A gilded pilot cutter forms the spire of Östra Ed Church. This maritime detail makes a striking first impression; in the Åsvikelandet Nature Reserve, forests, indented shores and hiking trails offer further discoveries. Visitors looking to combine nature and history will find a variety of themes here, without needing to fit them into a set itinerary.

Åsvikelandet: Trails Through the Archipelago Landscape

The Åsvikelandet Nature Reserve lies east of Östra Ed Church. It is a hilly peninsula with coniferous forest and a long, deeply indented shoreline. The Kvädöfjärden and Torrö Nature Reserves border Åsvikelandet. Around 20 kilometres of hiking trails, shelters, barbecue areas and an overnight hut offer a range of places to stop in the reserve.

The southern hiking loop is about eight kilometres long and passes a rest area overlooking Västra Stäket Bay. The reserve’s trail network is part of the Östgötaleden and is marked in orange. Route details and trail markings may change; check the latest information before your hike. The Åsviksslingan offers another viewpoint: it reaches Markens udde, where the view opens out over the open sea.

For the Åsvik–Åsvikelandet stage, the surface and terrain give a different picture of the route: about half runs along gravel roads, with the rest on a hiking trail; the terrain is flat to moderately hilly. The route passes through a very sparsely populated archipelago landscape, farmland and areas rich in birdlife. At the Åsvik trailhead, there is a car park and information. These provide different points of reference for planning your trip, including distance, trail surface and landscape.

Church, Building History and Historic Sites

The church itself also tells a story of change: after the fire on 3 May 1958, it was rebuilt on the old walls and shortened at the eastern end. Along with the gilded pilot cutter atop the spire, this building history shapes the view of the church. The Östra Ed local history museum is housed in the old church stable, built around 1880.

Other historic traces reach much further back. The hillfort near Breviken was probably a watch fort connected with the organisation of the war fleet during the Iron Age through to the Middle Ages. From the mid-16th century, Skeppsgården was a major freight and trading centre. According to tradition, from the 13th century Munkhamn served as an anchorage where cogs spent the night on their journeys between Denmark and Estonia.

The landscape around Åsvik Manor includes a park and well-kept pastures with unusually large oak trees. Kråkviks stuga offers a different kind of resting place: the former pigsty has been converted into a rest hut with a sleeping loft. These details of buildings and landscape complement the hiking trails with insights into how the area has been used over time, while nature and cultural history each retain their own character.

Discover more destinations: Ringarum, Skeppsgården, Gryt, Valdemarsvik.

Back to the main travel overview: Valdemarsvik.