A ski jump towers right over the middle of Örnsköldsvik, rising from a wooded hill called Paradiskullen, and it tells you a lot about this town on the northern edge of the High Coast. Ö-vik, as everyone calls it, is a sporting place, famous above all for ice hockey: the local club MODO has produced a remarkable number of stars, including Peter Forsberg, one of the finest players of his generation. With more than thirty thousand people, it is the largest town between Sundsvall and Umeå, set at the head of a bay among forested hills.
The town grew up as a port and industrial centre for the timber and paper industries, which still dominate the economy of the region. It takes its name from Per Abraham Örnsköld, an eighteenth-century county governor. The harbour area has been redeveloped with cafes and restaurants, and the hills around the town offer walks with views over the islands.
South of the town lies the heart of the High Coast, and the great natural sight here is Skuleskogen National Park, a wild area of forest, cliffs and lakes on the coast, with the spectacular Slåttdalsskrevan, a narrow gorge split through the granite. The park can be reached from the E4 or the old coast road, and short walks lead to viewpoints over the sea. The land here has risen almost three hundred metres since the ice age, and you can see old beaches of round stones high on the hillsides, now far from the water.
For riders, the old coast road between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik is the best part of the High Coast Route, winding through villages, forests and fishing harbours, with steep climbs and views over the fjords and islands. The E4 is faster but less interesting. Örnsköldsvik has every service: fuel, motorcycle shops, restaurants and hotels. Summers are short and light, with long evenings, and the weather is cool and changeable, often windy along the coast. Watch for moose on the roads, especially at dusk, and expect mosquitoes in the forests in midsummer.