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12 lovely walks in the Lakelands

www.visitskanderborg.com

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InspirationLet www.visitskanderborg.com inspire you to more nature experiences.Please also see www.bestigbjerge.dk (goclimbmountains) as well as www.udinaturen.dk (intothewild)

Visit us at the tourist offices: Ry, Skanderborg, Himmelbjerget, Galten:

Destination SkanderborgKlostervej 3DK-8680 RyPhone: +45 86 69 66 00Mon-Fri: 07.00-16.00Sat: 10.00-12.00

Skanderborg LibraryParkvej 10DK-8660 SkanderborgMon-Fri: 10.00-19.00Sat: 10.00-13.00

Sky MountainHimmelbjergvej 20DK-8680 RyJuly & AugustTue-Sun: 11.00-16.00

Galten LibraryTorvet 7DK-8464 GaltenMon-Thu: 13.00-19.00Fri: 10.00-16.00

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12 lovely walks in the LakelandsA walk in the varied and hilly landscape in the Lakelands gives you happy vitamins for body and soul.

This booklet is your guide to 12 walks that rank highly among local outdoor people and nature lovers. All you need apart from this booklet is a pair of sensible shoes, but if you bring your binoculars and thermos too, you will not regret it. It would also be a good idea to visit www.bestigbjerge.dk, before you set out. Here you can learn how to score height metres by climbing some of the peaks you pass on your way.

In case you have a special experience or capture a fine moment with your camera, we would very much like to pass on your experiences on www.visitskanderborg.com to please and inspire other hikers. Just email us at info@visitskanderborg.com – happy hiking!

For many of the walks special folders have been made – you can pick them up at the tourist offices.

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ContentsWalk 1. In the open land by Herskind 6Walk 2. The protected Jeksen Valley 7Walk 3. Around Sletten by lake Julsø 8Walk 4. Skanderborg – a historic market town 9Walk 5. Vestermølle in Skanderborg 10Walk 6. Idyllic Bjørnebjerge 11Walk 7. Pilbro Valley and Ørnekol 13Walk 8. Illerup – the sacred valley 15Walk 9. Dørup Wood and Møgelkol 16Walk 10. Øm Abbey and the Dalgaard sanctuary 17Walk 11. The Alling West sanctuary 18Walk 12. Woodland tranquility 19

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Symboler Tourist office

Tourist information

Picnic house

Parking ground

Beach

Sights and museums

Nature sight

Church

Bird watch tower

Trails in the landscape Excursion boat

Goclimbmountains

Railway

Train station

Camp site

Hostel

Motorway

Asphalt road

Gravel road

Signposted walk

Current walk

View from Himmelbjerget (Sky Mountain)

S

6

Stationsvej

Præ

stbrov

ej

Vibevænget

Engvej

Tandrupvej

Herskind

Lyngbygårds Å

WALK 1 In the open land by Herskind – 4,0 km

Signposting: Yellow triangles on poles

0 500 m

The paths can be marshy. Bring your rubber boots during the wet season.

Begin your walk at Hertha the social commu-nity which is based on ordinary people choosing to live in a close and rewarding neighbourly relationship with mentally disa-bled adults. Enjoy the atmosphere and the special houses mainly built using organic ma-terials. The social community runs an organic garden/farm with dairy cattle. At the beginning of the track you find a yellow box with folders.

Follow the signs down to the lake – a former marl pit – watch the yellowhammer or the dragon fly through your binoculars. Do not walk down the slippery slopes along the deep lake. Arriving at the main road you can make a detour to the stream Lyngbygård Å.

Follow the main road until the yellow signpost guides you on the track through the fields. Cross the main road to Skovby and con-

tinue along the stream Herskind Bæk which provides spawning water for salmon and trout. Enjoy the ravine which is a typical pasture common. Please remember not to bring your dog if you see cattle grazing.

The final part of the track goes through the new residential area situated to the south of Herskind town.

