Winter in Sölvesborg with Way Out Bros
Here you will find a summary of their first week in our beautiful municipality!
Sölvesborg Municipality - a coastal municipality in southern Sweden with a view of the sea on one side and deep forests of beech and spruce on the other!
We've been getting great tips, googling & hearing about places that sound absolutely amazing and well worth exploring here in Sölvesborg Municipality - a coastal municipality in southern Sweden with views of the sea on one side and deep forests of beech and spruce on the other that we'll spend a week exploring through our eyes to establish the outdoors and hopefully inspire you to take a trip, eat out, find a new place or perhaps new, exciting activities to try.
Eventually, we found our way to the shelter behind Grundsjön - perfect timing for lunch and a visit from our friends.
We had firewood at our disposal in the little shed and warmed our hands before enjoying an outdoor lunch a'la Forrest - nothing less than a grilled halloumi burger with flambéed onions (a happy coincidence), browned cherry tomatoes and fresh avocado served on a cheese baguette. What a day we had!
At the time of writing, we are sitting in our cabin at Hällevik campsite, which we are kind enough to use as our home and base during our stay here. Tired, full, happy and satisfied we say goodnight - tomorrow you can join us on a new adventure!
We boarded the boat that rowed us the scant half hour to the island in the rolling Baltic Sea.
Hanö - The place we have received the most tips and recommendations about. We boarded the boat that rocked us the half hour to the island in the wavy Baltic Sea.
There aren't many tourists or residents this time of year, almost empty in fact - but a few residents and holiday homeowners hopped on the boat with the things they had bought or needed to get to the island, and some friendly locals tipped us off about where to go, the history of Hanö and the incredible sights to be found. We jumped ashore on the rocky island and were greeted by ripping winds over a quiet, beautiful, barren, and small forested landscape. Picturesque is the word that best describes it.
We were so amazed at how much this little island has to offer - even at this time of year.
You have time to see a lot of the island in one day, a great excursion - wander around and explore the gold grains, the trails and the unique sights - on the small island there are caves, a harbour, a lighthouse that stretches up as the island's guardian, cliffs along the sea with abstract ice sculptures that the water combined with the cold winds created, a headland with thousands of oval stones, fireplaces & resting places, vast aven and hawthorn vegetation with its crooked trunks and branches and a large herd of fallow deer grazing and wandering across the nature reserve that stretches almost across Hanö and can suddenly leap out of the dense trees.
Sölvesborgsleden is about eight kilometres long and winds through forests, along historic sites and on the outskirts of the city.
The hiking trail was not as wild as we thought it would be. There were signs of civilisation everywhere - but the further we walked, the more we got to know Sölvesborg and the nature around it - from the coast and the ice on the Valje Peninsula where we took a detour, to the beech forests with their lasting autumn colours beyond the town where we cooked a hot lunch.
The wind had not yet died down when we stepped out of our warm home at Hällevik campsite and set off to meet Mikael from Hav och skog for a mountain biking excursion.
The wind hadn't died down when we stepped out of our warm home at Hällevik campsite and set off to meet Mikael from Hav och Skog for a mountain biking excursion. He taught us about the techniques and basics behind the sport, and then we found some great trails and routes to explore. The trees sheltered us from the cold sea winds and gave us a wonderful day.
There's something extraordinary about moving at high speed under your own power - and it provides a different thrill and pace to the hiking we're most used to. Michael's passion and stories rubbed off on us, and now mountain bikes are on our wish list to explore more trails and paths. He organises guided tours and hires out everything from bikes to kayaks and SUPs, but mountain biking in particular was perfect for this time of year, we thought
Strong winds also create memories!
Here we explore Lister Head and its nearby paths - don your hats and gloves and admire the wild and mighty forces of the sea.
Today those dreams became a reality as we joined Camilla from Fornhaga Islandshästar on a ride through the swaying reeds along the seafront, under the branches of pine trees, over paths, gravel roads and fields as snowflakes fell from the sky and landed in the manes of our horses and us.
From the ancient feeling of the horse's back to the feeling of the future via Segway.
From the ancient feeling of the horse's back to the feeling of the future via Segway.
It almost feels like we've time-travelled from one day to the next. Henrik (@smarta_produkter) guided us on an electric-powered adventure - exploring the city's bridges, islands, footbridges, and paths using our balance - riding over the new layer of snow that had arrived overnight. Have you tried riding a Segway before? It's great fun and although you might not think of it this time of year, it really is a great winter activity!
A day tour through Spraglehall with lunch over an open fire.
A day tour through Spraglehall with lunch over an open fire. A great activity to do on a cold winter's day like this! Mikko (@muchomallo) took us out and guided us through the nature reserve, over the big boulders, along the coast and the package ice which gave a bit of an Antarctic feel.
We found shelter at a fireplace overlooking the sea just as the sun peeked through the clouds. The fire was lit, and the frying pan was taken out of the bag. Forrest fried and assembled incredibly tasty vegan burgers and Mikko made the after-meal coffee. A recipe for a wonderful day!
All the places we've visited really have their charm in winter - everything is so quiet and still and at times barren and windy, but with a warm jacket and a pair of wool socks it's wonderful to head out and explore all the snowy gems scattered across the municipality.
There was still some daylight left in the day and we decided to go to one of your tips before darkness fell - Sillnäs Udde.
We trudged across the straight path between the stone walls and arrived just in time to catch one of the best shows natures has to offer - a windless, colourful sunset over the water. The swans were bobbing up and down and the last rays of the sun created long shadows across the beach. The lone lighthouse towered over the landscape, gazing out over the horizon.
You don't plan moments like this - they just happen and give you a warm feeling that you should always follow your gut.
What an eventful, adventurous, joy-filled week in the beautiful municipality of Sölvesborg we have had. We have set out on new adventures early in the day and come back when darkness has fallen. They say that time flies when you are having fun, and in a flash this week was over.
We have hiked in various nature reserves, visited the coast from several directions, biked mountain bikes, ridden Icelandic horses, ridden Segways and been guided. During these days we have met wonderful people and new friends and have had Hällevik campsite as a warm home during the week. Thank you for that!
