Öland's North - Trollskogen and Byrums Raukar

After washing and cleaning in the morning, we drove north to the Trollskogen Nature Reserve at noon.

We chose the circular path “Trollskogestigen”, which leads around the peninsula starting from the Naturum at the entrance of the nature reserve.

The path went through the forest and soon led to the water, running parallel to the shore.

It was well developed and comfortable to walk on.

Soon, we reached the wreck of the schooner “Swiks”, which ran aground off the coast on Christmas 1926 and has since been washed up on the beach.

Walking through the forest, we passed some interestingly shaped trees.

Particularly impressive was the oak “Trolleken”, which is said to have stood in this spot for over 900 years.

Shortly after, we left the wide path and continued northward. Now we had to navigate over roots, stones, and uneven terrain.

Farther north, we encountered crooked pines that have grown strangely due to nutrient deficiency and wind.

This area was once inhabited and likely less wooded, so there are a good dozen burial mounds from the Iron Age that were probably visible from a distance at the time of their creation.

Shortly after passing the northernmost point of our hike, the wind picked up.

Soon the first rain began, and now our path unfortunately did not go through the protective forest anymore, but along the water, so we were quickly soaked by the wind and rain.

We actually wanted to take the small loop trail “Knysselnackestigen,” but opted out due to the ongoing rain.

After a coffee break in the motorhome, the rain had initially subsided but then started pouring again as we drove on. So we stayed in the car at the next planned stop at “Neptun åkrar” (Neptune Field). When attempting to take a picture from the passenger window, even the driver got wet, so we quickly shut the window and continued driving.

When we arrived at Byrums Raukar (Rauken by Byrum), it was dry again but still quite cold.

The parking lot for motorhomes was about 2 kilometers from the actual destination, so we took a walk along the beautiful sandy beach.

Finally, we reached the layered rock formations that have been shaped by the constant movement of the sea from limestone.

The advantage of the changeable weather was that we had the beach and the rocks all to ourselves in the sunshine.

On the way back, we ignored all the GPS instructions and drove the small road directly along the coast heading south.

We had an unobstructed view of the water most of the time and the landscape was very beautiful overall.

When we then returned to the main road, we also passed several windmills, of which there are particularly many in Öland.