Halmstad’s Best Gravel Routes

The Epicenter of Gravel racing in Scandinavia, Halmstad is home to the famous Gravel, Grit’n’Grind UCI World Gravel Tour race that has seen such racers as Marianne Vos and Nikki Terpstra win. A natural stopping point only 2 hours by train from Copenhagen airport, Halmstad is gem of sandy beaches and rocky coasts, rolling farmlands and steep hilly forests dotted with hundreds of lakes. The cycling season here begins with the Dirty Halland in early March and continues until the fall leaves give up and move to Majorca for the winter.

The endless network of gravel roads gives you the freedom to go as short or as far as you want. Start your ride early or finish late and you have a very good chance of seeing deer, moose, fox, lynx, wolf, wild boar or even a car or two!

Route 1 – Halmstad South Offroad 35km 180m- MTB/Gravel – Beginner/Intermediate Download

A fun route that links the two riverside trails of Nissan and Fylleån. These are both multiuse trails so don’t just light your hair on fire and rush down the trails, watch out for walkers. Lots of single track, nothing technical. A lovely trail that is rideable on both gravel or MTB.

Route 2 – 51km 345m Halmstad South Gravel – Beginner Download

Non-technical start, though a bit boring through the city. After 5km you begin to hit some lovely gravel that carries you back to Tonnersjö, there is a village but no shop there. You’ll hit some forests to get a real taste for the back country and longer rides on another day. Loops towards the coast and through Trönninge, where there is the famous Cafe Pedaln and other shops.

Route 3 – 51.7 km 480m Halmstad Gravel West – Beginner Download

This route follows the coastal trail out of Halmstad through Mullegård and past the famous Riccardos Italian Ice cream and pizzeria, a must-stop. From there it loops past Plönninge MTB park and around Nyårsåsen and eventually back to the city. Lovely coastal trail that turns into a farm loop with some forest to break up the day.

Route 4 – 44km 450m Halmstad Gravel Sperlingsholm-Åled – Intermediate Download

This route takes you from our shop up the Nissan trail (single-track, non-technical) out through the village of Åled (good pizza) and back through the forest of Skedala. A relatively short route, but it gives you a real taste for the wilderness that is accessible from the city centre.

Route 5 – 45km 355m Halmstad to Simlångsdalen Gravel – Beginner Download

This is a one-way route that takes you to the beautiful village of Simlångsdalen through Trönninge. It begins as a city/coastal ride, and then tranistions to farms and forests. You can come back to Halmstad on the Bolmenbana paved trainline or you can stay the night with one of our partners!

Route 6 – 15km 200m – Halmstad to Plönninge MTB Park – Beginner Download

This is designed for MTB riders who want to do a gravel warm-up before hitting Plönninge park!

Route 7 – 85km 1200m Dusty Halland 2026 – Advanced Download

This is designed by Robin Söderholm of Team Cykelmera that runs the Dirty Halland event every March. This is a very fun route, but challenging, mixed terrain with sections of single track. Lots and lots of climbs. We did the event in the pouring rain, so maybe my memory is a bit unfair. Great route, but challenging.

Route 8 – 125 km 1500m UCI 2023 – Advanced Download

Another UCI World Gravel Tour route. It’s designed for pros. Expect hard climbs, long challenging sections of wilderness gravel. The nice thing about this route is that it takes you to the villages of Torup and Lidhult, two places you can stop and get a coffee or a meal. The bakery in Torup is certainly worth the stop, but check their opening hours!

Route 9 – 133 km 1800m – Simlångsdalen UCI 2023 – Advanced Download

Now we are getting serious. This is a long hard race route. You can take a lunch stop in Torup, good pizzeria on the main street, or the cyclist friendly cafe by the church. This route saw Marianne Vos win her first official gravel race. Do you have what it takes? Try and take some of Nikki Terpstra’s KOMs. His average speed was 37.8km/h. I’m betting you can’t do that on this route in your rental car.

Route 10 – 146 km 2000m – GGnG Stage 2 2025 – Extreme Download

This one doesn’t start in Simlångsdalen, but it’s a great route to try out. It starts at Wapnö in Halmstad. Make sure to pack a lunch, you are going to be out there all day. At about three quarters of the route there is a great stop at Storaberget, a strawberry farm with restaurants. This is hilly, this is technical, and this is fast. There are some longer stretches of tarmac, it’s another chance to test yourself against the pros.

Route 11 – 181km 1300m – Hylteleden – Beginner Download

180km beginner route? Well, this is a tourist route, so 75% tarmac on quiet roads. It’s a lovely route, but you’ll want a gravel bike as there are gravel sections. There are a number of places to stop if you want to take a couple of days to do the route. It is certianly do-able in one day, and it passes a number of restaurants, though they are spaced out. Top Tip? Hit Tiraholm for fish!