Svarvareskogen, Naturreservat

Svarvareskogen, together with Skummeslöv Reserves, is part of the former Skummeslöv airfield. The area is a popular outdoor recreation area and you can walk through the dune landscape on several marked trails.

The area is relatively flat, but is intersected by long sand dunes in a mainly east-west direction. The dunes are at most 3-4 meters high. The forest consists mainly of pine, but there are also elements of spruce and birch. On the ground there are crowberry, ling and mosses. The reserve also contains fossil inland dunes, which means that the area also has great geoscientific value.

History is preserved

There are many preserved documents describing how the fly sand ravaged the area in the past. The background to the name Svarvareskogen can also be found in the fight against the fly sand. The story is about Johannes Carlsson, also known as Svarvaren. At a waterfall in Karupsbäcken in Östra Karup, he built a saw and a carpentry workshop where he made spinning wheels, hence the name Svarvaren.

Eventually he bought an area in Skummeslövsstrand, which included a 100-acre drifting sand field. The drifting sand was a big problem for the farms further inland and Johannes stubbornly started planting forest seedlings to bind the sand. Time after time, the plants were sanded over and died, but Johannes stubbornly continued his fight against the sand, which eventually paid off. Today, the Svarvareskogen nature reserve stands as a monument to his fight against the sand.

Swimming and overnight stays nearby

The reserve is close to the sandy beach and the sea in Skummeslöv. Camping is not allowed in the reserve but camping is available nearby. Accommodation is available in the community of Skummeslöv and there are also restaurants here.