Hiking route: Højlyngsstien leg 1 – Sandvig to Ravnedalen

We have chosen to divide the route into five legs. This article describes leg one from Sandvig to Ravnedalen.

Route description:

One of the most physically challenging on the route, but also one of the most beautiful, taking you up over the legendary Hammerknuden.

From the beach in Sandvig, follow the route sign (a white man on an orange background) through the gate next to the campsite and relatively steeply uphill. The path winds back and forth up here before descending through the forest to the wide forest path along Hammersø.

Follow the signs past the beautiful Opalsø (the Opal Lake) to the open countryside and fine views from the high hill, before reaching the castle ruins of Hammershusafter a few kilometres.

Here the route turns left around the castle, down into the forest and up again to Slotslyngen with its distinctive landscape of highland meadow, wild forest and ice-shaped cliffs.

Follow the route to Borrelyngvej, which you cross and continue to Ravnedalen(Raven valley), one of Bornholm’s least known but still beautiful rift valleys, where tarantulas are said to live, as well as ravens, of course (hence the valley’s name).

Højlyngsstiens 5 hiking stages:

Leg 1 – Sandvig to Ravnedalen

Leg 2 – Ravnedalen to Rø Plantage

Leg 3 – Rø Plantage to Rytterknægten i Almindingen

Leg 4 – Rytterknægten to Ølene

Leg 5 – Ølene to Årsdale

Facts:

Duration:

3 hours
Length:
8 km
Difficulty level:
Hard
Suitable for prams and wheelchairs:
No
Parking:
If you only want to walk this leg, park at the beach in Sandvig, or at the car park at Nordre Borrelyngvej 48 if you want to walk in the opposite direction
Toilets:
At the beach in Sandvig, at Hammershus Besøgscenter and at the car park at Nordre Borrelyngvej 48
Access to water:
At the public toilets at Hammershus and at the car park at Nordre Borrelyngvej 48 (a few hundred metres from the route) after seven kilometres of walking
Surface:
This is one of the hilliest sections of the route, so be prepared for climbs and descents in both forests and along cliffs.
Special remarks:
There are no shops in Sandvig, so make sure you bring all the food you need with you on the hike before you get here. The nearest grocery stores, Brugsen and Netto, are located in Allinge.

Written by Gitte Holtze

Hiker and outdoor freak as well as journalist, lecturer and author of "jeg lever" about Gitte's hike along the Pacific Crest Trail and "Gå langt", a guidebook to long hikes.