The social community Hertha

Lyngbygaard river valley

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Gammel Ryvej

Alle

gade

Rander svej

Jeksen Dalvej

Dørupve

j

Bjertrup Skovvej

Dalvej

Ran

ders

vej

Gam

mel

Ran

ders

vej

Jeksenvej

Jek s envej

PindsMølle

Adslev

Jeksen

Jeksen Bæk

Kildedalen

0 500 m

WALK 2 The protected Jeksen Valley – 3,5 km

Signposting: Low wooden poles with white symbols

The paths can be “primitive”. Bring your rub-ber boots during the wet season.

From the parking ground by Kildedalen your lovely and peaceful walk goes via forest roads and paths north along the Jeksen brook. En-joy the beautifully cropped river valley and the hilly forest. Let your imagination carry you to elf maids, woodland trolls and wise women.In the Jeksen valley you find both stream, meadow, wood and cultivated land. This

versatile landscape is a fine habitat for wild mammals and birds. The kingfisher and especially in wintertime also the dipper can be seen along the brook. Many butterflies and beetles are connected to the valley’s moist flowery meadows.

The tour can be combined with a walk from Pinds Mill (see the map) or you can take a circular walk starting in the village Adslev. The combination of the paths is for you to choose.

Kildedalen by Jeksen

8 Ulvedalen

Bøgedalsvej

Svejbækvej

Svejbækvej

Bøgedalsvej

Søruten

Dynæs

Himmelbjerget

Glarbo

Julsø

Storeknøs

Æblegården

Det ny Sletten

Tønningsletvej

Knøsvej

HimmelbjergegnensNatur- og Idrætsefterskole

Ny Himmelbjergvej

WALK 3 Around Scoutland Sletten (Camp Julsø) – 2,3 km

0 500 m

Signposting: Yellow symbols on poles

Outdoor Centre Sletten (Camp Julsø) belongs to FDF (a large Danish organization for chil-dren and young people based on Christian values) and the beautiful area wel-comes scouts and hikers all year round. You can begin by walking “Sletten Rundt” (Around Camp Julsø) – a path that takes you to a hammock circle and to a both fun and educational nature base with information about 16 different species of trees. The sea route takes you down to the shore of lakeJulsø and can easily be combined with walking Around Camp Julsø.In general you can combine the many sign-posted walks and spend an entire day at the hospitable Sletten – you can get their special folder at one of the tourist offices in the area.. At scoutland Sletten (hammock hotel)

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Oddervej

Sølystvej

Adelgade

Slotsholmen

Horsensvej

Fårbje

rgve

j

Døj

søve

j

SkanderupgadeMøllegade

Vib e

vej

Birkevej

Vestergade

Dyrehaven

Låsbyvej

Slotskirken

S

2

3

4

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1

Skanderborg Sø

Skanderborg Museum

Frihedsmuseet

Vestermølle

Skanderborg

Kulturhuset

Skanderborg

WALK 4 Skanderborg – a historic market town – 7,3 km

No signposting, but parts of the walk in the Deer Park are signposted as different footpaths can be combined.

King Frederik II built Skanderborg Castle during the period 1563-1570. And he stayed at the castle as much as possible. It was also to his credit that the town of Skanderborg became a market town in 1583. The castle was demolished in 1767, but the beautiful castle chapel sur-vived and is now the parish church.

0 500 m

The stories about the memorials are displayed along the tour of Skanderborg:

1. Niels Ebbesen2. King Frederik II3. Queen Dagmar’s Boy4. Springtime5. Poul Langballe6. The Kindler Memorial

Have the history of Skanderborg put into per-spective by visiting Skanderborg Museum and the Museum of Occupation.

Queen Dagmar’s boy

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WALK 5 Vestermølle in Skanderborg – 4,4 km

Signposting: Yellow triangles and dots on poles. Black poles on municipality areas and brown poles on private land.

