A Rarefied Escape to the Land of Kullen
Opposite of the sound from the Danish city of Helsingør, internationally known as the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is the Swedish city of Helsingborg, situated on the north side of the Oresund. A 40-minute drive north of Helsingborg lies the striking promontory of Kullaberg, located on Sweden’s southwestern coast. Shaped by artists and sailors, this ancient peninsula and its rippling fields, troll forests and seaside villages offer a classic weekend retreat from Copenhagen. This quiet corner of the Öresund freckled with cosy inns is fertile ground for art, superior cuisine, and outdoor adventures.
The springing of the year
Spring is a vibrant season in the Kullabygden district. Milky white blankets of wood anemones bewitch the lofty beech and oak forests. Local artists fling open their doors to welcome visitors. The rich clay deposits in the local soil, the pastoral lifestyle, and the windswept views of the headland have made this region an artist’s enclave.
The eco-gastronomic mentality is also strong, with Sweden’s largest and most active “slow food” chapter based nearby in Helsingborg. Try apple cider from the traditional Kullamust cider press in Mjöhult and in the autumn take your own apples with you to the factory to be turned into cider. Vikentomater, near Viken, cultivates a wonderful variety of organic heirloom tomatoes to perfect ripeness and potato specialists at nearby Larsviken Farm grow about 450 different kinds of potatoes in their patch and offer tastings in their farm shop.
Follow Linné to Viken
Start in Viken and follow the coast as Carl von Linné did in 1749 on his grand tour of the region. This is especially fitting this year as the entire country commemorates the 300th anniversary of the birth of this celebrated “father of modern taxonomy.” In his journal, Linné bemoaned the long uninteresting stretch of heather and fairy flax north of Viken, but golf enthusiasts later discovered it in the 1800’s. A nine-hole seaside golf course was designed there in 1924 and today is one of Sweden’s most historic.
Viken is a well-to-do seaside village where narrow lanes lined with half-timbered, thatch-roofed and otherwise venerable dwellings weave around the lively marina. Sunny spring days in this idyll beg for leisurely rambles and impromptu visits to one of the flower shops, art galleries or patisseries along the way.
The magnificently preserved Sophiamöllan windmill in the centre of the village is hard to miss. The 170-year-old mill, which grinds flours in the summertime, was recently outfitted with a new set of wings. Another pleasant diversion is the nineteenth century home of sea captain Paul Jönsson and his restored period garden of ornate boxwood hedges, roses, clematis, herbs, berry bushes, and a vegetable patch.
Celebrity chef Niklas Ekstedt, a Viken native son, is openly smitten with his hometown. In June he opens his famous summer restaurant Niklas Viken. Beautiful yet unpretentious, the restaurant is perched on the seafront with a sun-warmed wooden deck overlooking over the harbour.
Höganäs is made of clay
A cycling path connects Viken to Höganäs, the largest community in the Kullabygden district. The fine harbour and successful fishing trade that distinguished the village impressed Linné. In the late 1700’s the face of Höganäs changed drastically with the discovery of rich coal and clay deposits in the area. Coalfields, brick works, and pottery factories, for which Höganäs is now famous, soon dominated the town. Brick buildings now line streets and the main tourist attractions are the pottery factories and outlets.
Höganäs has an entertaining collection of sizable public art in brick, steel, bronze, and stone scattered about town. Among the favourites are a family of pigs out on an adventure on Storgatan, a levitating dog on Köpmansgatan, and a pair of bronze mermaids watching over swimmers at the Kvickbadet beach.
Browse the shelves at Höganäs Saltglaserat factory, where the signature Höganäs salt glazed potteries are made since 1835. The iconic Höganäskrus, a little brown jug that resembles Winnie-the-Pooh’s honey pot, is the most classic figure in home and garden collections and makes a perfect souvenir. The factory offers guided tours; visitors can try their hand at the potter’s wheel and even dine in one of the old coal ovens. Nearby Höganäs Keramik-Boda Nova factory sell a wide selection of Swedish pottery, glassware, and crystal at discount prices.
Seeing stars at Krapperup
The walls of the bright brick-red manor of the Krapperup estate are inlaid with dozens of white seven-pointed stars, representing the coat of arms of the Gyllenstierna family who lived there for hundreds of years. Beneath the walls a pretty moat winks in the sunlight. Exquisite romantic gardens fan out beyond where enormous rhododendron bushes bloom in spring and ponds wriggle with goldfish.
