Skåne - Trelleborg to Söderasens national park - The Middle of Sweden

July 17, 2017

Skåne - Trelleborg to Söderasens national park

Like Bedfordshire, but moreso

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I slept extremely well - surprising myself, in an internal cabin on a ferry - but I was exhausted after my train odyssey across the Netherlands and Germany. I had a relatively leisurely breakfast and watched Sweden approaching. As I left my cabin I filled up both my water bottles and put a litre or so into my (water) bladder for good measure - it looked like it was going to be hot.

As I went down to the car deck to untie by bike - unlike on the Dutch flyer, it looked like I was the cyclist on this ferry - I noticed a lot of coaches maneuvering to get off. To my surprise, they all had "Nordkapp" signs in their windows. I don't know if I could take sitting on a coach the whole length of Scandinavia just to get to Nordkapp where, by all accounts, there's not a great deal to see. The Marx travel coaches caught my eye - it won't be the last time we see them this trip...

There is a spectre haunting Northern Europe - the spectre of Marx travel...

Like Travemund, once I'd found my way out of the ferry port, Trelleborg turned out to be a rather pretty small town. At 8am it was very quiet, and I took advantage to get out some cash (with the usual tension and relief that my card was working), take a few photos and check everything on the bike was in working order.

The coastal strip of southern Skåne is by Swedish standards densely populated. The first step of the day's journey was to cross the heavily trafficked triangle between Malmö and Ystad on the West and South coasts to reach the university town of Lund. I'd have lunch and stock up in Lund, before heading North and inland to reach the edge of the continuous arable land - where unobtrusive wild camping is difficult - and the Söderasens (southern ridge) national park, where I'd spend the night.

On a Monday morning, I was aware that traffic would be heavy and fast on the major roads, so I'd sketched out a (rather indirect) route that would get me out of this triangle, via Anderslöv and on a back road around Malmö airport. In general, in the South I would avoid red 'A' or 'E' roads (frequently these are very fast with little or no shoulder) and also the orange 'B' roads. With a good map it's usually entirely possible to avoid these completely. One thing to note which was certainly not obvious to be is that red minor roads, marked on the Freytag maps as "private", are in fact completely publicly accessible (they are only privately maintained) - and in fact are often the most pleasant route, the main disadvantage being that signage can sometimes be a bit, well, patchy. As I was to find out, things are a bit different in Central/Northern Sweden, where major roads are less of a problem and the "private" roads can sometimes have dodgy surfaces and be difficult to navigate - though I would still avoid main 'E' routes there.

Anyway, I pedalled roughly to the North and uphill out of Trelleborg, and soon saw a church up on the hill which (with my sketchy Swedish translation skills) seemed likely to be Kyrkoköpinge. The road was smooth, the day bright and there was very little traffic on the back roads. I weaved my way between small villages, across rolling open Skåne landscape green with crops. Locals out in their gardens waved to me, rather shyly, as I passed. After a slightly hairy crossing of the main Malmö-Ystad road (E65) - I would avoid cycling on this at all costs - I found my way up the back roads which skirted around Malmö's tiny airport. Plumping to avoid the suburban towns surrounding Lund, I cut North West on the backroads through Kyrkheddinge.

Very typical rolling, open Skane landscape

The weather remained gloriously sunny and the day was really warming up. On the other hand, a wind was picking up and uncharacteristically blowing out of the NW. I pushed through the headwind, and rationed my water. I had a little fun finding a crossing of the Malmö-Stockholm motorway - but before long found a nice bike path that took me right into the centre.

Lund is an old university town, and the student population gives it a cosmopolitan feel. The main square is filled with (apparently permanent) deckchair, and on such a sunny Sunday the citizens of Lund were making good use of them. To my approval there was a falafel stand doing buzzing business with students buying an inexpensive lunch - I got a delicious falafel and halloumi wrap and ate it in the square. An idyllic place for lunch, but I was aware that the day was cracking on and getting hotter still. After an application of suntan lotion, I (rather sheepishly) filled my water bottles up from the fountain on the square - this didn't seem exactly usual, but on the other hand there wasn't any "non-potable" sign so it looked to be ok.

Taking advantage of the lovely weather in Lund

Cosmopolitan Lund, where I could actually buy falafel

Leaving Lund was as straightforward as entering - I followed the rails from the station North, and was soon out of the town. From here I'd be heading due North, further inland and away from the coastal centres of population. The scenery remained rolling and agricultural, and I was passing through small villages again. The roads were deserted - the only traffic I saw around here were a group of kids having a wholesome bike ride. They raced to overtake me (not too hard, it has to be said), and then kept pace for a couple of miles before disappearing into another village.

The last town before my final push to the national park was to be Eslöv, on the edge of the open farmland, where I'd try and buy some supplies. Eslöv seemed an unremarkable, dormitory kind of town - I had some difficulty even finding the centre, spending some time wondering through prosperous suburbia.

Eventually I found the commercial centre, and located what I'd been looking for - the Systembolaget or state-run alcohol shop. Sweden has probably the most restrictive alcohol laws in Europe - anything stronger than Folköl, light beer of 3.5% alcohol, can only be bought in the state alcohol shops (or, of less use to a cyclist in transit, licensed restaurants). As a result, basically every small town in Sweden has a Systembolaget - sometimes built-into the post office or other municipal building - and it often seems to be the most popular shop in town. They have a distinctive, rather old-fashioned green and yellow sign, which I quickly learnt to spot a mile off when passing through a small town. On the downside they have quite restricted opening hours - 6pm on weekdays, 1pm on Saturdays and closed completely on Sundays (!) - and can sometimes be in (for Sweden) slightly unsavoury areas which (unsurprisingly) attract drunks.