This walk is also known as a “Spor i landskabet” (Tracks in the landscape) which is established via voluntary agreements with the landowners. Please show consideration for cattle, crops and game and remember to keep your dog on a leash.Follow the track past the old mill dam and continue along the brook Sønderbækken with spawning grounds for salmon and trout. Go down SkårupChurchroad and back along fields and through the wood. Enjoy the atmosphere and the varied landscape and the beautifully restored buildings at Vestermølle. By the beginning of the track you find a yellow brochure box and here you can take a special folder including a map of the track. You can also download the folder from www.spor.dk or get it at one of the local tourist offices.

Ellelausvej

Skårup

Kirk

evej

Vestermøllevej

Oddervej

Oddervej

Fruering

Skårup

Hvolbæk

Vestermølle

Skanderborg

0 500 m

By Vestermølle (Westerly Mill)

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Dalvej

Ran

ders

vej

Hår

byve

j

Søb

alle

vej

Dalvej

Jeksenvej

Vesterbro

Jeks envej

Stjæ

rvej

PindsMølle

StjærSøballe

Jeksen Bæk

Bjørnebjerge

Bakkeskoven

WALK 6 Idyllic Bjørnebjerge – 4,0 km

0 500 m

No signposting. Follow the map and the description below. If you go mountain climbing: Find the BestigBjerge icon.

“Take a walk on the wild side” in harmony with the birds and the bees. Enjoy the lovely Danish countryside with small farms, “Fields of gold”, half-timber houses and woodland meadows. “Like a bird on a wire” you have a magnificent view from the ridge. Here you can also score height metres as a mountaineer, if you register both the code by the foot and the one on top of Bjørnebjerge (Bear Mountains). See www.bestigbjerge.dk before setting out.Your walk starts by the church carpark. Please follow the road Vesterbro to the right and Stjær Bakker further along to the left.

Bjørnebjerge (Bear Mountains)

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Vitvedhedevej

Virringvej

Gam

mel Gramvej

Pilbrodalen

Lergravsvej

Gram

vej

Halrisvej

Søvejen

Vitvedhedevej

Sandgravvej

Stilling SøStilling

Ørnekol

Bakkely

WALK 7 Pilbro Valley and the peak Ørnekol – 4,3 km

0 500 m

No signposting. When climbing Ørnekol: Find the BB icon at the start of the walk at the parking ground Bakkely.

Here you have a walk that combines an idyllic valley with a fine peak. In addition you can enjoy a landscape with open pastures, lakes, swamps, brooks and springs.

If you walk quietly, you may get a chance to see the little, fine, but bashful partridge. The Pilbro Valley is part of an Ice Age land-scape and its depth is between 25 and 50 metres. The stretch of the meandering valley is 4-5 kilometres and it culminates just east of Stilling.

Ørnekol, the only parish barrow, is situated on private land and sometimes heifers graze on it.

You are welcome to enter the area through the gate in the fence and go up the peak. However, the top code is not hidden exactly on top of Ørnekol. You may find it more easily on your way down!Ørnekol (Eagle Peak)

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Foerle

v Møl

leve

j

Oddervej

Låsbyvej

Foerlev M

ølle

vej

Hømosen

Låsbyvej

Motorvej E45

S

Foerlev

Foerlev Møllegård

Offermosen

FuglsangVest

Skanderborg

WALK 8 Illerup – the sacred valley – 4,7 km

0 500 m

Signposting: The footpath is signposted with red symbols on poles.

Waterproof footwear is recommended.You can start this fine walk either from the parking ground near FoerlevMøllevej or from the motorway lay-by Fuglsang Vest.

The early mist hangs over the valley like a soft summer quilt. But the peacefulness of the morning is brief. Hoarse human voices and the roar of anxious horses echo on the slopes. And soon the bog is a sacrificial setting. The avenging chief raises his sword …

If you have a minimum of imagination to add to the information boards in the Illerup River Valley, it is easy to imagine the scenes that have unfolded in the now so peaceful valley, when the Iron Age peole sacrificed weapons here. The archaologists have found more than 15,000 items from the depth of the bog, and most of the area is yet to be discovered …

Offermosen (Sacrificial Bog)

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Mountain climbing with a twistMany people who have been hiking in mountainous areas have probably studied the gigantic peaks and with awe dreamed about standing on top spell-bound by the magnifi-cent view.

