Lille Vildmose

Lille Vildmose is the biggest raised bog left in the lowlands of northwest Europe, a flat expanse of peat, cotton grass, birch scrub and dark pools east of the motorway between Aalborg and Hadsund. Parts of it were cut for peat for decades and are now being rewetted; other parts, the fenced forests of Tofte and Hostemark, have been closed to the public so long that they hold some of the least disturbed woodland in the country. Red deer and wild boar live inside the fences, elk were released in 2016 to graze back the scrub, and both golden and white-tailed eagles nest here. Wooden towers and boardwalks let you look over the bog without walking on it.

History

Rye was grown in Lille Vildmose before the Middle Ages, and hemp was introduced after about 1140. Between 1360 and 1540 farming declined and land was abandoned after the Black Death, and woodland grew back; after 1540 farming intensified again, mainly rye and hemp, and by 1760, when the area belonged to the Lindenborg estate, more than 5,000 ha were tilled for the estate farm of Vildmosegård. Reclamation in the early 19th century started a peat industry, since stopped altogether, partly for conservation. In 2003 Lille Vildmose was chosen with Mols Bjerge and Møn for a pilot project for Danish national parks, and the visitor centre, designed by C. F. Møller Architects, opened in 2006 (Wikipedia, Lille Vildmose).

The landscape

• The open bog - peat, cotton grass and pools seen from boardwalks and viewing towers.
• Elk and red deer - large grazers kept to stop the bog turning into scrub.
• Eagles - white-tailed and golden eagles that nest inside the reserve.
• The visitor centre - exhibits on peat and bog formation, plus guided trips into the fenced areas.

When to go

Spring for birdsong and eagle activity, September and October for the red deer rut, which carries a long way from the towers. Midday in high summer is the dullest hour to arrive. The visitor centre keeps seasonal hours and is closed for much of the winter, so check before driving out.

What to expect

Wildlife here is a matter of luck and patience, and plenty of visitors see little beyond birds. Without binoculars the whole place reads as a flat brown field. The largest and most interesting fenced forests can only be entered on organised trips. Mosquitos are serious in summer, and there is no shelter at all on the boardwalks.

Nearby

Rebild Hills and Rold Forest lie west; Aalborg is about half an hour north.

Key facts