Mols Hills - This land, the gods must have taken a lot of trouble with

Mols Hills - This land, the gods must have taken a lot of trouble with
This land, the gods must have taken a lot of trouble with painter and author Acton Friis stated in 1931 about the area around, what later became Femmøller Strand holiday village. But as early as 1909 Egil Fischer, who later became Denmark’s first urban planner, discovered the area, and stated that this was the place he wanted to live. However, he did not return until 1923. Here he devised a master plan for the area. He acquired many acres of land, and therewith he had started on planning Denmark’s first urban planned holiday village. Today, especially the many small houses and the Molskroen inn can be enjoyed, but also the many open spaces and the nature park are places worth visiting. Femmøller Strand is an excellent starting point when planning on visiting Ree Park, Scandinavian Wildlife Park and Djurs Sommerland pleasure park. Femmøller Strand is located by the coast about 3 miles from Ebeltoft, one of Denmark’s most beautiful and charming towns. Ebeltoft was founded around year 1200 in an area with a protecting inlet, which constituted a nice natural harbour. Ebeltoft already received its first municipal charter in 1302. Trading in Ebeltoft has always depended on the harbour. In 1901 a new harbour was constructed, and the same year, Ebeltoft was connected to the railway line from Aarhus to Grenaa. Ebeltoft remained a relatively small town with some industry, but with its nice beaches and old town environment, it quickly became a tourist town. Today, you will find the old frigate Fregatten Jylland and the glass museum.

Mols Hills - The heart of Denmark
The Danish government has pointed out southern Djursland as the second national park in Denmark, and its official opening was 29 august 2009. National park Mols Hills constitutes an area of 18,000 hectares, which, besides the actual Mols Hills, also comprise large woodlands, open grazing lands, lakes plus coastal and sea areas. Ebeltoft, the surrounding villages and summerhouse areas also belong to the national park. Mols Hills National Park offers great chances of ensuring coherent natural resorts, which will strengthen the plant- and animal life, thus offering good experiences of nature to visitors.

More than one way through the national park
The national park can be experienced on foot, on bike, on horseback or from the car. You do not have to experience the entire national park at once. The experience may be best, if it is divided into smaller bites. The Mols route from Grenaa to Aarhus is one of the bigger hikes or cycling tours, which runs through a great part of the national park. You will come in close contact with the cultivated land, the lakes, the hills and the coast along this route. Several places along the way, you will find primitive campsites. You could also stay the night at a local bed and breakfast in the area. You will find a wide variety of hiking and cycling routes in the national park. Several new ones will be added in the years to come, and with the existing ones, they constitute an extensive network of paths through the area.

You can also ride through...
If you wish to experience the national park on horseback, you have excellent possibilities of horseback riding through the woods at Kalø in the Mols Hills. There, you will also find parking areas, which are big enough to accommodate cars with horse trailers. If you visit the national park by car, it can be recommended to visit the corners of the park at for instance Iron Hat, islands, Fuglsø Beach, Kalø and Feldballe. The Mols Hills itself can also be experienced by car, because the heart of the big conservation area is open to the public. You will find plenty of parking areas, which make out starting points for marked-off paths for hikers. All the above mentioned descriptions can be found along with leaflets on www.danmarksnationalparker.dk/english/ Here you can also read more about the landscape, geology, nature and cultural history.

We thank for kind help and permission to use this text from the National Board of Natures folder Nationalpark Mols Hills: In the midst of the country - Near the water.