Hald Lake and Dollerup Hills

Hald So lies in a tunnel valley cut by water under the ice sheet, which is why it is unusually deep for a Danish lake and unusually steep-sided, with the Dollerup Hills rising sharply on the western shore in slopes of heather and grass that are among the more dramatic pieces of inland Jutland. Four successive manor houses called Hald were built around the lake between the medieval period and the eighteenth century, and the remains of all four survive at different points, including a moated medieval site on a promontory. The last one is now a writers' and translators' centre. Paths run round the lake and up onto the hills, and the Haervejen long-distance route passes through.

What you actually see

• A deep tunnel-valley lake - steep-sided and unusual for Denmark.
• The Dollerup heather hills - steep open slopes on the western shore.
• Four generations of manor - remains of successive houses around the lake.
• The Haervejen route - the old military road passing along the valley.

When to go

April to October, with August and September for the heather in flower on the hills. Half a day for a circuit. Autumn colour in the beech woods along the shore is good. Winter walks are fine but muddy.

Honest expectations

The hills are steep and paths are rough in places. There is little interpretation of the manor sites and they take some finding. Parking areas fill on summer weekends. Swimming is possible but the lake is cold and deep.

Nearby

Viborg and its cathedral are north; the Haervejen path runs south.