Erik Anders and Bommars starting at Söderhamn

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Erik Anders

   The farms of Hälsingland are one of the odder success stories of Swedish history. In the nineteenth century, farmers in this part of the country grew rich on flax and linen, and they spent their wealth not on grand manor houses but on enormous wooden farmhouses with elaborate painted interiors. Rooms were reserved for celebrations, and decorated with biblical scenes, flowers and ornamental borders by travelling artists. Seven of these farms are on the UNESCO list, among them the Erik-Anders farm, near Söderhamn, whose neat red buildings stand in a clearing among fields and forest.

   Read the complete Erik Anders write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Erik Anders is where the day begins. Next is Jon-Lars.

2. 2. Jon-Lars

   Farms in Hälsingland look like farms, until you open the door. Jon-Lars, near Alfta in the forested heart of the province, is one of the seven farmsteads inscribed in 2012 as the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, and from the road it seems a tidy group of dark red timber buildings around a yard. Inside, the festive rooms are covered with painted decoration, with flowers, curtains, biblical scenes and trompe-l'oeil swags painted in the nineteenth century, when the farmers were rich.

   Read the complete Jon-Lars write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Jon-Lars comes up about 62 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bommars.

3. 3. Bommars

   In the forests of Hälsingland, in central Sweden, you find farms that look as though they belong in a fairy tale. Prosperous farmers of the nineteenth century, who made their money from flax and timber, built large, many-roomed farmhouses and decorated their best rooms with paintings, wallpaper and carved details, often in rich reds, blues and golds. Several of these farms, the Hälsingegårdar, were listed by UNESCO in 2012, and others are still in private hands and used as homes. The place named on our list lies in the countryside near Ljusdal, in this farming country.

   Read the complete Bommars write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 158 km into the recorded legs you reach Bommars. Next is back through Jon-Lars.

4. 4. back through Jon-Lars

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jon-Lars write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Jon-Lars, late in the day. Next is Erik Anders.

5. 5. Erik Anders

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Erik Anders write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Erik Anders. That is the ride.