Stålnästuren, Jungfrukusten

Seabirds, hares and the sea

A good starting point for this tour is Storsand. You can get there by car by driving over the Forsbackabron bridge and taking the road east towards Stålnäset. It is of course signposted, but note that there are two large islets north of Söderhamn, and Stålnäset is the northernmost of the two. After five to six kilometers you have Storsand on your right. Storsand is a nice bathing area, with camping facilities. Maybe you'll set up a base camp here on the sandy beach?

From Storsand you paddle out into Midsommarfjärden and round Stålnäset. You are already in an exciting archipelago environment called Stålnäshararna. It consists of about 30 islands and hares (hares is the local name for islands or islets). Most of the islands are not forested.

The hares are important for the seabird population and several of the islands are important nesting islands. You will of course respect the restrictions, but birdwatching is always allowed.

It is peaceful and beautiful to glide along and around these treeless islands. They're not particularly tent-friendly, but that's okay because you already have your base camp at Storsand.

If you want, you can extend your trip into Olsviksfjärden, a few kilometers north of Stålnäshararna. At the far end of the bay, inside the island of Boskär, there are jetties for disembarking and having a coffee. From here, if you are keen to walk, you can follow a nice path that leads you to Idfjärdsvallen, which is a pasture, with well-preserved buildings and an interesting flora; bluebells, cowslips and spring peas. Back and forth it is a forest walk of about four kilometers.

Back to the kayaks! Now you simply paddle back to Storsand where you bathe, grill and sleep well.

This is a one-day trip that is relatively easy, but when you round Stålnäsudden you are in the open sea. So, there you are of course extra careful. You can also reach Stålnäshararna starting from Sandarne boat club - see the tour called "Sandarne-Skatön-Branthäll, Jungfrukusten".

Tour overview

Type of paddling: Exercise kayaking and sea kayaking

Paddling experience: Experienced

Length of the trip: About 20 km

Sights: Nature and culture