The Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker Nature Reserve (near Viborg, Denmark)

Midtjylland, Denmark is in the middle of Denmark’s peninsula and the home to many beautiful lakes and hills. If you are hoping to find the best natural places for a picnic or weekend hike, you will find them here. One such place that is not to miss and also offers a bit of Danish history and nature is located at the Hald Sø (Hald Lake) and Dollerup Bakker (Hills) just south of Viborg, Denmark near the town of Hald Ege.

Many people come to Denmark to see Copenhagen, but they miss out on all the great historical and natural places outside of Copenhagen. One such place that is not to miss and also offers a bit of Danish history and nature is located at the Hald Sø (Hald Lake) and Dollerup Bakker (Hills) just south of Viborg, Denmark near the town of Hald Ege.

Our Connection to the Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker

To be quite honest, we lived in the area for years and had no idea that such a place was so close to where we lived. We just so happened to be looking in a guide to Viborg from the tourist office, and we noticed that it talked about a ruined castle called the Hald Ruin. We just had tot check it out for ourselves!

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Hald Hovedgaard (Hald V)

We made our way south of Viborg, outside of the town of Hald Ege to the Hald Hovedgaard, which was a magnificent building made of red brick once used as a gatehouse and royal estate during the late 1700s. It was also built in the same spot that other manors had been built long before, dating back hundreds of years.

Since then, it had been bought by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency and is neighbors to the Nature School Viborg. I have heard that it can be rented out for large groups or organizations. It was located at the end of a T-shaped road, so there was no way we would miss it. It was also quite interesting at first glance.

We parked our car in the small lot next to the manor home and made our way to the back garden.

Hald (IV) Garden at the Hald Sø in Mid-Central Denmark

The garden to the Hald Hovedgaard (manor home) was quite a peaceful place with a large lawn, two small, white service buildings and a bunch of apple trees. The end of the gardens supplied a great view of the Dollerup Bakker, nature preserve, and the Hald Sø. We were there in the month of May, so it was very green with lots of buds and leaves on the trees.

The nice thing about Denmark, though, is that it is often very green throughout the year. The Hald Sø is definitely a place worth visiting in Denmark no matter the month or season.

Braving the Hills with Bad Knees

In the opinion of my children, the edge of the garden also offered one of the best hills to run down at lightening speeds. My kids were crazy! Those were some steep hills, but luckily, there were a few sets of stairs leading the way down for the less daredevil of visitors like myself.

As someone who recently had knee surgery, the stairs weren’t very nice for me, but it was later that I found an alternative way to access the path that didn’t include stairs or a tumble down a steep hill.

Looking for a campground in the area? Try the Hjarbaek Fjord Camping just north of Viborg, Denmark.

In between the Hald Hovedgaard and the large part of the garden, there is a path that you can take towards the fields. Here, you can access the water’s edge by walking through a nature path that slopes more easily down the hill to a gate that separates visitors from the main walking path.

I preferred this path, and it also would have been an easier way to see the next spot on our natural, walking tour of the Hald Sø area, the Brattingsborg Hald.

Brattingsborg Hald (Hald I)

Once we reached the bottom of the hill and found the path, we made our way to the left towards the castle ruin. This path was called Høegh Guldbergs Alle, which was a lime tree path dated back to the year 1800.

Along the way, we encountered a gate that lead into a field that had some mounds at the top of the hill. This was the only spot of the field where you could also find trees, so we knew that it had to be where the Brattingsborg Hald was located. We made our short detour up the hill to check out the area that was once used in the mid-1300s as a siege facility by King Valdemar Atterdag.

A Place for a Break From the Walk at Hald Sø

Just before we reached the hill, we found a wooden bench that had some information (in Danish) and a floorplan of the Brattingsborg Hald. It helped us get an idea of where we were going.

