When the sun makes an appearance during the cold winter months in Copenhagen, you have to make the best of it! Especially when there is snow on the ground! We were fortunate enough to have such a day recently, so I immediately went to my favorite forest – Hareskoven and had an amazing day strolling through the snow-covered pathways! So next time the sun shines through the overcast skies of the winter months, I’ll recommend you try out Hareskoven too 🙂
Hareskoven, once the king’s hunting area, stretches over a large area between Ballerup, Værløse, and Bagsværd and is thus easy to get to from the city with your own car or by train and bus. Actually, it should be called Hareskovene because it consists of several forested areas, separated by a few roads.
The forest consists mainly of beech trees with scattered oak, linden, and maple trees, making for a perfect spot for a walk in any season, be it during spring with its fresh foliage and flowers or when the ground is covered in the golden colors of fallen leaves and mushrooms popping up everywhere.
Mountain bikers, runners, horseback riders, roleplayers all enjoy what the forest has to offer. There are many campsites and dedicated places where you can grill and chill, making it a perfect spot for a day trip. If you are interested in a mushroom tour in the area, check this link. Although I haven’t tried it personally yet, I will definitely try it out soon 🙂
The forest is among Denmark’s oldest, and there are many traces of the past, including six stone dolmens, called dysse in Danish (old stone graves) from the Stone Age, as well as traces of the Swedes’ siege of Copenhagen from the late 1650s. The Swedes had set up camps in the forest, and the remains of two of them, Lejrens Indelukke and Svenske Vold, can still be seen today. The forest suffered greatly during the war. To prevent complete deforestation, the area has since been protected, and the forest has recovered to what you see today.
Check out the map and the location of interesting sights here.
