Egtved Girl’s Trail follows the landscape where Vejle Valley and Egtved Valley meet: up onto slopes, down toward streams and through the contrast between open commons and denser vegetation. This is not a trip that is only about getting from A to B; along the way the terrain changes enough that you can feel the valley in your legs.
The area is protected and hilly, with dry, nutrient-poor patches alongside wet and fertile places. Meadows, bogs, small heaths, scrub and springs lie close together, creating good conditions for a rich plant and animal life. Look especially for the transition between the grazed commons and the damper valley stretches; this is where the valley shows its slightly uneven, living mosaic.
The name draws on the Egtved Girl, who was buried at Egtved Holt in the Bronze Age. At Egtved Holt, the trail can be combined with a detour to the reconstructed burial mound, while Egtved Girl’s World conveys the story out in the landscape without traditional museum rooms. The historical narrative is not laid over the nature like decoration, but serves as a reminder that people have moved through the same valleys for more than 3,000 years.
Please note that information about the route varies between the original 14 km route, a 7 km stage and a newer 12.5 km orange-marked day route. Therefore, check the current route locally before planning your trip.
At Tågelundgård Plantation there is a parking area with access to a short round trip of about 3–3.4 km. The route follows forest roads through conifer plantation and continues along heather-covered slopes, where Egtved River Valley begins to show its teeth.
Along the way, a viewpoint and picnic tables have been recorded, and the area lies on the edge of a hilly valley landscape with grasslands, springs and rich fen as the natural backdrop.
The parking area south of Nybjerg Mill is the starting point for the yellow route “Nybjerg Mill”. The recorded walk is 4.5 km, but with up to a 27.5% incline it is more legwork than the distance suggests.
The route runs along both sides of Egtved River Valley with viewpoints and open grasslands, kept open by horses and cattle. Nybjerg Mill itself is private, so the experience lies in the valley around it.
Nybjerg Mill is one of the clear cultural traces in Egtved Å Valley, where the drop in the watercourses was formerly used as energy. The present red-painted mill building with a thatched roof dates from 1850, and the mill was originally a grain mill with two undershot water wheels.
Flour was ground here until 1991. During habitat restoration in 1990, the channels were closed off, changing the path of the water through the old mill complex. Today, the mill is a private residence.
On the slopes down towards Egtved River Valley, the horses are not decoration in the landscape, but working animals. Their grazing helps keep the grasslands open, so low-growing grassland plants are not shaded out by tall herbs, bushes and trees.
These steep, dry soils in particular contain grassland of national significance with rare plants, fungi and insects. Keep your distance from the animals, stay on the paths and leave your packed lunch in your bag.
