Hyssna Trail
Hyssna
The lovely Hyssna Trail is in the borough of Mark, in the southern part of West Sweden. Along the 40 kilometre trail you can explore the giant’s cauldrons in Ansered and admire the elegant beech forest in the beautiful Stomsås nature reserve.
Quick facts
Length: 40 km
Timing: approx. 14 hours, suitable for two day stages
Difficulty: moderate
Terrain: forest paths, fields and gravelled roads
A two day walk
The Hyssna Trail goes through a beautiful, varied and somewhat hilly terrain dotted with historic remains as well as lush forests. The whole trail takes around two days to walk, and brings you back to the start point. You don’t necessarily need to do the whole lot in one go, as the many small roads in the area make it easy to do shorter round walks.
Photographer: Lukasz Warzecha
Discover the region of Sjuhärad
Along the Hyssna Trail there’s lots to see, with both natural and cultural attractions in abundance. Some examples are Hyssna’s old 12th century church, the lovely beech forest in Stomsås, the exciting cave at Torkels Gömma and the fascinating giant’s cauldrons in Answered. There are lots of places to enjoy beautiful views too. Stop at Torberg in Bokskogen, Liagärdesberget, Hökås, Gropabergen at Uttermossen, Torshall, or Sjögaråsen by Lilla Hålsjön lake.
Photographer: Gert Olsson
Scenic accommodation
Do you want to live in the middle of greenery? Welcome to the unique nature hotel Hyssna Forest Resort. Choose between the Treetop/Creek/Cliffhang Cabins and let the forest embrace you to the fullest.
Services along the way
There are many places with tables and benches along the trail, where you can have a well earned rest. At Hökås and by Stora Hålsjön lake there are tent spaces with barbecue, bins and toilet. There’s also a shelter in Hökås where you can spend the night or just pause for a while.
The popular swimming area by Lilla Hålsjön lake is great for a refreshing dip, but you can also swim in other lakes you pass.
Fact about the trail
Length:
The trail is 40 kilometres long but easy to shorten using the many gravelled roads in the area. If you want a day trip the walk round Lilla Hålsjön is around 10 km, or the southern loop of around 21 kilometres going via Lake Furusjön.
Approximate times:
The trail is usually divided into two day stages and takes around 14 hours in total to walk (stops not included), but there are of course many factors that can affect this estimate, including what the terrain is like on each stage.
Marking:
The trail is marked with yellow posts and marks.
Level of difficulty:
The trail is classed as moderate as it is hilly in parts, in particular on the day walk around Lilla Hålsjön. The height variation shouldn’t be a problem for a person of average fitness. Walking surfaces vary from forest paths and fields to gravel roads.
Photographer: Lukasz Warzecha
Start and end:
A good place to start your hike is Hyssna's old church, where there is both parking and the Sandvad bus stop close by. There are regular buses from Gothenburg (Korsvägen bus stop) which take less than an hour. If you don’t want to walk the whole trail at once, it’s easy to shorten and create your own round walks using the many small roads in the area. The old church is also a good starting point if you want to walk the southern part of the trail, which is a loop of around 21 kilometres, where you can take a shortcut via Lake Furusjö. You can choose to either walk around the lake or follow the path past the lake’s southern tip.
Day trip round Lilla Hålsjön (approx. 10 kilometres) – Start your walk from the car park by the communal swimming area at Lilla Hålsjön lake, and walk via Hökås and then back to the other side of the lake via Dragared (not all of this stretch is signposted).
How to get here:
The Hyssna Trail is in the borough of Mark just outside Gotenburg, in southern West Sweden. You can get there by bus in around an hour both from Gothenburg and the larger town of Borås, or by car in around 40 minutes. The Hyssna Handel bus stop is on road 156, approx. 600 metres from Hyssna’s old church which is a good place to start this stretch. The Sandvad bus stop is right by the old church.
Map:
There’s a digital map of the trail on Google Maps. Maps for downloading/printing of the Hyssna Trail – north and the Hyssna Trail – south can also be found in A4 format at the Tourist Information Centres in Sjuhärad.
Hyssna hembygdsförening
Phone: +46 705939565
E-mail: arnell.torp@gmail.com
Website: hembygd.se/hyssna
