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11. Jels

Here you can get a map that is more suitable for print:

	The Hærvej bicycle route, asphalt/gravel		Camping site
	The Hærvej hiking route		Youth hostel
	Second bicycle route		Tourist information
	Sight		Hostel
	Bathing place		Shop
	Primitive tent place		Area with a hiking folder

The hiking route goes through Haraldsholm Skov before it meets the bicycle route that comes to Jels from the west. The Jels lakes lie beautifully surrounded by forests and hills. From Jels the route goes southwards through the fascinating Stursbøl Plantage. The hiking route goes further through Oksenvad Hede which is a plantation on the north side of Nørreå.

The Jels lakes seen from the air. The lowest is Jels towards Søndersø, and at the top to the left you can skim Midtsø where Jels Voldsted lies.

1. Jels Voldsted

When you come to Jels, it can be worth making a stay at the Jels lakes, both to experience the nature and to see Jels Voldsted. The old embankment place lies by Midtsø, a few kilometres north of Jels. The embankment place was mentioned for the first time in 1231. It is very likely that it is a Viking castle. Hærvejen had a trace just at the south end of Nedersø, so the castle had a good strategic position because they could control the traffic from here. Jels Voldsted was for many years after 1920 and again after 1945 the frame of big national meetings. Here you will find a picnic area.

In the folder Jels Skovene og Jels Søerne (The Forest and Nature agency) hikes in Barsbøl and Klaskeroj Skov are described.

2. Jels

In Jels the Hærvej tracks met to cross Jels Stream just after its start in the Jels lakes. Jels Mill, which is a windmill from 1859, is known as the town’s landmark. It was in use until 1971. The mill is beautifully restored and opens to the public. In a part of the mill a tourist agency is furnished.

The second of the town’s landmarks stands cast in bronze on a plinth towards Nedersø: the Jels girl. Here is also an open-air swimming pool with a resort area and an open-air theatre. Close by is the Orion Planetarium.

3. Stursbøl Plantage and Oksenvad Hede

The hiking route goes through Stursbøl Plantage by a small path, while the bicycle route follows forest roads. Several places in Stursbøl Plantage you will follow ramifications of Hærvejen. As the plantation lies on the ridge, where only a few streams must be crossed, the place very likely was used by travellers for millenniums. The connection to the antiquity is seen especially by the total of 70 Bronze Age hills that lie in connection with the Hærvej tracks.

South of the plantation one comes past the old Hærvej inn in Stursbøl which today is called Café Ellegård. The hiking route goes southwards past the prince’s Hill through the plantation Oksenvad Hede which lies along Nørre Å.

In the folder Stursbøl Plantage (The Forest and Nature agency) hikes in the plantation are described.

4. Mojbøl

In the stream valley you can see a medieval ford that existed for some hundreds of years and has been repaired 3 times. There is an information board in the place – read more on Haderslev Museums side om udgravningen.

5. Slevad Bridge

The bicycle and the hiking route meet by Slevad Bridge. The Hærvej tracks show that the travellers from former times also used the crossings by Slevad and Oksenvad. A sign shows into a burial mound from the Iron Age. As the hill has been unearthened, one can see its structure with a double stone ring.

Links to trip folders:

Jels Skovene og Jels Søerne (The Forest and Nature agency) . Hikes in Barsbøl and Klaskeroj Skov by the Jels lakes.

Stursbøl Plantage (The Forest and Nature agency). Hikes in Stursbøl Plantage with the magic forest.