Trail 2, Faaborg

This text is an excerpt from the book about the Archipelago Trail and therefore contains more background, details and inspiration than the short Archipelago Trail leaflets.

Stage 2 takes you past Østrupgaard and along the old hov road to Svanninge Nørremark, Svanninge Bakker and Svanninge Bjerge, with the high point Lerbjerg.

Østrupgaard

Follow the Archipelago Trail southwest. Soon you reach the manor Østrupgaard, whose stable and barn lie right next to the road. The largest thatched roof in the Nordic countries rises above the building. Once past the barn, you can see the main building to the south behind the trees. You must settle for a view from the road, as Østrupgaard is privately owned.

The manor lies on a south-facing slope, and remains of moats can still be seen around the main building. The oldest part is the whitewashed stone house, probably built in the 1400s, and at that time even more fortified: a refuge and a secure place where tenant farmers’ payments in kind could be stored safely.

Over time, the buildings have been altered. A stone plaque in the old stone house states that Ivar Lunge rebuilt it in 1572, adding windows and a chimney. The stone house is the oldest inhabited house on Funen. The west wing and the gate wing to the east were built by Karen Brahe in 1710. The farm buildings date from 1742. In the barn, the old timber structures still stand. The entire complex – main building, farm buildings and courtyard – gives a good impression of how a manor was arranged.

Østrupgaard is owned by the company Grønlykke Landbrug, founded and directed by Michael Grønlykke. He is also involved in Falsled Kro and the chocolate company Summerbird in Assens.

There is no public access to Østrupgaard.

About the village of Østrup

Østrup village was originally an outlying settlement of Håstrup. In the 1200s, Håstrup had grown so much that the distance from the village to the farthest fields became too great. Therefore, the manor Østrupgaard and nine new farms were placed near the fields east of Håstrup. In the 1400s Østrupgaard was moved from Østrup to its current location. In 1664 only four farms, a half-farm and a “bol” (a holding larger than a house but smaller than a half-farm) remained in Østrup, and in 1740 the rest of Østrup was redistributed.

The fields belonging to Østrupgaard, which lay together around the manor, were expanded with the manorial fields located around the village of Østrup. The last three farms in Østrup were moved out and their fields gathered around them. Only Østrup Skovgård remains today where the village once lay.

The relocation of Østrup is the first such redistribution in Denmark. Around the year 1800, all Danish villages were reorganised. Farms were moved out of the village community and now lie with their fields gathered around them. Each farmer had to manage his own land, unlike before when villagers farmed together.

Smallholder farms

The Archipelago Trail continues southwest along the asphalt road Østrup, and here you are presented with more Danish history: after the 1919 law abolishing feudal obligations, Østrupgaard had to give up the land west of the manor, and a series of smallholder farms were created. The small houses still lie along the road like pearls on a string.

The old Hov Road

The trail heads south, and after half a kilometre you reach the forest edge at Malsdam. Along the forest, the trail follows the old hov road, which farmers from Svanninge used as they walked to and from their labour obligations at Østrupgaard. The trail follows the hov road to the woods Tranesvænge and Enemærket. Here it descends into a steep wooded valley and crosses the stream Bøllebækken west of Rødhyldsgård.

Bøllebækken later becomes Møllebækken at Steensgaard. After another half kilometre, the trail reaches the junction between Kronborgvej and Nørremarken.

A large, connected nature area at Svanninge

Svanninge Nørremark, Svanninge Bakker, Hammerdammen, Sollerup Forest and Sollerup Meadows are owned by the Danish Nature Agency. Just east of this, the Bikuben Foundation owns the nature area Svanninge Bjerge. Altogether you enter nearly 10 square kilometres of connected natural landscape with forests.

There is a walking leaflet for the hills and mountains, available at the tourist office in Faaborg.

Svanninge Nørremark

The trail crosses Svanninge Nørremark to Overmarken, from where there are panoramic views in all directions. Near Overmarken, there is a “coffee spot”. To the north-northwest you can see Trebjerg. There are views over Helnæs Bay, Horneland, Faaborg, Svanninge Hills and the Archipelago. To the east lie the Svanninge Mountains.

If you want peace and quiet, walk in Nørremarken. Here there is a good chance of seeing hares, marsh harriers, buzzards and kestrels, and in late summer you might spot the striking black-and-yellow wasp spider sitting in its web low in the vegetation.

