Let me start by saying, the title of this article is misleading. It sounds like I walked in close proximity around the Häckebergasjön (Häckeberga lake), but I actually walked around it in the forests sorounding it, following Skånleden 2, stage 15 and 15a, and never saw the lake.
I started from Genarp (see practical info at bottom), a small sleepy town east of Malmø. The only place to get there with public transport.
From the small center of Genarp theres a 1.2 kilometers walk to you reach Skåneleden. Here you can take the route north east, or south, I choosed south, since there is 2 shelters on that path and I didnt start my walk until 1pm.
From start of the path its clear, this is a very wet forest area. Maybe due to the season, but, it seems theres water everywhere.
Soon the terrain changes, you go through an area that resembles some coast like area, with dried grass and small pine trees, then further through an open field, into the forest again, walking through beech forest with lot of slopes.
At the first Shelter, The Risen Shelter, a family was out on a picnic with a fire and kids running around, so I decided to go for the second shelter, the Sturup shelter.
From Genarp until the Risen Shelter the track was full of locals out enjoying their Saturday.
As I walked after 3pm and it slowly was getting darker I started to worry a bit if I would reach the shelter before dark, but, I brought my tarp and saw plenty nice spots to setup a camp on the way.
After a long walk through forest the path suddenly go out of the forest and through small farm roads for half an hour, until you enter a big forest road, follow that until a right turn towards SL2 16 and the Sturup Shelter.
The reason I was going for a shelter was for water and wood for fire. At this time of year it would be impossible for me to find dry wood to start a fire.
I reached the shelter around 4:30, having enough time to setup my tarp and mat and sleeping bag so I was ready to crash any time. Then I sat at the shelter and made a fire in front of it, drinking a beer, some sweedish snaps, and eating a pizza.
The shelter turns out to be pretty close to Malmø airport (I didnt knew Malmø had one), so during the evening and night now and then I could hear the sound of airplanes so close like they was crashing out on the fields. But during the night it was maybe 1 per hour, not too bad, but unlike the sound of goose and other birds flying around bit of a boring feeling.
It didnt rain during my trip, but the mist was so heavy that the trees dropped water made it sound like it was raining while I was sleeping.
The water at the shelter is a small pond and I felt no interest in using water from it.
Even it was close to 0 degrees celcius I slept okay. My new Asivik airmat is very comfortable, though my Klymit sleeping bag not designed for such low temperatures, so now and then I felt a bit cold.
When I continued on 15a on sunday morning I mostly walked on forest roads for 3-4 hours. Most of them was pleasent to walk on, it was first later I reached some gravel roads which is anoying to walk on.
The forest is beautiful, and there is a lot of small paths to detour on if desired. It is also very changing, still with a lot of water here and there, some areas that almost seem like a swamp, some parts with huge old trees, beech, pinetrees.
Most of this path is easy, but from north-east of the lake heading north-west, you start to walk on many small paths with a lot of hilly roads. The landscape changes every 15 minutes, probably stage 15 and 15a is one of the most versatile routes I walked. It is amazing to experience, you wont get bored.
I love to walk this circular route again in spring or summer. All in all I walked 30kms, spending 10 hours on my walk all in all. It is possible to do it in one day when the daylight is longer, but you probably should be in good walking shape to do that, or you end up very tired at the end.
On stage 15a there is nice spots to setup camp every 10 minutes, but no wells for water. If I walk it again and camping, I would choose to camp somewhere along stage 15a. Forget the shelters.
If walking it in 1 day, better start early, and bring extra shoes, walking boots and an ordinary pair of sneakers for the forest roads, and a grill to make a nice picnic somewhere on the way.
To get there
Transport from Malmö C: Bus 177 towards Staffanstorp (8:25), get off at Staffenstorp Storgaten (8:44). Change to bus 172 toward Genarp bus station at 8:54, arrival 9:14.
You can also take bus 162 from Lund without changing bus, but theres a 1km walk between Lund Central station and the busstop.
There is a Coop and ICA supermarkets in Genarp.