Cycling tour through Vattenriket

In the 19th century, a British engineer built an embankment across one of the bays of Lake Hammarsjön and pumped out all the water. The aim was to access more arable land. The water was discharged into Lake Hammarsjön using steam engines and several meters long Archimedes screws. One of the screws is now on display at the embankment near Ekenabben.

Ekenabben is one of the beautiful places to visit in the Water Kingdom. Here you can experience bird life, flowers and the centuries-old oak trees. The forest at Ekenabben is rich in fungi. The easiest to see are the ticks that slowly break down the wood in the tree. There are also other mushrooms with names that set the imagination in motion or how about the spring chrysalis, purple skin, or poison ivy.

Before you reach the town of Viby, you will find Frestad Gård. It is a cozy farm with catering and a small shop. The farm has pigs, goats and chickens that go outside and are raised in a natural way. There is a nice restaurant with lunch and coffee.

Large parts of the nature reserve Håslövs ängar are flooded annually and together with grazing and mowing, the water creates an interesting flora. To get here, follow the signs in Viby. The area protrudes as a large peninsula in Hammarsjön and is one of the country's largest inland meadows.

In Viby there is a popular farm shop. It's called Viby Potatis and despite the name, the shop has everything. A wide range of vegetables, eggs, jams, charcuterie and prized biscuits. The farm shop has been around since 1976. The farm shop is also a stork center and you can see the birds nesting on the farm roof.

Outside Viby you will find the next place to visit in Vattenriket. Hercules is a nature reserve and has a varied landscape with open meadows, extensive reeds, willows and exciting ponds. The Hercules Outdoor Museum is located in the bird tower. From here you have a nice view of Hammarsjön's extensive reeds.

Åhus has plenty of accommodation, cafés and restaurants. Enjoy an ice cream along the harbor promenade and see Sweden's second best preserved medieval city wall. Åhus already existed in the Middle Ages and there is much to discover from that time. In Åhus there are three visitor sites for Vattenriket. They are Sånnarna, Aosehus and Äspet.

You may want to divide the cycling trip into several days and then an overnight stop at the coast can be a good idea. In and around Åhus there are several different accommodations, but you will also find nice places to stay in Yngsjö with Yngsjö havsbad on the beach or Kastanjelunds Wärdshus in the village.

Yngsjö is also home to the ice cream factory that makes Otto ice cream. An ice cream story that started in 1950 and that all ice cream lovers are happy to live on. During the summer there is an ice cream kiosk in the garden at the factory.

South of Yngsjö, the cycle path passes the nature reserve Gropahålet. Continue cycling to Juleboda towards Maglehem. Before you reach the small community, you can make a detour to Blåherremölla. An old farm and mill environment that during the summer has a café on Saturdays and Sundays.

The cycle path north goes just outside the village and when you steer the bike towards Kristianstad you pass Degeberga. Here you will find a beautiful village park and one of Skåne's largest waterfalls. The waterfall and the surrounding nature reserve Forsakar have given rise to a number of folk tales and legends with giants, leprechauns and other forest creatures.

North of Forsakar are the Degeberga slopes with Söndre klack, or Sockertoppen as it is also known. The place was the paradise, Körsbärsdalen, in the movie Bröderna Lejonhjärta by Astrid Lindgren. There are two hiking trails in the nature reserve. The beautiful church in Degeberga is worth a visit.