Upplandsleden Stage 11 Gimo - Österbybruk 22 km

A suitable starting point for this stage is at Gimo mansion where there is plenty of parking and you can choose to go north around Gimo dam or directly west towards Örsundsbruk, which was our choice. The sign at the parking lot says the distance is 17.4 kilometers, but our GPS showed 21.4 kilometers on arrival.

West of Gimo dam, the trail first passes through heavily cultivated forest and therefore rather boring hiking only interrupted by huge clearings. At Sågarbo, Folkmora and Kakeläng you pass the ruins of old sawmills and crofts. The trail then follows an old canal used for timber rafting and passes through the large Glamsmossen where they mined peat for more than thirty years. Although the bog has not been worked since the early fifties, there are still large visible traces in the terrain.

The trail follows an old, barely visible, constructed transportation route. It is difficult to find a good spot for a lunch break, but there are occasional clearings in the otherwise dense forest. Just before arriving in Österbybruk, the trail passes the Aspbo nature reserve where there are bathing areas and fireplaces at the large dams that once supplied energy to the industries in Österbybruk. The ponds also offer good fishing opportunities.

Although most of this stage goes through really dense forest, the wilderness feeling is not the main attraction. Instead, it is the historical remains that make the stage interesting to hike. You realize that Uppland was once a very important part of Sweden with its mining and processing facilities and the life around it. It is also interesting to see how these communities have evolved into modern times and are still developing.