If you have the courage to “disappear” into thin air and look down the dizzy depths, but still prefer to stay calm and composed, mountain-climbing in the smiling Lakelands is just your thing.

See www.bestigbjerge.dk before leaving home and print the description of the moun-tain of your choice. You have more than 15 to choose among.

The trick is to find 2 codes – one by the foot and one on top. The codes are 3 digits printed on green signs with the goclimbmountains logo on. When you have found the codes, you write them down and take them home with you. Do not disclose them to others – this would disturb the game.

If you have a GPS, it will make your search for the codes easier using the co-ordinates which you find on the description of the mountain. When you are back home again with the two codes after your first climb, you can register as a mountaineer on www.bestigbjerge.dk

The website keeps track of your results when climbing the next mountains. All you need is a username and an email address.

News: Now a mobile version of bestigbjerge.dk is also available.

Geocaching – treasure hunt for everybody

Geocaching is well suited as a family game where you can find “treasures” all over the world via a gps receiver. In Denmark more than 13,000 treasures are hidden and many of them can be found in the Lakelands.

The trip starts in front of the computer where you find the co-ordinates on www.geocaching.dk – the next step is to type these co-ordi-nates into the GPS. You also find a descrip-tion of the place and a hint for finding the “treasure box” (the cache container).

The treasure box is typically a ½-2 litres con-tainer, either a reusable food container or a second-hand ammunition box. You bring little things to make exchanges: You take one thing from the box and put a new thing in the box which you find.

BestigBjerge

Enjoy the view ...

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WALK 9 Dørup Wood and Møgelkol – 6,0 km

Maskedal

Holmedal

Klostermøllevej

Klostermøllevej

Maskedal

Dørup

Voerladegård

Dørup Hestestald

Møgelkol

Forten

Mossø

0 500 m

Signposting: On this walk you come across different signs. Wooden signs, low poles with yellow points and green and white metal signs.

You can start this walk in Voerladegård where the old barn farm belonging to Voer Abbey was situated in the Middle Ages. Voerlade-gård Church used to belong to the abbey too. Follow the map and the signs through Dørup Wood to the hill Møgelkol which gives you a magnificent view of lakeMossø – Denmark’s third largest lake – you can see all the way to Gl. Rye and Alken.

Dørup Wood is very varied with pine wood, beech wood and moorland with blue berries.

The starting point of this walk can also be the old horse stable in Dørup which holds both a picnic place and a fine exhibition about fishing in Mossø in the old days.

At the tourist offices in Ry, Skanderborg and Galten you can get a folder including several suggestions for walks in the area around lakeMossø. Møgelkol (Møgel Peak)

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WALK 10 Øm Abbey and the Dalgaard sanctuary – 6,5 km

Signposting: White dots on a black background. On Odderholm the signposting is not thorough, but just follow the unmistakable path.

Start the walk from the parking ground outside The Øm Abbey Museum and walk along the north side of lakeMossø. Use your imagination and make believe how it looked when in the 12th cen-tury the monks came travelling and chose to found their impressive abbey here. You can also get a folder about Øm Abbey and the abbey kingdom at one of the local tourist offices or visit the Øm Abbey Museum.

On your walk you pass Ømborgen which is a camp centre owned by The Catholic Church in Denmark. You can make a detour to the bird watching tower on LindholmHoved. Here you can

Emborgvej

Engvej

Lind

holm

vej

Lindholmvej

Mossø

Gudensø

Klostermølle

Emborg

Øm Kloster Museum

Lindholm

Ømborgen

0 500 m

watch the rich bird life of lakeMossø: Black-headed gulls from the bird sanctuary on Em-borg Odde, tufted duck, shelduck and pochard foraging along the reeds. You can also see flocks of greylag geese and mute swans.Near Odderholm and Dalgaard Sanctuary (north of Emborgvej) the walk takes you to the big common with a fantastic view of the river Gudenå and lakeGudensø. On the common you can find characteristic drought tolerating plants; for example yellow everlasting daisy.Øm Abbey Museum

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Him

melbjergvej

Silkeborgvej

Tulstrupvej

Lyngvej

Si l k e borgvej

Birkhe

devej

Søvej

S

Birksø

Alling

Laven

Rosvig

Bryggebjerg

Allinggård

0 500 m

WALK 11 The Alling West sanctuary – 7,4 km

Signposting: White dots on a black background.

