Ry: Trails, Lakes and Culture

Ry is a destination for anyone who wants to combine experiences in nature, water and culture. The Gudenå Trail was inaugurated in Ry, canoe trips lead along the Gudenå River, and historic sites such as Ry Church and Ry Højskole add a special cultural dimension to your stay. When choosing your holiday apartment, it is therefore worth first considering whether you want to spend your days mainly hiking, on the water or making cultural discoveries.

Hiking with Varied Stages

The Gudenå Trail is a continuous route 175 kilometres long. It is divided into 18 stages, each measuring between 6 and 14 kilometres. This division provides a clear basis for planning your individual days without having to complete the entire route in a single trip. In Ry, the Gudenå Trail can be extended to 200 kilometres if both trails around the Himmelbjerg Lakes are followed.

A shorter, locally focused option is the Ry Højskole Loop. The approximately 10-kilometre circular route leads on foot around Ry near Ry Højskole and has eight storytelling stations. Important for planning: the loop is not marked with posts and pictograms. Anyone choosing this route should take this special feature into account when navigating.

For a more extensive hike, there is the Himmelbjerg Route, which is approximately 52 kilometres long in total. It leads from Ry along the northern side of the Himmelbjerg Lakes to Silkeborg and from there back to Himmelbjerget along the southern side of the lakes. The routes therefore differ considerably in length and direction: the Ry Højskole Loop stays near Ry, while the Gudenå Trail and the Himmelbjerg Route allow for more extensive hiking plans.

Waterways, Boats and Views

Ry is a possible starting point for canoe trips along the Gudenå River. Ry Kano rents out canoes and kayaks for trips on the river. A break can be planned at Anna Klindt Sørensen's Garden, a small town park in the centre of Ry. There is a landing stage by the lake there, which canoeists can use for a break or a coffee break.

Historic boat trips are also part of the character of the surrounding area. Hjejlen is the world's oldest coal-fired paddle steamer and has been operating since 1861. A trip on Hjejlen travels along the Gudenå River from Ry to Himmelbjerget. The nearby Himmelbjerget offers views from its tower across Lake Julsø, the forests and the surrounding landscape.

Gl. Turisten tells another story of excursion trips. The vessel was built in 1922 for trips carrying tourists between Ry and Himmelbjerget and was awarded the title „Historic Monument“ by the Skibsbevaringsfonden in 2012. Gl. Turisten does not operate as a scheduled boat, but makes between 40 and 50 charter trips each year for school classes, sponsors, donors and members of the Ferskvandsmuseumsforeningen.

Discover Culture in Ry

Ry Church was officially inaugurated on 31 October 1909. Because of the women's association's important contribution to financing its construction, it became known as „the Women's Church“. The church hosts cultural activities and groups centred around singing, music, literature and film. This also makes it interesting for travellers who want to complement an active day of holiday with a cultural focus without limiting their stay exclusively to hiking or water activities.

Ry Højskole is a Grundtvigian folk high school dating from 1892. It regularly opens its doors to the public for lectures, concerts, theatre performances and discussion evenings. Anna Klindt Sørensen's Garden is named after the painter Anna Klindt Sørensen. She wanted her estate and Villa Petersborg to be established as a museum and a bequest residence for women artists. Alongside landscape and activity, both places add an extra artistic perspective to trip planning.

Ry as a Starting Point for Your Trip

Ry has a train connection to Aarhus. This specific transport option may play a role when choosing accommodation if you do not want to organise your trip around just one type of excursion. A holiday apartment in Ry is particularly suitable as a search option for travel plans that combine hiking trails, canoe trips, historic boat trips and cultural activities. If, on the other hand, you mainly want to follow a specific route, you should take its length and course into account when planning your days.

In summer, Skimminghøj Bådhus is a rest stop and meeting place for hikers, cyclists, canoeists and tourists. The Skimminghøj campsite is open to the public and offers modern toilet and bathing facilities. This place therefore complements the information about routes and water with an explicitly public point of arrival.

For further orientation, you can also view the pages on Guldforhoved, Ans, Bryrup, Svostrup, Linå, Store Bredlund, Funder and Silkeborg.

For the overarching travel overview: Silkeborg Municipality.