Söderåsen National Park
Attractions: The deep fissure valleys and talus slopes, the partially ancient broad-leaved forest, the view from Kopparhatten, the extraordinarily rich plant and animal life, the undisturbed watercourses, the nature centre with exhibits at Skäralid.
Area: 1625 ha. (ca. 4015 acres).
Established: 2001.
Location: Ca. thirty kilometres east of Helsingborg, Skåne County.
Travel tips: The main entrance at Skäralid can be reached by car from Röstånga or Ljungbyhed. Inside the park, there are hiking trails, cycling paths and resting-cabins.
Visitors to Söderåsen National Park discover a varied and, in places, dramatic landscape of deep fissure valleys, impressive talus slopes, lush broad-leaved forest and flowing watercourses.
The vertical distance from the floor of the deepest valley at Skäralid to the peak of Kopparhatten is almost 90 metres. The view from the peak, over the fissure valley and the Skåne landscape, is breathtaking.
The area is dominated by beech woods, and is one of the largest uninterrupted stretches of protected broad-leaved forest in Northern Europe. It is intended that Söderåsen National Park shall be allowed to develop the character of ancient broad-leaved forest. For that reason, dead trees are left undisturbed, to the benefit of wood-dependent fungi and insects, among other organisms.
The park provides a favourable setting for birds that thrive in broad-leaved forest, such as the stock dove, lesser spotted woodpecker and hawfinch. Grey wagtails and dippers can often be seen along the watercourses.
The valleys contain an especially great diversity of plant life, including several varieties of fern, and such typical plants of the broad-leaved forest as holewort, yellow archangel and enchanter’s nightshade. The banks of Skärå Brook comprise one of the northernmost sites of the lovely great meadow-rue.
In the past, human activity has influenced the area in various ways. During the 19th century, much of the area consisted of outer pasture, interspersed with patches of hay-meadow and cropland. The park also contains heaps and rows of fieldstone, some dating from before the birth of Christ.
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