Vejle Ådal - Vingsted, Vork bakker and Ravning

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Vork Bakker
The many hills, lakes and bogs
that characterise the landscape
in the central part of Vejle Ådal
river valley are all visible traces
Dead ice has formed the area’s
many lakes and bogs. Dead ice
is what we call chunks of ice
that broke off the glacier when it
of the ice’s movements during
the last Ice Age. The ice did not
melt throughout one continuous
period. Cold and warm periods
succeeded each other, and the
ice advanced and melted. As it
moved forward the ice pushed
up hills, and sand, gravel, clay
and dislodged ice blocks came
to form the hilly, changing areas
on the valley floor. The Vork Bak-
began to melt and retreat. Meltwater that carried with it masses
of sand and clay covered the
blocks of dead ice, which consequently melted very slowly. Sand
and clay could not drop down
where the ice was, so when the
blocks melted at last, their spots
were empty – we call these areas
dead ice holes. Areas where there were many dead ice clumps
ker hill area is a typical result of
this process, with its many hills
and hollows with no outlets.
will have many small hills, lakes
and bogs – exactly as in Vork
Bakker.
Hiking maps and downloadable tour guides are
available at www.Okolariet.dk
For more information telephone:
Vejle Municipality: (+45) 76 81 24 67
The Danish Forest and Nature Agency,
Triangle Area: (+45) 75 88 31 99
Published by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, Triangle Area, and Vejle Municipality 2009
Vejle Ådal river valey
The many hills of Vork Bakker are clearly visible on the topographical map
Gymnastics and Sports Associations’ head office, in front and to the right the Vingsted Centre
Vork bakker
Between Ødsted and Ravning
gion’s unique features are still only
accessible by small gravel roads.
divided land areas, the landscape
around Kjeldkær manor, which da-
workshop and reconstructed farms
and houses make up an Iron Age
there is a beautiful and very hilly
landscape. On a ledge between the
valley floor and the plateau lies a
mosaic of groves, steep bluffs, lakes and bogs. There are snug oases of grassy sunlit slopes sheltered
The Ravning area
Ravning lies at the edge of the river valley, between the cultivated
fields on the plateau and the meadows on the valley floor. Most of the
tes back to the 1300s, is open and
almost without fences. All the land
belonged to the manor, so there
was no need to mark out boundaries between the fields.
village environment. From around
the same age, the refuge fortress
Troldborg Ring sits strategically
on the edge of the river valley by
Ravning. A little farther west a road
dam has made it possible to cross
by hills and trees. A hundred years
ago Vork Bakker was a community
with 50 farms and houses spread
around the hills. Many of the families were poor, and the last houses
did not get electricity until the mid1970s. Only a single full-time farm
has survived. Instead, many of the
area’s buildings have been converted into seminar centres, scout
camps and holiday homes. This re-
farms in Ravning have been in the
village for centuries. The fences,
dykes and roads that extend out
of the village form a distinctive star
shape and mark the boundaries
between the land plots. Between
the village and the meadowland
the tracks of the old sunken roads
show how meadows and cultivated
fields were less sharply divided in
the past. In contrast to the village’s
Historical river crossings
At Vengsted the river valley narrows. Here, where only 200 metres of soft valley floor had to be
crossed, there was a ford in olden
times. Earlier weapon offerings in
Vingsted Sø lake from the Iron
Age speak of the importance of
the place at the time. Today the
Iron Age has been brought back to
life in Vingsted, where a historical
the valley floor at Koldborg with dry
feet. From both north and south
sunken roads cut through the steep
bluffs down to the Ravninge Enge
meadowland. Just where the sunken roads end, a 760-metre bridge
construction begins: this is Ravningebroen bridge, which Harald
Bluetooth had built across the river
valley in 979-80.
