Järnavik naturreservat in Blekinge, southern Sweden, is an interesting place to visit. The environment has many contrasts to enjoy. There are deep ravines and steep climbs to be rewarded with stunning views of the Swedish scenery. There are bare rock areas, that then lead into forests, rich with plant life. The northern part of the reserve, where we visited for our hike, is less stark than the more glacially formed rocky southern part.
In a past era Järnavik was a medieval port that was very busy, but today the harbour is used just for the summer archipelago boat, and private boats visiting the area by sea. Easter weekend had seen blizzards for us for the first three days of the long weekend. So when the sun shone bright on the Monday, we took advantage of the chance to get some vitamin D supplies and headed out to this nature reserve that we had not explored yet.
The Järnavik naturreservat has a lot of good marked trails, a number of fire pits, and on the southern end, a nice place to take a swim, although this was not really a priority in the freezing April weather!! We were in the northern part, following a circular trail route, hoping to stop three quarters of the way round to make lunch on a campfire.
So, off we set on our route. We had not gone more than 100m when 2 of the 3 children had already started collecting sticks….our little lady’s stick actually resembled more of a tree than a stick, but all credit to her she did drag it the whole way round! We scrambled up rock faces to be rewarded with the most stunning views across the fjords at the top, and we walked over mini bridges through ice fields that would hopefully start defrosting soon if spring time decides to make an appearance!! The children love to see how thick the ice is, and how much they can bang it with sticks or stamp on it before it cracks. Today it was still very thick and strong, and not giving way. However, the sun shining on the damp moss was creating a smell of spring in the air, and despite the snow on the ground, you could feel warmth in the sunshine at long last. As we continued our hike we knew we were coming to the place where the fire pit should be, and on a little investigation, we found it in a mini cave! It was so fun and interesting as we had never made our campfire anywhere like it yet 🙂
Today we were not using geocaches as an incentive to keep the trio walking. However, our little lady was just sitting chilling in the cave waiting for lunch, and to her surprise she spotted one buried in the rocks! She couldn’t believe she had found one without even trying. It was a great spot to stop for lunch as the children clambered up, over, and slid down massive rock boulders, and thoroughly enjoyed their playtime in nature.
The fire was roaring, the food was cooking, and we had a new treat to try for dessert, campfire toffee apples. Life was definitely more relaxed being able to share the work load with Dadda, as he could look after the campfire, and I the Kelly Kettle…usually I’m juggling both and trying not to set fire to three children in the process!! It was so nice to be able to share today’s adventure with every member of the family for a change.
Once we had eaten our fill, we dowsed the campfire, and started the remaining part of our circular route. Once we popped out of our little cave, we discovered 2 more fire pits out in the sunshine. It was nice to know they were there, but I think we had all enjoyed the novelty of our cave fire pit for a little bit of a difference.
We had spent such a lovely family time at Järnavik naturreservat, and enjoyed the views, the fire pits, and the trail so much. We will definitely be returning there, and maybe, next time if the weather is warm enough, we will search out the bathing place on the southern end and explore a different part of the reserve!
Comments 53
What stunning views I really love all your photos . Looks like u had such an amazing time.
Author
thankyou…we had a very lovely day
Thank you for linking up with #GetMooreFromLife, you well and truly did that in this post! What a stunning place, I love the huge rocks to climb. My girls would love those! Tyler would have LOVED the cave campfire!!!
Author
It was a stunning place and we were so lucky the sun shone for the day instead of snow!! That campfire was a real treat of a find 🙂
What a stunning place and gorgeous photos. It looks like it was great fun x
Author
Thankyou, we had such a lovely time
OH wow what a stunning place to visit. I love getting closer to nature and wish I had more time to go to places like this. The snow makes it that much more of a magical place to visit. My kids would have loved the cave fire pit .
Author
Ours loved that fire pit and we are lucky to be surrounded by stunning views
What an adventure. The views are so beautiful.
Author
Thankyou they were stunning
Järnavik naturreservat looks beautiful. It looks like you are heading out of snowy season now too
Kara recently posted…Superhero Takeover at London Zoo
Author
I am hoping so although we had yet more blizzards yesterday!
