Sörmlandsleden Trail: Stage 1 (Björkhagen - Skogshyddan)

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Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · Spring · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

Read the Swedish law about Right of public access – a unique opportunity.

Trailhead start: Björkhagen, N 59°17.513' E 018°07.012'. No parking. Björkhagen subway station is nearby.

Trailhead end: Skogshyddan, N 59°15.857' E 018°12.673'. Parking by road barrier at the road Erstaviksvägen, 400 m west of trailhead. From Skogshyddan it's a short run/walk (1,1km) along Erstaviksvägen to the bus stop Bäckalidsvägen (bus 801 to Gullmarsplan (subway) from Älta).

Water: Spring at Sandasjön - N 59°16.588' E 018°11.220'

Stage 1 of the popular Sörmlandsleden Trail passes through the Nackareservatet (a nature reserve) and is marked with orange markings. From Björkhagen subway station, Sörmlandsleden goes east across the road Malmövägen, past the church Markuskyrkan and along a birch avenue into Nacka recreation area.

In this section, you have easy access to many lakes where it is possible to swim. The first one, Lake Söderbysjön, is located 2 km from the start of the section. From there, you have a nice view over the lake. The trail continues to a geological attraction, a rift valley linking Lake Ältasjön with Lake Söderbysjön. The valley down towards lake Ulvsjön is of great botanical interest.

The path continues towards Lake Sandasjön, where fresh spring water runs straight from the boulder ridge. About 300 meters beyond the spring, a Stone-Age settlement has been found. Unfortunately, not much of it is visible today. Pause at the nature reserve just before the brownish Lake Strålsjön, where the nature offers beautiful rocky forest, ravines and cliffs.

About the Sörmlandsleden Trail
Sörmlandsleden, with more than 1,000 kilometers of winding paths through the county of Sörmland, is one of the longest long-distance path in Scandinavia. The 100 or so sections of the path take runners through wilderness, areas of cultural tradition and past historical monuments. There is everything from open landscape, wilderness, lakes, and beautiful coastline. Most of the sections are easily accessible by car, bus, or train and each section offers a suitable starting point. For accommodation, there are shelters and for rest stops, there are picnic areas.

The Sörmlandsleden Trail is marked with orange trail markings. Usually, the mark is an orange circle around a tree or pole. Road crossings are marked with orange S-arrows. In population centers, you follow orange stickers, usually placed on lampposts. Planks and footbridges take runners across sensitive and waterlogged areas. You also find signs that indicate spring (källa), shelter (skärmskydd) or privy (dass).

The Sörmlandsleden Trail is maintained by an association. Members of the Sörmlandsleden Association work as volunteers to keep the trail in the best possible order. One person is responsible for each section.

Read more about the Sörmlandsleden Trail

The immediate area has a rich bird life, interesting vegetation, geological characteristics and so many cultural and historical objects that it is like a playground for research and academic teaching.