The natural reserve of Rotsidan (Rotsidans naturreservat)

photo: © Key Strategic AB

Rotsidan is a unique, magical place. I can't find better words to describe it and, to say that it's a 4 km long shoreline of diabas rocks, can't of course add more. It's a matter of fact that this place attracts people: for having just a walk, for having fun with his family, to pass a sunny day or just to meditate upon yourself.

photo: © Key Strategic AB

Sometimes I start from home late in the afternoon, just being attracted by the idea to have a chance to find Rotsidan in one of those magical moments when the Nature explodes in the most breathtaking colours that will leave you in love with this Coast...

photo: © Key Strategic AB

Our favourite season to visit this natural reserve is winter, when loneliness and the rude nature embraces you with strength. We selected some photos we took there. But much more are available in our section "Höga Kusten Images".

photo: © Key Strategic AB

Here is the technical description of the area from County's website:
"Rotsidan is a low-lying shoreline, 4 kilometres long, featuring beautiful flat, smoothened diabase rocks, framed by wind-swept costal pines and dwarf firs. Interesting beach vegetation is found here including purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), sea pea (Silene uniflora) alpine catchfly (Lychnis alpina), orpine (Sedum telephium) and northern rock-cress (Cardaminopsis petrae). The area is suitable for sun-bathing and rambles allow you to study the vegetation on the rocks at the beach or even experience the austere coastal landscape in a storm. A path adapted for the disabled leads from the parking place out as far as the rocks at the beach.

photo: © Key Strategic AB

Rotsidans naturreservat kan kallas de vidsträckta hällarnas reservat. Rotsidan är en fyra km lång och låglänt kuststräcka, med vackert slipade och plana diabashällar, inramad med vindpinade kusttallar och dvärgvuxna granar. De flacka diabashällarna är stundom vackert slipade, stundom kraftigt söndervittrade. Området är lättillgängligt och idealiskt om du vill sola dig, studera strandhällarnas växtlighet eller uppleva karg kustnatur i storm.
Rotsidan blev naturreservat år 1974 och arealen är 115 hektar. Syftet med reservatet är att säkerställa och underlätta för allmänheten att besöka och vistas i området. Reservatet skall vårdas så att nuvarande naturmiljö i möjligaste mån bibehålls."
(Font: Länsstyrelsen Västernorrland).

In the same website, you can find also the road map to reach it and the detailed map of the area.

photo: © Key Strategic AB

The cultural heritage Sandvikens Fiskeläge (Ulvön Island)

On the northern-most side of Ulvön Island ('Wolf's Island'), Sandviken is the best preserved fishing village of the whole Ångermanland and gives you a good idea of how it looked like in the Seventeen century.

With the traditional scheme of the docks on the frontside and the houses in the backside, connected all together by a road and with a small chapel inner inshore it survived quite untouched through the at least 300 years of his history. After the fishing activity was over, the property remained unique keeping the village preserved from being transformed in summer houses.

Due to the geological uplift, today Sandviken has a white-sand beach in front of the docks, but this simply enhance its fascinating attraction. It is the occasion to live an experience on the coast in strict contact with a wild nature (the island of Ulvön is a protected area), in a place kept alive with several activities always friendly with the spirit of the place: you can visit it on a day-tour with your boat (some bouys and a pier are available for guests), decide to overnight there in the village, take a ride with your bike on the island arriving there by ferry (from Docksta, Ullånger, Mjällomslandet or Köpmanholmen), or simply walking on the little road from Ulvöhamn...

Today in Sandviken are run several activities during a summer season unexpectedly long; it offers opportunities to overnight during a week end or longer for your holiday off to the seaside. You can find deeper informations (in swedish) at: http://www.natradalen.nu/bjastabacken/sommar/sandviken/sandviken.htm

The "kulturarvet" title has been given by the County of Västernorrland to preserve this place for the next generations. Here you can download two brochures (in swedish) about the history of Sandvikens fiskeläget kulturarvet. The first one is more complete, since it's the proposal to the title of "cultural heritage":
http://www.y.lst.se/download/18.17431b9f544f8dca97fff441/kulturmiljöutredning.pdf 
http://www.y.lst.se/download/18.4d8d5010216ede9ae8000517/Folder.pdf