840 mLille Vildmose Centre
Nearby first stop with interpretation, family activities, and access to the rest of Lille Vildmose
Lille Vildmose is not a small bog in the usual sense, but a vast landscape of raised bog, forests, former peat extraction sites and open areas. Here, the experience is just as much about distances, silence and birds over the water as it is about the chance to spot large animals in the terrain.
In Høstemark Forest and Tofte Forest, nature differs from the open bog areas. The forests are grazing forests and natural forests, where large herbivores have helped keep the forest landscape more open and varied over a long period. Today, red deer and wild boar are among the animals that characterise the area; wild boar live only in Tofte Forest and Bog.
The birdlife is another reason to linger a little longer at the viewpoints. The area is mentioned as being important for, among others, cranes, white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, European nightjars and several species associated with open landscapes and forest edges.
At the restored Birkesø, nature restoration becomes very visible. The lake has attracted abundant birdlife, and a viewing pavilion is located at its northern end. A path leads from Lille Vildmosecentret to the pavilion, and a footpath east of the lake offers the opportunity for a walk through the open bog area.
Birkesø disappeared as a lake for more than 250 years. It was drained in 1761 to create agricultural land, but in 2017 the water returned as a shallow lake of about 130 hectares.
The restoration was meant to give Lille Vildmose a more natural water balance and reduce drainage at Tofte Mose. At the northern end there is an observation platform, and three small islands have been created for ground-nesting birds. Beneath the water surface lies an old lake bed that sank as the bog was excavated and drained.
Lille Vildmose Centre is located in the middle of the bog and serves as a concrete starting point before the landscape becomes vast, wet, and more difficult to navigate. The exhibitions tell the story of the bog’s formation, people, plants, and animals, and the Info Center can provide tips for continuing the trip.
Access to the centre includes, among other things, a nature playground, wild boar enclosure, picnic room, observation tower, cinema, and eagle simulator. From the platform, the Peat Train runs toward Birkesø on selected days. In the parking lot, the bird sounds in the trees may, however, turn out to be loudspeakers.
Portland Bog is the part of Lille Vildmose where the bog’s wildness has a distinct industrial afterword. Aalborg Portland Cement dug peat here from 1937 to 1963, and at one point around 1,200 men worked in the bog.
The old cutting tracks still lie there as long, water-filled cuts through the landscape. Restoration is mainly about retaining the water so that sphagnum and raised bog species get better conditions, while birch has a harder time taking over.
The wild boars in Lille Vildmose belong in Tofte Forest, an enclosed reserve in the southern part of the bog. The population is described as old and isolated; Naturbasen states that wild boars have lived here since 1926.
Tofte Forest is normally closed to the public, so the most concrete opportunity is at the Lille Vildmose Centre. Here the wild boars are fed daily at 11:15, 13:15 and 15:15 by an automatic feed barrel in the interpretation area Det Vilde.
The Peat Train is Lille Vildmose Centre’s guided narrow-gauge train from the platform at Møllesøgaard to Birkesø, a stretch of about 750 metres. Along the way, the train passes into the Central Area, where elk and red deer have been introduced.
At Birkesø, there is a stop at the pavilion with the possibility of observing bird and wildlife around the lake. The train also points back to the bog’s working history: narrow gauge tracks and tip wagons were once practical tools in peat extraction.
