Gribskov Municipality: Trails, Lakes and Culture

Gribskov Municipality combines extensive forest landscapes, bodies of water, historic trails and an unusually diverse range of cultural sites. Between Gribskov and the coastal towns of North Zealand, there are routes for hikers, cyclists and horse riders, as well as monasteries, museums, lighthouses and archaeological evidence. The individual destinations showcase very different sides of this landscape.

Nature

The eastern boundary of Gribskov runs along the western shore of Lake Esrum. The lake is designated as an EU habitat area. There are six signposted hiking trails in the forest, including both short and long routes. Along the Gribskov–Esrum hiking route, there are fire pits, an overnight camping site and a toilet.

Smaller bodies of water also shape the landscape. Store Gribsø is a rare humic lake type in Denmark. Its water is brown because of humic substances flowing in from bogs. More than 30 wetlands have so far been restored in Gribskov, including several bogs, ponds and artificially created lakes associated with the Pøle Å.

Trails

The signposted routes make the landscape accessible in different ways. Regional cycling route 32 consists of Tisvildestien and Pøleåstien. It runs for a total of 28 kilometres from Hillerød through the western part of Gribskov to Tisvildeleje. Gillelejestien, also known as Route 33, is a signposted 27-kilometre cycling route from Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød to Gilleleje Station.

There are 40 kilometres of signposted bridleways for horse riders in Gribskov. Four fenced areas serve as rest stops for horses. The approximately 16-kilometre Parforce riding route follows old historic hunting and riding trails through the southern part of the forest. Another option for active days is Tisvildevejen: The 77-kilometre nature and cultural heritage trail largely follows a medieval pilgrimage route from Esrum Monastery to the Saint Helene Spring in Tisvilde.

A 13-kilometre trail runs around Lake Søborg and can be used by pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. The Parforce Cycle Route 105 starts at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød and leads deep into Gribskov along historic hunting trails. This means that the routes offer both experiences of nature and traces of the historic use of the landscape in close proximity to one another.

Culture

Esrum Monastery & Møllegård is a vibrant cultural site that recalls the medieval history of the monastery: a place of faith, doubt, knowledge and influence, as well as its close connection with nature. In the cellar of Esrum Monastery, visitors can learn about the many life stories that have left their mark on the monastery’s history and architecture. The building encompasses 900 years of Danish history.

The monastery includes the Monastery Garden, with more than 150 plant species from medieval medicinal herb, spice plant and vegetable gardens. The garden is open around the clock and can be visited at any time. Esrum Monastery also offers the bookable guided tour “Smag på Klosterhaven”.

Munkeruphus houses an exhibition venue for contemporary art in a listed building by the sea. In the adjacent Munkerup Park, there is an art and nature laboratory serving as an experiential and learning space for children and young people. The Gilleleje Museum presents the history of the occupation, as well as holiday and fishing life, in four buildings, each with its own exhibitions. It also presents the flight of Danish Jewish women and men to Sweden in 1943 through eyewitness accounts and historical sources.

History

One of the prominent historic destinations is Nakkehoved Lighthouse. The site consists of two lighthouses: the taller Vestre Fyr and the smaller Østre Fyr. A lighthouse museum is housed in the former lighthouse keeper’s residence at Vestre Fyr. Nakkehoved Lighthouse can be reached via an approximately 1.5-kilometre walk from the harbour of Gilleleje along Fyrstien and the coast.

The Parforce Hunting Landscape in North Zealand comprises 120 kilometres of hunting trails and approximately 4,500 hectares of land. In 2015, UNESCO designated it as cultural heritage worthy of protection. An even older trace is a well-preserved passage grave complex from the Neolithic period, approximately 5,000 years old.

Søborg Castle was built in the 12th century by Archbishop Eskil as a fortified complex enclosed by a ring wall and moat. In the Middle Ages, the castle was one of the largest and most heavily fortified castles in Denmark. At the Rudolph Tegner Museum & Statue Park, 14 statues can be seen in the heath-covered hills outside the museum.

Getting around

The Gribskov and Hornbæk railways run through Gribskov. One connection runs between Hillerød and Helsingør via Gilleleje, while the other runs between Hillerød and Tisvildeleje. Bicycles are carried free of charge. In addition, five bus routes run through Gribskov.

More destinations

You can also discover Fredensborg, Frederiksberg, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, Gladsaxe, Allerød Municipality, Helsingør, Albertslund and Gentofte.

For the overarching travel overview: Hovedstaden.