Naturstig, Brucebo

Brucebo is one of Gotland's most varied nature reserves. There are bird-rich meadows, wetlands with orchids and a cliff edge full of caves.

The hiking trail through Brucebo nature reserve goes both on top of the cliff and below by the water. There are steps of earth and logs up and down the cliff. In the lower part, parts of the hiking trail run on footbridges. Along the waterfront, access to the bird protection area is prohibited for parts of the year. However, the path goes outside the bird protection area, but show consideration for the birds and do not go off the path into the area during the access ban.

Brucebo nature reserve is characterized above all by the high cliff that runs parallel to and a few hundred meters inside the beach. From the top of the cliff, there is a good view of large parts of the reserve, the coast to the north and the sea to the west. Above the cliff, there is a sparse, low-growing pine forest with shrubs of juniper, rosehip and oxberry. The ground is covered with carpets of meadowsweet, and bluebells are abundant. Up here are also the remains of an old ancient castle, Bygdeborg.

Below the cliff, the ground is wetter, the vegetation is more luxuriant and the forest is taller. There are several spruces on the slope and just below. In several places along the foot of the cliff, water flows out of the ground and gives rise to narrow streams. Between the cliff and the sea there are also several small spring marshes. These are home to, among other things, water primrose, mountain primrose, marsh marigold, spearwort, fly agaric and marsh helleborine.

Skansudde, a rocky peninsula, juts out into the sea. Along the path inside the bird sanctuary, large quantities of mayweed grow, and here, if you look hard enough, you can also find the honeyflower in early July, an inconspicuous, greenish-yellow orchid that thrives on grazed meadows like this. From March 15 to July 15, it is forbidden to enter Skansudd and the meadow just inside the headland.In the cliff in the northern part of the area there are several caves, of which Brucegrottan is the most famous.

Ivy clings to the cliffs and trees, and in early May the thistle, a rare shrub on Gotland, blooms here on bare twigs.