Låssaleden, one of Stockholm’s most forgotten trails, is located in Upplands-Bro. The northern part of the trail runs through the Rösaring nature reserve, which has many interesting ancient monuments and an incomparably beautiful ridge forest. The hike here is a real forest bath!

Låssaleden is actually longer than the part I describe here, but the northern part is the most interesting. The trail starts at the car park to Rösarings Naturreservat, about 600 meters from Låssa church. You can get here by public transportation: bus 555 from Bro (towards Låssa Kyrka / Kvista) with disembarkation at stop Låssa Kyrka. The trail is a ring trail and can thus be walked clockwise or counterclockwise as you wish. I chose counterclockwise and started the walk at the right roadblock in the parking lot. The trail is marked with a small white rectangle with the Ekhammar figure – Upplands-bros municipal coat of arms. The markings are not in the best condition, and the figures are often completely faded, but they are numerous on this part of the trail, and the risk of getting lost is small. The trails are well trodden here despite the fact that there is a long distance between hikers and exercisers, large parts are used as riding trails, and that is certainly the explanation. The path goes through an untouched pine forest, and only on a small part do you see traces of forestry. The path winds through mighty pillar halls of pine and moss-covered stones, and here you really understand what the term “forest bath” means! It is open, lovely to breathe, and the only thing you hear is birdsong and your own humming. After a while along a gravel road and just before passing under the power line, an old, lichen-covered sign appears. Savolax. To the right I made the detour; there you’ll find the remnants of a Finnish settlement from the 16th century. It’s hard to say, but it’s probably a house foundation you see there between the pines! The Finns left Savolax in Finland due to overpopulation, among other things, and a lack of land to burn, and some of them ended up here. From what I understand about the Savo, they often lived in isolation in the forest, retained their habits and uniqueness, and avoided assimilation for a long time. 

Back on the main road, the next stop is a simple gravel parking lot and a really old sign that points down to the bathing and rest area Vållsvik. In the bay there are barbecue facilities, and the shallow sandy and pebble beach is perfect for a summer dip. After Vållsvik, the trail follows the shoreline for a while before the path again leads into the pine forest. It’s a little denser here, the trail is narrower, and there is a small climb up the ridge from Vållsvik. When it turns down again toward the water and Hebboviken, an orderly resting place appears. There is a toilet, several picnic tables, and an open view of northern Björkfjärden. The forest here is of a different type—deciduous swamp forest—and is dense and part of the Hebbokärret biotope protection area. There are probably small, dilapidated Knotti orchids here, but I did not manage to see any. The path now continues into the forest and up to the height of Rösaringsåsen, which is part of Sweden’s largest gravel ridge, – Uppsalaåsen.

At the top of this 60-meter-high gravel ridge, the view over Lake Mälaren is extensive, and along it runs a 500-meter-long processional route from the Viking Age. That half kilometer of straight road from north to south could be so interesting, I had no idea! The road goes in a north / south direction, and at the northern end of the road, archaeologists have found the traces of a small building that’s been interpreted as a mortuary. At the southern end of the road, a burial mound has been placed. Perhaps the mortuary was the starting point for a procession along the road to the place where the crematorium stood and the burial mound was then built. At the height, there is also a labyrinth – Rösaring, which gave the area its name.

In summary, this part of Låssaleden is definitely worth hiking in the summer. Water, as well as coffee, must be transported. Swimwear for those who want to take a dip at Vållsvik.