Skåneleden 2: Nord till syd · Stage 17
Walking time as skaneleden.se states it for this stage; measured on the mapped line: 2 h 18. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights. Skaneleden.se
To the Torup shelter: 9 km, 2 to 3 hours. At Torup stage 18 branches off to Malmö; the through route goes on by stages 21 and 22.
Best season: All year; easiest April to October. The trail can be walked all year. Most taps at the camp sites run only from April to October (at Vedema from 15 April to 15 October), so carry water in the colder months. The moose hunt in Skåne runs from 8 October to 31 January: wear bright clothes, keep dogs on a lead and sleep only at the trail's own camp sites. Before you go
Facts read from the operators' own pages and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Trailhead
The Eksholmssjön shelter has been damaged by a fallen tree and is to be replaced. Use the small Water Lily shelter beside it, or walk on 9 km to the Torup shelter. skaneleden.se, read 13 October 2026
The Eksholmssjön shelter is damaged by a fallen tree and is to be replaced. The small Water Lily shelter stands beside it; the Torup shelter is 9 km on, at the end of stage 17.
Eksholmens gård · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Stage end · overnight
Camping spot · Region Skåne (Skåneleden)
Make it your trip
Skåneleden's shelters cannot be booked: you share them, first come, so carry a tent in case one is full. The three architect-designed shelters at Hovdala, on the Hovdala loop, are the exception: they must be booked and paid for. Hotels, hostels and B&Bs are booked with each of them. During the moose hunt, from 8 October to 31 January, sleep only at the trail's own camp sites.
Region Skåne's nineteen through stages, a night at the end of each.
Plan this journeyThe north in seven stages, by Hässleholm to the station at Höör.
Plan this journeyFrom Höör station by the Ringsjön lakes and Romeleåsen to the south coast, mostly shelter to shelter.
Plan this journeyLoading the forecast for on the trail (55 m)…
Typical weather on this stage, around 34–76 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Poor | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| Day / night | 3°/-1° | 3°/-1° | 6°/0° | 11°/3° | 16°/7° | 19°/11° | 21°/13° | 21°/13° | 17°/10° | 12°/7° | 7°/3° | 4°/0° |
| Rain, mm | 56 | 43 | 42 | 36 | 41 | 60 | 71 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 61 | 64 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Possible |
| Daylight | 7 h 38 | 9 h 36 | 11 h 43 | 14 h 05 | 16 h 11 | 17 h 28 | 16 h 59 | 15 h 08 | 12 h 51 | 10 h 35 | 8 h 23 | 7 h 06 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Most nights are Skåneleden shelters, free and first come. Many of their taps run only from April to October (Vedema from 15 April to 15 October); the tap at Höghult is not drinkable, the water at Sturup and Risen must be treated, and Krankesjön has water all year. Firewood is not guaranteed, because wood has been stolen, and Fru Alstad has none. Region Skåne's place pages, read 13 October 2026.
Skåneleden: SL2 Nord till sydThe shelter at Eksholmssjön, the end of stage 16, has been damaged by a fallen tree and is to be replaced, Region Skåne's place data said when read on 13 October 2026. The small Water Lily shelter stands beside it, with fewer places; otherwise walk on 9 km (2 to 3 hours) to the Torup shelter, the end of stage 17.
Skåneleden: stage 17, Eksholmssjön to TorupThe Hovdala loop (stages 4A to 4C) can replace stage 4. Its three architect-designed shelters, Birk and Birka for 2 to 4 people and Ronja for 5 to 7, must be booked ahead and paid for: 300 kronor a night for Birk or Birka and 500 for Ronja, booked up to 90 days ahead with Hässleholm municipality, which asks walkers from abroad to book by email. A traditional shelter beside them is first come. Hovdala's booking page, read 13 October 2026.
Hovdala: book the sheltersThe moose hunt in Skåne runs from 8 October to 31 January, with dogs. Wear bright clothes or a high-visibility vest, keep your dog on a lead, stay on the marked trail, and sleep only at the trail's own camp sites. Region Skåne's hunting-season note, read 13 October 2026.
Skåneleden: walking in the hunting seasonHotel Göingehof in Hässleholm, the end of stage 3, is closed for renovation and reopens in autumn 2027, its own page said when read on 13 October 2026. Hotel Statt and Hässleholmsgårdens Vandrarhem are open in town.
Hotel GöingehofGetting there
Travel around Eksholmssjön to Torup.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The trail starts at the camp site by the lake at Hårsjö, north-west of Vittsjö. Region Skåne names no bus or train stop there: check Skånetrafiken's journey planner for the nearest stop, or start from Hässleholm station, the end of stage 3.
Skånetrafiken: journey plannerHässleholm and Höör have railway stations by the stage ends. Region Skåne names the train to Höör and regional bus 441 from Frostavallen back to Höör for walking stage 7 as a day.
Skåneleden: stages that work with public transportThe trail ends in Trelleborg, where Trelleborg C has Pågatåg trains and regional buses, and the port has ferries.
Skånetrafiken: journey plannerTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: the signal can be weak in the forests between the towns.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Region Skåne publishes Skåneleden 2: Nord till syd (SL2) as 33 stage entries, but most are loops, branches and short links: the through route from Hårsjö to Trelleborg is stages 1 to 17, then 21 and 22. That is nineteen stages, 235.5 km by the stage pages' rounded lengths, with an official stage time for each, shown beside ours on every stage. Stages 18 to 20 are the branches to Malmö (Bulltofta) and to Snogeholm, where SL2 meets SL4. The section page's header says 33 stages and 325 km, counting all of them. Our stages are numbered 1 to 19, so our stage 18 is Region Skåne's stage 21 (Torup to Fru Alstad) and our stage 19 its stage 22 (Fru Alstad to Trelleborg). The line here walks OpenStreetMap's 19 stage relations of the through route (superroute 415700, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 226.3 km, cut at the nineteen stage ends. Region Skåne's own stage lines add up to 226.7 km, and every stage relation keeps within about 140 m of them (250 m once, on stage 9). The page for stage 2 says 13 km; its own line is about 10.2 km, and ours 10.0 km. The line leaves out the Hovdala loop (stages 4A to 4C, which can replace stage 4), the Fulltofta, Skrylle and Sturup to Dörröd loops and the short links to Tjörnarp, Sösdala, Veberöd, Genarp and Malmö Airport. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep rises are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Skåneleden: SL2 Nord till sydMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation