Hercules, besöksplats i Vattenriket

Open meadows and dense thickets. Vast reed beds and ponds teeming with life. Step into a landscape shaped by agriculture and the Hercules brickworks - which gave the place its name.

From the parking lot, a 3.2 km loop leads into the area. It winds its way through dense willow thickets and then continues onto flowering hay meadows. Hay rattle, meadowsweet and cuckoo flowers testify that the land has been mown for generations. This is where the yellow eagle, red-legged kittiwake and common snipe have their nests.

Halfway along the path you arrive at the bird tower and outdoor museum. The exhibition tells about the use of the land, the brick industry era and the fine natural values that followed in its wake.

The bird tower offers a lovely view of Hammarsjön's extensive reeds and the meadows around it. Here, surrounded by greenery, water and birdsong, it is easy to find rest for body and soul.

In the spring, the piping plover sounds its muffled misty call and brown harriers sail over the reeds in search of food. Reed warblers, swifts and bearded tits are often seen, and among the rarities is the reed warbler. In summer, ospreys fish over the shallow waters of Hercules Bay.

From the outdoor museum, the path continues on the embankment between the ponds, where the clay was once taken to the Hercules brickworks. Nowadays, the clay is filled with water and home to bugs, fish and birds.

Dragonflies dance across the surface of the water and black terns and swallows hunt for insects and small fish. Greylag geese, grebes and coots nest on the shore. Once you have passed the ponds, the path continues on the cycle path back to the parking lot.

Remember that the area is grazed by cows, so keep your dog on a leash. Fishing is not allowed in the ponds.