Ålleberg is the highest of Västra Götaland’s plateau mountains, at approximately 335 metres above sea level. It forms part of Platåbergens Geopark, which is Sweden’s first UNESCO Global Geopark. You can hike through the picturesque landscape here, most of which is a nature reserve. Experience the distinctive flora, local springs and viewpoints offering spectacular vistas of the surrounding countryside.
On Ålleberg plateau mountain there are three hiking trails which are 1.3 km, 1.9 km and one of 4.7 km. Two of them begin by the café and one of them goes from the rest area at the foot of Ålleberg mountain. They have varied terrain with hilly and steep parts. On parts of the mountain there are grazing animals at certain times of the year, generally this is from May to October. Dogs should not be allowed in grazing pastures! (There are no grazing animals on the red trail).
There are numerous legends linked to the mountain and you’ll get to discover some of them on this walk, including the tale of the Knights of Ålleberg. On the mountain plateau, you will also find Sweden’s only gliding museum, a seasonal café, a restaurant and a campsite.
Dolerite – the secret behind the plateau mountains
You are now standing on Ålleberg plateau mountain. The rock just beneath your feet is dolerite. This was formed by magma penetrating and solidifying in fissures inside the bedrock, often close to the Earth’s surface, where the pressure was less and the cooling process was more rapid. As the hot magma cooled and solidified, it cracked, generally into hexagonal columns, but also along long fissures.
The fissures that once ran through the dolerite have eroded here, leaving the less fractured sections as columns. This is what has given the mountainsides their distinctive appearance, with columns, crevices, holes and caverns.
From Ålleberg, we can see almost all fifteen of the plateau mountains in Västergötland, apart from Halleberg and Hunneberg in the west and Lugnåsberget to the north. Ålleberg is one of the mountains that forms part of Platåbergens Geopark, which became Sweden’s first UNESCO Global Geopark in 2022.
Viewed from Ållebergs änne, you can see (from left):
Take care and don’t get too near the edges!
Kinnekulle
Brunnhemsberget
(Tovaberget and Myggeberget are behind Brunnhemsberget, difficult to see).
Billingen
Borgundaberget
Plantaberget
Varvsberget
Gerumsberget
Gisseberget