded by outdoor seating. The 9 km beach is the main attraction of the area with the church of Agios Nikolaos on the islet with the same name. Here you also find a small harbor at Turtle River, where you can rent different kind of boats to go up the river or out on the sea.
Nearby Kourna Lake is a popular excursion.
Kourna Lake is the only natural freshwater lake on Crete. It covers an area of 579 acres and maximum depth reaches 22 meters. The lake is a protected area as an important wetland with many species like moorhens, ducks, eels, snakes and a rare two-color turtle and occasionally herons.
Beach day:
A day spent at Gorgona Beach Club with sun, backgammon and bodysurfing in the quite big waves. Thanks to Director Alex and staff, for friendly and good service (and for use of your backgammon).
Restaurants Agia Marina:
These are the restaurants we tried. Dessert and raki served was the custom when paying the bill. “Raki is like Ouzo, but worse” – statement from a waitress.
Botonis – Grilled pork chops. The wood fired “globe grill” was standing in the restaurant
Neraida – Mixed grill, more than enough for two (got doggie bag for lunch next day)
Nostos – Ingo: Moussaka, Mickey: chicken gyros
Olivi – Both had very nice beef steaks with great “potato salad” (potato mixed with garlic, lemon and parsley)
Saturday
Flight CPH – Madrid with a friend of Norwegian. Limited service on board. Good we bought a Joe and the Juice spicy tuna sandwich to go as “on-flight-meal”.
Metro #10 from airport, change to #8 to Tribunal.
Checked in at Rentalis Gran Via Fuencarral, an Airbnb flat (didn’t know booking.com have airbnb). Small, nice and clean with fantastic location. It was a challenge finding the entrance since the notification from Booking.com didn’t have a street number. Called the host, José, that guided and greeted us. José liked Madrid very much and he wanted the guests to do the same :-). He explained and marked all the sights in Madrid on a map.
It was raining so limited walkabout. Dinner at the local Delisko.
Monday – walkabout theme “Getting High”, 16 km
Sunny and chilly. 4-8 degrees in the early morning! Mickey comment, “like being at a ski resort – clear blue sky, sun and cold”.
The host José marked some viewpoints on the map.
Started with Mimosa (Cava + orange juice) brunch at Brunch club – great brunch salad, Mickey Slamon wrap
First viewpoint – El Cortes Ingles – view to Schweppes building
Second viewpoint Endifico Espana – 360 Rooftop bar where Stephani served us rosado, birthday version :-).
Passing Templo de Debod on the way to third viewpoint, Teleferico de Madrid
Walked through Parque del Teleferico and passing Lago Casa de Campo on the way to Palacio Real and Catedral de la Almudena for viewpoint #four. Arrived too late, It closed at 14:30.
Dinner at restaurant La Cabana Argentina Mickey’s birthday gift to me 🙂
Mickey invited to cocktail bar – 1862 Dry Bar
28 August 2016 I had the pleasure of hiking The Caminito del Rey together with Mar, Andreea, Renny and Peter.
Caminito del Rey is located approx. one hour drive from Malaga.
After the drive from Benalamadena, we had a very nice lunch at El Mirador. The restaurant has a fantastic view over the lake. Bring swimming clothes for a dip in the lake, before or/and after the walk.
The total length of El Caminito del Rey is 7.7 km. It’s divided into a 4.8 km long access way and a 2.9 km long walkway that you need a ticket to visit.
The walkway of Caminito del Rey, called El Hoyo, is of spectacular natural beauty, breathtaking and fantastic. The path is more than just a walk in the hills. Parts of the walkway is a hanging footbridge that rises over 100 metres above the river below with steep walls, that can make you feel dizzy. The path is “hazardous” because of the heights and its narrow parts. It was rebuilt so it could be used for active tourism in the natural surroundings. It requires certain level of physical effort and skilfulness. You are not risking your life at all, but be aware of the strong impressions this place might have on you. That’s why this path is so spectacular.
It’s a good idea to book in advance to access the walkway. They let in 50 persons every ½ hour.
Note!The Caminito del Rey is linear, not circular. You need to make sure to come back to the start on your own. There are coaches between the northern access (Ardales) and the southern one (El Chorro), which go in both directions.
History
The walkway was originally built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with a means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel.
The construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905. The original path was constructed of concrete and rested on steel rails supported by stanchions built at around 45 degrees into the rock face. An extra benefit with the path was that it created great joy for the locals that experienced easier access between the neighboring villages.
According to a local guide (that also was in the construction team for the new version) told us that approx. 200 persons died during the construction of the original walkway (the number of casualties was zero, building the new one).
King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway in 1921 for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce and it became known by its present name – “The Kings Pathway“.
The old walkway deteriorated over the years and there were numerous sections where parts or all of the concrete top had collapsed. The result was large gaps bridged only by narrow steel beams or other supports. Few of the original handrails existed although a safety wire ran along the path. Several people lost their lives on the walkway and after two fatal accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed both entrances. Even so, in the 4 years to 2013, four people died attempting to climb the gorge. It was known as the “The most dangerous walkway in the world”.
In March 2014, the cornerstone of the rehabilitation project was laid by specialized alpinists. The new walkway reopened on 29 March 2015.
Söderåsen National Park is a beautiful area in Skåne, southern Sweden. It’s known for its rich biodiversity, scenic landscapes, and a variety of hiking trails. The park is part of the Söderåsen Ridge, which is a geological formation that offers rolling hills, deep ravines, and lush forests, making it a fantastic destination for hiking.
