New Hiking Trail ‘Killingarundan’ Opens in Skövde

Skövde, located in the scenic region of Västergötland, Sweden, has added a new hiking trail to its outdoor offerings. The ‘Killingarundan’ trail, which translates to “The Kid’s Round” in English, provides visitors with insight into the historical significance of Mount Billingen for human activity in the area.

The trail will be officially inaugurated on October 16th at 4:00 PM at the barbecue area in Fårhagen. This new addition to Skövde’s hiking network consists of two circular routes – one 2 kilometers long and another spanning 5 kilometers.

Trail Highlights

The shorter 2km trail takes hikers through Fårhagen, an area where limestone quarrying for cement production was prominent in the 1950s. Today, nature has reclaimed the land, with grazing animals helping to maintain open landscapes and promote biodiversity.

The longer 5km route circles an active quarry and passes by Skogslund, an abandoned garden in the forest. Hikers will encounter remnants of past habitation, including lilac bushes, currant bushes, and apple trees. The trail then winds through an enchanting forest with moss-covered stones before reaching Heidelberg’s man-made pond and the old railway embankment.

Collaboration and Development

Lotta Stigsdotter, destination developer for Billingen at Next Skövde, explains the motivation behind the new trail:

“During the pandemic years, there was significant wear and tear on the existing hiking trails on Billingen. The idea was then born to create new trails to spread visitors to Billingen’s southern slope, inspired by the Trollstigarna trails that Next Skövde had previously developed on Billingen. Killingarundan is accessible to both Skövde residents and visitors. It is of suitable length and easy to reach by bicycle and bus as it starts in an urban environment.”

The trail was developed in collaboration with Heidelberg Materials (formerly Cementa), who are active in the area. Marie Apelgren from Heidelberg Materials expressed enthusiasm for the project:

“Thanks to the collaboration with Next Skövde, we have been able to jointly develop this hiking trail, and we are all very much looking forward to the inauguration.”

Trail Information

• Killingarundan is marked with a kid (young goat) symbol – yellow for the 2km route and pink for the 5km route.
• Information boards along the trail provide details about the locations and nature.
• A barbecue area with a view of the quarry is available for hikers.
• Future plans include expanding with an additional 13km trail called Getaloven in southern Billingen.

The inauguration event on October 16th will feature representatives from Next Skövde and Heidelberg Materials, who will share more information about the new hiking trail and what visitors can discover along the way.

For more information about hiking in Skövde and the Killingarundan trail, visit the official trail page.

Source: Next Skövde Press Release