Recommendations for good hiking routes
You can choose between many different routes of varying lengths, depending on what suits your needs. Below, you can read more about four beautiful hiking routes in Søhøjlandet.
The Vestermølle Trail – 4.4 km circular route
The trail starts at Vestermølle, Oddervej 80, and leads you past the old millpond, along Sønderbækken, down Skårup Kirkevej and back through forest and along fields. After your walk, you can visit Vestermølle with the old mill, the ochre hut and exhibitions. In the summer season, you can also board the tour boat Dagmar, which sails on Skanderborg Sø and stops at Vestermølle.
Båndet – 10 km
The hiking route “Båndet” takes you from Præstebro near Låsby Stationsby via Galten to Skovby on a varied tour through beautiful nature, landscapes, urban environments and exciting cultural history. “Båndet” follows the line of the former Hammelbane from Aarhus. On spor.dk you can read stories from the route – about everything from travelling tradespeople to old cavalry schools.
Himmelbjergruten. A part of the Gudenåstien – 52 km circular route
Himmelbjergruten forms the central part of the Gudenåstien and loops around Julsø. One route – many options. You can easily divide the tour into stages by taking the train or a tour boat. See the sailing schedule for the tour boats at hjejleselskabet.dk. There are train stations in Ry, Laven, Svejbæk and Silkeborg. Between Ålekroen and Skyttehusets Camping you can be ferried across by the small solar ferry, thereby shortening the route around Julsø. The ferry runs from March to October – see more at skyttehusetscamping.dk.
Suggested tours:
Day trip of approx. 26 km. Park the car at the long‑term parking area behind Kvickly Ry. Take the train to Silkeborg and walk either north or south of the lakes back to Ry.
Multi‑day tour with overnight stay:
1st stage: Laven – Himmelbjerget, 14 km. Have lunch and stock up in Ry, and stay overnight at Hotel Himmelbjerget.
2nd stage: Himmelbjerget – Silkeborg, 18 km. Stay overnight in Silkeborg or take train or tour boat with Hjejleselskabet to Laven (2‑day tour).
3rd stage: Silkeborg – Laven, 18 km (3‑day tour).
Aarhus‑Silkeborg hiking route – 80 km
You begin the tour in Aarhus at the former station from the Hammelbane, Carl Blochs Gade 28, or at one of the many train stations along the route (Skanderborg, Alken, Ry). The hiking route is waymarked with blue signs in Aarhus Kommune and with red pictograms on the rest of the route. Two routes are marked through Skanderborg: one route passes Skanderborg Trailcenter and Skanderborg Lystbådehavn, and one route leads through Skanderborg Bakker and past the station. There is also a marked path through Dyrehaven that bypasses the festival site when Smukfest takes place in August, and an alternative route at Boes if the water level in Mossø is high. Just follow the signs and enjoy the varied nature through Skanderborg, past Mossø, on to Ry and past Himmelbjerget.
Suggested division into three stages:
1st stage: Aarhus – Skanderborg, approx. 35 km
2nd stage: Skanderborg – Ry, approx. 35 km
3rd stage: Ry – Silkeborg, approx. 25 km
Suggested accommodation
Skanderborg: Shelter site at Illerup Ådal or Danhostel Skanderborg in Dyrehaven
Ry: Skimminghøj tent site or Hotel Birksø
Silkeborg: Ly Outdoor