Vejle Ådal river valley – view from the Vingsted Centre to the west. Photo: Jan Kofoed Winther
Contrasts – characteristic star formation in the land plots around Ravning and the Kjeldkær manor hous
Jernaldermiljøet
Offersøen
ON TOUR
Vejle Ådal
Vingsted - Vork bakker - Ravning
The Iron Age village in Vingsted with houses and farms from the period around the birth of Christ
The Iron Age village in Vingsted hosts school camps
1897. The history of the paper industry in Vejle Ådal river valley ends in
tres, shooting ranges and a seminar wing with accommodation and
powered mills, a corn mill, was
built in Vingsted in the 1300s. Here
there was already a lot of traffic
across the river valley. In 1863,
the demand for paper led to the
conversion of the corn mill into a
the early 1900s, when the two mills
are converted into power plants.
classrooms. The Vingsted Centre,
which is now flanked by the national offices for the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations and
the Danish Shooting Associations,
is the reason why Vingsted remains
wood-grinding workshop. The mill
at the factory Haraldskær Fabrik
was acquired by a new owner, and
from 1876-1908 the two mills also
produced finished paper. The mills’
transport needs led the paper factories’ owners to engage actively in
the railway project between Vejle
and Vandel. As a result the tracks
were laid close to the mills in Vingsted and Haraldskær factory in
muscles since the county’s Shooting, Gymnastics and Sports Association held its anniversary there in
1900. In 1936 the county bought
around 14 acres of meadowland,
and Vingsted’s central location and
newly built railway were the main
factors in selecting it as the venue.
Grandstands, playing fields and
outdoor swimming pools were built,
followed by a restaurant, sports cen-
Iron Age refuge fortress Troldborg Ring
100 years of sports in Vingsted
Vingsted has seen many athletic
feats and a lot of sweat and sore
the most important crossing point
over Vejle river valley at the beginning of the third millennium.
Kayaking and canoeing
You can kayak and canoe on Vejle
Å river from Tørskind Bro bridge
into Vejle between 16/06 and 31/12.
However, a guest label is required.
These can be bought in the Vingsted Centre, tel. (+45) 75 86 55 33.
Fishing
Fishing is permitted in designated
areas along Vejle Å. Fishing permits and rules are available from
VisitVejle.
Transport to the area
Bus 207 goes from Vejle to Vingsted. The bus schedule can be
seen at www.sydbus.dk or can be
obtained by phoning (+45) 75 82
97 66. Cycle routes 35 and 36 also
take you to the area.
Frontpage photo: Ole Malling
From corn mill to paper industry
One of the river valley’s first water-
Tent sites
There are tent sites by the Jernaldermiljøet and by Ravning Station.
Bindeballestien path is a popular cycle and footpath
Did you know?
In 1356 the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag proclaimed that
‘water must not run into the sea without having served the common good’. Over the years at least 35 watermills have exploited
the water power in Vejle Å river. Fish farms have now taken over
from the millwheels. Today the Vejle river valley system has 27
active fish farms, the highest concentration of fish farms in the
country.
NATURE • ENVIRONMENT • CULTUR
The river valley is also home to red kites
Photo: Mogens Hansen
Trips in the area
Most of this area is privately owned
and used for farming and forestry.
There are seven suggestions for
hiking and cycling trips around the
forests, river valley and farmland,
plotted in collaboration with the landowners. With a single exception,
the routes are not marked out in the
terrain.
The Danish nature protection law
concerning traffic in the countryside applies. You may:
• Cycling and walking on roads
and paths in open country
• Cycling and walking on roads
and paths in private forests from
6 am to sundown.
• Walking beyond the paths and
being in public areas at night
Dronningens mose
• Dogs must be kept on leads
➊ Ravningbroen-Troldborg Ring
- Ravningskov. 3,5 km route. Ravning Station houses an exhibition
about Ravningebroen bridge, and
an embankment across the valley
shows where the old bridge was
built. From the parking lot on the
hilltop, a path leads to the Troldborg ring fortress. The gravel road
through Ravningnskov forest leads
past the Bronze Age mound Molbohøj, follows old meadow roads surrounded by dykes and hazel trees,
and continues to the meadows
along deep sunken roads. Then it
goes along the Bindeballestien path,
beautifully bordered by horsetails.
