A Slow Travel Guide to Skåne - Part Two (Ad)
This is a sponsored post with Visit Skåne, who paid for my flights, accommodation and expenses on this trip. All photos, words and opinions are my own.
Continuing our road trip around Skåne, we woke early on the Tuesday morning for a satisfying breakfast before loading our luggage into the car and setting off driving through endless yellow rapeseed fields, passing cute little villages filled with flowers. We chose to drive through the middle of Skåne, rather than sticking to the motorways, meaning that our journey took a little longer but it was more than worth it for the views. For most of our two hour journey to the west coast, we drove along winding roads that curved through dense forests. Road signs warned us to keep our eyes peeled for moose and deer, hinting at the wildlife that lurked beyond the trees. We entertained ourselves by picking out which red wooden houses we would choose to live in.
We spent two days on the west coast, based in the small seaside town of Vejbystrand. In comparison to the gentleness of the east coast, the coastline here was more dramatic. We were still greeted by rolling green scenery but rather than acres of apple orchards, here we found fields upon fields of horses grazing. The beaches weren’t quite as idyllic as the one I shared in my first post, but the dramatic cliffs of Kullaberg Nature Reserve were just my cup of tea. I love nothing better than standing on a cliff and watching the waves crash against the rocks below.
Here are my top tips for the north-west coast of Skåne …
STAY
VILLA SIGRID
We spent two nights staying in Villa Sigrid, a small cottage in the coastal town of Vejbystrand. I was basically living out all my dreams of owning a Scandinavian cabin clad in black wood with white wooden paneling on the interior. The cottage was incredibly photogenic, and I spent quite a bit of time just admiring how the light poured through the windows in the morning and evening. The little wicker chairs, seagrass baskets and piles upon piles of beautifully soft blankets helped to create a calming ambiance. I loved the deck around the back and the outdoor dining area around the side of the cottage, offering plenty of opportunities to sit outside and listen to the birds. On our first evening, we wandered down to the local pizza place and enjoyed our food sat outside the cottage, sipping on wine as the sky turned pink. For our final night, we packed a picnic basket with the locally sourced treats that were kindly left in the fridge (along with a few more goodies acquired from the local farm shop, Sandgården) and strolled down to the beach, where we laid a picnic and watched the sun set over the sea. There’s something about dining outdoors that just makes me feel completely relaxed, and the cottage was the perfect location for our al fresco meals.
VISIT
PÅLSJÖBADEN
If you visit Skåne during the summer (or you’re feeling brave), I recommend seeking out a place where you can swim in open water. When in Rome, and all that! The Swedes love to relax in the sauna before taking a refreshing dip in the cold sea, and one of the best places in the area seemed to be Pålsjöbaden, a beautifully designed sauna just outside Helsingborg. Now, I have to admit here that we chickened out. Partially because of the cold temperatures and strong wind that day, but mainly because we’re English prudes and didn’t fancy baring all. If, like us, you don’t fancy getting naked and swimming in the sea, it’s still more than worth the visit to admire the spectacle of the rows of white huts jutting out to sea.
DINE
PÅLSJÖ KROG
If you’re more the stay indoors and admire the view kind of person (like me, that day at least), I recommend stopping for lunch at Pålsjö Krog, a small restaurant focusing on seafood that is located right by the water, offering views of the bathhouse from its large windows. I’m mainly vegetarian, but will occasionally eat fish when I’m beside the sea and know where my food has come from. In this case, we couldn’t be any closer to the water. I enjoyed a delicious meal of white fish served in a creamy sauce with baby carrots, red shallots and potatoes.
