Northwest Skåne

Skåne

Having been a frequent Skåne visitor for the past four years, I was happy to discover a new part of this lovely Swedish region - namely the Northwestern part. This was my first time both in this new part of Skåne, but also the first time I went to Skåne without my Skåning. I was lucky to have with me one of my good friends, because travelling and exploring new places is not the same without someone to share the memories with.

The Northwestern part of Skåne is characterised by untouched wilderness and a lively coastline, making it an ideal destination for nature lovers looking to get out of the city, to slow down in the Swedish countryside. Many people come here for more adventurous purposes, like climbing and kayaking, but the many trails of Skåneleden really has a magnet effect. I also tend to come here for second hand loppis adventures!

We spent 4 full days here in the middle of May, which meant loads of pretty yellow fields in every direction and shifting weather. I love Skåne, and I love it even more after having seen even more of this beautiful region.

Båstad

First stop on our Skåne trip was Båstad - a small seaside town an hour or so North of Malmö. We enjoyed walking around the fishing sheds at the harbour, and walking bare foot along the white sandy beach.

I’m glad we were here off tennis season, as the town of Båstad flocks with polo shirts for the Swedish Open tennis tournament around mid July.

Bokhandlergården Café

If you’re looking for a secluded lunch or fika in Båstad, pay this place and their enclosed courtyard a visit. They serve homemade cakes and pies and of course - pastries with cinnamon. If you need a more solid fuel option, they also do ‘smörgåsar’ that are like the Danish ‘smørrebrød’ meaning open sandwiches. You can then visit the book store under the same name right next door, where the shelves almost reach the ceiling.

Tennis

Båstad is know for their tennis stadium that hosts some big sports events including the Swedish Open and Båstad Tennis Week. If you’re not into the sport, but like me, enjoy the orange grounds of the tennis court, stop by the stadium. The red chairs too make for a great photo.

Mölle Krukmakeri

Lunch here, under the vines. This place was a favourite. We had a super tasty gazpacho, followed by a beautiful asparagus salad, with asparagus that were picked only 6 hours earlier that day!

Mölle Krukmakeri is actually a pottery, where you can purchase earthy tones of ceramics in all different sizes, both for the kitchen and garden. They have this gorgeous seating area, which is sort of like a green house/orangerie, where they serve food both during the daytime and Neapolitan pizzas in the evening. There is also a large outdoor patio, where you can find a spot in the shade. Food made from the heart, and gorgeous surroundings - a sincere recommendation!

Mölle

On a day where the sun is out and the skies are clear, one can see the North of Zealand from Mölle. It doesn’t seem logic, that you’ve travelled 2 hours from Copenhagen via the bridge and then by car, to end up at what feels like SO close to Denmark. Visual deception, but consulting our GPS, it was true enough.

Mölle is a picturesque little fishing village, and you immediately sense this resort vibe from the white houses with copper green roofs. There are some really great spots for swimming in the sea and for lounging on the sandy beaches. We found this small concrete pier at the beginning of our hike.

Hiking on Skåneleden

The Skåneleden trails are all over Skåne. One of them runs along the peninsula of Mölle, and smaller stretches can be completed in half a day. We hiked from Mölle to Kullen, approximately 4,8 km. Depending on how many stops you make either to catch your breath, photograph the fauna and flora or enjoy the views over Öresund, it will take you around 1.5-2 hours. If you decide to go for a swim at the concrete pier at the foot of Ransvik Havsveranda or have a little fika in the wild, then perhaps more.

The walk will take you to the Kullen lighthouse, through the Swedish terrain of rocky outcroppings, open meadows and birch and beech forests. The initial climp is the toughest, with a few steep inclines. During the summer you can take the bus back from the lighthouse to Mölle, or you can, like us, hitchhike a ride back to the town.

Ransvik Havsveranda

Cosy place by the sea, perfect to make a stop for lunch or fika. At the foot of this place, you’ll find a large paved concrete platform, allowing you to take a dip in the ocean to cool off from your hike.

Kullaberg Natural Reserve

Making your way around Northwestern Skåne, you’ll often see the silhouette of Kullaberg rising up in the horizon. Kullaberg Natural Reserve is one of Skånes most visited nature spots, with beautiful views and little caves in the rocks.

We met a group of cows grazing, very idyllic. Later we passed a little black grass snake, less idyllic. Apparently you can also meet boars and badgers, semi idyllic! No matter your scale of idyllic, the fauna here are thriving in the wet marshes.

Kullen Lighthouse

I always feel that, when hiking from A to B, the journey seems more overcoming knowing what ‘signals’ the end of it. In this case, the lighthouse did that, and we spotted it as we walked down the hill on the last stretch of the hike. Visually being able to see our end goal gave us that extra energy right at the end. And of course, it could be seen from afar - it is a lighthouse after all.

Kullen lighthouse is the highest in Sweden and dates back to 1561. Not everyone however were able to spot the lighthouse - more than 200 ships have capsized outside this hill and many of the wrecks can still be found at the bottom of the sea.