Walking up the hill felt like we were walking up to the magical stones in some Scottish story, but we were in fact, in Denmark going to a place where a large catapult once stood, ready to attack and conquer the original Hald that once stood in the place of the Hald Hovedgaard. You could almost feel the history just being present in that space.

My boys liked that it had some great climbing trees!

Hald Castle Ruin (Hald III) in Denmark

As we made our way back down the hill, we joined the path again at the part where a sign for the Hald Ruin was located. This was where the trees started to become fewer and fewer until we seemed to be walking on a small peninsula leading out to the ruin.

Our first glimpse of the Hald Ruin was like no other. Aside from the tower that we could see, it didn’t resemble a castle at all. In fact, it looked like a few, small hills that seemed oddly out-of-place on this small patch of land that would have been its own island had this walking path not been there to separate it from the rest of the lake. 

Looks Like a Hobbit House

A closer look of the ruin made us feel that we had stepped into J.R.R Tolkien’s world of the Hobbits, since one of the hills had a stone wall on the side resembling that of a hobbit home. From all the very tall people I knew in Denmark, I knew very well that it wasn’t the land of the hobbits and that this was actually part of the castle ruin instead.

Det tredje Hald or the third Hald was also referred to as Bispens Hald or Bishop’s Hald. It is weird to think that it wasn’t a home of a duke or a prince or any other royal person, but it was, in fact, built by a Catholic bishop in the mid-1500s.

Later, it was controlled by King Christian III who’s sheriff maintained it after Reformation came to Denmark. It passed to other people since that time and was then left abandoned at some point in the 1600s. It was amazing to think that we could still see parts of it over 400 years later!

Check out the Hvolris Jernalderlandsby Viking and Iron Age Open Air Museum, just 30 minutes north of the Hald Sø.

Old Hald Sø Ruin Can Be a Playground

This place was a great playground for my boys. They usually like to live without limits when it comes to mysterious places, so they were very excited for all of the of crawling, climbing and exploring that they did at the ruined castle.

They were so fast getting to the top of the hills, that I didn’t even noticed them sliding down a dirt path on their bottoms until they were nearly halfway to the bottom. There went another pair of decent pants for both boys! 

Tower of the Ruined Castle

The second place that the boys loved was the tower of the Hald Ruin. This was actually a late addition to the grounds, since it was built in the 1800s. We were able to go inside and play around in the different hollowed-out areas within the tower, see the views from the different windows and also walk to the top for the best view from the ruin.

Finding Adventure in the Valts of Hald Sø at Dollerup Bakker

Another fun area to explore was the part of the ruin called “the basement vaults”. This was directly across the grounds from the tower and had so many “secret” places that my boys couldn’t get enough of it all and needed both mom and dad to crawl underneath with them.

A tunnel near these basement vaults led to the other side of the hill and the water’s edge. Again, my little boys were through that tunnel and climbing on a fallen tree faster than Superman could fly.

Tree Climbing at Hald Sø

Where do these boys get the energy or the bravery? One of them was bound to fall in teh water. I secretly cursed myself under my breath for not thinking to pack an extra change of clothes for both of them, but how was I supposed to know how involved they would get in and around the Lake Hald. That will be something to keep in mind for the next time we visit. 

We were only able to pry them off the trees by telling them that they could climb up to the top of the hills and run around. That helped us get them back on track for the rest of our day exploring one of Midtjylland’s best natural areas just south of Viborg, Denmark.

Are you interested in other family activities in nature in Denmark? Try the Mønsted Kalkgruber, the largest limestone mines in the world.

Hald Sø (Hald Lake) south of Viborg, Denmark

The Hald Sø or Lake is one of the deepest lakes in all of Denmark, reaching up to 101 feet / 31 meters, and some scientist believe that it was formed from glaciers during the ice age. To us, it seemed like the perfect scenery for a casual, Sunday walk in nature to explore more of Denmark. We were practicing social distancing in Denmark and couldn’t think of doing that in a better place.