Arriving at this same verdant scene in 1749, Linné scribbled in his journal with delight: “300 kinds of fruit trees, lavender, lilies, thyme, onions for the herring, and heaps of potatoes!” Today’s visitors to Krapperup will be overjoyed to find this wonderfully green space to be freely accessible to the public year round. On weekends and every day in the summertime, a quaint gift shop sells scented soaps, linens, and candles. A snug café serves homemade bread, pots of tea, and generous slices of cake. The former stable buildings now house an art gallery featuring local artists and a museum that details the history of the estate and the Kullabygden district.
Sinful Mölle by the sea
Further north lies Mölle, an enchanting white wedding cake of a village leaning in the crook of the arm of the Kullaberg peninsula. In1870, Mölle was already an immensely popular destination and classed as one of the top seaside retreats in Sweden. The 1880’s saw steamships ply the waters from Copenhagen to Mölle carrying the upper classes of Germany and Denmark to enjoy the wild natural landscape and the rare decadence of mixed bathing. This sinful sensation catapulted the town to fame. At the peak of Mölle’s popularity, direct trains were rolling in from Berlin and no less than 13 hotels welcomed adventurous holidaymakers.
The Grand Hotel Mölle was built in 1909 and instantly reigned over the town. Glittering all-night parties and liberated ideas flourished here until the First World War led to a rapid decline in tourism. Though now slightly creaky and threadbare the hotel still stands tall and boasts the most spectacular views in town. The local surfing crowd regularly calls the hotel to ask if the famous long, clean, right-breaking Mölle wave is cresting.
Lunch in the Grand Hotel’s acclaimed Maritime restaurant is relaxed and delicious with local specialties like golden roe on toast and with ‘R’ de Ruinart champagne sold by the glass. In the formal dining room, the luminous light, pink seashells, hovering fish, and olive coloured seaweed of the painted ceiling set you imagining you are dining underwater. On cooler evenings a fire crackles in the lounge and the affectionate hotel cat Findus will not hesitate to occupy you for a catnap and will appreciate the small shrimp you saved for him from your lunch.
The rest of Mölle consists of a popular, though rather choppy marina, a harbour-side ice cream shop, a spa in the Turisthotellet and a few superb art studios. One of the most captivating is the ceramics artist Kerstin Tillberg, who makes wonderfully absurd gold-studded pots, whimsical bowls, and the loveliest golden-eared teacups.
At the heart of the village is Mölle Krukmakeri, Lisa Wohlfart’s pottery. The beauty of Wohlfart’s cream-colored pots and mugs is in their simplicity. The pottery celebrates ten years of throwing pots this year, and serves homemade treats and lunches in the little garden.
A short path leads along the sea cliffs from Mölle to Ransvik, a picture perfect cove where families swim from the rocks and the popular Ellen’s café serves sandwiches, salads, lemon pie, carrot cake and waffles. Further on, and all the way around the peninsula, are more hidden coves to explore.
Ancients & adventurers
The grand protruding headland of Kullaberg is a nature reserve where sheer cliffs of ancient Archean rock plunge into the Kattegat creating secret swimming holes, tide pools, and prehistoric caves. Trails crisscross the peninsula through beech forests and fields of rare wildflowers leading to many of the caves. Some of the most remote, however, can only be reached from the water so rent a kayak to get privileged access to these isolated spots.
The area is a unique playground for lovers of outdoor activities. Climbers are drawn to these primordial rock faces and there are over 800 routes in place with curious names such as Napoleon’s Hat and The Kulla Man’s Door.
For over 1000 years, sailors depended upon a light signal at the tip of Kullaberg to guide them safely past the murderous rocks of the peninsula. Scandinavia’s brightest lighthouse continues the vigil today. Visit on a foggy night for a private show of the swirling beams at their most haunting. Linné relates that when a peculiar mist hung about the bluff, locals would whisper the mythical old crone known as Kullkäringen was brewing up something. It is easy to understand their superstitions after a hike in the luminous woods where gnarled juniper and hawthorn bushes cast supernatural shadows and low stone fences unfurl like elfin ramparts.
Occupying prime position on the undulating crest of the peninsula is the petite, vine-clad hotel and restaurant Kullagårdens Wärdshus. Linné was charmed by the location and hospitality of the place when he stayed here in 1749. The inn has the character of a hunting lodge and an alarmingly large wild boar, frozen mid-squeal, presides in the lounge. Your host will assure that no such creatures patrol these forests but a herd of stags may dash across the fairways as you tee up. Encircling Kullagårdens Wärdhus is the 18 holes Mölle Golf Club, which officially opened in 1945. It is known for having some of Sweden’s best and fastest greens. If you care to make it interesting, play the course on par and your green fee will be refunded.
