Söftingsgrottan is a narrow sea cave in the cliffs of Kullaberg's north side, between Djupadal and Gregers backar. A newspaper writer in 1899 called it one of the most remarkable caves on Kullaberg, and one of the least visited because it is so hard to reach. That still holds: the path down drops over 100 meters from the Blue trail, and in spring and early summer this stretch of coast is closed for nesting birds.
What you'll see
The mouth lies just over 3 meters above the sea and is about 5 meters high and wide, wedged under an arch of slaty gneiss. Inside, it narrows and the roof drops toward a back strewn with sea-rounded cobbles. When the geologist Sven Behrens surveyed Kullaberg's caves in the 1940s, this was the deepest he measured, at 22.5 meters.
The 1899 party came by boat from the cove at Djupadal. They crawled the last stretch inside and lost track of time; their boat left without them, and the only way back was up the cliff.
Giants and a horn on a rope
Since the 1850s the cave has been recorded as Söttingshål, Suttungshål, Söftingshål and Syftingshål. The 1899 writer heard that the giant Söfting lived here; Baron Carl Gyllenstierna thought the name pointed to Suttung, the Norse giant who guarded the mead of poetry in his mountain. A darker tale, written down in 1927, tells of fishermen who lowered a friend on a line to find the bottom. They felt a violent jerk, hauled the line up and found only a horn at its end.
Good to know
- Closed 1 March–15 Julythe cave lies in the bird-protection zone from Djupadal to Valdemarsgrottan, closed while birds such as the peregrine falcon nest. The ban covers the marked path down, exempt until 2014, and the water offshore, so no landing by kayak or boat either.
- Hard goingthe way down crosses steep scree with loose blocks and turns slippery when wet, and in a storm the waves can cut off the last bit to the cave.
- Deep and darkthe back of the cave narrows to a crawl. Bring a headlamp, and don't go far in without a guide.
- No firesgrills and camping stoves are only allowed at the fixed grill sites by the car parks.
