Skillingbro Limestone Quarry

Hidden between main road Route 180 and Rold Storkro, you will find Skillingbro Limestone Quarry – a small natural area with fascinating geology, local history and a rich variety of plants and insects.

From the small car park by Rold Storkro, a path leads into the quarry, where the history goes back more than 100 years. Here, you can explore limestone layers formed more than 60 million years ago at the beginning of the Tertiary Period.

Skillingbro Limestone Quarry is a great place to look for fossils. The slopes reveal bryozoan limestone, formed by small marine colonial animals with calcareous skeletons – also known as moss animals. The limestone is hard and rough, and with an ordinary magnifying glass you can see the individual bryozoans.

Most fossils are small, so a pocket knife can often be just as useful as a hammer. You may find small pieces of coral, sea lilies, mussels and brachiopods. Fossilised sea urchins are especially sought after, and with a bit of luck you may also find shark teeth – although they are rare.

The quarry is also a peaceful oasis in the forest. The calcareous soil provides good conditions for many beautiful and rare flowers, which attract a rich insect life – including butterflies.

Parking for both cars and buses is available at the car park by Rold Storkro and at the Pumpevejen car park just south of Rold Storkro.