Norra Kvill National Park

Norra Kvill, a national park since 1927, is only about a hundred and fourteen hectares but it protects something scarce in southern Sweden: forest that has never been clear-felled. Pines here run over three hundred years old and some considerably more, with spruce, birch and a floor of blueberry and boulders, and the dead wood is left where it falls, which is what the beetles, fungi and woodpeckers need. Idegranssjon lake sits in the middle with a trail round it. The Rumskulla oak, one of the oldest oaks in Europe at perhaps a thousand years, stands a few kilometres away and is usually combined with a visit. The trail circuit is short but rough underfoot.

Background

Norra Kvill, whose name means North Kvill, is a small national park close to Vimmerby in Kalmar County, Småland, in south-eastern Sweden. It was established in 1927. A few kilometres away stands the Rumskulla oak, the largest English oak in Europe, with a circumference of about 14 metres. The tree is thought to be roughly 1,000 years old.

Source: Wikipedia, "Norra Kvill National Park"

What's there

• Pines over three hundred years old - forest never clear-felled.
• Dead wood left standing and fallen - the habitat that follows.
• Idegranssjon lake - with a trail round it.
• The Rumskulla oak nearby - among Europe's oldest.

When to go

May to October. Two to three hours.

Good to know

It is small - the circuit takes little more than an hour. Trails are rocky and root-crossed. A car park is the extent of the facilities. Mosquitoes in early summer.

Nearby

The Rumskulla oak is a few kilometres off; Vimmerby is south-east.

Key facts