10 kmSvanninge Hills is a place where Funen suddenly becomes hilly. The paths lead through forest, open hills, and heathland, and from the area by the tower behind Restaurant Skovlyst, the view can stretch far across the South Funen landscape. In clear weather, both Als and Aabenraa are mentioned as points on the horizon.
The area is linked with Svanninge Mountains and Sollerup Forest and forms Funen’s largest continuous forest and natural area. Here you will find marked hiking trails, the Archipelago Trail, and routes for cyclists, so the trip can be short, long, or quite hilly. The grazing Galloway cattle and goats are part of the nature management; keep your distance, do not feed them, and keep your dog on a leash.
The landscape is not just nature. The hills contain traces of earlier use, including embankments, sunken lanes, ridge-and-furrow fields, and small gravel pits. The open hills have also inspired art: Fritz Syberg found the motif for Evening Play in Svanninge Hills here, which today belongs to Faaborg Museum. That gives the place a special duality: a walking landscape shaped by the Ice Age, wear and tear, forest planting, and the artist’s eye.
