Fjärestad Gantofta, Naturreservat

The meandering channels of the Råån and Kävlebäck rivers are lined with lush deciduous forest on their way through Fjärestad-Gantofta. Our ancestors settled here in the fertile landscape around the river already in the Stone Age. Traces in the form of graves and flint tools have been left in today's pastures. What is less clear is how the remarkable slipways were created in the sandstone by the river. The Gantofta slipways are hidden in the creek ravine in the far south and a staircase leads you here. During the spring, the creek ravines on the outskirts of Helsingborg turn yellow and white with swallow-wort and whitethumb. And the flowing, clear water is teeming with life.

Slippery gutters and arrowheads

For millennia, the waters of the Råån have worn their way down through layers of moraine and bedrock of sandstone and shale. Our ancestors settled here in the fertile landscape around the river already in the Stone Age. Traces of them have been found in the form of skeletal remains, flint tools and amber beads in the passageway east of Gantofta. Our ancestors took one more thing with them to the grave - the secret of the slipways. These strange traces in the sandstone by the river, which we still do not know how they came about.

In the shelter of the riverside forest

The riverside forests are dense and lush, and in spring the ground turns yellow and white with swallow-wort and whitethumb. The air is filled with birdsong - everything from the elaborate serenades of the warbler and nightingale to the simple silt-salt-salt-silt of the Chiffchaff. Rotten and hollow trees provide a home for woodpeckers and other hole-building birds such as nuthatches and tawny owls.

Flowing water and spawning trout

The flowing, clear water is rich in wildlife. There are many different species of fish and in the fall, sea trout migrate in from the sea and spawn in the river. There are also plenty of bugs, which the white sturgeon can enjoy when looking for food.

Outdoor life

Parking is available at Västergårdsravinen and Kävlebäcken (also called Fjärestadsravinen) in the northeastern part of the Fjärestad-Gantofta reserve. An unmarked path runs along Kävlebäcken down to Råån. The second parking lot is at the stream ravine at the bottom in the southwest at Gantofta sliprännor. A dirt road leads in here from Norra Kvistoftavägen, and a staircase takes you down to the cliff wall with slipways. There is also a bus stop along Norra Kvistoftavägen. In the pasture to the north there are remains of an ancient burial chamber, a so-called dös. There are paths and passages throughout the area. Avoid dogs among the grazing animals. Remember to take your rubbish home.

In English

Welcome to Fjärestad-Gantofta Nature Reserve

For thousands of years, the River Råån has worn its way through layers of moraine and bedrock of sandstone and shale. Our forefathers settled in the fertile landscape around the river, as early as the Stone Age. Remains have been found in the form of pieces of skeleton, flint tools and pieces of amber in the passage tomb to the east of Gantofta. Another thing our forefathers took with them to the grave - the secret surrounding the sharpening grooves. It still remains a mystery, as to how these strange markings in the sandstone by the river were formed.

The woodlands along the shore of the river are lush and dense with bushes. In the spring, lesser celandine and wood anemone make the ground shimmer in yellow and white. The air is filled with birdsong - everything from the advanced serenades of the icterine warbler and nightingale, to the simple chiff-chaff song of the chiffchaff. Decaying and hollow trees provide homes for woodpeckers and other hole-nesting birds such as nuthatches and great tits.

There is a rich wildlife in the streaming, clear water. There are many different species of fish and in the autumn, brown trout migrate in from the sea and spawn in the river. There are lots of insects as well, something that makes the grey wagtail happy when it is searching for food.

Regulations

Within Fjärestad-Gantofta Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• intentionally disturb wildlife or grazing animals,
• damage living or dead trees and bushes or any other vegetation, or remove dead wood,
• bring dogs not on a lead, other than when hunting,
• cycle or drive any other vehicle, or ride other than on the roads,
• park up caravans or camper vans or equivalent,
• camp for more than one night,
• light a fire or use a disposable barbeque,
• introduce foreign (for the site) plant or animal species,
• undertake scientific research which involves taking samples or the installation of equipment,
• use the site for competitions, exercises, camps or any other activity which may disturb the natural environment or recreation,
• use radios, musical instruments or any other sound systems in a way that is disturbing,
• dig, bore, paint or in any other way damaged natural objects or formations,
• erect any kind of installation or put out any foreign (for the nature reserve) objects,
• put up signs, posters, plaques, inscriptions, or any other equivalent items, with the exception of boundary markers and nature reserve signs.

Without permission from the County Administrative Board it is also

forbidden to:

• trap and take away animals from the nature reserve, collect in insects or other animals with traps which result in death, or in any other way injure wildlife,
• collect wood-living fungi,
• put out geocaches.