Järflotta 58.49.1 N - 17.56 E nature reserve

Five permanent residents make Järflotta island a living island. The residents are busy with fishing, farming and forestry. Fishing for eel is a Järflotta speciality since many hundred years and is now done with large bottom nets.

Early 17th century found Järflotta belonging to Nynäs estate on the mainland. In the beginning there was only one homestead on the island, but in the 17th and 18th centuries some more were opened. It must have been the nearness to the rich fishing banks like Viksten and Gunnarstenarna that made people come, the land was not very rich.

Järflotta is now in private hands but became a nature reserve in 1968. For the owner it meant that he refrained from all future exploitation for some compensation from the local government through Skärgårdsstiftelsen.

Sandy beaches are not common in Stockholm archipelago, but not so in this part, there are large areas with pure sand. This comes from the inland ice melting 8900-8300 BC, when large amount of sand was deposited here. The better part of the island is pine tree covered.

Viksten and Gunnarstenarna are beautiful rocky islands with a rich birdlife. They also belong to the nature reserve. Gunnarstenarna is a bird sanctuary and landing is not allowed from April 1 to July 31.