Walking paths - Melleruds kommun

You are here: Start page / English / Tourism / Walking paths

Vägen till Melleruds bågskyttebana. Foto: Erik Sandgärde

The trail of Karl XII

One of the old trails between Sweden and Norway was the one across Kroppefjäll. This was the route taken by parts of the army of Karl XII (King of Sweden 1697-1718) when attacking Norway in 1718. Thereafter the trail was abandoned and for long it was forgotten.
It was rediscovered in the early 1960s. Volunteers cleared the route, built bridges and put up signs across the mountain. The old trail was re-opened at Whitsun in 1961 in the presence of about 3 000 visitors.

Nowadays the trail of Karl XII is one of the most popular nature trails in Dalsland. It is about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) long and stretches from Forsebol, about 6 kilometres (3.8 miles) south of Dals Rostock, over the mountain to Järbo kyrka (church) on the west side. At Hästskotjärn on the mountain there is a log cabin, open all year, and free for visitors to use, provided you leave the cabin as clean as it was when you arrived.

The Pilgrim trail

This is a scenic nature trail, starting at Holms kyrka (church), stretching to Edelskogs kyrka (church) in the municipality of Åmål. The trail is about 50 kilomtres (31 miles) and is considered an average walking effort.
The pilgrimages went on in Sweden for about 500 years, from 1050 AD to 1550. They were stopped by King Gustav Vasa in 1527, but in spite of that they continued for a few more decades. The pilgrims came by boat från Västergötland to Sunnanå, from where they continued north, through Edelskog for the final destination Nidaros (Trondheim, Norway).

To get back to where you started and to Mellerud:
In Edelskog the pilgrim trail joins another nature trail, Storspåret, between Edelskog and Åmål. This trail is about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles). From Åmål you can take the bus or the train back to Mellerud. From Edsleskog there are buses for Dals-Ed, Bengtsfors and Mellerud.

There is a new map of the pilgrim trail. It is one part of a portfolio with 14 different maps that can be purchased at the tourist offices in Mellerud and Håverud. Price: 100 SEK.

The trail is not marked properly in some places and we recommend that you do not attempt walking it without a map, and a mobile phone in case you get lost.