Assault on Hulta

One of the main suburbs in northeast Ronneby is that of Hulta. The day after my trip to the hamn, I decided that I needed to see the 'big red tower thingy' which is perhaps the highest point of the centre of the town. However, I did not see much point in making a journey just to see one tower. So I thought I would see what I could of the nearby residential areas.
According to the map I had taken with me, the 'big red tower thingy' was labelled "Gamla vattentornet" or the old water tower. It actually took me a bit of time to work out how to gain access to the tower area - its base was obscured by bushes on a very steep hill. Once I finally reached the summit, I took this panorama of pictures looking south over Ronneby. Interestingly, the object sticking up on the horizon two thirds of the way across the image is the new water tower.

I took the following photograph of the old water tower. You probably can't see it from the image, it is now a derelict locked-up building covered in graffiti. The coat of arms for Ronneby is visible above the doorway.

On the way back down the hill towards the town centre, I met this cat, who seemed intent on winding its way around my ankles. Maybe it just wanted me to take a photo of it? Speaking of pets, quite a lot of the townsfolk take their dog(s) for a walk around the time I ride home from work.

Continuing to explore Hulta, I came to Hultagölen, a very serene and secluded lake. In fact, so secluded that I almost didn't find it. Basically the only way to access it is to follow along the driveway of a private house until the house is on one side and open bushland is revealed on the other. Here are three views of the lake, taken at various points around its perimeter. It looks like a great spot for private reflection.

Riding along some of the many weaving cycle paths in this area, I stumbled onto one of the main roads which pass by Ronneby. The interesting thing I noticed here is how patriotic the Swedes are about their motoring signs. The 'road bends here' sign in the background of this photo is a series of alternating blue and yellow arrows. Blue and yellow are the colours of the Swedish flag. By contrast, the same sign in Australia would use (boring) black and white alternating arrows.

From here, I actually travelled briefly off the edge of my map. Then I quickly reoriented myself by finding a landmark on the edge of the map, and then rode home through Östra (East) Hulta.