Scenery and nature

The green markings show the extent of the ice during the last ice age. Hærvejen, which is marked in red, by and large follows the outer limits of the ice covering.

Undulating moorland with junipers, Dollerup Bakker.

Oak brushwood in Stenholt Forest.

The ice and Hærvejen

The position of Hærvejen is determined by the formation of the landscape by the ice age. For a long time the ice front followed what is known as the main stationary line – i.e. the limit of the ice covering during the last ice age – shown in green on the map. The ice had pushed large quantities of clay, gravel and rocks ahead of the glacier. The glacial streams ran westward across the areas not covered by ice. Once the ice had retreated, eastward outlets were also made possible. In the time after the ice age this would mean that the streams on either side of the ice front would take either an eastern of western course. The area between the eastward and westward streams is called the water divide. This was the easiest route for passing dry-shod through Jutland, and hence Hærvejen was established along the water divide.

The moorland

Formerly, Hærvejen passed through large, open moors that had come into being as a result of wood clearances and the exhaustion of farm land since ancient times. Around the year 1800, more than a quarter of Jutland was covered in moorland. Encouraged by The Danish Land Development Service and improved farming methods, the sandy soil was once again farmed. Another method for getting rid of the moorland was by planting conifers – especially Norway spruce. Farming and planting has meant that today there is less than three per cent of moorland left in Jutland. Some of the most spectacular moors in Denmark, such as Randbøl Hede, Vrads Sande and Dollerup Bakker, are situated along Hærvejen, and indeed the road also passes many smaller moors.

The springs

Since Hærvejen runs along the water divide, it passes many springs. The largest are the sources of Skjernåen and Gudenåen at Tinnet, where the two large streams have their sources only a few hundred metres apart and run westward and eastward, respectively. At the lake, Bølling Sø, which has been restored to its original condition, there is another huge area with springs running either westward to Karup Å or eastward to Funder Å.

Woodland and plantations

Hærvejen passes some of Denmark's most fascinating oak woods. Near Hald, there is an ancient and practically untouched oak wood, and in Stenholt Forest and near Tinnet there are large oak brushwoods. Oak brushwoods are a result of soil conditions and pollarding. This forestry method based on rootsuckers produced oak wood suitable for fence wood and firewood.

Many of the plantations along Hærvejen were established when the moors were planted. Today they are large conifer plantations of which Kompedal, Bommerlund, Frederikshåb and Frøslev are among the largest on the route. The majority are Norway spruce plantations, though there are also quite a few pine forests, for instance in Stursbøl Plantation.

Lakes and bogs

Lakes abound along Hærvejen. A few kilometres south of Viborg, Hald Lake is surrounded by a splendid, hilly landscape. South of Vrads, the road takes you past the Tingdal lakes. Among those are a couple of the cleanest lakes in Denmark. A few kilometres to the west of the source of Skjernåen, you will find Rørbæk Lake, a fine area for hiking. Moreover, Hærvejen passes many other lakes in idyllic surroundings, e.g. Engelsholm Lake, Fårup Lake and the Jels lakes.

Hærvejen mostly skirts bogs and meadows, since in the first place the purpose of the road was to ensure a dry-shod journey. However, in Southern Jutland the road passes close by the two bogs, Abkær Mose and Stengelmose. Here you will find raised bog with peat mosses and cotton grass. However, we do not recommend that you venture into the bogs. In the past, many travellers simply disappeared if they lost their way and ended up in a bog hole!

St. Johnswort blooms along the roadside in June and July.

On the moors, the mountain cranberry is in bloom in May and June. The berries are ripe in September to October.

Lizards are common on the moors – though getting close to them may be rather difficult.

Flora

A large part of Hærvejen passes through cultivated land, where the wild flora abounds along the roadsides, in hedgerows and in brushwoods. In May and June the side of the road is alight with the white cow parsley. Later on in the year, a huge variety of flowers may be found, such as St. Johnswort, field scabious, yarrow and poppies.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to visit the moors in August and September, when they are ablaze with purple heather. In the spring and summer, the moors also have many flowering other plants. The tiny, dark purple thyme forms cushions of flowers in amongst the heather, and if you are lucky, you may spot the yellow flowers of the mountain tobacco. In the autumn, there are berries to be found on the moors: mountain cranberry, bilberry and crowberry On some of the moors, there are plenty of junipers, though the "berries" of this plant is not a berry as such, but rather a meaty cone.

In springtime – before the foliage come out – the deciduous forests are teeming with flowers such as anemone, sweet woodruff and lily of the valley. The floor of the coniferous forest is dark all year round and so it lacks the beautiful spring flowers of the deciduous forest. However, many moorland plants may be spotted in clearings. Patches of cleared forest are often completely covered by the mauve willowherb. In the late summer and the autumn, there are many mushrooms - though they should only be gathered by people with experience!

Wildlife

The best place for seeing reptiles in Denmark is on the moors. On hot days beware of the adder, which is fairly common. There are many common lizards, and occasionally you may encounter the harmless slow worm that looks like a snake, but is not. Insects too, are widely represented – in fact, sometimes a little too much, since horse flies can be very annoying on a hot summer day. However, the many colourful butterflies may make up for some of the discomfort along with the numerous bees out collecting honey from the heather.

The yellowhammer is common in hedgerows and brushwoods along the roadside

One of the most common birds in the bushes and trees along Hærvejen is probably the yellowhammer, whose song will accompany the traveller from early spring until late summer. In the summer, it is joined by the whitethroat that sings as it flies from one bush to another. In the fields, the song of the larch is the most common backdrop to a trip on Hærvejen.

On sunny days, you often see the buzzards gliding in the sky above the countryside. It will usually be assailed by crows that detest its presence. Even so, the buzzard mostly feeds on mice, so their anger is not really justified.

In more desolate areas, you may be lucky to see ravens – which will lend an appropriate aura to the relics from ancient times. The raven was the bird of Odin – in fact he had two: Hugin and Munin – who reported the happenings of the world to him. They are found in the town arms of Vojens that depicts two ravens. The name of Vojens actually means "the sacred possession of Odin".