- Distance
- 345km
- Suggested days
- 15–19days
- Route
- Point-to-point
People have walked the Hærvejen for a thousand years. Cattle drovers, pilgrims, armies and traders all used it, following the dry central ridge of Jutland from Viborg down towards the German border. Sticking to high ground let them skip the marshes and river crossings that slowed the lowland roads.
Set aside a couple of weeks for the whole thing. You cross open heath, pass Bronze Age burial mounds, and follow sunken lanes worn deep by centuries of cart wheels. Old pilgrim churches mark the way, and there are long, quiet stretches where you barely meet a soul.
What you'll walk through
- Open heath and juniper on the Jutland watershed
- Bronze Age burial mounds and ancient holloways
- Medieval pilgrim churches and holy springs
- Forest, lakeland and the gentle hills around Jelling
Best season
May to September, when the heath is dry and the days are long.
Getting there
Start in Viborg, reachable by train via Aarhus or Langå; the southern end meets the rail network at Padborg.
Plan your own version
Set your daily distance and pace, and Thway builds a day-by-day itinerary with a place to stay each night.
Plan this walk