The long Gräfsnäs bike lap
Gräfsnäs
A little longer route passing many farm shops with everything from home decor to goat cheese. You will also pass some of the old wind mills wich used to be very common in the St Mellby valley.
A suitable starting point is Sollebrunn town centre or Gräfsnäs Castle Park. This description begins in Gräfsnäs.
From Gräfsnäs you cycle along a beautifully scenic gravel road close to the lake, where you can spot the island of Loholmen – the original site of the predecessor to Gräfsnäs Castle. The gently winding road includes a few shorter uphill and downhill sections. Along the way, you pass Ruus Heritage Farm, with its traditional bakehouse and kitchen garden – a perfect place for a short break.
You then ride into the charming village of Loo. On a warm day, you may want to enjoy a refreshing swim at Looviken beach. Next to the beach you’ll also find “Sågverket i Loo”, a former sawmill that occasionally hosts art exhibitions and other events.
After your swim, head north and retrace a short stretch of the same road before continuing onto a smaller paved road towards Sollebrunn. Along the way, you pass the Mölnemad Kitchen Garden, which has a seasonal farm shop selling vegetables, honey and delicious handmade caramels.
Soon the landscape opens up and you’ll see Sollebrunn ahead. Carefully cross road 190 and follow the cycle path north into the centre. And don’t forget to take a fika break at one of the cafés or eateries here.
From Sollebrunn, continue north on the cycle path towards Stora Mellby. Enjoy the scenery of rolling grain fields framed by forested ridges. In Stora Mellby, turn towards Bjärlanda and the Stora Mellby Mechanical Museum. If you’re interested in windmills, continue a little further north along road 190 past Stora Mellby until you see Borg’s Windmill on your right.
After visiting the museum, follow the small paved road to Bjärlanda. If you feel like swimming, take a short detour to “Hawaii-hölan” (locally nicknamed), a former sand pit where you can swim in turquoise water surrounded by high sand dunes. Turn north shortly after entering Bjärlanda.
The route then continues through a more wooded section, offering pleasant shade on sunny days. Eventually you reach the village of Magra, home to a beautiful church and Skattegården Farm Dairy, where you can sample and buy locally produced goat cheese in the farm shop. From Magra back to Sollebrunn, you follow a pleasant cycle path.
Back in Sollebrunn, you might stop at Kaffekoppen café or Sollebrunns Gästgiveri for fika or a meal before cycling on towards the church village and the impressive church in Erska, then continuing along the cycle path back to Gräfsnäs.
If you would like to discover even more farm shops, you can choose an alternative route from Erska via Westerbo shop and Ullfarmen, marked in purple on the map below.
The route follows cycle paths, low-traffic paved roads and, between Gräfsnäs and Loo, a well-maintained hard-packed gravel road.
Here you can download GPS files for the route and print a PDF map.