Informative Places to Rest

On our walk back towards the Hald Hovedgaard, we noticed other benches and signs like the one we found at the Brattingsborg Hald. They gave information about the area, which was was a nice way to help visitors learn history at the same time as enjoying nature. 

There were also more trees to climb for the boys. They seemed to act like proper monkeys going from one tree to the next without any care for the water below. These trees offered an open invitation for them, which was enough of a reason to put this location on my Denmark itinerary with kids or Denmark road trip with kids.

Another Visit to the Hald Sø in Denmark in the Fall

Because we loved our day at Hald Sø so much and because we had realized that we didn’t get to see all of what the area had to offer, we decided to return to the western side of the lake one day in the month of September. We wanted to have a new experience at the lake, so we decided to pack a picnic lunch and see what else we could find.

Parking on the Western Coast of the Hald Sø near Viborg, Denmark

As we drove to the western edge of the lake, which was south of the Hald Hovedgaard building, we noticed that there were three options for parking that were very close to the local Kro/inn. One was next to the Kro and the other two were on the side of the road that was closest to the water. Since the two lots closest to the Kro were full, we decided to park at the other lot that was a bit north of the Kro.

Row Boats for Rent at Hald Sø

This was very close to the row boats, which you could actually rent from the Kro if you wanted to see all the sights from the middle of the lake. The first parking lot in which we parked was actually the closest one to the boats, which would have been nice had we thought a head to rent one!

If we chose to walk to the left, we would have found the Hald Hovedgaard (Hald V), which was not too far away. Since we had already been there, we decided to cross the street to enter the forest and find the Children’s Hald / historical playground.

Magical Path to the Historical Playground at Hald Sø

We had no idea where we were going, but we knew that we needed to travel south in the woods towards the Kro, if we were going to find a one-of-a-kind playground that our boys would surely love. From what I had heard, it was in the shape of a large boar, so it would be hard for us to miss. At first, we noticed a hill that went straight up. It took us by surprise, but we were prepared to go at a snail’s pace if needed to get to the top.

Do you love finding unique playgrounds? Check out the one at the Vikingegaard Fyrkat, Viking village just east of Viborg, Denmark.

Magical Mushrooms and Mystical Creatures

Once up there, we didn’t walk long before we started to find some very interesting things in the forest. Some of which were little, colorful mushrooms made out of what seemed like trash. Later, I found out that these mushrooms were a part of a treasure hunt (skattejagt) that visitors could do while visiting the forest. 

Along the path leading to the playground, there were also other items that the children found to be quite interesting. The first two were a sword and shield, the next was a baby wolf, and the last was a baby boar.

Forest Walk Adventure for Kids at Hald Sø

These items helped build up the suspense of finding the playground, and it helped take the boys’ minds off of the fact that they were exerting physical energy without playing. Finding the objects in the forest was like a game for them, and finding the playground was the ultimate reward at the end.

The Historical Playground (Children’s Hald) at Hald Sø

A long wooden path appeared out of the forest and curved around a corner of the woods to an opening that held the very large playground. From this side of the Children’s Hald / historical playground, we couldn’t quite tell what we were looking at until we got closer.

It was, as we had heard, a giant boar and its home. The boys seemed to attack the playground at lightening speeds with excitement.

The obvious choice was to go with what was closest to them, so, they went into the home of the boar. Then, they climbed up the tower and slid down the slide. After that, they ventured into the boar himself before finally going to climb the tall grasses. To say they loved playing there would be an understatement. 

Hald Sø Picnic

At the edge of the playground, my husband and I found a couple of fallen tree trunks, which is where we set our blanket and got ready for our picnic.

Shelter at Hald Sø

Up the hill from the playground, I had seen signs that said “WC” with an arrow suggesting that the toilet building was just down the path. I can probably speak for every parent when I say how thankful I was for that close bathroom. Kids always seem to have to need one when you least expect it!

