Mörbylångadalen is one of Sweden’s most fertile cultivation areas. The valley, which used to be the bottom of a lake, offers the farmers natural conditions for growing grain and other specific crops such as potatoes, onions and strawberries. For the farmers on the rest of Öland, livestock rearing has been and is much more important, not least because their arable land is better suited to the cultivation of grassland and field maize.
Mörbylångadalen Link to Google MapsThere is a footpath right across Alvaret on the old railway embankment between Kastlösa on the west side and Skärlöv on the east side of the island. The old abandoned village of Penåsa is located along the footpath. For a longer excursion, turn off for the Iron Age grave field Tingstad Flisor.
The footpath by Penåsa Ödeby (abandoned village) Link to Google MapsIn the far south, there is a large area that has long been used as a hayfield. Today, the whole area, except the northeastern parts where hay-making has been resumed, is grazed. In the 1540s, the grounds were part of a village with 19 farms that Sweden’s King Gustav Vasa took over and turned into a ‘kungsladugård’ (king’s barn) with a sheep and stud farm.
Schäferiängar (sheep meadows) in Ottenby Link to Google MapsFrom Skarpa Alby, it is possible to walk out to Dröstorp Ödeby, which dates from the 18th century. Dröstorp is an example of the attempt to break new soil on the poverty-stricken Öland during the strong population growth in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the end of the 19th century, the village was abandoned. Today, the old cattle path, well and ruins of the limestone buildings remain.
Link to Google MapsOn the road that runs right across Stora Alvaret, between Resmo and Stenåsa, there is a rest area by the limestone lake Möckelmossen. The limestone lake holds water all the year round, but its size varies greatly during the year.
Möckelmossen Link to Google MapsBetween Seby Läge in the north and Gräsgårdshamn in the south, there is an area with easy access and parking on both sides. Together, the coastlands and bare limestone grounds formed the old outlying land that was used for grazing. But as the coastlands are much more fertile, they have always had higher status with the farmers.
Gammalsby Coastlands Link to Google MapsSödra Kvinneby is one of several remaining well-preserved line villages on Öland. In 1540, the village consisted of six farms of which three were tax farms and three farms exempt from land dues. In a line village, the width of each plot along the village street corresponded to the farm’s share of the village.
The line village of Södra Kvinneby Link to Google MapsFar back in history, the Ölanders quarried and worked the limestone and alum shale, which is clearly visible in the landscape. The alum works in Degerhamn is, by Öland’s standards, a big works setting dating from the early 18th century. To this day, there is an old works street with workmen’s dwellings and industrial remains.
The Alum Works in Degerhamn Link to Google Maps