Severtorp, Naturreservat

Severtorp is located high up on Hallandsåsen with a fine view of Skälderviken and Kullaberg. Here you can roam freely through beech forest and grazed juniper fields. There are currently no trails, rest areas or parking. From Severtorp it is just under 3 km down to Båstad.

High up on Hallandsås

Severtorp is located high up on Hallandsåsen, the most northerly of our Scanian rocky outcrops. Just north of the reserve is Lyngebjärs knall with a height of 200 meters above sea level. Inside the reserve there is a viewpoint just south of the road that leaves the reserve to the east. Hallandsåsen's highest point is otherwise Högalteknall at 226 meters above sea level, but it is just over a mile east and in Halland County.

The landscape around Severtorp is very varied with a patchwork of forests, fields and pastures. In the northern parts of the reserve there are ridges with old beech forest. Further south are the more open and flat lands. Here you will find both open pasture and shrub-rich juniper fields.

Treeless 300 years ago

Maps from the end of the 17th century show an open and treeless landscape around Severtorp. Then, 300 years ago, the vast, grazed fields spread out on the ridge. Two hundred years later, around 1900, the landscape had become more varied. There were pastures and fields as well as beech forests and spruce plantations. From 1960, the area gradually began to be planted again.

Old trees and flowering field

In Severtorp's beech forests there are some 150-year-old beech trees left. Here and there, oaks also spread their crowns. And in the pastures, pink and fragrant thyme coexist with sky-blue monkshood, white almond blossom and the stately golden-yellow haymaker. They all depend on the grasslands being kept open and well grazed. The reserve also contains a bog with marshes. This is home to the exclusive species small waterwort. It is less clear whether the coral root is still there. There are finds from the 2010s.

Ponds with fire lizards

There are also five dug ponds in the pastures. The largest one is home to the greater newt, which can be recognized by its bright yellow belly. Perhaps it is the orange-black color that has given it the nickname fire lizard? The area is also rich in birds. Perhaps you will see or hear the lapwing in the fields? Or a small black tit, tufted titmouse or great tit chirping in a bush? Or the drumming of a woodpecker such as a chipping crow or great spotted woodpecker? Over the fields you can see the swift flying and in the evening you can hear the hooting of the barn owl.

Outdoor life

Severtorp is located high up on Hallandsåsen, about 2.5 km southwest of Båstad. Severtorpsvägen passes through the area to the north. From Böskestorp you can also follow a small winding road through the southern part of the reserve. Where the road leaves the reserve to the east, there is a hill overlooking Skälderviken. At present there are no facilities for outdoor life, but in the long term we hope to be able to build a rest area and trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. Remember to take your rubbish home.