The first stage of Bruksleden starts at Rocklunda on the north-western outskirts of Västerås. Here you will experience the transition from city to countryside and then to forest landscape. The first eight kilometers are largely on different types of roads. After that, the trail follows forest paths until the stage goal at Skålbystugan. You start with a one-kilometer hike along easy walking trails through Rocklundaskogen. This is followed by a nice bike path surrounded by a birch grove with Hovdestalund cemetery on one side and Svartån on the other. Beyond Svartån is Västerås hilly golf course and south of it Vallby open air museum. Soon the trail turns left over the Svartån, and after passing the Vallby district, the countryside takes over. A small winding country road takes you about 1.5 km across meadows and past small farms. At a turn-off to the right you see Skerike church. At Kävsta, the trail turns onto a small gravel road that passes through an open landscape with fields and horse pastures and at the end of the road the forest begins. The rest of the way to Skålbystugan you walk through coniferous forest. The nature is varied with wetlands, rocks and small meadows. At the end of the stage, Skålbystugan is located on a small hill at the edge of the forest.
RESTING PLACES
At the stage goal Skålbystugan there is a rest cabin with four beds. The cabin is located on a small hill at the edge of the forest. There is also a TC here.
VÄSTERÅS
In a bay on the northern shore of Lake Mälaren, the river Svartån flows. People have lived around this area for a long time. We know that there were settlements here as early as 900 years ago, but probably also much earlier. The site's advantageous location on Lake Mälaren meant that the area was already an important trading center during the Viking Age. It even became so important that it was named Westraarus. Arus comes from the Old Swedish "aros", which means river mouth, and the name westra was used to distinguish the site from the absolute center of the Svea Empire, Östra Aros, now Uppsala. The settlement was granted a city charter around 1280 and today the city at the mouth of the Svartån is called Västerås. Iron and copper products from Bergslagen have been shipped out from here since the 13th century. During the 16th and 17th century boom in iron and copper exports, Västerås became Mälaren's leading city after Stockholm. Even today, the city has one of Sweden's most important inland ports. In 1623, Gustav II Adolf commissioned Bishop Johannes Rudbeckius to organize the activities around the founding of Sweden's first high school in Västerås. Rudbeckius is depicted in the form of a statue by Carl Milles. The statue is placed outside Västerås Cathedral. In the 18th century, large parts of the old buildings were destroyed by a severe fire. Therefore, the cityscape today gives a modern impression. North of the cathedral is kyrkbacken, one of the few places in Västerås where old wooden houses still stand. Here there is an irregular street network of late medieval character. Today Västerås is a modern industrial city with a diverse engineering industry. One of the companies that emerged in Västerås during industrialism in the 19th century was ASEA, today ABB, which dominates the business community.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT
Västerås has many different accommodation and restaurant options Read more '
Directions
There are plenty of parking spaces at Rocklunda. If you want to go by public transport to Rocklunda, you can take bus line 2 or 6 from Västerås travel center. About 800 m north of the stage goal at Skålbystugan there is a road, but no parking facilities.
