Vagnsunda – Island Character and Maritime History

Vagnsunda on Yxlan represents an island setting where ferry connections, boat landings and maritime history come together. The Furusundsleden connects Furusund and Yxlan in the Stockholm archipelago. The free car ferry connection is 600 metres long and takes four minutes. This documented connection therefore provides a clear point of reference if you are considering Vagnsunda as a starting point for your travel decision.

Landings and connections on Yxlan

Vagnsunda has two landings: a northern one on the Furusundsleden and a southern one in Vambfjärden. The landings are thus located in two different bodies of water. Public transport on the water is also specifically documented: Waxholmsbolaget calls at eight landings on Yxlan, including Vagnsunda. Yxlan can also be reached from Furusund by car ferry, SL bus, archipelago boat or private boat. Bus route 632 terminates in Vagnsunda. If you want to base your accommodation decision on the location and the available transport connections, several documented transport links are therefore available for orientation, without this implying any particular timetable or individual connection.

Landscape between agriculture and land uplift

The landscape of Vagnsunda combines traces of agriculture with the geological changes of the archipelago. Land uplift turned the former sound between Byviken and Västerfladen into Hemängen. The Vagnsunda 3:2 area covers 2.4 hectares. Of this, 1.7 hectares are natural pasture and 0.7 hectares are former arable land. The natural pasture is therefore more than twice the size of the former arable land; former cultivation accounts for the smaller part of the area. Historical land use is also documented: Vagnsunda is recorded in the land register of 1573 as having two mantal of agricultural land. In Vagnsunda, the meadows are mown and the hay is then dried in the traditional manner on hay racks. The process takes place in two stages: mowing is followed by drying the hay on the racks. This process is one of the site's specific agricultural characteristics and supplements the information about natural pasture and former arable land with a form of haymaking that is still described today.

Maritime history of Vagnsunda

Vagnsunda is also shaped by traditional boatbuilding: sailing yachts were built here. The last sailing yacht built in Vagnsunda, Greta Linnea, was launched in 1921. Another prominent point of reference is the lighthouse on Yxlan, which was built at Vadholmen in Vagnsunda in 1905. In summer, Promero Boats presents an exhibition in Vagnsunda on Yxlan. Together with the landings and ferry connections, this creates a local character that links historical seafaring and present-day island connections through several documented points of reference. If you would like to compare Vagnsunda with other places in this selection, you can also find Arholma, Svanberga, Yxlan, Bergshamra, Spillarsboda, Norrtälje, Vätö and Grisslehamn.

For the overarching travel overview: Norrtälje.