Hike - Sir Lyngbjerg Plantation
Sir Lyngbjerg Plantage at Holstebro is an attractive natural area rich in cultural and geological heritage, which the place still bears.
Enjoy the view from the view tower at the highest spot in the middle of the forest. From here you can see over the hills, which were previously heather-clad, hence the name "Sir Lyngbjerg". There are good opportunities for sledging on the steep hills when the weather permits.
In the forest there are marked hiking and exercise routes. Red route, which is a historic route of approx. 2 km tells about the history and geology of the place.
Two blue routes on respectively 3 and 5 km walk through the forest, to the view tower, over the hills and follow the paths past the school. There are also mountain bike tracks with jumps and challenges for both beginners and experienced in the forest.
Glacial Landscape
Sir Lyngbjerg is geologically a ridge moraine hill landscape, formed at the end of the last ice age for approx. 20,000 years ago. Here the ice masses stopped their advance from the north and east on a line from Bovbjerg on the North Sea to Viborg and from here to the south to Kruså.
This ice border line - called the Main Line - follows the northern and northeastern edge of Sir Lyngbjerg Plantation. The areas behind the line in the north and east are a moraine landscape that consists mostly of solid, fertile clay soil.
In front of the ice ridge, a great violence of clay, sand and gravel was formed which the glaciers pushed in front of them.
When the ice melted, the melt water poured out of the glaciers and formed large meltwater floods. While these rivers led to moraine materials which were deposited in the form of large meltwater plains or heathlands, they also smoothed the terrain in front of the ice edge. But it was not everywhere, the melting water managed to erode the soil and smooth the landscape. Sir Lyngbjerg is therefore the remains of the ridge moraine with steep hills and gorges with unsorted sand and gravel.
West and northwest of Sir Lyngbjerg in direct connection with the ice ridge line is a landscape with rounded hills, which forms a hill island formed by the ice from the penultimate ice age more than 130,000 years ago.
The geological conditions in the plantation are described on the information boards on the marked routes. Read more about the geology in the area on the Geopark West Jutland website.
Cultural history
Since the 1860s, Sir Lyngbjerg has been one of the most important popular gatherings in Northwest Jutland.
Over the years, a number of monuments of prominent people and significant historical events have been erected in the hills. A total of 8 memorials, which were the political manifestations of the time. Today they are cultural history and remind us of the many popular meetings that took place in Sir Lyngbjerg. The memorials can eg experienced on the marked historic route.
In the past, the hills were heather-clad, but in 1879, a group of prominent ground-dwelling peasants decided to set up a corporation whose purpose was to buy a portion of the hills and plant them. The purpose of planting the heath was that the place was to be a light plant, as a framework for a popular gathering place.
In 2011, a covered open-air scene was created, which is open to church, popular and cultural events. Every year there is Edge Rock on the stage in June.
Sir Lyngbjerg Plantage northwest of Holstebro is an attractive natural area for those who want to be active in nature and at the same time immerse themselves in the cultural-historical and geological heritage that the place is characterized by.
Enjoy the far-reaching view from the view tower, which is located at the highest point in the middle of the forest. From here you can see over the hills, which were previously heather-clad, hence the name "Sir Lyngbjerg". Since Sir Lyngbjerg consists of a number of steep hills, here are good opportunities for sledding when the weather permits.
Marked routes
In the forest there are various hiking and exercise routes marked. Red route, which is a historic route of approx. 2 km with a total of 14 information boards, tells about the place's history and geology.
In addition, there are two blue routes marked respectively 3 and 5 km for the exercise-friendly. The routes pass through the forest, to the view tower, over the hills and follow the paths past the school and around the wooded residential area. There are also mountain bike tracks with jumps and challenges for both beginners and experienced in the forest.
Glacial Landscape
Sir Lyngbjerg is geologically a ridge moraine hill landscape, which was formed at the end of the last ice age for approx. 20,000 years ago. Here the ice masses stopped their advance from the north and east on a line from Bovbjerg on the North Sea to Viborg and from here to the south to Kruså.
This ice border line - called the Main Line - follows the northern and northeastern edge of Sir Lyngbjerg Plantation. The areas behind the line in the north and east are a moraine landscape consisting mainly of solid and fertile clay soil.
In front of the ice ridge, a great hill of clay, sand and gravel was formed which the glaciers pushed in front of them.
When the ice melted, the melt water poured out of the glaciers and formed large meltwater floods. While these rivers led to moraine materials which were deposited in the form of large meltwater plains or heathlands, they also smoothed the terrain in front of the ice edge. But it was not everywhere, the melting water managed to erode the soil and smooth the landscape. Sir Lyngbjerg is thus the remains of the ridge moraine and consists of steep hills and gorges with unsorted sand and gravel.
It is also interesting that west and northwest of Sir Lyngbjerg, in direct connection with the ice ridge line, lies a landscape with rounded hills that form a hill island shaped by the ice from the penultimate ice age more than 130,000 years ago.
The geological conditions in the plantation are described in more detail on the information boards on the marked routes. You can become much wiser about the geology in the area if you visit the Geopark West Jutland website.
Cultural history
Since the 1860s, Sir Lyngbjerg has been one of the most important popular gatherings in Northwest Jutland. Like elsewhere in the country, popular engagement also began on this area with shooting union activities after the defeat in 1864. Naur-Sir Skytteforening was thus founded in 1867 by the region's energetic men, including the "people's leader" and the enthusiast teacher Hans Jørgen Hansen, later known as Hansen-Sir, as well as the enterprising farmer and initiator of the cooperative movement, Mads Bertelsen Bjerre.
Over the years, in the hills, a number of monuments have been erected on prominent people and significant historical events. There were a total of eight memorials, which were the political manifestations of the time, but which today are cultural history and remind us of the many popular meetings that took place in Sir Lyngbjerg. The memorials can eg be experienced on the marked historic route.
Back in time, these hills were heather-clad, but in 1879, a group of prominent Grundtvig inspired peasants decided to set up a corporation with the purpose of acquiring part of the hills and planting them. The purpose of planting the heath was that the place should be a light plant that could form the framework for a popular gathering place.
In 2011, a covered open-air scene was created, which is open to church, popular and cultural events. Every year there is Edge Rock on the stage in June.
You can pick up the hiking guide over Sir-Lyngbjerg here: Hiking - Sir-Lyngbjerg Plantation.