Mittlandsleden delsträcka: Odens flisor - Noaks ark - Karum

Information from the county administrative board April 2026: Noah's Ark
has been affected by large amounts of blunt-nosed ticks that feed mainly on sheep and cows
and does not often attack humans, but of course this species can also do so
if there is an opportunity for it. We therefore advise against (not prohibit)
visits to the Noah's Ark burial ground (16 hectares) in the Karum Nature Reserve (300
hectares). The reason is purely out of goodwill, not for health reasons. There are simply
ticks that a visit is not the pleasant experience we want it to be.
it to be.

For the sake of animal health, the land will also not be grazed
during the year. For the next season, the land on Karums alvar will be burned off during
fall/winter/early spring depending on the weather. Surrounding fields do NOT currently have
currently have this problem. We have over 75 nature reserves on Öland and we
hope that together, in a single year, we can help to avoid this particular
this small area and hopefully by next season we will have overcome
a large part of the problem.

The northern part of the Mittlandsleden trail goes past both Karum and Karås nature reserve. You can start from Karum's main parking lot, the Noaks ark parking lot or the bus parking lot.

A hike through Mittlandet takes you through unique natural and cultural environments. Here you can discover colorful mushrooms in Europe's largest hedgerow, hear the long-legged frog play in the wetlands and see flower-rich meadows and pastures. The trail is lined with cultural-historical remains, from the infamous castles of Gråborg and Ismantorp to exciting burial sites, such as Odin's splinters and Noah's Ark. The Mittlandsleden trail is 37.5 km in total. You are now at the part of Mittlandsleden that we call Karumsleden. The trail passes through Karås and Karum nature reserve. You can start from Karum's main parking lot, the Noaks ark parking lot, the bus parking lot or Odens flisor.

In Karum, arable land is managed with older farming methods, so-called three-seed, which means that rye is grown one year, barley the second year and the third year the field is left fallow. This means that a number of now rare arable weeds are found here, and that Karum is now one of Sweden's most important sites for the conservation of old varieties of cereals (Karum rye) and endangered arable weeds. Karum is a small-scale agricultural landscape with a mix of small fields, alvar land, hay meadows and deciduous forests. Alvar land is an unusual habitat type, characterized by a limestone bedrock with a thin layer of soil on top. In the whole world there are only 995 square kilometers of alvar, of which 665 are in Sweden. Alvar land together with Öland's climate with cold winters and dry, hot summers affect the vegetation and provide a great biodiversity. During spring and early summer you can see a colorful flowering time with, for example, bridal bread, yellow and white fat bud and a variety of orchids.

Along the trail there are a large number of ancient monuments, such as stone walls, cairns, farm roads and house foundations. Noah's Ark is a 26-meter-long ship, which is marked with horizontal stones and in the middle of the ship is a lump stone. This type of grave belongs to the Late Bronze Age or Late Iron Age. In the vicinity of Noah's Ark there is a large burial ground with nearly 70 graves.

Odin's chips can be found in the southern part of Karumsleden. There are two mighty limestone tiles, 2.5 - 3 m high. The stone chips are estimated to have been there since the Iron Age, and are part of a burial ground with about 40 graves.