Edshultshall, Bohuslän – Exploring Sweden

Edshultshall is a small village along the western cliffs on the island of Orust. It is a former fishing village that today has around 70 inhabitants. One of the village’s two harbors is today home to the ship T/S Westkust, a three-masted schooner from 1932. For many driving by it is this ship that will give the best incentive to take a short break in Edshultshall.

A Short History of Edshultshall

Two farmsteads have played an important role in what is today Edshultshall. The farmstead of Edshult was first mentioned in known sources at the end of the 14th century and the farmstead of Barrevik at the end of the 16th century. A fishing village started to form on the land of these two farms during the 17th century and its name seems to have been contested for some time. The name Halla, from the rock formation here, was commonly used for the fishing village as well. It took until 1825 that the name turned into a combination of Edshult and Halla.

The fishing village never grew to the size of many of the other fishing villages in the area. But the village was still dependent on the herring periods for its development. These were periods when large stims of herring wandered close to the shore. Once the herring periods were over, the fishing still proceeded with other kinds of fish. In the early 19th century, the locals also started to occupy themselves with shipping goods along the coast.

Edshultshall had at the end of the 19th century around 200 inhabitants and 9 shipping companies. Both fishing and shipping declined during the 20th century and the population of the village dropped below 50 in 2010. The population has, however, increased slightly since then.

If you want to read more about the history of Edshultshall, we can really recommend edshultshall.nu (Swedish) >>

Things to Do and See

Considering the number of tourists visiting the island of Orust, there is no surprise that there is something to see also in the smaller villages. With the sea of Kattegat at its feet, there will always be some activity available on sunny summer days.

T/S Westkust

T/S Westkust is three-masted schooner that was built in 1932 in Sjötorp at Lake Vänern. It has since 1985 had Edshultshall as its home harbor and can sometimes be seen here.

Jensholmen

Jensholmen is a small islet with a great view of the archipelago and its grey cliffs. The islet has a few boatsheds overlooking the small harbor and a bathing spot from its cliffs.

Hiking

The locals of Edshultshall maintain four hiking trails in its vicinity. These are Hasslebacksslingan of around 4.5 kilometers around Sollid, which is marked by blue signs. Then there is Lilla Bergsrundan, 1.8 kilometers long, that takes you to Barrevik and back. There is also Stora Barrevike bergs runda that is 3.3 kilometers long. In addition to these three loops that start in the center of the village, there is one more trail that starts at the main road through. This one is a short path to the top of the mountain behind the village, known as Nore Kulle.

Read more here (Swedish) >>

How to Get to Edshultshall

• Flights: There are domestic and international routes to and from Göteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT), which is 104 kilometers away.
• Car: Edshultshall is next to small countryside roads in the western part of the island of Orust.
• Bus: Local and regional buses from Västtrafik connect Edshultshall with the surrounding region.

The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:

• Stockholm – 548 kilometers (5h 44min)
• Gothenburg – 83 kilometers (1h 15min)
• Malmö – 356 kilometers (3h 44min)
• Linköping – 353 kilometers (3h 48min)
• Kiruna – 1595 kilometers (18h 17min)

Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden