Here in the Valle area we are not modest – the area is marketed as “Vallevägen - the world's most beautiful road”. Roughly 20 small business owners have joined forces to highlight the area's assets and resources. This involves both artists, producers, traders and B&B’s. The nature in the area is characterized by the kame landscape with its rolling hills. This type of landscape is considered unique in the world - it was formed when the inland ice retreated. There are over 60 km of hiking trails, and the area is known for all the tens of thousands cherry trees that blossom here during May.
At Silverfallet a waterfall plunges 60 m down a mountain rim. The water flows over limestone slabs and, in the middle of the fall, passes fractures of alum shale. On the sandstone rocks the waterfall levels out.
In the first half of the 19th century, Karlsfors was the biggest alum works in Skaraborg County. After the works were shut down, operations were replaced by lime-burning. In the whole area traces are evident of the alum shale and limestone mining with remnants such as burnt alum shale and lime-kilns.
The greater part of the slopes at Silverfallet-Karlsfors consists of broad-leaved deciduous forest with flora that is clearly favoured by the presence of limestone. The spring flowering is abundant with blue anemone, small hollow root, Suffolk lungwort and rare occurrences of yellow wood anemone. On the heaps of burnt alum shale the flora predominantly consists of birch and sallow.
Also the smaller areas of open grazing lands have a rich flora with leafless hawk's beard, bluebell, dropwort and carline thistle. In the Silverfallet waterfall there are large amounts of liverwort and drab brook-moss. Grey wagtail and white-throated dipper nest by the falls.
Further upstream, marshy forest, several small brooks and a varied farming landscape take over. Mezereon is commonly found on moist land.
Silverfallet is one of the most popular destinations for outings in spring, when the waterfall is a sight to see, as is the rich flora in the groves including liverwort, Suffolk lungwort, corydalis intermedia, yellow star-of-Bethlehem and Lesser celandine. In the deciduous forest you can hear the song of the icterine warbler and the wood warbler. In summer, the stream dries up completely.
Silverfallet is one of the most popular excursions around Skövde and is well worth a visit at any time of year – do not miss a wintertime visit here to experience a fairytale ice landscape!