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3 hikes in the Paradise Hills

If you are looking for a hike in a beautiful wild landscape, try the Paradise Hills. Here are three walks in one of Bornholm's most hilly and natural areas.

Gitte Holtze

Hiker and outdoor freak as well as journalist, lecturer and author of "jeg lever" about Gitte's hike along the Pacific Crest Trail and "Gå langt", a guidebook to long hikes.

Trekandtell.dk

One of Bornholm’s most beautiful and wildest nature areas is Paradisbakkerne (the Paradise Hills) in the island’s southeastern part. Bornholm’s largest Rocking Stone is here, but the area is much more than the vast boulder. Here you will also find rift valleys, lakes, heather meadows, bright beech forests, deep coniferous forests and paradisiacal views from the top of steep ascents because it is no coincidence that the area is called the hills.

The Paradise Hills are equipped with paths for cyclists, horse riders and – especially – for hikers. In addition to the 67-kilometre-long cross-island hike called Højlyngsstien that passes through the hills and valleys, three marked circular trails of different lengths lead past some of the Paradise Hills’ most fascinating nature experiences.

Find out more about the trails here.

1. Red trail

Marked with a red circle

Length: About 3 kilometres and takes about an hour.

Difficulty: It goes up and down a bit, but the trip is otherwise relatively easy, also for children. Regular shoes (that can withstand getting a little muddy in wet weather) are fine. The trail is well marked and easy to follow.

Parking: At Klintebygård.

Restroom: In the parking lot.

Water: You can refill water in the restroom in the parking lot.

The trail starts at the car park and passes Fjeldstauan, Denmark’s first hostel, before reaching the Rocking Stone, Bornholm’s most famous erratic boulder. The impressive giant boulder lies at the bottom of a slightly sloping valley in the forest. And yes, it rocks.

Shortly after the Rocking Stone, the trail passes Grydesøen (Pot Lake). Stop and enjoy the view of the lake from the top of the cliff just west of it. The view is fantastic, and it’s one of the few places on the trail where you get out of the woods.

The highlight of the trip: The Rocking Stone. With its 35 tons, the boulder, regardless of the number of tourists around it, is a piece of impressive nature.

2. Yellow trail

Marked with a  yellow triangle

Length: Approximately 6 kilometres and takes about 2 hours.

Difficulty: Medium. The terrain on large parts of the trail is quite hilly and can be muddy in wet weather, so remember shoes or boots. Please pay attention to the markings, especially in the northern part of the trail, where the signs are not that obvious to spot.

Parking: At Klintebygård or at Oksemyrevejen.

Restrooms: In both parking lots.

Water: You can refill water in the restroom in the parking lot.

The trail begins in the same place as the red trail at the parking lot at Klintebygård. It continues after the Rocking Stone and Grydesøen through the open Grydedal (Pot valley) to the highest point in the Paradise Hills, called Midterpilt, and the impressive man-high cairn marks the 116-meter high point.

The trail leads over a heather-clad plateau before abruptly diving into Majdalen – the Paradise Hills’ version of the Grand Canyon flanked by steep and high rock walls.

After Majdalen, you’ll get an equally fantastic sight. First, you’ll pass the crevasse Dybedal, a 2-3 meter wide and 8-meter deep crevice, and just after Dybedal, you’ll walk along the lakeshore of Gammeldam.

The highlight of the trip: Majdalen. When you move down the steep path to the bottom of the valley, you feel tiny in vast nature.

3. Blue trail

Marked with a blue square

Length: Approximately 6 kilometres and takes about 2 hours.

Difficulty: Medium. The terrain is very hilly in some places, and the surface will be muddy, especially in the wet months, so remember shoes or boots that can handle it. The markings are fine most of the way.

Parking: At Klintebygård or at Gamleborg.

Restroom: In the parking lot at Klintebygård.

Water: You can refuel the restroom in the parking lot at Klintebygård.

You can start the hike at both parking lots. If you start at Gamleborg (Old castle), you first encounter Gamleborgs remains of the ring wall, the castle served as a refuge in the Iron Age. Continuing on the trail you’ll pass forests and heather-clad plateau before reaching Midterpilt and the cairn at the Paradise Hills’ highest point.

The trail continues through Grydedalen and in a small loop around the forest before reaching the Rocking Stone and the beautiful Grydesø.

The last stretch back towards the car park at Gamleborg goes over open land, past Slingestenen – one of the many boulders scattered like giant cubes around Bornholm – before the path winds steeply downwards and subsequently up again. At the bottom, nature grows wild, so you have to climb across downed trunks and trees here.

The highlight of the trip: The path is narrow and winding, steep and potentially slippery in a section of the trail. It takes a little longer to walk but is an adventurous experience.

Please note:

The Paradise Hills are a privately owned forest, so the rules for access in private forests apply here. I.e., you must stay on the trails and there is only public access between 6 O’Clock and sunset. There are no accommodation options in The Paradise Hills, and if you collect mushrooms or anything else, you must only take what you can reach from the path.

Find nearby:

The Paradise Hills is located less than a ten-minute drive from the fishing village Årsdale on the island’s southeast coast, where you can enjoy a beer from Mikkeller, a seafood buffet at Årsdale Silderøgeri (Smokehouse), or enjoy the view of the small harbour from the terrace in front of the authentic grocery store Høkeren.

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Find inspiration for other walks
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Experience Bornholm along the coast
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Walk cross-island on Højlyngsstien
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