➋ Vork Bakker - Ødsted Skov
- Bindeballestien. 8 km route
through the sloping forests of Ød-
Ravning Station and a 1:1 reconstruction of the Viking bridge
Hiking along Ravningbroen bridge
Vejle Ådal river valley in full spring bloom below Ødsted Skov forest west of Vingsted
sted Skov and the outskirts of Vork
Bakker, with its ravines, hilltops and
ballestien path and crosses the winding Vejle Å river via an old railway
➎ Vingsted Sø - Jernaldermiljøet
2,5 km marked route with the option
Cycle route across the river valley,
approx. 16 km. The route follows
splendid views. The route then crosses the river valley at the widest
spot, along a road that was constructed at the same time as the railway in 1897. On the Bindeballestien
path, the meadow plots are sepa-
bridge. Vingsted is also home to a
potato flour factory from 1916 which
today is used by the Vingsted Centre for school and holiday camps.
❹ Dronningens Mose Haraldskær Fabrik. 4,5 km route
past reconstructed Iron Age farms,
along forest roads and onwards
along the Vabdelbane track. In Ving-
of various guided trips over the grassy
hills around Vingsted Sø lake. Today
Vingsted lake plays the role of the bog
where offerings are made to the gods
in the reconstructed Iron Age village,
but it also contains weapons offerings
gravel roads and small asphalt roads. From Ravning Station, it cros-
from earlier in the Iron Age. Frederik
VII’s canal from 1861 – which was an
attempt to reclaim the lake and find
the weapons that were offered to the
gods – is still visible.
is an impressive view of the valley
➏ Ødsted Kirke - Fjeldene
down sunken roads, through a manor landscape and across plateaus.
Vejle Å river in autumn
rated by ditches and fences, and the
old loading ramp by Teglgård Vingaard is a remnant from the days when
marl was transported here.
ses the valley and proceeds along
Vingsted Skovvej road, then via Vork
Bakker and Fjeldende fells along
Vesterbyvej road to Ødsted. There
in Høllundt. The route then takes
you past Dronningens Mose bog
❸ Kjeldkær - Haraldskær Fabrik
6,5 km route through Kjeldkær manor yard and into the manor’s open
landscape. Kjeldkær’s main building
was constructed in 1991 after a fire.
sted the route passes one of the
river valley’s largest fish farms, and
by Haraldskær Fabrik factory there
is a village that has grown up around
the mill and the railway. This route
also passes close by the bog, where
The meadow just south of Kjeldkær
is still surrounded by dykes which
previously dammed up Kjeldkær
Mølle mill. This route follows Binde
in 1835 the 2,500-year-old remains
of Queen Gunhild were found. Today the body can be seen in Skt.
Nicolai Kirke church in Vejle.
It was built with limestone that was
probably obtained from the local river
valley.
Bronze Age mounds to Ravning,
➊ Ravning - Vork - Haraldskær
dal valley back to the valley floor.
Vingsted lake, where offerings
were made to the gods, yellow route 5
The strong currents of Vejle Å river
by Haraldskær Fabrik factory
Haraldskær Fabrik factory
Old sunken roads lead down to the river valley
6 km route along the edge of the fells,
with beautiful views. The route passes
the medieval church Ødsted Kirke.
to Haraldskær Fabrik factory, along
Kærbølling Skovvej forest road,
Further along Lundskovvej road,
past protected and ploughed-over
where the farms encircle the town’s
high street. Then through Fandens-
Brreed
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Walks at Haraldskær
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Walks at Tørskind
Legend
Hærvejen walking and cyclingroute
The Coast to Coast trail
Waymarked walks
Bike ride that is not marked
Walks which is not marked
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Parking
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Place of cultural interest
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© Kort og Matrikelstyrelsen. scale 1:25.0
Public land
Site for a campfire 3536 Regional bicycle rutes
1000 Met