Ådalen, Naturreservat

Hike along Ådalen, a geologically unique formation in Blekinge where the watercourse meanders and is surrounded by tree-covered slopes.

Outdoor life and accessibility

The area is located directly adjacent to Jämjö urban area in eastern Blekinge and is well visited. Here you can get a wide variety of experiences, such as high natural values, good hiking opportunities, geologically interesting environments, cultural landscapes and beautiful scenery. There are several hiking trails and rest areas in the area. The area is easily accessible, but the paths are not adapted for disabled people.

The watercourse

Hammarbyån, which is part of Åbyån, winds its way through fine-grained sediments and has largely retained its natural original shape. Along the stretch of river in question, there are valuable aquatic environments such as small lakes, temporary water bodies, open beaches, rocky stretches and stretches of stream. These environments are important habitats for animals and plants that live in and around water. In the middle of the area connects a larger tributary that on its way down the valley forms one of Blekinge's highest waterfalls with a drop of 15 meters.

Flooded forests and wet meadows

Forests and wet meadows near the river are flooded annually and on the slopes, spring flows break through and flood the ground. Virgin Mary's keys grow in abundance in wet meadows near the river. The tree layer adjacent to the river is dominated by alder. The flooded land in Ådalen has long been fodder-producing pastures. There has been good haymaking and grazing land here. A map of a large estate from 1766 shows a number of scattered deciduous tree symbols in the then meadows along the river. In the deeds, an area in the valley is described as 'this place which is the best meadow'. In a side ravine to the west, there is today an old mill site next to the aforementioned waterfall.

Steep slopes with deciduous forest, wooded pasture and open pasture

The upper slopes are dominated by deciduous forest, mainly oak, with a large element of old hazel and other flowering and bearing trees and shrubs. There are old, large broadleaf trees in the area. Parts of the area are grazed and have a sparser tree and shrub layer. In the pastures there are several heath-favored plants, including Adam and Eve, the red-listed species pigweed and summer violet and old pollarded ash trees that testify to earlier leaf cutting. In the ravine west of Hammarbyån, there are also open pastures with a native flora.

Geology

Ådalens is a geologically complex and unique formation in Blekinge, which is also rare in southern Sweden. The nature reserve is located below the highest coastline and has thus been below sea level and flooded with water until the dramatic draining of the Baltic Ice Lake about 11,500 years ago. Then the shoreline was lowered 25 meters in just a few years and ended up far below today's sea level out in the Eastern Archipelago. In Ådalen, a delta of fine-grained sediments was formed, mainly glacial silt, which is very sensitive to erosion. Deep and steep ravines are easily formed in these fine-grained sediments by the action of running water. Gradually, the ravines have reached equilibrium and the soil has been stabilized by a coherent vegetation cover.