Hasselöleden

**Ladö and Hasselö in the central archipelago of Tjust are two islands but are linked by a five-meter-long wooden bridge over a dug canal. The islands stretch for a mile through the lush inner archipelago to the bare rocks in the outermost sea band. Each island has its own hiking trail.

Sladö is about 2 kilometers long and is part of the Sladö-Äskeskär nature reserve. The island's flat landscape rises a maximum of ten meters above sea level and is dominated by a pebble ridge. If you follow the hiking trail along the eastern side of the island, you will encounter meadows and pastures open to grazing, with pollarded ash and lime trees. Some of these are thought to be up to a thousand years old. The flora is rich in species, including sundew, Adam's and Eve's, cowslip and cowslip. Further south on Sladö is Östra Hamnen, where the people of Sladö used to keep their boats. At Betsudden to the south, fine rock formations rise and you have a clear view of the horizon. Sladö village is a characteristic row village, with the boat houses built along the water, the residential houses further up and then the barns. Hasselö is a 7 km long island. The hiking trail starts at the shallow sandy beach Hasselö Sand. Tour boats and taxis dock here all year round and next to it there is a guest jetty, country store, restaurant and bicycle rental. The first part of the trail goes up a forest road and past the shingle field Jättegryt, where the long pebble ridge is particularly well exposed. If you continue on the paths up the forest, you will reach the open sea at Knarhamnen on south-east Hasselö. The name recalls a time when medieval merchant ships sought harbor here. In recent years, the old meadows and fields have been restored and the pastures are kept open by grazing cows. After a few hundred meters you come to the newly dug canal and wooden bridge that takes you across to Sladö. If you want to return north, follow the gravel road back to Hasselö Sand and after about a kilometer from the strait is Restaurant Sjökanten. From there it is just over two kilometers to Hasselö Sand. From Hasselö Sand you can make a detour to the viewing mountain Vikarklinten, which rises 28 meters above sea level. Along the trail you pass Hasselö village, which is another example of a terraced village. A flint axe has been found nearby, which shows that Stone Age people also went to sea. ##### Facts about the trail

Total length Sladöleden 4.3 kilometers Hasselöleden 2.6 kilometers Principal Sladöleden: County Administrative Board of Kalmar County Hasselöleden: Hasselö Archipelago Experience Stage division No Signage Orange rings Accommodation Yes, hostels and cabins Sanitation WC, shower, sink with hot water and garbage cans at Hasselö Sand Other Sladö - Nature Reserve. Special regulations apply. See information board. Text source: vastervik.se