Odensvi – Dalhem – Björndalen, Tjustleden etapp 7

**The seventh stage of the Tjust Trail between Odensvi and Björndalen is about 20 km long and runs through the deciduous forest from Kyrksjön.

**Stage description, from south to north (Odensvi to Björndalen)

Stage 7 starts at the shelter in the northwestern part of Kyrksjön. The trail continues through the old deciduous forest, leaves the lake and after about 1 kilometer comes up through a pasture to cross road 135, between Gamleby and Kisa. The trail then follows the old Kisavägen past a small ancient castle. This is unmarked (compare the ancient castle at Larum below!). On the way to Klint, a detour (unmarked) can be made to Odensviholm Castle.

You can glimpse two peaked gravel hills on the shore of Kyrksjön. These, like Möckelkullen at the end of stage 6, are strange formations that were deposited during the melting phase of the ice sheet.

After about 3 kilometers, the trail passes the outlet of Tynn. This beautiful lake is about 10 kilometers long, 1 kilometer wide and is located between the estates of Odensviholm and Tyllinge. The lake is a trench between two NW-SE fault cracks. The surrounding terrain is very hilly with heights of up to 50 meters above the lake surface. The bird fauna includes forest birds such as capercaillie and black grouse, and the lakes are home to the Eurasian bittern and, rarely, osprey. Pike and zander are the most valuable fish species in the lake.

After a few kilometers along the Tynn, the trail enters hilly woodland. From a nice viewpoint you can see Tynn one last time before the trail continues on paths and small forest roads to Holmsjön. Here you have walked half of the stage and here is the newly built windbreak Ticka - created by architecture students in connection with the architecture festival Arknat 2023. The shelter invites you to both spend the night and swim from the cliff.

The trail continues north on nice, easy forest roads. Notice the varied, old "peasant forest".

At the Karlstorp croft ruin, grazed meadows open up and the trail continues on an old road to Dalhem's church village. Dalhem's current church was built in 1876-78 and is built on exactly the same site as the old one. The old church was demolished but before that, in 1875, "photographic depictions were made of both the exterior of the church and the bell tower, as well as the construction of the vaults and the most important paintings". The old cemetery wall remains, as well as the gatehouse and a church door with the year 1482 carved into it. The new church was designed by I.W. Kajerdt.

Lake Patt consists of a dead ice cave. A mighty ice block was embedded here in sand and gravel sediments when the land ice melted around 11500 years ago. The lake was severely threatened by overgrowth in the early 1970s, but the local community association carried out a restoration by removing the reed and floating-leaf vegetation and bringing it up on land.

Nämndemansryggarna, about 1 kilometer north of Patt, is an interesting miniature nip landscape. The Ene stream has eroded a deep ravine through a valley fill of sandy loam. The trail then follows a very old road that has now been cleared through, among other things, large stands of hazel.

The trail goes right next to the second ancient castle of the stage and up there is a path cleared and marked. From this vast ancient castle, you have a brilliant view both towards Dalhem's church and over the steep Larumsdalgången with Lake Stora Vrången. North of the ancient castle you can see Larums kungsgård. The red old stylish farmhouses to the left and the newer white manor house on a hill "from where you completely master the view of the long valley with lake, rafting route and surrounding heights, a view that in beauty seeks its equal" (Ada Rydström 1914).

At Björndalen, the final destination of the stage, there is a fine deciduous forest slope. In the favored southern position, heat-demanding plants thrive and there is a deciduous forest with, among other things, ash, lime and elm. The flora in the grove vegetation is very rich and consists of ivy, lungwort, musk madder and more.

Text: The Nature Conservation Association in Tjust