With 450,000 square kilometres and a population of only 10 million, there is a lot to do in Sweden lots of space. And whatever you want to say about climate, cold or anything else: nature in Sweden is magnificent. The country is known for being extremely relaxed. Not for nothing that many cyclists like to take a tour in the land of IKEA, Knäckebrod and Pippi. The far north of Sweden is already too cold for cycling. Of course, there are die-hards who naturally go absolutely wild for that. In the south of Sweden, the climate is relatively mild and you can get out and about on two wheels from March to October. We zoomed in on the South Sweden Trails. 900 kilometres of pure cycling fun divided into three routes that you can also cycle separately. Let's get rolling! Today we do part 1 in the series of 3.
Read also: Cycling in southern Sweden: South Sweden Trails II, Sydkustleden
Read also: Cycling in southern Sweden: part III of the South Sweden Trails
Where to start?
Adjacent to the southwest coast are several, large Swedish cities: Helsingborg, Malmö and Gothenburg. If you are travelling by plane, Goteborg is a logical start, but by car, Helsingborg or Malmö would make more sense again. Should you want the complete route of the South Sweden Trails want to ride, then it is convenient to start either in Växjö or Gothenburg. Otherwise it gets messy. So the trails consist of three different routes:
- Kattegatsleden: this route actually follows the coast at Kattegat, from Gothenburg to Helsingborg (or vice versa)
- Syd coast members: here you follow the south coast, between Helsingborg, via Malmö to Simrishamn
- Sydost members: this route takes you from Simrishamn eventually to Växjö, the final point.
We will explore a beautiful stretch along the Kattegat in this article. In part 2 and part 3 of this series, we will tackle the other parts of the South Sweden Trails.
Starting point Goteborg: Kattegatsleden
From Gothenburg, it's south along the coast. The route is especially scenic. It is even a bit hilly by Dutch standards, although only near Bastad can you encounter a real climb. There it is as much as a 7% to 14% rise, so no mean feat. This is also the most difficult part. For the rest, it's lovely rolling along the water. On the first 100 kilometres, it is well worth stopping at Sweden's only Tudor castle: Tjolöholm. The nearby town, Kungsbacka, has plenty of options to stay overnight and do some shopping.
More beautiful coast
So you mainly drive along the coast on this route of a total of 390 kilometres.If the weather is nice, stop for a dip in the sea at the beaches near Falkenberg. Beautiful views, beaches, not to mention the spas near Varberg. ALs you drive further, at some point you'll also come across a beautiful piece of Holland in Sweden: the Sardal mill.
The road is mostly good, with a bit of dirt here and there. Not something you need worry about immediately on your road bike. On a gravel bike, it's actually just too little. Of course, what is nice to mention is that this route was voted Bike Route of the Year in 2018.
The route is officially cut up into eight different sectors, which are on average 50 kilometres long. For the more avid cyclist, it is quite possible to combine several sectors in one day. For example, you can do this route in three days, with the following stages:
- Gothenburg - Varberg
- Varberg - Bastad
- Bastad - Helsingborg
More info
Want to know more about this route, options for sleeping, eating, drinking or ideas for a day trip on a rest day? Then check out the site of this route here
