Rold between circus history and forest trails

Rold combines an unusual cultural history with a variety of routes through the forest. In the town, you will find the Cirkusmuseet i Rold, while the surrounding area of Rold Skov offers opportunities for hiking, mountain bike tours, guided excursions and sections of the Hærvejen. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you want to focus on the museum and history, active days in the forest or a combination of both.

Circus history with its own hands-on area

The Cirkusmuseet i Rold is housed in the former winter quarters of Cirkus Miehe. At the same time, it is located in Denmark’s only preserved wooden circus building. The building itself gives a visit to the museum a special historical setting, without requiring your travel plans to be limited to a purely exhibition-based experience.

At the Cirkusmuseet i Rold, you can try circus skills, have your face painted as a circus clown, make your own juggling balls and then perform in the old riding house of Cirkus Miehe. This allows you to complement a day of culture with practical activities. Particularly when different interests come together in your travel group, this visit offers a concrete alternative to an excursion focused solely on the landscape.

Rold Skov for active and guided days

In the surrounding area, the Rold Skov MTB area offers a network of routes totalling approximately 50 km, with around 1,000 metres of elevation gain. This includes a special downhill course and an MTB skills area. Those travelling by mountain bike will therefore find different elements of a documented route network; you should take the elevation gain into account when planning your day.

For hiking, around 60 km of marked trails are available in the surrounding area of Rold Skov. The yellow routes are connected to several car parks and lead to most of the forest’s attractions. In addition, public guided tours take place in Rold Skov throughout the year.

The Hærvejen and historic sites

The Hærvejen also offers various ways to experience the landscape. The Hærvejen cycle route runs through Døstrup, Rold and Arden and continues to Store Økssø in Rold Skov. You can experience the Hærvejen routes by bicycle or on foot; along the way, they run over asphalt, gravel and forest roads. These different surfaces help you plan your preferred mode of transport and the appropriate equipment for each excursion.

Another historic point of reference is Roldvej. The road was formerly a country road through the forest from Rold to Skørping. Rold Church adds to the cultural character of the town: it is a well-preserved Late Romanesque or Early Gothic church with later additions and alterations.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Rold, it is best to base your choice on the planned rhythm of your trip. For a stay focused on the museum, church and historical themes, a quiet day of culture can provide a starting point. Anyone planning to spend several days in the forest should take the approximate length of the marked hiking trails, the MTB route network and the different Hærvejen surfaces into account when making their own plans. In the surrounding area, there are bus connections with a stop in Rold as well as additional stops, including in Rebild and Årestrup.

The landscape is also characterised by the fact that the surrounding area of Rold Skov is part of the Rold Skov, Lindenborg Ådal and Madum Sø FFH area, as well as the Rold Skov bird protection area. This allows you to alternate between cultural discoveries, planned active days and experiences in nature when planning your trip, without reducing Rold to just one aspect.

Further destinations for orientation

For further travel planning, you can also explore Ajstrup, Als, Helberskov, Øster Hurup, Glenstrup, Hadsund, Astrup and Mariager.

For the overview of the wider travel area: Mariagerfjord Municipality.