Faaborg Golf Course

The trail passes Dalkildegård, which serves as the clubhouse for Faaborg Golf Club. The course has 18 holes and is run with great consideration for nature and the environment. There is a café at Dalkildegård.

The trail crosses the golf course and leads you through a ravine where the forest has been allowed to grow wild, giving it a primeval character. There is a good chance of spotting roe deer here.

Svanninge Bakker

Soon you leave the forest and can see one of Funen’s most hilly landscapes – Svanninge Bakker. The area was shaped by ice at the end of the last Ice Age.

One of the first things you notice is a large stone wall standing at the bottom of one of the valleys – the Archipelago Trail passes the western end of it.

The stone wall marked the extent of the land belonging to Svanninge Rectory in earlier times. You can also see many old field boundaries crossing the hills in various directions.

The soil in Svanninge Bakker is sandy and nutrient-poor, so farmers had a bit of agriculture down in the valleys, while the hills were grazed by sheep. Until around the year 1900 the landscape was open and consisted of heath and grassland. Later it was planted with forest, partly to prevent sand drift.

The enclosure you are in covers 70 hectares, and here Galloway cattle, Gotland sheep and Boer goats graze. The animals keep the hills open so they do not grow over with scrub or forest.

The Danish Nature Agency works to preserve and expand the threatened habitat type known as grassland (overdrev) in Svanninge Bakker.

Grassland Landscape on Hestebakken

If you want to see a true grassland habitat, visit Hestebakken. From the large stone wall, the trail leads south-west. To the right – towards the northwest – lies a steep slope with grass, herbs and hawthorn bushes. This slope is Hestebakken.

On warm days this slope can become a colourful carpet of flowers visited by many butterflies and other insects. More than 125 different plant species have been recorded here, giving the hillside great biological diversity.

In May and June, whole sections of Hestebakken turn red with blooming ragged robin. The plant gets its name from the sticky bands on its stem, which prevent ants from climbing up and stealing pollen.

The Funen Painters

Around the year 1900, the Funen painters (“The Fynboerne”) Fritz Syberg, Jens Birkholm, Peter Hansen and Johs. Larsen – and later Harald Giersing – worked in this area.

Svanninge Bakker and Svanninge Bjerge were among their favourite motifs.

Faaborg Museum has placed eight large gilded frames throughout the hills where the artists found inspiration for some of their famous works. Here you can see and photograph exactly the same landscapes that once inspired the Funen painters, including the place where Fritz Syberg painted “Aftenleg i Svanninge Bakker”.

Download the free app Historiejagt Fyn, choose the route “Malernes Fyn”, and you can find both the location of each golden frame and a description or photograph of the painter and the painting created at that spot.

Following the Archipelago Trail onward, you reach Odensevej at Restaurant Skovlyst. West of the restaurant is a viewpoint tower, which is currently temporarily closed. Opposite Restaurant Skovlyst is the grill bar Restaurant Skovtrolden.

Svanninge Bjerge

The Archipelago Trail leads you through Svanninge Bjerge. The area was purchased by the Bikuben Foundation in 2005–2008 with the aim of creating a natural and landscape‑historical monument.

Since the foundation’s acquisition, extensive tree felling has been carried out, allowing you to experience how Denmark looked in different periods after the last Ice Age. You can also see how clay extraction and forestry have influenced the landscape.

The Bikuben Foundation has created several marked routes in Svanninge Bjerge. The routes have different themes, and you can find them – along with much more information – on the website www.svanningebjerge.dk.

The landscape alternates between forest and grassland. The grasslands are kept open by grazing, and the Bikuben Foundation maintains Denmark’s only herd of Welsh Black cattle.

Lerbjerg

The highlight of the Archipelago Trail in Svanninge Bjerge is Lerbjerg, which at 126 metres above sea level is Funen’s fourth highest point and offers fine views in clear weather.

From here the trail descends again. Just below the path that led you down from Lerbjerg lies a small poor fen, completely overgrown with peat moss (sphagnum). The brown‑water pools and bogs are rare on Funen, making them a special feature of the area.

The Archipelago Trail continues across Nyborgvej towards Norden. After a few hundred metres the trail splits, and the path heading southwest leads to Faaborg.