The Fors Trail: Beautiful countryside and historical villages
Biking in beautiful country on tarmac cycle tracks and gravel roads. The ride totals 29 km, starting and ending at Avesta Library. It leads eastwards on gravel country roads, passing small farms and villages such as the church hamlet of Grytnäs on the way to Fors and Åsgarn. The trail then turns back towards central Avesta along a quiet tarmac road in lovely forested surroundings. Along the trail there is a general store in Fors as well as a café and homely restaurant by Kolarbo Farm at Muddus Hjortron. Accommodation is available there and at Dalagård. At the start and goal in central Avesta there are more restaurants, cafés, shops and accommodation.
Description
The trail: The Fors Trail
Length: 29 km
Difficulty: Easy biking on good gravel and tarmac roads through villages and pleasant forests. There is an ascent on the stretch from Liljansberg to Västanberg.
Time: 2-4 hours
Starting point: Avesta Library
Finishing point: Avesta Library
Parking: Large parking area at the adjacent shopping centre (Avesta Galleria).
Worth a break:
Avesta Library central Avesta
Starting point in central Avesta. Here you can find bus connections.
Accommodation: Hotel and youth hostel.
Food: Cafés, restaurants and food shops alore in central Avesta. Avesta Galleria shopping centre offers a range of other shops.
Gamla Byn (the Old Village)
Visit: The oldest part of Avesta, Gamla Byn, is a vibrant, well-preserved factory environment by Dalälven river, with buildings dating from the 1630s onwards when the copper mill (Avesta Kopparbruk) was established here. Avesta Coin Museum exhibits the numismatic history of Sweden from Viking times until the present day. It also houses the world’s largest coin, the 10 daler piece.
Food: Café at the old mill (Verket) and restaurant Koppardalen at Verket.
Additional: Swimming in Gamla Byn at the river.
Grytnäs church hamlet with open air museum and church
Visit: Grytnäs open air museum is also called Målare farm after its first owner, Anders Erson Målare, born on the farm in 1657. Målare farm and storehouse were built here in the 17th century, and various buildings have been moved here from other parts of the parish. The establishment comprises a cottage and other log buildings, all in their original positions, a loft storehouse moved from Skräddarbo, a converted grain store from Kyrkbyn and an early fire station from Stusshyttan. Grytnäs church is one of the finest medieval churches in Dalarna with incredibly beautiful mural painting, whitewashed in in the 18th century but restored in 1938 and 1960. Grytnäs parish is the site of early settlements. Archeologists have discovered indications of their existence in Vanan, Österbyn, Ingvallsbo, Hyttan, Norr Nävde etc. There is scientific basis for a claim that there was civilisation here at least 5-10000 years ago. From this perspective it is evident that there was a sacrificial site here long before Christianity arrived.
Östanbyn
Visit: The famous accordionist Carl Jularbo grew up with his parents and nine siblings in a croft in Östanbyn.
Hyttbäcken
Anna Jansdotter, mother of Nobel laureate, bard and poet Erik Axel Karlfeldt came from Träslottet, the exquisite old mine owner’s mansion in Hyttbäcken. Book in advance to visit this beautifully preserved home.
Muddus, Kolarbo Gård
Muddus Hjortron is a business producing jams, marmalade, mulled wine and chocolates at a lovely farm in Kolarbo, between Fors and Åsgarn. The site offers Bed & Breakfast, a farm shop, café and restaurant.
Food and accommodation: Kolarbo gård.
Dalagård
Accommodation: Dalagård is a newly but traditionally built facility with a sauna, swimming place, boat and jetty. Available for a family or conference group with catering or self-catering.
Good to know
- Leisure Cycling
Directions
1. Start at Avesta Library and Tourist information centre, Kungsgatan 32.
2. Follow the cycle track to Kyrkogatan, turn right to visit Gamla Byn.
3. Bike across Kyrkbron bridge and along the cycle tracks through Högbo and Skogsbo along Skogsbovägen to Grytnäs church hamlet.
4. At Grytnäs church hamlet, turn off Skogsbovägen to Humlegårdsvägen and then turn right on to Skräddarbovägen.
5. Where Skräddarbovägen and Kyrkbyvägen cross, turn left to Grytnäs church.
6. At the church you can choose either one of two routes: 1/The trail is signposted along the gravel road through Hyttan, Liljansberg and Åsgarn. 2/ Otherwise you can choose to bike in the opposite direction, not signposted, along Kyrkbyvägen to Östanbyn, Fors, Åsgarn, Liljansberg and back to Grytnäs.
7. This description continues on the cycle track to Hyttan and Liljansberg. At Grytnäs church, turn left on the road to Hyttan and Liljansberg.
8. In the village of Hyttan, turn right on the gravel road signposted to Liljansberg.
9. Follow this lovely meandering gravel road towards Åsgarn through lovely old forests, farms and small villages. A climb starts at Dalkarlshyttan followed by a descent to Västanberg. Once past Dalkarlshyttan you reach the family and conference facility Dalagård which offers accommodation and rental of an entire Dalarna farmstead.
10. In Västanberg, watch out for the sharp left-hand corner on the road to Åsgarn.
11. In Åsgarn, turn right off the road between Åsgarn chapel and the open air museum. Follow this road and the trail continues along the old railway embankment in to Fors. The cycle track follows the western shore of the lake Åsgarnssjön. On the eastern shore is Muddus Hjortron, in the village of Kolarbo, with its farm shop, B&B, café and summer restaurant.
12. The embankment leads to a residential area in Fors and the trail then follows the tarmac cycle track along Basvägen. There is an ICA general store and pizzeria in Fors.
13. At the end of Basvägen, turn right and follow the cycle track along Haggatan, across the railway and alongside the main road route 68 towards Dicka (Dickavägen).
14. The cycle track crosses the railway again in Dicka and then along a trafficked tarmac road (Kyrkbyvägen) through the villages of Hyttbäcken and Östanbyn back to Grytnäs church hamlet.
15. From Grytnäs, follow the same trail back the way you came, on the cycle tracks through Skogsbo and Högbo, across the Kyrkbron bridge, and through Gamla Byn back to Avesta Library and Tourist information centre.