The High Coast
The Swedish part of the transnational World Heritage Site.
One of the characteristic features of The High Coast are the the hilly landscape and the deep coastal seas. Between 350-meter-high hills are many small lakes, that used to be bays in the sea. The land uplift has left many traces in the landscape, all the way from the highest coastline down to the shoreline of today.
Land uplift and the sea
Similar yet so different
Interactive World Heritage Map
The High Coast has a long history
When the ice sheet had melted, there were already some small islands peeking up over the sea in the High Coast. The first humans that came to the High Coast were hunters and fishermen, living close to the shoreline. The oldest traces found are about 8 000 years old. During the later part of the Stone Age, the neolithic, humans became more resident when they started growing crops. They cleared the fertile former seabeds for farmlands and kept animals. Because the land was continously rising out of the sea, new settlements had to be built to still have good access to the coast. Today we find the oldest remains from the Stone age at around 160 meter above sea level. Old cairns from the bronze Age are now between 30 and 50 meters above sea level.
Experience the High Coast
The High Coast can be experienced in numerous ways. There are many hiking trails to explore, both shorter and longer. You can walk up on the hill tops with stunning views, as well as wander through lush valleys and ravines. Don’t miss the beautiful tunnel cave! Skuleskogen National Park is situated in the middle of the High Coast, and several islands in the archipelago have ferry connections all year round. Remember that nature are the home of animals, plants and other organisms. Humans are merely visiting. So make sure to follow the regulations outlined in “the right to roam” and look up the special rules for protected areas. You can find films about many of the points of interest in the High Coast in the channel highcoastkvarken on Youtube.
