Rågöleden

**Rågö is a real archipelago idyll! Here you can walk through deep pine forests towards velvety rocks by the sea. The well-preserved little village on Rågö attracts visitors with its hostel, restaurant and exhibitions. The reserve also includes the islands of Horsö and Kalvö and a myriad of bird-rich islets and skerries.

The history of Rågö village probably begins in connection with the population increases in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The lack of arable land on the mainland brought people to the archipelago to farm new land. At most, there were three farms in Rågö village. Like most archipelago residents, the islanders made their living by tending livestock and fishing. Kalvö and Horsö were the Rågö inhabitants' main pastures and hay fields for several hundred years.

There have been no residents on Rågö for 50 years. But the settlement is still virtually intact in the small village and during the summer months the restaurant and hostel are open.

At Rågö there is an exhibition that tells more about life in the Tjust archipelago in the past and about boat builders and fishermen who lived and worked on Rågö. The village also has a boat workshop where Tjust Allmogebåtar renovates and displays old boats from Tjust. Rågö Day, an annual festival with various activities, is organized in July.

Down by the harbor is a seine yard, whose stretch towards the manor house is bounded by a stone terrace. There are also two timbered boathouses from the 18th century. Today, the water depth has been reduced by silting and therefore the houses are almost on land.

The entire nature reserve is owned by the state through the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The land consists of an old agricultural landscape with meadows, pastures and woodland.