Trail section
7 Helsingborg - Rydebäck
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Length
16 km
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Degree of difficulty
Green
City hiking at its best. Located on the west coast of central Skåne, the medieval city of Helsingborg has Bronze Age burial mounds, a Viking fortress, health-giving waters, castles, gardens and parks. And on its southern outskirts, you can explore a particularly sensitive nature reserve with rare plants and endangered insects.
Nature
From your starting point of the medieval tower known as Kärnan in the heart of Helsingborg, you walk through Slottshagen, a park from the 1900s with exotic trees and views over the Öresund Sound, past Möllebacken and through the park near Konsul Persson Manor, where vast quantities of Corydalis solida, commonly known as bird-in-a-bush or fumewort, grow.
Roads take you to the ravine at Jordbodalen. Follow the stream with several small bridges and a waterfall and continue to Ramlösa Brunnspark and through another ravine with a woodland park and stream. The Ättekulla meadows, pastures and woodlands are covered in wood anemones and lily-of-the-valley. Still in the city, you walk down into the deep valley of the Råån River, where unusual plants, fish and animals live. The river is, from a geological perspective, young. When glaciers retreated from Skåne, they left behind the sandy hills of Glumslöv, and the old river, frozen and still for so long, quickly carved out a new course. The erosion continues, but on a much smaller scale.
At the southern outskirts of Helsingborg, the buildings thin out and Örby Nature Reserve awaits, with its extensive sandy beach, meadows, heaths and wetland forest. More than 400 plant species grow here, many quite rare in Sweden, such as knapweed broomrape, Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem from the lily family, and spiked speedwell. You can also find some 300 species of fungi, rare molluscs, endangered insects, and of course, many birds. Because there are so many rare species here, the municipality has classified the area as a particularly sensitive ecological area.
Cultural History
Construction of Kärnan Tower began around 1310, and is the only part remaining of a larger Danish fortress which, along with the fortress Kronborg on the opposite side of the Öresund Sound, controlled entry to the Baltic Sea. Archaeological excavations revealed earlier remains from a moat and palisade resembling a Viking ring fortress. Only seven or eight of these trelleborgs, as they are called, have been found, and most have been dated to the reign of Danish king Harald Bluetooth around 980.
Helsingborg has a lot to offer by way of architecture, including from the 1600-1700s. In the park near Konsul Persson Manor, there is a café cave, a kind of arbour surrounded by a stone wall. These café caves were once common along the entire length of the Landborg cliff. Maria Church in Helsingborg was built in the 1400s but the sandstone blocks by the plinth tell us that the original church that stood here was built in the 1100s. In Ramlösa Brunnspark, there are beautiful buildings from the period when members of the upper class drank the healing waters from the many nearby springs. A provincial doctor described the spring as a “veritable blessing" and began to officially promote the drinking of healing water in 1707.
Centrally located in Helsingborg is the Ättekulla burial field, consisting of about 20 burial mounds from the Bronze Age. Of these, ten are still preserved. An archaeological survey in the late 1800s of eight of the burial mounds found they contained eleven burials from the older Bronze Age and 53 from the younger Bronze Age, as existing burial mounds were often expanded to include new burials. A large number of Bronze Age artefacts have also been found, including stone battle axes, clasps from clothing, and shaving blades.
16 km
About Difficulty Grading
The grading of the trails is based on a common national standard. If you want to read more about this, visit the National Framework for Hiking Trails.
Even and firm ground: The terrain is generally flat. The hike requires no need to use your hands for support. No obstacles. Bridges are always present when crossing waterways.
Uneven and/or soft ground: Some changes in elevation. Certain sections may require hand support to maintain balance. There may be obstacles such as low stiles and short stairs. Minor obstacles like stones and roots. Boardwalks are present.
Loose or slippery ground combined with steep sections: Technical parts require hand support. There may be obstacles such as high stiles and longer stairs. Frequent sections with stones and/or roots. Boardwalks with deeper surrounding water.
Note: One or more of these features may be present along the trail section.
Green
- 15-26 km
- Lätt
- Stadsnära
- Kollektivtrafik
- Kustnära
- Skåneleden
Highlights along the section
Are you looking for a place to stay or a cozy cafe during your hike? Here are some of the sights and places to visit along the section.
Hiking suggestions
Do you find it difficult to know where to start your hike? Here is some inspiration and a selection of recommended hikes - short and long, with or without accommodation or based on different themes.
Show allNews
Here you will find information about what's new on the trail as well as current redirections and disturbances.
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