Hillared: Hiking, Water and Living History

Hillared combines a lake, varied hiking experiences and vivid evidence of the region’s history. The Såken runt circular trail in particular makes the area appealing to travelers who want to combine nature and discovery. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, it is therefore important to consider whether you mainly want to spend your days by the water, on hiking trails, visiting cultural sites or taking various excursions in the surrounding area.

Walking around Lake Såken

The Såken runt hiking trail runs for 18 km around Lake Såken in Hillared. There are swimming spots along the route, allowing you to combine a hike with a break by the water. At the beginning of the circular trail, you can also see the remains of an old hydroelectric power station that was used by the Almedals factories. A detour from Sågviken leads to glacial potholes formed during the Ice Age; a northwestern detour takes you to old clearance cairns, beech forest and oaks near Hagö.

The route requires realistic planning for a day: Some sections of Såken runt have considerable differences in elevation or steep passages. If you want to take different interests within your travel group into account, you can plan the circular trail as a longer nature experience and select individual destinations along the way. For parking, a location in or just north of Hillared, for example at Sågviken harbor, is particularly convenient. The Solvägen bus stop is 900 meters from the hiking trail.

Water Experiences and Trails in the Surrounding Area

Hösjön lies south of Hillared’s built-up area, just east of Läggared. The Hösjöns badplats bathing area there has a dry toilet, barbecue area, benches and a jetty. This makes it a suitable destination for a separate outing if you want to combine time by the lake with a simple break. Around Hillared, there are also several places along the Ätran where you can fish for trout and fish in flowing water.

Cyclists also have a concrete option: The Sjuhäradrundan cycle route runs through the area around Hillared. Those who want to combine different forms of transportation can therefore consider the town as a base for a stay involving hiking, cycling and excursions to bodies of water. There is also a wind shelter for overnight stays in nature at the Hagö nature reserve.

Historic Sites and Local Insights

Hillared also has several distinctive cultural attractions. Nättlegården is a donated smokehouse, cared for by the Hillareds Hembygdsförening. The building was moved from old Nättlebo to its present location. The western raised-floor section is an approximate copy of part of a building that was demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. There is also an authentic shoemaker’s workshop in a building next to Nättlegården.

Hillareds Kyrka is a medieval church dating from the 12th century. For a time, it served both as a church and as a defensive structure. For a varied holiday, a visit to these historic sites can be combined with a day in nature at Lake Såken or an excursion to the surrounding area’s bodies of water. In Läggared in Hillared, there is also an area with well-preserved archaeological remains. Cramers flowers store in Hillared has a show garden and adds another special place to visit.

Choose Hillared as Your Base

There are bus connections to Hillared from Svenljunga and Borås. This can be helpful when planning if you do not want to start every excursion by car. When searching for a holiday apartment, it is worth first determining your preferred travel rhythm: Those who want to focus on the Såken runt trail and the swimming spots should orient themselves around Hillared and the starting points mentioned above. Those who want to combine historic discoveries, fishing or cycling tours can choose the location according to their planned daily destinations. The Forsa–Veka fishing stretch runs from the area below the outflow from Lake Åsunden at Forsa Mill in Dannike to the remains of the mill dam at Veka in Hillared.

Other Places in the Surrounding Area

If you would like to compare Hillared with other destinations in the surrounding area, here are the neighboring places: Svenljunga, Överlida, Mjöbäck, Mårdaklev, Kalv, Östra Frölunda, Sexdrega and Holsljunga.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Svenljunga.