Jättadalen Valley and Öglunda Cave

Jättadalen (Giants’ Valley) is the perfect place for giants with its wild cliffs and angular boulders that appear to have been thrown in anger. That said, it’s an advantage to be small at Öglunda Cave.

The vertical cliffs at Jättadalen overlook the entire Valle region with a view all the way to Kinnekulle. The walk up to the cave is full of adventures and therefore suitable for families, although the path is sometimes steep and uneven. There is a freshwater source you can drink from, rapids with rocks to jump on, mountains to climb (with rope and chain), stomach-turning precipices and, at the end – a cave. The cave is situated about fifteen minutes’ walk through an unexciting industrial forest, and you will soon begin to wonder whether you have gone too far. This is unlikely if you have followed the orange signs from the viewpoint. A sign marks the arrival point. From there, the path plummets into a deep crevice and continues into the ravine, which is full of small boulders and strange holes you can fill with your own stories. Don’t expect an enormous chamber, because what looks like a cave is only a small portion of a secretive whole. The small cave to the left as you enter the ravine is called Grandfather’s Chamber. It is large enough for five children. Turn to the right at the bottom and continue about 40 metres and you will come to another cave. The whole ravine, with tall diabase pillars on all sides, is called Öglunda Cave.

Jättadalen is a deep ravine surrounded by diabase crags and eroded clay slate. There are 10–20-metre-deep sheer drops in some places. During your walk, you will notice a clear difference between the fertile lime soils of the Valle plain and the poor soils of the coniferous forest.