Entering the Swedish Hoga Kusten (High Coast): A 50-mile Geological Marvel

We learn a lot while traveling, since visiting new places stimulates us to read about them. We find that this is especially true on bike trips, as we end up in places we would never get to on a more conventional vacation.

Our trip today led us to learn about "post-glacial rebound", also known as "glacial isostatic adjustment". This is a geological process whereby land that was depressed by the huge weight of overlying glaciers during the last ice age rose after the glaciers melted. At the time of the last maximum glaciation, 20000 years ago, the ice was as thick as 3 kilometers. As the ice melted, land in various parts of the world that had previously been weighed down by the overlying ice rose up, but nowhere has the land risen as much as it has in a 50-mile stretch of Sweden known as the Hoga Kusten, or High Coast. This region lies along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, stretching from the High Coast Bridge at its southern end to the town of Ornskoldsvik at its northern end. The land here has risen 285 meters (925 feet) since the end of the ice age about 10000 years ago, and it continues to rise at the rate of 3 feet per century. The High Coast was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 because of its unique geological features and its rugged beauty.

To conclude of our 55-mile ride today, we cycled north across the High Coast Bridge, entering the High Coast region which we will explore tomorrow. The bridge itself, a suspension bridge over a mile long, is quite spectacular. Our lodging, the Björkudden Hotel, a 4-star hotel overlooking the bridge, is also spectacular. The views are amazing and the quality of the food is stellar.

Approaching the Hoga Kusten (High Coast) Bridge

On the bridge

Our hotel, with a glimpse of the bridge in the background

View of the bridge from our hotel room

Reindeer for dinner

On the hotel porch after dinner