Skygge: Bølling Sø, River Landscape and Historic Trails

Skygge combines the landscape around Bølling Sø with the history of peat extraction and a diverse network of trails. The lake, Skygge Å, protected natural areas and Klosterlund Museum offer different focal points for your stay: you can plan a longer hike, explore the history of the regional landscape or discover the river environment with its distinctive details. When looking for a holiday apartment in Skygge, it helps to decide during the trip-planning stage what balance of nature, activity and culture you want.

Hiking at Bølling Sø and along Skygge Å

One defining experience is Perlen Bølling Sø, an 11.6 km hiking trail around the restored Bølling Sø. The route starts and ends at Klosterlund Museum. Free parking is available there; toilets are located at the museum and at Dværgebakken. The length of the circular route is a concrete factor in planning your day, without implying any specific walking time.

West of Bølling Sø, a marked trail runs along Skygge Å and across the valley to Stenholt Skov. Anyone wishing to discover another marked route can consider the Hærvejssti, which runs from north to west through Stenholt Krat. On the marked Hærvejsrute through Stenholt Krat, movement is permitted around the clock. There are also several geocaches along Skygge Å northwest of Bølling Sø.

There are also clearly defined options on the water and along the shore: in the western half of Bølling Sø, boats without motors or sails are permitted, and fishing is also allowed there. This information is useful when planning a trip that combines walks, nature observation and time by the lake.

River Landscape and Protected Nature

The entire area of Bølling Sø and the surrounding land is protected as a nature reserve. Reeds, meadows and nutrient-poor grasslands surround the lake and provide habitats for numerous animals and plants. The locality known as Skygge Å extends from Bølling Sø to Klode Mølle. East of Skyggevej, Skygge Å joins Elkær Bæk and Bording Å and becomes Karup Å.

A visible element of the more recent landscape history is an approximately 900 m-long, newly meandering section of Skygge Å, which was inaugurated in August 2016. Today’s Bølling Sø was created through a nature restoration project carried out over several years until 2005. Anyone interested in the development of waterways and cultural landscapes will therefore find not only a lake landscape here, but also tangible traces of change and restoration.

Peat Industry, Listening Stations and Klode Mølle

Klosterlund Museum is located in a former peat factory and presents the history of the peat industry and heathland cultivation around Bølling Sø. The I fortidens fodspor route complements this historical focus with listening stations and dramatized stories, a Corten steel figure of a peat cutter, binoculars, a hunting luck game for Stone Age hunters and a quiz about the Tollund Man. This allows you to combine the natural environment and regional history in the same trip planning, without committing to a single activity.

Klode Mølle is also part of the area’s historical themes. A dam was built there across Skygge Å, creating a pond to the southeast towards Bølling Sø. A mill house with an undershot waterwheel was built at this location. It is also of interest for local history that at least five farms stood along Klosterlundvej in Skygge By until 1866.

Which Stay Suits Your Plans

If your main aim is to hike and experience the landscape around Bølling Sø, the 11.6 km circular route should be a firm part of your plans. For travellers interested in cultural history, Klosterlund Museum, I fortidens fodspor and Klode Mølle offer different ways to explore the history of peat, heathland and water engineering. You can therefore choose a holiday apartment or holiday house in Skygge based on whether you want to centre your stay on nature experiences, historical discoveries or a combination of both.

More Places for Your Trip Planning

If you would like to include other places in your search alongside Skygge, here is a concise selection: Funder, Lemming, Vrads, Store Bredlund, Linå, Guldforhoved, Kongensbro and Ry.

To the higher-level travel overview: Silkeborg Municipality.