You can make hiking into almost anything you want - a leisurely stroll that can take up half the day or a fast power walk that gets your heart pumping. It's your choice, but it's always more fun in beautiful surroundings.
If you want to hike a longer distance Upplandsleden a good choice. Clearly marked with orange signs and here and there a prepared rest area or shelter. You can also try Dalkarlsvägen, which has the route (roughly) that the mas and kullas took in the old days when they went down and seasonal work in Stockholm.
If you want to do a shorter hike, it's almost always more fun to choose a loop - because who wants to walk the same way back and forth? In many places on the Upplandsleden trail there are circular loops, which are marked in orange with a blue dot.
At Vånsjöåsen and Torslundagropen, just over a mile north of Enköping, there is a loop of just under 8 km. Although it is a short trip, it is varied and filled with experiences. As always in Fjärdhundraland, it will be a trip both in nature and culture.
For 2025, the Upplandsstiftelsen, which manages the Upplandsleden in Uppsala county, has updated the route so that the trail continues north via Torstuna church. Here we cross the fields and pass a stream over a nice, newly built bridge.
On the summit of Vånsjöåsen you will find thousand-year-old graves, laid out next to the - at that time - wide Örsundaån, which served as the highway of the time. The graves signaled both who set and ruled in the area, while keeping a symbolic overview of the travelers. Vånsjöåsen with its lean and sunny soils is perfect for many meadow flowers and during April you can enjoy a dense carpet of honeysuckle.
The Torslundagropen sandpit with its, at first glance, sterile desert landscape is a paradise for insects. Even on early spring days, you can hear the persistent buzzing of heat-loving wild bees that have crawled out of their nests in the walls of the old sandpit and are feasting on the first tussilago and willow flowers of spring. If you have the energy in your legs, don't miss climbing up to the picnic area at the highest point of the ridge. The view is wonderful!
Vånsjöåsen and Torslundagropen are parts of the long Enköpingsåsen, which here runs along the edge of the old water systems. For a long time, the low-lying and damp land was hayfield and here and there you can see red-colored barns where winter hay was stored.
Photo: Ann-Helen Meyer von Bremen
The second half of the walk takes you through open farmland with sweeping views. You pass an old blacksmith's forge, located at a reasonable distance from the settlement in the village of Torslunda. Fire was a constant danger! Part of the walk also follows the old main road between Dalarna and Stockholm, properly equipped with milestones and inns at certain distances. In Vånsjö the old inn is preserved.
Which way should one choose to go on the loop? Both are of course possible and perhaps it feels most natural to start with the two beautiful nature reserves Vånsjöåsen and Torslundgropen, but the other way is almost even nicer. First, a moment with sky and open landscapes to then be able to take a long-awaited coffee at the top of Torslundagropen and not least to end with the beautiful hike south along the crest of Vånsjöåsen.
Text: Ylva Fontell. Photo: Mats Thorburn
Parking is available at the southern end of Vånsjöåsen.
