We follow the slightly narrower, winding road away from Höör, past Skånes Djurpark and out toward the forests and Ullstorp. We pass a mill pond, where the attentive observer will notice an Ullrik pond troll by the side of the road. Then it’s not far until the adventure can begin. Yes—because it is an adventure for the families who spend their days off here. Ullrik hints at it, as do the sandy beach by the pond, the cute little cottages, and the woolly sheep that prick up their ears when people approach. But it’s also a calm, tranquil place for a stressed adult in need of recovery. The moment we arrive, a feeling settles in: this is a place where time seems to stand still, where the wind rustles through the trees and the rooster crows close by—yet still somehow at a distance.

– Yes, this is a place where you can pause and truly arrive, says Anna Carter, who together with her husband Daniel and their two children owns and runs Ullstorps Stugor.

– I’ve finally found home after a rather wandering life. This is where Daniel and I have planted trees so we can watch them grow. And as Daniel likes to say, we’ll take care of the land until the soil grows thick beneath our boots.

Rooted in the soil

Anna says she originally comes from Eskilstuna. Her mother grew up in a farming family, so Anna learned early on that practical skills and the ability to pitch in were valuable. Her best job as a young teenager was at a day program for autistic children and teenagers. But after school, love took her traveling to Ecuador. And although the couple went their separate ways fairly soon, Anna stayed on and got a job as a salesperson for a Swedish company. She learned Spanish simply by talking to people.

– “Gringas” weren’t very common there in the 1990s, so I was warmly received, she says.

After three years, Anna moved back to Sweden and began studying public health education at the university college in Kristianstad. But she later changed direction again and ended up in the so-called Alternativbyn in Svenshögen.

– Those of us who lived there wanted to change the world, Anna notes.

– There were lots of great ideas about living more environmentally friendly and close to nature, but not much concrete ended up happening. I did learn a lot about growing, though, and I trained, among other things, in herbal medicine.

Finding home

After a year or so, Anna moved back down to Skåne again. There she met Daniel, and together they built a life with children in a small apartment in Malmö.

– Both Daniel and I longed to live in the countryside. We had an allotment cottage where we spent entire summers. It was heavenly. We grew things, and I also trained in permaculture design.

Anna says Ullstorps Stugor had been up for sale for a few years. No one had taken the bait, because many felt it was too big a commitment with so much land and such a large operation.

– We came here to look on a grey November day. When I stood up on the Bergshuset balcony and looked out over the valley, my heart simply melted. I wanted to embrace the whole place. It just felt so right, Anna says.

– And if I could love the valley that much on a grey November day—how would it feel in spring, or summer? It simply couldn’t be wrong.

A year-round job

No sooner said than done: Anna and Daniel bought Ullstorps Stugor and took over the business. Daniel continued working with his own company and eventually set up a home office in the house, and Anna would run the operation.

– We worked around the clock, every day of the year. In the beginning we didn’t have help with either cleaning or laundry—so I handled all of that.

And even though Anna and Daniel still work year-round, rarely go on vacation, and have too little time with the children in the summers, they both feel it’s worth it.

– I couldn’t imagine anything else. I love our animals, the people who come here, seeing the seasons change up close, and that our children get to grow up surrounded by nature. There is no alternative.

– And now we have help with cleaning, laundry, and other bits and pieces, so there’s more time for the family and for building an herb garden.

A children’s paradise

With everything Ullstorp has to offer, it’s probably the animals that make Ullstorp so unique. These are carefully selected heritage breeds that come trotting up, bright and bold, to say hello when Anna calls. The goats, each with their own quirks and personalities; the sheep that love being petted; the cows that want their necks scratched; and the hens that roam freely outdoors. Anna makes time for all of them.

– Our most popular activity is joining us for the morning feeding of the animals. It’s absolutely wonderful to see a city child—who may never have been close to a sheep—form such a lovely connection.

– Adults often want to go and visit other places during their stay with us. But the children would rather just stay here on the farm.

And anyone can understand why. The animals that want to be petted, the perfectly sized swimming spot, the Knyttestigen trail with its many different magical creatures, fishing, and evening barbecues are just a few of the exciting adventures awaiting a little soul. For a child, everything needed for a wonderful holiday is simply right here.

…and for the adults too?

But perhaps for us adults as well? Have we forgotten how wonderful it was to be a curious child, running barefoot in the grass all summer long? And maybe it’s precisely the genuine, down-to-earth feeling of Ullstorp that makes us linger a little longer.

When we leave Ullstorp on this cold February day, our thoughts return to Anna as she tells us how her heart melts when she sees the children’s eyes sparkle—and their parents’ too—when the goat allows itself to be scratched. Or how the children’s eyes grow wide when they realize that the egg they’re going to eat, lying right there, comes from the hen walking over there. Or when the group of men on the autism spectrum—who have their daily program in one of the cottages on weekdays during the winter half of the year—enthusiastically tell Anna that they have now repaired the stone troll that lives under the juniper along Knyttestigen. And how the Dutch family who stayed here one summer has now helped Anna build a new website. Yes—then it’s easy to understand how anyone could feel at home here at Ullstorp. There is a big heart here. Everyone is welcomed just as warmly and kindly.

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