Hiking route: Paradisbakkerne (Paradise Hills) – Blue route

Route description:

Set off at either of the car parks. If you set off by Gamleborg (the Old Castle), you’ll be one of the first to pass Gamleborg, the remains of the ring wall that was once a refuge in the Iron Age. Then the path bends sharply to the left and you walk through a forest and over a beautiful heather-covered plateau in the middle of the Paradisbakkerne.

Follow the blue squares towards Midterpilt and the view from the highest point of Paradisbakkerne, 113 metres above sea level. Note also the unique cairn, which is the height of an adult man, from which the place gets its name. In Bornholm, the word pilt is used to describe the cone-shaped cairns used to show the way – here in Paradisbakkerne through the old heathland, Højlyngen.

From Midterpilt, the route leads through Grydedalen (Pot Valley) before joining the red route in a loop that takes you past the car park at Klintebygård (where there is a toilet and water), Fjeldstauen, Denmark’s first hostel and now a private cottage, Rokkestenen and the lovely Grydesø (Pot Lake).

The last part goes over open land and past Slingesten – one of the many boulders scattered like giant dice around the Bornholm landscape. In total, there are almost 200 of these tonne-heavy, metre-high stones. According to legend, Slingesten ended up here because a fierce troll from Christiansø missed his target, which was supposed to be Bodils Kirke (Bodil’s Church). In fact, it was the Ice Age that transported both this and the island’s other erratic boulders to their present positions.

After the Slingesten, the path winds steeply down and then up again. At the bottom of the canyon, nature has been given free rein, so be prepared to negotiate fallen logs and trees and possibly mud and damp.

Facts:

Duration:

Two hours
Length:
Approximately 5 kilometres (round trip)
Difficulty level:
Difficult. Hilly and rocky terrain, with some muddy areas
Suitable for prams and wheelchairs:
No
Parking:
At Klintebygård or at Gamleborg (the Old Castle)
Toilets:
In the car park at Klintebygård
Access to water:
In the toilets at the Klintebygård car park
Surface:
Forest path/road, cliff
Special remarks:
The Blue Route is the route in Paradisbakkerne with the most steep ascents and descents.

Written by 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.