The Alling Vest Conservation is a well defined area of 270 hectares between the right shore of the river Gudenå and the railway/main road from lakeKnudsø to Laven Station. Alling is a closely knit village society - including one of Denmark’s smallest churches – grouped around the village square, Forten. It is here (at the parking ground by Alling Community House that the walk begins.

Walk past “Allinggård” and continue about 200 metres until you are met by a phenomenal view.

Follow the map and the white marks and make a stop on the “mountain” Bryggebjerg which gives you a unique view over the bay Rosvig and lakeJulsø with Sky Mountain in the background. Enjoy the rich bird life and the abundant flora including oak, birch, beech, hawthorn, buckthorn, hazel, elder, wild rose and red alder.

Continue down to the lake and go north to Søvej and back to Alling.When you come back to the village, you can walk left on the circular road called Ringvejen passing Alling Church. Continue via Ringvejen to Birkhedevej – the view of Sky Mountain is visible most of the time.

By the parking ground a new signposted path to the left (Around Birkhede). Follow this circular path back to Alling again.

Bryggebjerg (Brygge Mountain)

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Linå Vesterskovvej

Him

melbjergvej

Him

melbjergvej

Ulvedalen

Bøgedalsvej

SvejbækvejSvejbækvejSønderskovvej

Bøgedalsvej

Søruten

Storeknøs

Æblegården

Det ny Sletten

Tønningsletvej

Knøsvej

HimmelbjergegnensNatur- og Idrætsefterskole

Ny Himmelbjergvej

Skyttehusets Camping

Sønderskovvej

Møgelø

Dynæs

Himmelbjerget

Glarbo

Julsø

Slåensø

Borre Sø

WALK 12 Woodland tranquility – 14 km

Signposting: Different signposted footpaths are combined, therefore the signposting varies between yellow and red symbols on poles.

Here you get the opportunity to have a long walk through the surprising and secretive woodland.

The area around Sky Mountain has been popular since mid 19th century when the poet Blicher used the hill with the spectacular view for popular meetings. Especially after the launching of the steam ship “Hjejlen” in 1861 and the opening of the railway between Skanderborg and Silkeborg in 1871, the number of tourists increased.

But even today you can find woodland tran-quility not far from Sky Mountain.

Did you know that during the renaissance the village Glarbo was the place where the king had his glass workshops? And that a marl pit was dug up at the beginning of the 20th century? Come and find the stories described on the information boards en route and get a map from the tourist office on Sky Mountain.

You can find the most beautiful forest lakes, the tallest trees, the most wonderful views … and make your own stories about fairies, trolls and other strange creatures that only few can see but most people can sense …

See www.visitskanderborg.com for further information about guided tours.

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Linå Vesterskovvej

Him

melbjergvej

Him

melbjergvej

Ulvedalen

Bøgedalsvej

SvejbækvejSvejbækvejSønderskovvej

Bøgedalsvej

Søruten

Storeknøs

Æblegården

Det ny Sletten

Tønningsletvej

Knøsvej

HimmelbjergegnensNatur- og Idrætsefterskole

Ny Himmelbjergvej

Skyttehusets Camping

Sønderskovvej

Møgelø

Dynæs

Himmelbjerget

Glarbo

Julsø

Slåensø

Borre Sø0 500 m

The Blicher Stone at Himmelbjerget (Sky Mountain)

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Publisher: Destination Skanderborg. Base map: Skanderborg Kommune. Layout: Bendt Nielsen. Consultant: Tomas Vilstrup (FDF).

Photos: Gert Skærlund-Andersen, Bendt Nielsen, Signe Bisgaard Nielsen.