There is a café and a place selling ice cream to reward your efforts. But only if you’re there in the high season. We were devasted to find all possible rewarding places closed and even the water portals were off. So bring your own treats of you’re an off-seasoner like we were.

Second hand shopping

Nothing beats flea markets and second hand shops in Sweden! I don’t know why, but they just do it best. We spent an entire day, loppis-crawling second sand safari’ing based on this fantastic booklet called Antikt Och Loppis. In the summertime, look out for signed loppis too. They are really good with putting out signs on the roads, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Sandgården

Right next to where we stayed, you’ll find this place: Sandgården. One thing I regret not buying more of already, was the tomato and chili marmelade from here. Exceptionally good with matured cheese! They also have a nice selection of homebaked goods, including a really tasty crisp bread that they’ve named ‘Vejbyknäcke’.

Bäckdalens Handelsträdgård

Lovely place, hidden away on a little side street, in and amongst the trees. Here you can walk around their charming greenhouses, where you’ll find fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and orange trees - all of which are organically grown. They sell the vegetables during summer, when they are fully grown and ready to be eaten.

They have a large garden with chairs and tables under the trees, or you can sit inside the conservatory, in the old stables. Their fika selection was incredible, so make sure to stop by here for cakes!

Husets Must

At Villa Sigrid, we devoured a bottle of ‘Fläder & Citrus’ apple juice within the first day. It was extremely tasty, and the perfect breakfast supplement. So we stopped by Husets Must and purchased more to bring back home with us. We also got the opportunity to taste all of the other apple juices and ended up getting a large 3 L bag in a box juice - bring on warm summer days!

Vejbystrand harbour

At the harbour next to the house we stayed in there is a cute old boat on shore, that is being used as an ice cream shop on those sunny summer days. It was not open when we were there, but too cute to miss if you’re in the area.

Vejbystrand seaside

Biking distance from Villa Sigrid, is the beach, the ocean and the sunset. There are a few wooden piers that will take you and the viking inside of you straight to the sea. If this is not your cup of tea, you can enjoy the most spectacular sunsets from here.

Kattvik

Since we spent our time here in the Northwestern part of Skåne, you’ve probably come to notice that we visited a lot of small fishing villages and harbours. The sea is such a big part of the Skåne identity, like it is for the Danish people. There are so many scenic harbours here, but this was my favourite. There is a little café at the top of the hill, from where you can enjoy the view of the harbour and the sea. It felt like sitting in a garden, surrounded by flowering bushes in the white furniture. Locals go the pier for fishing, which looked ever so tranquil.

Hovs Hallar

This dramatic landscape, of rocks and cliffs shooting up from the ground stretches approximately 7 km Northeast of Torekov. From the parking lot, you climb down the rocky paths, to find a spot where the views can be taken in. The shore here is lined with rocky beaches and caves, and the bouldered terrain looked super wild. It really reminded me of Bornholm.

I was taken by all the patterns of the rocks here, apparently made of red-ish gneiss with amphibolite embedded in it. The landscape was created when magma forced its way up through the bedrock, hence the dramatic formations.

Torekov

Torekov is originally a small fishing village but today, it’s probably more known as a summer resort. My Skåne boyfriend told me that this village is known to be a little posher than the other places around this area. Here, the ‘Torekovians’ who own a house here, love wandering around in their bathrobes, to demonstrate their wealth. We didn’t mind the poshness and didn’t stumble upon rich bathrobes either, but visited Torekov with open arms in search for fika. We found a lovely little café by the sea, and sat on the rocks next to the picturesque yellow cabin and enjoyed the sun, kanelbullar and coffee.

Lillaro Café

Another highlight from our trip was this absolutely stunning little place called Lillaro. Located not far from Vejbystrand, we took the time to really indulge here. Open only on Sundays in the off season, we had been looking forward to this place since we arrived. And it was worth the wait!

We enjoyed a late lunch in the garden, which features a beautiful outdoor pavilion. After our lunch, we switched location to enjoy a sweet rhubarb tart and coffee in the shade.

The people who own this place were incredibly kind and warmhearted, and have run this place since 2008. Everything at Lillaro has been decorated so artistically and creatively, that the eye keeps on wandering to find new little objects to lay eyes on. Such an aesthetic experience, and far from pretentious. An absolutely favourite place of mine from now on!!!

Kullabergs Vingård

Not far from Mölle and Arild, at the foot of the Kulla Peninsula, you’ll find Kullabergs Vingård. We met with Felix, the sommerlier, who told us about the production, the renovations that are currently in progress and showed us around the estate and vineyard.

They have around 30.000 vines at Kullabergs Vingård, and they also have their own weather station - a cool asset that measures several parameters from the vineyard, in order to efficiently control and work sustainably during the different seasons.

Production consists mainly of whites and rosés, but it seemed as if they did a little bit of everything here, including cider made with apples of the region.

The sky was super dramatic as you can see, and as soon as we reached the place where we had the tasting, the rain started pouring down outside. We tasted two whites, one unfiltered and another with apple cider like aromas and finally a very young red wine. This was my first taste of Swedish wine, and I quite enjoyed them actually.

FYI they are opening a wine bar in June, so keep your eyes and ears out for their opening date.