Your photos are amazing, the scenery is incredible! It looks like you had a great time, and I must say you’re quite brave for doing it all with little ones in tow!
Author
Ah thankyou 🙂 We had such a lovely day
I loved every inch of your post. Living life exactly how you guys should be. What a great adventure!
Author
Ah thankyou, that’s very kind
This looks amazing! I can’t want to take our boys on hiking adventures like this. And to top it all off, lunch on a campfire, wow!
Author
We love our campfire food 🙂
I’m intrigued by geocaching. Sounds like something my family would be into. Awesome photos, especially the fire shots!
Lorna recently posted…A Little Cracked: Birthday Lines
Author
Ahhh thankyou 🙂 We love geocaching they are everywhere!
Oh wow this is such a stunning place. Such gorgeous views!
Ami xxx
Author
It was so lovely
It looks just stunning there. Knowing a bit about the history this once belonged to Denmark and it’s always been an area of contention between the two nations. I’d love to visit one day.
Author
It was totally stunning and I love the wild and beautiful scenery where we live 🙂
What an amazing place to explore! How lucky to find a geocache without looking for one. Sometimes we spend hours geocaching without finding anything. #countrykids
Author
So do we too, which frustrates children somewhat, but is just the way it is!
It sounds like Easter Monday was a very welcome break in the weather for you and an ideal opportunity for one of your wonderful family adventures. The Nature Reserve looks so beautiful in the sunlight with the snow still on the ground and wow to the little cave. Who wouldn’t want to make a lunch stop in there. Such gorgeous photos to remember your day.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
Fiona Cambouropoulos recently posted…Country Kids 7th April 2018
Author
It was such a beautiful day especially with spring showing herself
WOW this looks amazing, what a fabulous Easter adventure #Countrykids
Author
It was so lovely
I love that Sweden is such a land of fire pits and fun, perfect for creating wild kids!! What a fantastic nature park. #CountryKids
Author
It is a country that certainly appreciates the outdoors!
So much fun with the cooking outside over the little stove – kids love that! #Countrykids
Author
Ah thank you 🙂
What a lovely walk! I love the cave that you discovered. And that fire just looks so warming on a cold trek out. #countrykids
Merlinda Little recently posted…Gaze
Author
We had such a lovely trip
What a beautiful sunny day! You’ve survived the winter, brighter days are coming, finally! Lovely for daddy to be able to come along out as well x #CountryKids
Malin recently posted…Glimpses of our Easter Sunday 2018
Author
Yes, the long winter is finally coming to an end I think we can say at last!
Popping back for #GetMooreFromLife And I hear that spring has sprung properly even in (south) Sweden now x
Malin recently posted…Why I’m Rejoicing over a ‘Smelly Cow’
Author
It has hooray!! We’ve been enjoying the sun again this weekend 🙂
This looks and sounds amazing. It really sounds a perfect winter escape
Author
It is a stunning location
What beautiful scenery, very lucky to have easy access to places like this near to you. My daughter loves collecting sticks on nature walks too.
Author
We have so many sticks they collect between the three of them! It is a good job we have a fire at home!
This is so beautiful, what a wonderful nature reserve in a stunning place. I love your Kelly Kettle, I would love to get one.
Author
We adore our Kelly Kettle 🙂 It was a stunning place to take a hike, and hoping to head back over the holidays now
Now that’s a stunning place to visit. It looks like the ideal place to hike and escape from modern day life.
Wow what a stunning nature reserve, we love exploring new reserves, especially in different countries! My kids would love a fire in a cave it looks like brilliant fun
Author
It was an amazing find, made it such an adventure!
Every time I visit your blog I want to do more in nature near my home or move to Sweden which ever is easier. I am in awe of how much we can do in nature
Author
It is such a beautiful place here 🙂
This looks/sounds like such a beautiful and interesting place! If I visit Sweden I’ll remember to hopefully come here 🙂
Author
It has some stunning views