In the area of the WC at the top of the hill, there was also an area of shelters and a small spot for parking. This is the type of place that school groups and scout troops often use, but could also be a nice spot for a picnic.

Fire Pit Areas at Hald Sø

The side paths of the playground lead us to a fire pit that can be used by visitors. There is also a small table just to the side of the pit and tree-trunk benches that would be helpful to use for food prep.

Niels Bugges Kro Hotel and Restaurant

At the other end of the playground is the Niels Bugges Kro. This is an inn that is named after Niels Bugge, a nobleman who bought the land in the mid 1300s. He built a huge castle with moat and outer wall. Unfortunately, he was a well-known enemy of King Valdemar. This was the reason he met his death and lost all rights to his castle.

Weekend Getaway at the Niels Bugges Kro

His coat of arms happened to have a boar on it, which can actually be seen on the sign to the Kro. It is probably part of the reason that the children’s playground is shaped like a boar. Visitors to the Kro can stay in a hotel with beautiful views of the lake. The Kro also has a multi-course, gourmet meal in its restaurant.

Finding an Enchanted Forest

Next to the Kro, we found the forest to be quite enchanting. With lots of trees, moss, mushrooms, shrubs, fallen logs and other plants, the forest could have been straight from the musical Into the Woods.

At any moment, a magical creature or witch could appear, and I wouldn’t have thought anything strange about it. The Troldeslugten, translated into English means “the troll’s gossip”. It is a gorge surrounded by beech trees and filled with water from glacial streams.

Beautiful Waterfall

Beside the Troldeslugten was a beautiful little waterfall. The many paths that start at the Niels Bugges Kro led not only into a forested area, but also flatlands and old burial mounds. I could already tell that we would need to return again for a day of hiking, and since Denmark stays relatively green all year round, we had an open invitation to enjoy our next hike here.

Do you like the idea of finding magical creature? Go on a troll hunt to find the Tree Trolls of Rural, Central Denmark.

Niels Bugges Hald (Hald II) at Hald Sø in Denmark

Across from the Niels Bugges Kro was a parking lot that had a gate leading to another path. This path led the way to the Niels Bugges Hald, which was Hald II of “de fem Halder”. It was where Niels Bugge’s castle once stood overlooking the Hald Sø in the 1300s. Now, it is just a flat hill with a fantastic view. It was just too bad that the place wasn’t still around. That would have been a sight to see.

Dollerup Bakker in Midtjylland, Denmark

Our last stop on our tour of the Hald Sø was at the Dollerup Bakker, or the hills of Dollerup. These majestic, rolling hills filled with heather, sheep and horses was located on the south-western most point of the lake. This was near the village of Dollerup. Hills and horses are pretty common for this area, but I was very awestruck by the heather!

For some reason, I just never pictured there being much of that in this part of Denmark.  The horses were also very beautiful to gaze upon. They walked right up to the fence when they saw me. Nice!

Ice Cream, Beautiful Views and Playground at Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker

I also noticed that some of the best views of the lake were actually found while sitting at a picnic table outside the ice cream shop. I could imagine coming here for a beautiful sunset sometime. That would be nice to see over the lake. 

There was also a small, wooden playground next to the ice cream shop, as well. This is the best place to take a break on the Dollerup Bakker. There was a parking lot just across the street. You wouldn’t need to go far to get a nice snack and a beautiful view. 

Overall impressions of the Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker

I would highly recommend visiting the Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker! It is a great place for those who love the outdoors. Hald Sø and Dollerup Bakker has great natural beauty, while letting you learn about history at the same time.

Since Denmark can be quite a wet and muddy country, be prepared to get dirty. Also, if you love being out on a row boat, you should look into renting a boat from the Kro. We didn’t do this, but it is on our list for next time. I would also really like to eat at the Kro! It might be best for a date night instead of a place to take my wild and crazy kids. Picnics are quite a good idea when traveling with them!

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