Blådöpet Runt is the first trail in the Store Mosse National Park that we had the opportunity to hike. These were also the first landscapes that we admired after moving, which made such a big impression on us. Hence the great sentiment for this episode and we will certainly come back to it at different times of the year.
General information
The entire Blådöpet Runt trail is 5.2 km long and takes about 1.5 hours (although it took us a little over two hours – we stopped for photos, recorded stories and it took us quite a long time to admire the individual sections). It is located in the southern part of the national park and is definitely less popular than the trails located in the central part – we met only one person on the way.
The starting point is in Lövö, where you can leave your car and then follow the blue marked trail. Not far from the car park, there is one of the two shelters for tourists, where it is possible to buy accommodation.
Accomodation
The hostel has 16 beds, a shared kitchen and a shared bathroom. Attention! Inside, there is no access to electricity and running water – this is drawn from a well located outside. The house is heated by a wood-burning stove. In the yard there is also an outdoor toilet and a place for a barbecue.
Swamp part
Not far from the shelter you will find the entrance to a short path in the woods that surrounds the clearing. Soon you will see an observation tower on the horizon, which overlooks vast swamps that resemble prairies and savannahs. The tower has two levels that you can climb up relatively steep stairs (I recommend going slowly, but it is not that bad :).
This is where the route on narrow, wooden footbridges begins – characteristic of the Store Mosse trails. The area is wet, leaving the route may drown your shoes. From now on, you will complete most of the route with your companions. It is an incredible adventure and such a journey gives a lot of fun.
For a short moment, the swamp will cut through a fragment of the route located in the forest. It won’t take long and you’ll be back on the footbridge very quickly. This time the landscape will be less monotonous and you will feel like on a Tanzanian safari (I admit, it was my first association, because our trip coincided with TheTravellingOnion‘s expedition to Tanzania).
Forest part
The final section of the Blådöpet Runt trail leads through wet, forested areas. We still wander along narrow footbridges, but more often there are breaks in which you can walk on hardened ground. Here and there you will find streams, rivers and small lakes that make the views on the route more attractive.
From this forest you come out onto the access road to the Lövö car park – it is a paved gravel road that closes the circle and leads you straight to your car. There is little traffic – we were the only visitors in the parking lot, no other vehicles passed us as we wandered around.
Summary
If you don’t have the whole day for a trip and you prefer to go in silence and only with your own company, Blådöpet Runt trail will be perfect for you. On the one hand, you will see Store Mosse in a nutshell, on the other hand, you will avoid tourists visiting the more popular routes. I definitely recommend visiting this national park. It is unique and the views are breathtaking.
Length: 5,2 km
Hike time: ok. 1,5-2 h
Type of trail: loop
Nearest parking lot: Lövö
Google Maps Coordinates: 57.259065, 13.877298