I was I was racing to get to the centre of Eslöv before 6pm, but was there easily before 5. I locked my bike up with some slightly askance looks at some a few local drunks hanging around - they looked looked entirely harmless, but I was more concerned about my bike or pannier content getting nicked. The Systembolagets are actually fairly well laid-out and attractive these days, although pricing is still somewhat confusing (quoted in price-per-litre). The choice and price is not bad at all - for about 70 kroner I got a bottle of English beer and two cans of, appropriately enough, Fat Tire - and the staff seemed positively cheery. I zipped out and found my bike quite intact. Right next door was a bakery, where I bought some wholesome roles and cakes. Foolishly, I didn't stock up on water.

A typical orderly small village in this part of Sweden. The pristine, multicoloured building coming up is a brand new school

First of many all-white Lutheran churches. You can see these for miles so they make very good landmarks.

After my victorious experience of buying starköl from the state-owned alcohol shop, Systemsbolaget. They all have these distinctive old-fashioned green signs, which makes them extremely easy to recognise when you're searching an unfamiliar town...

I left Eslöv, now battling a significant headwind and ended up on the "orange" B road towards Bosarp. At rush hour even this road was busy and traffic was constantly passing. The drivers were careful, but I was still glad to get off it and dive into the "private" roads between Bosarp and Rostanga, the gateway to the national park. Battling the headwind and becoming conscious that I was becoming dehydrated in the heat, I was starting to become very tired.

Away from the main routes, even in Southern Sweden a lot of the minor and privately maintained roads don't have tarmac surfaces. They tend to be broad, quiet and relatively well maintained - and in general I would highly recommend them as scenic and quiet ways of getting around. The surface can be stony or sandy and loose, so if you have very narrow tyres you might have a problem. With my 35s tyres I'm well used to this sort of surface, and I'll happily sacrifice a bit of speed and directness for a more pleasant ride. As noted, signage can be a bit poor, with signs to places too obscure to be listed on the map - though they tend to follow one direction pretty consistently, so with a compass you be fairly sure to make progress in the direction you need.

Despite my tiredness and the need to close the last stretch to the national park and secure water and place to camp, the local wildlife decided to put on quite a display and I had to stop and try to capture it. Hares bounded before me down the empty gravel roads and hid in the long grass, and large birds of prey circled over the fields. The rolling fields started to be broken up by patches of woods.

Rougher roads and I moved away from the population centres of Skäne

I know a few people that could use this service

I returned to made roads in a huge estate surrounding a very impressive manor house, castle, which I now know to be Trolleholm Slot. It was a pleasant cycle around the lakes surrounding it, but staring thirstily at the fresh water should have been a warning sign. I'd now emptied both my water bottles and was down to a few hundred ml in my "bladder". I don't know why, but I always drink a lot of water when riding - and on this hot day I'd got through about 4 litres and was still feeling dehydrated. A little dizzy, but holding it together, I pushed out onto the B road that would take me to Rostanga and the entrance to the national park.

Almost as impressive giant barns next to it

There was a long descent into Rostanga, which had something of the hikers' resort feel to it. I pulled into the now empty carpark of the national park entrance - and incredibly thankfully spotted a tap for drinking water on the outside of the toilet building. I drank for many minutes, then filled all my containers to capacity, before setting off a little further up the road where I could enter the national park by bike.

Sweden is a wonderful place where they do things differently - you have access to cycle and camp pretty much anywhere you like under Allemannsrett - except in the national parks. In many ways this makes perfect sense, as the national parks are more delicate (and attract a concentration of visitors), so it makes sense to protect them. Anyway, every one has different rules, but generally there are designated (usually free) camping areas, sometimes with facilities, and certain routes on which you can cycle. Söderasens is a large area of deciduous forest surrounding high and dramatic ridges. There are broader ways through the woods where you can cycle, and a designated free camping site around the abandoned Dahlbergs farmhouse.

Unfortunately, the main entrance in Rostanga doesn't admit bikes - so I had figured out another way to gain access without breaking the rules. A little way out of the town one of the broader routes through the forest terminates at a gate onto the main road. You would never know it was there, but I'd previously scoped it out on street view, so with that memory and a map scribbled on paper I found it ok.

The hidden entrance to the national park with my wanton disregard for the sign

The way up through the woods was extremely steep, and I'm not quite sure how I got up it in my exhausted state, laden with 5kg of unnecessary water, without pushing. Once at the top I was very happy to see a sign to Dahlbergs.

Easy to follow signs in the national park - though it's less clear where you're allowed to cycle

Dahlbergs turned out to be a large, empty farmhouse - open for those that want to camp indoors - surrounded by a clearing in the woods where anyone can camp freely. It has an manual water pump and an "earth closet" style toilet (which I immediately set my tent up next to, before the penny dropped and I moved away from it). There were a couple of other groups there, a quiet, woodsy family who had an impressive fire going and greeted me in the shy Swedish way, and a friendly bunch of kids that helped me work the pump.

Hilariously, the pump was attached to a lung wooded gutter, which meant you couldn't pump and fill up water at the same time. Single-handedly, the best way to do it was to pump some water up, then race it to the end of the gutter before it flowed out onto the ground. It was much easier with a bit of help! Of course this rendered my carrying 5 litres of water up from Rostanga rather redundant, but I was glad to be well hydrated all the same.

After very slowly setting up my tent, I cooked a meal of pasta with concentrated source, olive oil, english cheese and olives - not bad - and drunk my Systembolaget beer after chilling it in a saucepan of water. Mattress and air pillow inflated, I slept very deeply indeed.

Dahlbergs designated camping ground - a lovely place to stay. Quiet, woodsey family preparing their meal

The old farm house and friendly young folk camped in front

Today's ride: 76 miles (122 km)
Total: 94 miles (151 km)

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