Today I invite all lovers of sunbathing to our favorite sandy beach so far. We are going to the town of Mellbystrand in the Halland region.
History
Mellbystrand began to gain popularity as a place of relaxation and sea bathing at the end of the 19th century. Then, horseback tours started arriving from nearby Åmot. At the same time, in the 1880s, Pontus Söderberg – a doctor from Laholm – discovered a spring rich in iron compounds on a farm in Annelund. Thus, a hotel was built in Annelund. Sea baths have moved to Hökafältet, which, due to its seclusion, has become a place loved by nudists.
The first summer resident was a Malmö resident who bought a fisherman’s hut in Mellbystrand. The largest traffic in this area began in the early 20th century, when the Laholm-Åmot-Mellbystrand water route was launched. It was served by a steamship (finally closed in 1925 when ships were replaced by cars).
Location
Mellbystrand is situated on the Laholmsbukten bay, where a 12-kilometre long sandy beach stretches. You can reach the village by roads 24, E6 and E20. If you want to get to the sea, you have two options: choose the city beach Mellbystrand N or head to a more quiet area, to one of the car parks at Hökafältet.
The city beach is usually crowded during the season, and since we avoid crowds like the plague, we haven’t made it there yet. We always choose option number two.
Hökafältet
Hökafältet is now quite a large nature reserve with interesting natural resources. We will definitely tell you more about it soon and walk one of the longer trails in its area – today we focus on getting to the beach.
At Hökafältet itself, from the town side, there is a large, free parking lot, with toilets and picnic tables. From here, you can follow the red trail to the beach (to the west, as it is a circular route). This way you will reach the second parking lot, turn left and you will reach your destination along the straight road.
If you want to shorten your journey by about 1.5 kilometers, drive to the second parking lot. Just turn right just before the first car park and follow the signs. This place is also rather less crowded, so it is more likely that there will be a place to leave the car.
The beach
From the second car park to the beach is about 800 meters in a straight line. The path leads mainly through forested areas. After some time, the ground turns into sand and we go out into beautiful, extensive dunes.
It is worth mentioning that this beach entrance is on the border separating the nudist area (left) from the textile area (right). The truth is that there are few people on either side, so often you won’t have a soul in sight. Therefore, undressing, or at least topless sunbathing, is not a problem at all on the textile part (and observation shows that few sunbathers approach the matter in such a loose way).
The beach is sandy, the entrance to the water is clean, transparent and very shallow for a considerable distance from the shore. The tides make mountains of shells on the border of wet and dry sand. There is only you, the sound of the sea and the breeze.
It is a great place for people who hate crowds and noise on the beach. Here you will really be alone with your thoughts, but remember to respect the private space of others (spread out preferably out of sight of other people) and leave everything tidy (and your pet, because dogs are allowed there all year long). Have a nice time!
Parking lot coordinates: 56.531125, 12.959316
More information about Hökafältet Nature Reserve: Länsstyrelsen.se