A hike to Nimis
If you only take one hike on Kullaberg let it be to Nimis. This mind-boggling driftwood structure is an unruly maze of towers and tunnels that meanders from the forested cliff-side to the water’s edge on the north side of the peninsula. Nimis’ creator Lars Vilks nailed the first pieces of driftwood together 27 years ago and Christo and Jeanne-Claude officially own the work.
The location is obscure and the hike down to Nimis is tricky nonetheless approximately 30,000 brave souls visit the site each year. The Discovery Channel recently managed to get a film crew to film Nimis for their Lonely Planet travel program. To get there, follow the signs to the idyllic Himmelstorp Farmstead and then follow the yellow N’s.
The Himmelstorp Farmstead is the perfect place to stop for a picnic. The farm’s four half-timbered thatch-roofed buildings from the 1700’s enclose a grassy courtyard and house a homey little café that opens in mid-May. Gentle cows graze in a nearby pasture, blackberries shine in the hedgerows, and you are likely to glimpse a hawk or peregrine falcon skimming the meadow. At the crown of a hill just a hundred steps away is one of Sweden’s finest stone circles. In the early Iron Age ring, where Linné also visited, traditional midsummers were celebrated well into the 1900’s. Now the midsummer festivities are held down at the farmstead.
Mölle’s prim, pretty sister
Boats once ferried the most discreet bathers to Mölle from Arild, a decidedly more respectable address in those days. It still feels rather prim, like a little jewel box of hollyhocks and honeysuckle. As if to confirm this, of all the medieval fishermen’s chapels that once bristled along Skåne’s coastline, only the tiny white chapel in Arild is still standing. It has guarded the sheltered harbour since the 1100’s and is surrounded by pale yellow cottages trimmed with snickareglädje (carpenter’s happiness).
On higher ground an old armory inn called Rusthållargården now provides genteel lodgings for tourists and wedding parties. The restaurant’s cosy dining rooms are often full with whispering couples. Like clockwork, the staff expertly serves refined versions of Scanian specialties and precisely chilled wines. This is one of the rare places in Sweden where the cook emerges in his immaculate toque to chat for a spell with each guest.
Have your coffee and cognac in the library or slip off to the spa in the Captain’s Villa, which also houses the best rooms on the whole peninsula. You can easily while away an evening in the huge sunken Jacuzzi and saunas of the spa as a contrived galaxy of little stars twinkles in the ceiling overhead.
Arise refreshed in the morning and review your options: play tennis, head out sailing, get married, or go for a round of golf at St. Arild’s 18-hole course nearby. Wide fairways, fast greens and lots of water have seen to it that the St. Arild course is ranked 4th in Skåne and the driving range here is named Sweden’s best.
The seven daughters of Skäret
The most blissful haven of the entire Kullabygden district is the 260-year-old summer cottage in the tiny village of Skäret. In 1938, the Lundgren family with their seven daughters (Greta, Ebba, Marta, Rut, Anna, Britt-Marie and Ella) turned the cottage into a coffee house. “Flickorna Lundgren på Skäret” (The Lundgren girls of Skäret), as the café is called, opens May 1 and serves coffee, freshly pressed juice, and homemade cakes and pastries in marvellous garden surroundings.
A coastal road winds from Arild to Skäret, past crooked cottages with fanciful names like Breidablik (vast view), Torpminne (cottage memory) and Rönnebo (rowan’s nest). It leads eventually to Jonstorp where for 300 years Tunneberga inn has tempted hungry travellers with genuine Scanian smorgasbord. You can also enjoy barbeques in the garden during summer or swing by to pick up a basket full of goodies to take on a picnic.
Good wine needs no bush
The light sandy soil and microclimates of the Kullabygden district nurtures fledgling wineries. Murat Sofrakis and Bert-Åke Andersson, owners of Kullabygdens Vingård and Winemaker Lena Jörgensen bought their first stocks from Danish grower Jens Michael Gundersen of the Dansk VinCenter. They planted the stocks in the tiny plot in Häljaröd, 150 meters from the seashore in the most northeastern extremity of the Kullabygden.
After a few years of careful experimentation, the winery became the first in Sweden to produce red wine from Swedish grapes in commercial quantities. They are now producing quality red, white and rosé wines supplemented by a larger sister domain outside of Malmö called the Nangijala Vingård. Stainless steel tanks and oak aging barrels equip the small production room in Häljaröd, where a tasting room and wine cellar are under construction. The winery expects to be able to welcome guests for tastings in 2009. Until then, curious wine-lovers may sample the wines in the local restaurants or order them via Systembolaget.
To raise a glass of this special wine is a fitting way to savour your memories from an adventure in the Kullabygden and seal your promise to return to this rare retreat.
May 2008