Nature and Culture Trail Hamnskogen

1. Welcome to Hamnskogen

Until the end of the 19th century 80% of Djurö and Vindö was covered in forest. Since then, the amount of forest has decreased dramatically. The biggest decline occurred from the end of the 20th century until 2006 as human settlement spread to areas which had previously been forest. The area of woodland in Eriksberg Forest is about 70 hectares.

Along this trail you’ll hear about people and events from the archipelago’s past. You’ll also hear about plants and animals and some of the supernatural beings which people used to believe lived in the forest.

In Sweden there is an old, established right to roam in the countryside and pick flowers, berries and mushrooms. But you have a duty to take responsibility for nature. You are not allowed to pick protected species of flowers, to disturb animal life, or to leave litter.

There are 11 stops along this trail. A brisk walk with short stops to read the signs should take about 30 minutes. The path is quite easy. If you have a pram or wheelchair you can walk along Eriksbergsvägen, where stops 3 – 8 are situated. The other stops are close by paths in the woods and are easy to get to.

Would you like to make a detour to a viewpoint? Walk up the hill on the right and then down past the boat club building and out to Svinholmen. Follow the path up to the top of the hill. From there you’ll see the inlet to the old harbour.

Follow the path to the left into the woods and you’ll find stop number 2. If you walk along Eriksbergsvägen you’ll come to the other stops.