Vigelsjö nature reserve was established in 1998 by Norrtälje municipality with the main purpose of preserving nature close to the city for recreational purposes. Its location close to the city makes the area attractive for outdoor activities.

Adjacent to the reserve is Norrtälje camping and in addition to a number of smaller trails, the area also has lighted trails and special bridle paths and accessible trails. The Roslagsleden trail, which starts in Danderyd and runs through Stockholm county, ends in the reserve at Vigelsjö farm.

Nature close to urban centres
The forest areas of the reserve consist mainly of mixed forest with pine, spruce and several different species of deciduous trees. In the more open areas, you can find the orchid Adam and Eve, hayloft, sedge, sedge and cat's foot, species that show that the land was previously used for haymaking or as pasture for the farms' animals. Despite its proximity to an urban centre, there is a good chance of seeing field hare and wild hare, roe deer, elk, fox and badger.

In autumn, the otherwise shy nutcracker can be seen flying in shuttle traffic to collect hazelnuts. Other birds that thrive in the reserve include the great spotted woodpecker, green wren, stone curlew, green warbler, barn owl and bee hawk. Coots glide on the waters of Lommaren, and nightingales, marsh warblers and tits nest in the bushes around Ludden. In the vicinity of Ludden, if you are lucky, you may see the less common ortolan bunting, which thrives best in landscapes with open fields and groves of trees.

Vigelsjö grove - a beautiful oak hill and a burial ground
In the Vigelsjö area there are several ancient remains from the Iron Age and Bronze Age, which indicates that the site has long been important to people. In the southernmost corner of the reserve on the shore of Lommaren is Vigelsjö grove, a beautiful oak hill framed by a wooden fence. In the grove there is a burial ground from the Late Iron Age (500-1100 AD) consisting of two burial mounds and 23 stone circles. The largest mound (19 metres in diameter and two metres high) is called Vigul's mound and is probably the burial place of an important and wealthy local man.

The area was once meadowland where hay was gathered for the animals, but today it is a grove environment with oaks up to 200 years old and smaller specimens of maple and ash in particular. In the spring, typical grove plants such as lungwort, wood anemone, wood anemone, small wood anemone and lily of the valley fill the hills with their flowers.

Grazing and haymaking
Farming used to be practised in Vigelsjö, which kept the landscape open. Farming ceased in 1965 and today the land is grazed by horses, cattle and sheep. The municipality also keeps some areas open through annual mowing.

Nature type: forests, agricultural landscapes, wetlands, lakes and rivers
Available here: car park, path, hiking trail, electric light trail, bridle path.
Find your way here: Vigelsjö nature reserve is most easily reached by bus from Norrtälje bus station, getting off at Lommarskolan. If you come by car on national road 76 (Estunavägen), follow the signs to Vigelsjö camping where there is a car park. Parking is also available north of Lake Ludden.