It was a cloudy Sunday in January. I’d spent most of the previous day indoors, so I really wanted to do something with my Sunday so I wouldn’t waste the whole weekend. The weather wasn’t exactly inviting, but for some reason, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to go for a bike ride… Of over 50 kilometres!
That might not be a lot for some, but for me it is. I’m used to hiking and I usually only bike to go into town here in Rødby. But still, there was a route of 31 km around the Maribo Lakes that I’d been dying to try, and I thought it would be perfect for a cloudy day. But first I had to get there.
I left it a little too late to leave home, 11 AM to be exact, which is fine when the days are long, but on this January day, the sun was going to set before 5 PM. Oh well, I figured I could still make it back in daylight. I found the quickest route on maps.me and biked along country roads and the old railway path until I reached Søholtvej where I had chosen to begin and end my route loop.
My butt was already painful and I hadn’t even started yet. Oh well, at least the views of the countryside on the southern shore of Søndersø were pretty as I rode along, passing by families on excursions. It took a while until I got to actually see Søndersø, which is by far the largest of the four lakes that make up one of Denmark’s largest freshwater systems. Søndersø is actually the largest lake on Lolland and the eigth largest in Denmark, and it’s the lake with the most islands in the country with no less than 13 islands and six islets.
Shortly before I reached Søholt, an enormous manor, I finally caught a glimpse of the lake. I was hoping to be able to follow it closer to its shore, but this was as close as I could get, for now. I stopped to have a look at Søholt, built in the early 19th century on the site of a former medieval village manor. As far as I could tell, I couldn’t go any closer than the gates as it’s private property, so I was soon on my way again, heading into the gorgeous forest, Storskov.
The next stretch was my favourite on the entire route. Storskov is a gorgeous, hilly forest full of burial mounds from the Bronze Age, with an abundance of paths going in all directions. I chose one going closely by the shore and finally found the lake views I’d been dreaming of.
I soon reached the most gorgeous little pavillon, the Skelnæs Pavillon, which belongs to Søholt and was built in 1822. It’s romantic location in the forest by the lake, and it’s yellow half-timbered walls make for an enchanting setting. I entered, hoping to find a bench to enjoy my lunch, and sure enough, the little pavillon offered plenty of space for me to sit and relax.
As I left the pavillon behind, I spotted a little path going beyond it, closer to the lake. I decided to follow it to see where it would lead me. It took me past an interesting section of the forest which was full of giant flint nodules, and to the end of a peninsula that stretches into the middle of the lake. At the end of the path, I discovered a little bird-watching tower which I climbed onto to see the gorgeous view over Søndersø.
I biked further into Storskov until I met a road, which crosses the narrow piece of land between Søndersø and the smaller lakes of Hejrede Sø and Røgbølle Sø. I decided to follow the road to the tiny village of Godsted, where I discovered a lovely red church, built sometime before the 14th century.
I continued along and soon reached one of the destinations I was most excited for on the route, a place known as Højene (‘the Hills’). This tiny area of 0,012 km² is jam-packed with low burial mounds from the Late Bronze Age, something that is quite unusual to see. Whether or not burial grounds like this one were common during that time is difficult to know, as thousands upon thousands of ancient burial mounds have disappeared over the years due to plowing. This particular site was just lucky to survive.
I headed back towards Søndersø to make my way back to Maribo along its northern shore, but not before stopping to admire a view over the calm Hejrede Sø.
Soon after, I reached the second and last manor on the route, Engestofte. Just like Søholt, the neoclassical manor house was built in the early 19th century on the site of a medieval village manor. But it has some unique features that Søholt doesn’t have; a gorgeous water tower in the middle of the courtyard and its very own church from the 12th century!
My tired legs and painful butt struggled to carry the bike and I the rest of the way to Maribo, past the golf course and through the last forest, Holmeskov. When I finally reached Maribo, it was almost sunset and I was too exhausted to continue the loop. I really wanted the bike ride to end where I started it, but I figured I wouldn’t miss much as I’d actually already walked most of this section back in December, where I also visited the gorgeous cathedral.
So I decided to call it a day, and headed back to Rødby following the old railway path. It soon got dark and the clouds burst into tears, sending cold rain down my cheeks, soaking me to the bone. It was a miserable ride home, an hour in darkness and pouring rain, but I made it in the end. In hindsight, I should’ve started earlier or just waited until the days got longer. But apart from the end and my sore butt, I really enjoyed the bike ride and discovered many beautiful areas along Søndersø. I hope to return in the spring or summer for a kayak trip to some of the many islands!
Cycling route description: Around the Maribo Lakes
You can begin your bike ride anywhere on the route as it’s a loop. The most obvious starting point would be in Maribo, so that’s where this route description will start. Head the the cathedral and walk right along the banks of Søndersø. Follow the lake around, over a small bridge and continue along the path past Bangs Have Pavillionen. When you reach Bangshavevej, take a right turn and then take the second left onto a path that will lead you to the open-air museum. Follow the road Meinckes Vej and take the first left onto a path that will lead you along the coast and into the Kidnakke forest. Follow the path around and then turn left when you meet another path. This path continues to the left, going out of the forest and back along the shore. Follow it until it meets the road, Hestehavevej. Then turn up that road and follow it all the way to the crossroad.
Turn left onto Søholtvej and follow the road for a few kilometres until you reach the manor, Søholt. Explore the grounds as you wish and then continue along Søholtvej for some hundred meters until you meet a path and the road takes a turn. Follow the path into the Storskov forest and take the first path to your left. Follow it until you meet another path and take a right and then another left. You’ll soon reach the gorgeous Skelnæs Pavillon. Continue along the path beyond the pavillon and you’ll soon be at the edge of a peninsula in the middle of Søndersø.
Head back along the same path, past the pavillon and continue straight into the middle of the forest. At the second path you meet, turn left and continue until you reach the road, Søvej. Then turn right and at the crossroad, turn left onto Røgbøllevej. Continue along the road which becomes Godstedvej and enter the village of Godsted. The village church is gorgeous and well worth a stop. Shortly before the church, take a left turn up Hejredevej and continue until you see a small parking lot to your right. This is Højene. There is a path around the area that you could choose to walk, or you can admire the burial mounds from above by climbing a few of them.
Then turn left onto Hejredevej and immediately after, turn right onto Karup Vænge. The road soon becomes a dirt track as it enters the forest, Karup Vænger. Continue until you meet Søvej again and turn right. Follow the road until you reach the manor, Engestofte. Don’t forget to take a look at the water tower in the middle of the courtyard. Continue along Søvej until you get to a crossroad, then turn left onto Engestoftevej. Ca. 500 meters along, you’ll see a path going into the Holmeskov forest to your left. Take this path and follow it until you reach the road, Borgøvej. Then follow this road and turn left at the crossroad onto Refshale Byvej. You’ll soon see a path to your left, turn onto it and follow it along the shore and back into Maribo. Follow the path to the cathedral where the bike ride ends.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to follow Søndersø all the way along its shore as much of it is private, but this route takes you as close as possible and through some gorgeous nature areas. You could also choose to hike the route instead, if you fancy that!
The route is 31 km, takes 4-5 hours to bike including sightseeing and breaks, and is easy with almost no changes in elevation.
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