VISIT
SOFIERO PALACE GARDENS
If you know me, you’ll know that I love nothing better than wandering around a botanical gardens with my camera in hand. You’ll also know that my Instagram feed is filled with photographs of pink rhododendron bushes. Tie the two of these together and you have me ecstatically happy taking hundreds of photos in the gardens of Sofiero Palace. Here you will find the largest collection of rhododendron bushes in the whole of Europe - over 10,000 bushes! This is what I love about slow travel - allowing myself to enjoy the things that I love rather than forcing myself to do what I think I should be doing. Personally, I was happy to admire the palace from the outside and spend my time among the flowers, seeking out small greenhouses, wandering around the flower beds and getting as giddy as small child when I spotted the ravine full of pink flowers.
FIKA
SOFIERO GARD
Across the road from the palace, there is a small farm that mainly functions as an events space. Seeking out a place for fika, we wandered over and were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful bake house. I somehow managed to resist the rows of delicious-looking cakes and fresh bread and opted for a refreshing mango iced-tea (served in a glass bottle that I took back to England with me, no waste here!). I completely fell in love with the decor in this little cafe. Something that I noticed throughout my trips to Copenhagen and Sweden was the abundance of lime wash paint adorning the walls of everywhere from showrooms to cafes. The pale grey lime-washed walls here contrasted perfectly with the soft blush cushions, warm woods tables and little bud vases of flowers. If I owned a cafe, it would look exactly like this one.
FIKA
FLICKORNA LUNDGREN
Another delightful place we stopped for fika was Flickorna Lundgren, conveniently located on the road to Mölle. There was something quite English about this place, reminding me of somewhere that you’d stop for afternoon tea in a blooming garden. We choose to sit out the back of the red wood-clad building and admire the view of the sea in the distance, but there was also the option of a large greenhouse. I loved how the waitresses brought over a tablecloth and full table settings with your fika, making you feel like royalty. We opted for three cakes to share between us: a traditional Swedish chocolate ball, a delicious cardamom bun and my favourite, a chocolate hazelnut cake.
VISIT
MÖLLE
We spent an entire day in and around the coastal town of Mölle, located on the tip of the peninsula that loomed in the distance from the beach by our cottage. This cute small town is peppered with colourful buildings, making for gorgeous photographs taken from the harbour, looking back on the town. We spent some time wandering around, taking photos and keeping our eyes peeled for porpoise (who sadly didn’t make an appearance).
DINE
MÖLLE KRUKMAKERI
One of my favourite meals of the entire trip was in Mölle, in the Krukmakeri. This eclectic building is used as a ceramics studio, pottery shop and delightful restaurant, with a large glass-covered area where you can sit among nature no matter the weather. I loved how friendly and welcoming this place was - I even had a chat about cameras with the man behind the counter. It was a place full of life, the tables packed with large groups of family and friends enjoying lunch and fika. My asparagus salad was as fresh as could be, the asparagus picked that very morning. I loved the addition of hazelnuts, Parmesan cheese and capers for flavour.
VISIT
KULLABERG NATURE RESERVE
Finally, my last recommendation for this part of Skåne is one of my favourite stops on the whole trip: Kullaberg Nature Reserve. Located just past Mölle, on the tip of the peninsula, you can either hike there from the town or drive up to the car park for a shorter walk. We chose the shorter walk, as we wanted to ensure we had plenty of time to explore. I loved wandering around the cliffs here, admiring the view of the sea from different perspectives. The view from the main lighthouse is the most dramatic, allowing for plenty of photo opportunities as you teeter (not too close!) on the edge of the cliffs. Don’t stop here, however. To the right of the path on the way from the car park, there was a subtle path through overgrown foliage that emerged onto rocks that offered a view from the other side of the cliffs that reminded me of somewhere like Big Sur. We continued along the main path, dropping down close to the water’s edge where a second, smaller lighthouse sat at the very tip of the peninsula. Here, wild flowers carpeted the floor and the roar of the sea provided a soothing background noise. There’s nothing I enjoy more than simply sitting in the sunshine, watching the water, and this was the perfect location.
You can read about the first part of my trip to Skåne here
Thank you again to Visit Skåne for a magical trip.