Hylte: Holiday apartments between lakes, hiking trails and culture

Hylte is part of a land of a thousand lakes, with numerous lakes and many fish species available for fishing. Hylte also has 18 nature reserves that can be visited for relaxation, outdoor activities, birdwatching and other nature experiences. In this way, the municipality combines aquatic landscapes, wooded areas, marked trails and a remarkable cultural history.

Nature

Those exploring Hylte on foot will find trails with very different lengths and landscapes. The Brunnsbackaleden offers 4- or 8-kilometre options. It begins at the local heritage park in Unnaryd, passes through the Ödegärdet Nature Reserve and follows Kroksjön to Brunnsbacka sawmill. The Hallandsleden trail also runs through Hylte Municipality from Simlångsdalen to Rydöbruk and then northwards towards Kinnared.

The Jälluntoftaleden is 12 kilometres long, signposted and marked in orange. Its starting point is at Bygdegården/Chalanderska Museum; along the way there are five rest areas, including one with a wind shelter, barbecue area and toilet. The Skärshultslederna offer a 12-kilometre yellow trail and a 5.8-kilometre green trail starting from the car park at Skärshult camping. The highest ridges offer views of the lakes.

The Mårås Nature Reserve has a 2.3-kilometre hiking trail through ancient, untouched beech forest, home to rare plants and animals. In Femsjö, the Gula spåret is approximately 4 kilometres long and has shorter red and blue options, as well as information boards about natural and cultural history. Around 1810, Elias Fries conducted his first botanical explorations in this area; the area is most easily reached from the school in Femsjö.

The Skubbhult Nature Reserve lies by Lake Mellan-Färgen. The old forest has a species-rich flora, particularly mosses and lichens.

Another 5.7-kilometre hike leads through the home area of parish bailiff Anders Jönsson, along winding village roads and past old farms, legendary sites and peat ruins. It can begin in Höljeryd or Ekhult.

Water

A fishing licence is always required for fishing in Hylte’s lakes, even when fishing from a jetty. The Jällunden fishing area includes the 870-hectare Lake Jällunden. Pike, perch and eel occur there naturally, while zander has been introduced. Selected bathing spots in Hylte have jetties, toilets and adapted accessibility; some also have bathing areas for dogs.

Longer connections can also be followed on the water. One paddling route begins in Lake Unnen near Unnaryd and continues via a river to Lake Bolmen, then southwards via Bolmån and the Lagan, which flows into the sea. Canoeing in a lake system with many smaller lakes, bays and islands is suitable for a day trip. The Nissan, one of Halland’s four rivers, flows through a scenic, species-rich environment with diverse flora and fauna.

Cycling

The scenic surroundings of Unnaryd offer opportunities for cycling, hiking, canoeing, fishing and swimming. Outside Torup, Hultagärdesbacken has a 550-metre blue flow track for children and beginners, a 320-metre red downhill track for experienced mountain bikers, and marked trail routes of 5, 10 and 30 kilometres.

The circular route around the Färgen lakes can be cycled in three versions of 18, 21 or 40 kilometres. The Hylteleden begins and ends in Halmstad and takes cyclists through small villages, wildlife-rich forests, open fields and beautiful lake systems.

Culture

The Hylte Art and Crafts Tour takes place every year over the Easter weekend. Unnaryd is an old cultural area in Hylte with a vibrant arts and crafts tradition, a traditional market, small-scale shops and locally produced food. Near Unnaryd, Brunnsbacka sawmill, mill and log planer stands by Kroksjön; it is a restored facility dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Bosgårdsfallet near Torup is an 11-metre-high waterfall. A larger sawmill and mill operated there until the early 1930s; the surrounding area has beautiful hiking trails. In Landeryd, visitors can see the locomotive sheds and a railway heritage trail that is open year-round. The railway station is a listed state heritage building.

History

Hylte has churches with origins dating back to the 12th century. QR tours at the cemeteries of Hyltebruk Parish provide information about people buried there and about the churches. A museum in the former infirmary of the industrial works in central Rydöbruk traces the development of the municipality and industry in this part of the Nissan Valley over 250 years.

At Knystaforsen in Rydabruk, a large part of the food is prepared over an open fire; the restaurant is located at a revitalised former sawmill beside rapids. The Museum of Southern Swedish Bonad Painting is Sweden’s only museum dedicated to this narrative folk art, which developed during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Other local destinations: Hyltebruk, Jälluntofta, Långaryd, Unnaryd, Drängsered, Torup, Landeryd, Kinnared, Hallaböke, Löjenäs.

To the overarching travel overview: Halland.