#040 Katrineholm

#040 Katrineholm

Distance: 98 km
Height: 784 m
Direction: Anti-Clockwise
Percentage: 80% gravel
Style: Gravel Riding with easy single track.
Designer: Michael O’Dwyer

​A fantastic overnight bikepacking trip in the heart of Sörmland. Mixing long remote gravel roads with easy single track sections, this two day tour is a perfect introduction for larger adventures. With not much height to climb but with a wide mix of surfaces, this route is a great way to build up your fitness and practice different sets of cycling skills. The single track parts are doable on 45mm gravel bike tyres but the perfect bike for this tour would be a rigid mountain bike with 2.3″ tyres. The most difficult trail sections would be very easy blue mountain biking grade.

​The Katrineholm tour has many great points of interest to keep you entertained on the loop.

• Take the long wooden bridge out to the island of Vildemarsön for that perfect lunch spot
• Peek through the fence onto the Swedish Prime Minister’s Country Residence at Harpsund
• Stop for an excellent pizza in Hälleforsnäs in Femhundragrader located in the old bruk
• Pitch your tent on what could be the best camping spot in Sörmland on one of the islands on Bruksdammen
• Admire the grass house, also known as a Kolarkoja, at Djupkärret

​Starting from Katrineholm train station, stay on the south side of the tracks, or the town centre side, and make your way to the unexpected ridge line leading you out of the urban area. Soon you’ll reach the Ceres Stugan mtb trails which will tempt you to detour. After that you’ll cross the busy Katrineholm Ring Road before heading deep into the forest. Excellent gravel roads take you past the Ramsjöhult cross country skiing club and onto a long straight climbing road, which you follow until you can turn left to cross over the train tracks and then the 55 road. Pleasant car grade gravel will lead you to the picturesque red brick Floda Church, and not long after a left brings you back into the forest and along the shoreline of Vildemaren lake. Along this rollercoaster road you’ll find a long wooden bridge out to Valdemarsön (island) which, if taken, offers a worthy detour to a perfect lunching spot. Bring your own food as all you’ll find here is a water pump.

​Once back on the road, the next point of interest you’ll come by is the roadside villa of Harpsund. This is actually the official state country house of the prime minister of Sweden. It’s so close to the road it’s easy to get a good look at the building. The gravel roads feel more remote as you head north with the last stretch into Hälleforsnäs on asphalt. Top up on food here either by visiting Femhundragrader restaurant or into the small but well stocked COOP store.

​A couple of minutes of easy riding will take you to the long wooden bridge crossing Bruksdammen lake and out to the island campsite for the night. Here you’ll find one of the shelters of the Sörmlandsleden hiking trail along with a nice fire pit. The area around the shelter can accommodate many tents.

​The adventure continues on day two but on this part of the trail your technical skills will be tested. Follow the next set of wooden bridges out​ of​ the west side of the island where the gravel trail gets smaller and you find yourself riding along a deep rutted double track. Try to stay on the top of the divide for an easier ride. After some more remote gravel you need to tackle part of the Sörmlandsleden forest single track. Easier than you think to ride through this part of the forest.

​Gravel and asphalt sections bring you over to the next part of the trail. An adventurous double track progressively gets worse until you arrive at the grass house of Djupkärret Kolarkoja. Take your pictures before tackling the more difficult part of the Sörmlandsleden trail out the far side.

​This is the most difficult part of the tour but it’s short lived. Once back on the gravel, ride through farmland and to the open house of Gruvtorpet Raststuga. To get to here you ride on the Sörmlandsleden once again until you meet this little cottage. This can be a lifesaver in bad weather. Shortly after, you leave the hiking trail by looking for an old double track lane on your right. Follow the GPX in order to not get lost. The loop becomes much easier now and you enjoy the last of Södermansland’s brilliant gravel all the way down to the outskirts of Katrineholm.