Holiday apartment in Heby: nature, hiking trails and culture

Heby combines tranquil nature, varied trails and a vibrant cultural history. Between lakes, river landscapes, nature reserves and museums, very different facets come together: from observing white-tailed eagles to the history of handmade bricks, and from short walking trails to longer hiking stages.

Nature

Färnebofjärden National Park features a mosaic landscape of special habitats shaped over thousands of years by recurring floods along the Lower Dalälven. More than 100 bird species regularly breed there. The Östa Nature Reserve offers a different landscape impression: it is located on a peninsula in the Dalälven and includes sandy beaches, gnarled pines, hiking trails through the forest and extensive marshes. The reserve also includes a campsite, wind shelters, fire pits, a birdwatching tower, parking areas, information boards, dry toilets and bathing areas.

The Aspnäs Nature Reserve is also located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Tämnaren and includes grazed cultural landscapes and flowering meadows. The lake is one of the most bird-rich lakes in Uppland. Many protected species breed there, while numerous migratory birds stop there in spring and autumn. In the Hårsbäcksdalen Nature Reserve, a 20-metre-deep ravine with lush vegetation shapes the terrain. Easy-to-walk paths, rest areas and fire pits are also part of the reserve; a complete circular hike through Hårsbäcksdalen is approximately 3.7 kilometres long.

The Ingbokällorna Nature Reserve is characterised by crystal-clear water whose blue-green colour changes depending on the light and the season. The largest spring at Ingbo-Källorna releases 4.3 million litres of water every day. The 20-metre-high Skekarsbotornet observation tower offers far-reaching views. From there, it is possible, among other things, to observe white-tailed eagles and ospreys.

Hiking and trails

Three trails of different lengths are the main features of the Östa Nature Reserve. Gula stigen is approximately 5 kilometres long. Gröna stigen is 10 kilometres long and leads to Stormossens fågeltorn and Ingbo-Källorna. Röda stigen is 2.5 kilometres long, easy to walk and passes along the beaches of Östa. This means that different trail lengths and landscape impressions can be found side by side within the same reserve.

In the Skattmansödalen Nature Reserve, several marked trails follow the Upplandsleden for 1.6 kilometres from the ski slope to the historically interesting site of Ytterkvarn. A total of five stages of the Upplandsleden run through Heby Municipality. In Tärnsjö, Stage 19 is called Kyrkstigen, is 9.5 kilometres long and leads through a historic landscape that has been used by people for a very long time.

Stage 22 of the Upplandsleden begins at the Tenasjön bathing area in Vittinge and is also 9.5 kilometres long. There is a parking area for this stage; the Rosenbacka bus stop is approximately 2.5 kilometres from the starting point. The trails therefore range from a short, easy-to-walk route to longer stages shaped by history and landscape.

Animals and encounters

The moose tour at Gårdsjö Älgpark provides knowledge about the lives of moose in the wild and in the park. During the tour, there is an opportunity to ask questions. The approximately one-hour moose safari takes place entirely outdoors and uses authentic Massey Ferguson “Grålle” tractors from the 1950s and 1960s.

Culture and history

The old manor church of Aspnäs stands in a place with medieval origins and is open to visitors. Heby Municipality also has a rune stone museum that can be visited, as well as several rune stones. The Heby Tegelbruksmuseum offers an insight into the region’s industrial history. It is housed in a former brewery building made from handmade bricks produced by Juhlins tegelbruk brickworks.

At the Heby Tegelbruksmuseum, presses, equipment, tools, bricks and photographs tell the history of the brickworks and the lives of their workers. The permanent exhibition includes sculptures by Sonja Petterson and paintings by ÅC Danell. In Östervåla, a museum displays a 1920s carpentry workshop and a large collection of various Östervåla chairs.

Studio Kapellet is a place for community art in a former Baptist chapel from 1890 in Staffansbo, Östervåla. It hosts performances, workshops, social gatherings and a sculpture garden. Tant Fridas stig is a sculpture park with a walking path next to the former brewery building on both sides of the Örsundaån River.

Other local pages

For further orientation around the area, the direct pages lead to Heby, Östervåla, Tärnsjö.

For the overarching travel overview: Uppsala.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Håbo, Tierp, Älvkarleby, Enköping, Knivsta.