Hiking around Farum Lake, north of Copenhagen

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to return to Denmark, a country where I’ve been a few times as I have a friend who lives there. During each of my stays in Denmark, I also try to do some hiking, and explore trails where I have never been before. This time, I took the opportunity to go to Farum, to follow a trail that goes around the Farum Sø.

Farum is a small town located about twenty kilometres northwest of Copenhagen. It’s also the last station on the S-Train B Line, which made it an easy place to get to by public transit, while still being far enough from the capital to make me feel like I was truly in the countryside.

Above all, Farum is also the starting point of a 10-kilometre trail which would allow me to go around Farum Lake (the Farum Sø). A hike similar to the one I did last year around the Kongens Lyngby lakes, and which I really enjoyed (it’s such an unique way to explore more an area). So I was looking forward to exploring Denmark’s pretty countryside once again.

My hike started at Farum train station, as it is located only a few metres from the eastern end of the lake. I followed the signs towards the lake which led me to a quiet driveway along which there are some private properties, then the driveway became a walking path, and I went deeper into the forest and reached my first viewpoint of the lake.

Farum Lake is the third largest lake in the Mølleå River watershed. It is also a nature reserve known for its large populations of birds and its diversified flora. The trail that goes around it, the Farum Søsti, passes through different ecosystems, and therefore allows you to see up close the typical nature of this region of North Zealand.

The trail first follows the north shore of the lake, winding through a pretty forest. Then, after a little over a kilometre, it moves away from the lake to get closer to the town (in order to bypass some private properties on the lakefront). At times, I even felt like I was walking through the backyard of some properties. But the trail is generally well marked, so I was able to find my way around, and I eventually got back to the lake, and the tranquility of the forest.

The forest seemed a little different to me in this area, with bigger and taller trees (many of these beech trees are over a hundred years old). This is a place apparently called Gretesholm, named in honor of King Valdemar’s daughter, Margrethe I (legend has it that this famous 12th century king hunted in the area).

I reached the west end of the lake, and at this point the trail left the forest to take me hiking between some fields and farms. The landscape was perfectly bucolic. It was hard to believe that Copenhagen was only a few kilometres away!

Then I eventually returned to the forest and the trail started following the lake again, this time along its southern shore. The trail passes a campground, where there were a few campers on this lovely morning. On its southern shore, the trail and the surrounding nature seemed wilder and less frequented, but I continued to appreciate the tranquility of the forest.

After the campsite, I arrived at a small boardwalk at the end of which there was a small observation tower, overlooking the lake and the surrounding area. I didn’t find the view at the top that interesting (I thought the views along the lake shore were prettier), but it is apparently an excellent place to watch birds.

Afterwards, the trail moves away from the lake a little to bypass a wetland, before heading back north. At this point, the trail seems busier. In fact, I was surprised to learn that this portion is also part of the Pilgrimsrute, the Danish version of the Camino de Santiago. I even saw at a few places along the trail the famous blue and yellow shell sign, the official symbol of the Camino. Who knows, maybe on my next trip to Denmark, I could challenge myself to walk part of it!

I continued to follow the trail through a pretty and large open field, then returned to the forest again to walk along the lake one last time. Then the trail took me along the S-Train rails (at this point, the forest was less peaceful), and I crossed the Mølleå river on a small bridge, and eventually returned to the small driveway at which I had started my hike.

I didn’t stick entirely to the official Farum Søsti route (I made a few detours), so my hike ultimately totaled a little over 13 kilometres, with an elevation gain of 94 metres (proof that Denmark is not that flat!). I found it to be a very pretty trail, which reminded me why I love coming back to Denmark again and again: there are still beautiful places for me to explore!