Östra Ed: Archipelago Landscape and History

Östra Ed offers a range of starting points for planning a trip: the Åsvikelandet Nature Reserve, with its walking trails and indented coastline, and a church with an unusual spire and a distinctive building history. If you’re looking for a hotel for a trip to Östra Ed, deciding what you’re most interested in may help: would you mainly like to explore landscapes and trails, or are you also interested in architectural and trading history?

Walking Trails and Landscape in Åsvikelandet

The Åsvikelandet Nature Reserve is a hilly peninsula with coniferous forest and a long, deeply indented shoreline. It borders the Kvädöfjärden and Torrö nature reserves and lies east of Östra Ed Church. The combination of wooded terrain and varied coastline defines the character of this natural area.

The reserve offers about 20 kilometers of walking trails, shelters, barbecue areas, and an overnight hut. The southern walking loop is listed as approximately eight kilometers long. These figures refer to different trail distances: the reserve’s trail network covers around 20 kilometers, while the southern loop is a single, shorter option. The shorter southern loop passes a rest area overlooking Västra Stäket Bay. The reserve’s trail system is part of the Östgötaleden and is marked in orange.

The Åsvik–Åsvikelandet section offers a separate route to explore. About half of it runs along gravel roads, with the rest on a hiking trail; the terrain is flat to moderately hilly. The route passes through a very sparsely populated archipelago landscape, agricultural land, and areas rich in birdlife. There is a parking lot and information at the starting point in Åsvik. Route details and facilities may change, so check the latest information before setting out.

The Åsviksslingan also offers a different perspective on the landscape: it reaches Markens udde, where the view opens out over the open sea. Kråkviks stuga is a former pigsty that was converted into a rest hut with a sleeping loft. Its former agricultural use and present-day function as a rest stop give the stuga a different history from the trails and viewpoints in the surrounding area.

Church, Buildings, and Historical Accounts

Östra Ed Church has a gilded pilot boat as its spire. Its history was also shaped by a fire: on May 3, 1958, the church burned down. It was then rebuilt on the old walls and shortened at the eastern end. The distinctive motif on the tower and the changes to the building tell two different stories about the church—its striking design and its restoration after the fire.

The Östra Ed local heritage museum is housed in the old church stable, built around 1880. Near Breviken is a hillfort that was probably connected to the organization of the war fleet as a watch fortress, from the Iron Age through the Middle Ages.

The landscape around Åsviks herrgård also has its own character: a park and well-kept pastures with unusually large oak trees surround the manor house. Further accounts of the area’s trading history refer to different periods. According to tradition, from the 13th century onward Munkhamn was an anchorage where cogs spent the night on voyages between Denmark and Estonia. From the mid-16th century, Skeppsgården was a major freight and trading post. Munkhamn’s traditional history as an anchorage dates back to the 13th century; from the mid-16th century, Skeppsgården was a major freight and trading post.

Discover more destinations: Gryt, Skeppsgården, Ringarum, Valdemarsvik

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