1 April 2019
Easter is approaching, and that means yellow will be everywhere. So why not get your gran to knit yellow sweaters for all the family and then away you go? You might end up with a few fun family selfies to look back on from some of the most beautiful areas in Denmark. It’s always nice to have something to remind you of great family trips.
Everyone loves a short break. All you need is a car, a couple of days off, a pair of decent hiking boots and a picnic basket containing a few treats for your trip.
Smutturen provides a total of 50 beautiful things to see in Denmark. Take a trip out into the countryside where you can see everything from vantage points to burial mounds, limestone quarries, beech forests with bogs and hiking trails that will take you through some of Denmark’s nature and cultural history.
Did you know that Stevns Klint on the island of Zealand is the clearest place in the world to see the remains of an asteroid strike that obliterated half of the animal species on the planet along with all the dinosaurs? The asteroid struck the earth more than 60 million years ago. Today you can enjoy this dramatic event, which can be seen as a layer of fish clay forming a golden wedge in this completely unique natural area that’s been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From this unique point on the east coast of Zealand, you can head inland slightly and go exploring the impressive Faxe Kalkbrud limestone quarry. It may well be man-made, but wow! It’s impressive. It’s fascinating to think that when you’re actually at the quarry, you’re walking on the bed of what once was a sea where sharks, crocodiles and cuttlefish lived many millions of years ago. Try and find some fossils.
You can see a large herd of wild horses on the island of Langeland, around the Gulstav area. The horses were brought to Langeland in 2006 and have lived well on the island, establishing themselves here over the years. It all began with 10 horses, and now the herd is made up of around 80 Exmoor ponies. This is a beautiful area where you can also go exploring natural and cultural history at the Dovnsgården nature centre.
A good hour’s drive from the wild horses, towards Faaborg on the island of Funen, you’ll find Svanninge Bakker (hills). If you’ve never visited this area, there’s only one thing to say: Do it! Svanninge Bakker is a place where you’ll find all kinds of reptiles – everything from sand lizards to adders, grass snakes and slow worms. You can also look out over the hills at restauratørens tårn (tower), or walk the marked trails extending more than 35 kilometres.
... take a look at these beautiful films. In summer 2017, a documentary filmmaker recorded some of the places that Smutturen has to offer. In summer 2017, a documentary filmmaker recorded some of the places that Smutturen has to offer.
VIDEO CONTENT MANGLER
Lots of Danes probably remember Steen Steensen Blicher from their Danish lessons. If you say “Blicher”, they say “den jyske hede” – the Jutland heath. This stretch of heathland formed the backdrop for many of Blicher’s tales. It’s one thing to read short stories and other classic tales, but quite another to immerse yourself in the peace and idyllic surroundings of the heath at first hand.
This is something you can do at Harrild Hede (heath), just half an hour’s drive from Herning. Harrild Hede is an open, peaceful natural landscape with an old water mill that’s been converted into a nature centre. Not far from the Harrild Hede nature centre is a huge natural playground with plenty of opportunities to let your hair down.
Now we’ve gone back in time a little with our reference to Blicher, we can tell you that in ancient Danish folklore, (sacred) springs were considered to aid healing. In those days, people drank from these springs in order to be cured of arthritis, paralysis, wounds and all kinds of stomach problems. Nowadays, we mostly make do with visiting the springs just for the sake of it.
Not far from Harrild Hede are the sources of the Gudenå and Skjern rivers. Each of these rivers runs in a different direction to the sea. The Skjern runs west, the Gudenå runs east, and the area around their sources is often referred to as Det Store Vandskel (the Great Watershed). You can fish, cycle and hike on Det Store Vandskel, and there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in the deep, calm stillness of the surrounding woodlands.
If you’re inspired to take a little trip into the Danish countryside, there’s lots more information about many fascinating and beautiful areas to visit at Smutturen.dk. And it’s a pretty smart site, too – Smutturen calculates the distance from your starting point to what you want to see.
Smutturen – the Short Trip – has been developed by Realdania in partnership with VisitDenmark, Danish Coastal and Rural Tourism and the Nature Agency.