Hovön-Alnön

Hovön-Alnön nature reserve is a pleasant excursion destination for those who use boats. Alnön is an old cultural landscape with herb-rich pastures, grazed beach meadows and various types of coniferous forest. Several paths lead through the old agricultural landscape. On some of the smaller islands there are fine bathing rocks and natural harbors.

The islands are in a sheltered location in the northern part of Ängsfjärden. Alnön, the largest island, has extensive rocky areas, while the more muddy land has been used for cultivation for centuries. In the middle of the island is Alnö Farm, surrounded by old fruit trees, pollarded ash trees and arable land.

Alnön has always been grazed by the farm's animals, in the past mainly by sheep, but later by dairy cows and now by heifers. The grazing has favored special plants. Many types of orchids can be found in the forest and meadow and pasture plants such as maidenhair fern, cat's-foot and sundew live in the open fields. The cultivated landscape with old grazed forest, coarse broad-leaved trees and sunlit forest edges is also an environment suitable for birds, insects and fungi.

The shallow bays between the islands are good nesting sites for seabirds, including the brown duck, which declined very rapidly in Uppland at the end of the 20th century. The smaller islands, Hovören, Skansören and Bergskäret, are quite high and rocky. They are mainly covered with rocky pine forest that has been allowed to develop freely for a long time. Along the beaches there are plenty of warm and sunlit rocks, so you can go in search of your very own bathing spot!

The small-scale cultivated landscape is adapted to the natural forms and conditions of the inner archipelago. It represents a farming tradition and lifestyle that no longer exists. On Alnön we get an insight into how it once was.

Be careful when you visit, so that the environment is preserved intact. For example, you must not dig up plants or enter private land.

Trustee: County Administrative Board of Uppsala County