West Coast of Sweden

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Marstrand is a picturesque little village with lots of colourful wooden houses, as you can see in photos number 2, 3 and 4. The houses are painted in soft tones, ranging from yellow, to light pink and pale green, and especially enjoyed all the wooden balconies. Most of the houses have been added in the 18th, 19th and also in the 20th century. The town itself however is much older, dating back to the middle ages. It is said that a church was build here as early as 1139, but the town itself was established in the 1200's. In those days the island of Marstrand belonged to Norway. Besides having been a Norwegian, it has also been under Danish rule, only to become Swedish after the peace agreement in Roskilde in 1658.

Maybe I should tell you a bit about Marstrands history as it has been quite a roller coaster ride. Having belonged to three different countries indicates a bit of Marstrand interesting past. In 1368 for example it was totally devastated by war, with the medieval fortress and the monastery burned down. But the town bounced back, mostly because of the herring. Herring, you might wonder, could that change history???

Well in the case of Marstrand, herring played a very important role in history. During the 1500's Marstrand became the centre of the European herring industry and remained this for several decades, bringing lots of prosperity to the town and also power. In 1588 however, Marstrand ran out of luck when the herring disappeared from the region. The town slowly faded away and was once again destroyed, but this time bye a great fire in 1643. In 1658 it became Swedish and a fortress was build (more about that later), it however stayed very poor until the 1700's. And yes, it was once again the herring that returned to the area and brought prosperity. And as history has a habit of repeating itself, yes, you can already guess it, the herring disappeared again, now in 1808. This time tourism came to the rescue when Marstrand slowly changed into a seaside bathing resort.

Put on your walking shoes....

Time to leave history behind us and discover a bit more of the beauty of Marstrand. And to discover the beauty (in my opinion), you have to take the effort and walk a bit. And the walk would be mainly uphill!

On almost the highest point of the island you can visit the historical fortress called "Carlstens fästning". The tour of the fortress is very enjoyable and the views from the top of the tower over the island and surroundings are fantastic. And when you see this view, you will hopefully be inspired to walk a bit more around on the island as well. The western part of the island is the quiet part, as not that many people challenge themselves to discover this part of Marstrandön. You won't be disappointed though! The nature of the island is lovely, the views over the sea are wonderful and there is a nice hiking trail around the island to make for a lovely leisurely walk.

In photo on the left you can see the stairs that you need to climb at the beginning of the hike, which is located directly behind the "Societets huset". The Societetshuset, a social club, is quite an eye-cathing building. It dates back to 1886 when Marstrand was the favourite seaside resort of King Oscar II.

Narrow Passage

Very close to the beginning of the hiking trail on the north side of the island, you will pass a very narrow passage called "Nålsögat" or translated in English "the eye of the needle". This passage through the cliffs is just as narrow as it looks, and maybe even more narrow. As the rocks are all leaning to one side, you naturally start leaning yourself to the side to adjust to the shape of the rocks and get through the passage without a problem. From the warm sunny trail that is hugging the seaside, you will step into the cool shady and moist passage between the high cliffs. The passage isn't that long, so you will soon be welcomed again by the deep blue sea sparkling in the sun.

You can't really miss passing the "Nålsögat", just keep following the trail along the seaside and resist the temptation to go to the left to one of the trails that lead inland. If you do that you'll arrive at the "Eye of the Needle" after a short walk. On the map of the island (see beginning of the first page) you can get an overview of the many trails that cross the island. The Eye of the Needle is located approximately at the spot where the waterlilly photo is placed.

Rare red water lillies

From the "Nålsögat" / "Eye of the Needle" it is only a short walk to get to the red water lily pond. The only main problem is that the signs along the trails aren't very clear or even totally missing. To get to the pond, you do need to get off the main trail along the seaside, and go land inwards.

On the downside: the lily pond is hard to find, even with the little map in my hand, I had a hard time locating it. But if you look on the bright side I have to say that the "Näckrosdammen", as it is called in Swedish (Water lily pond), is worth some extra effort as the flowers are stunning. Here you can see rare red water lilies in bloom. This part of the island is a bit more forested and nice and shady on a hot summer's day. Keep your ears open for the call of the frogs, which might help you find the water lily pond when you are on the wrong track.