Trail 15, Langeland

This text is an excerpt from the book about the Archipelago Trail and therefore includes more background, detail and inspiration than the shorter trail leaflets.

This trail takes you along the dike, into Løkkeby, through coastal landscape shaped by storms and history, past Stengade Forest and Tranekær Lighthouse, and onward through restored wetlands, manor landscapes and cultural landmarks until you reach Tranekær Castle and the surrounding countryside.

The Dike

Along the coast, the Archipelago Trail follows a dike built to protect the meadows and marshes from saltwater intrusion. Saltwater destroys the soil’s agricultural potential if it seeps in.

Løkkeby

The Løkkeby holiday‑home area lies on a slope facing the coastal wetland. Historically the area was called Lavsholm, where a few small houses stood in the 1800s.

Boat Sheds

On the dike at Løkkeby stand two old boat sheds. Until around 1970, farmers fished with traps and set nets here, but today the sheds are mainly used by recreational fishers.
One shed includes a small “coffee spot.”

From the beach you can watch large ships navigate the narrow deep‑water route close to the coast.
Around 25,000 ships pass through Langelandsbæltet each year—among them the ferries between Kiel and Oslo/Gothenburg.

One of the Boldest Operations in War History

It was from this coastline that Carl X Gustav led 2,000 cavalrymen across the frozen sea to Lolland on 6 February 1658—one of the most daring military manoeuvres in Nordic history and a decisive factor in the Treaty of Roskilde.

Seaweed

In late summer, seaweed often washes ashore. In earlier times it was used as stable bedding and later as fertiliser.

Festival Site and Oehlenschläger’s Beech in Stengade Forest

A few hundred metres north of the cliff at Fejlborg, the trail leads inland.
In a clearing stands the large Oehlenschläger Beech, close to Stengade Beach. The poet Adam Oehlenschläger may have found inspiration here for the Danish national poem Der er et yndigt land.
Listen to the podcast The Sound of the Beech for more.

The Redoubts in Stengade Forest

These fortifications were built during the Napoleonic Wars (1807–1814) to defend Denmark after the British seized nearly the entire Danish fleet in 1807.
From here, 9,000 Spanish troops were evacuated with British assistance—an extraordinary episode in Langeland’s history.

Tranekær Lighthouse

North of Stengade Forest lies Tranekær Lighthouse, established in 1887 and in operation for roughly a century.

Botofte Skovmose – an Environmental Project

Botofte Skovmose is a 60‑hectare wetland created to reduce nitrogen outflow into the Langelandsbælt. More than 100 bird species have been recorded here.

Bukkeskoven

Here you can see overturned root plates from the 1967 storm. The hazel dormouse thrives in the forest edges and scrub.

Large Fields in the Manor Landscape

North of Bukkeskoven the landscape opens into vast estate fields belonging to Tranekær.
From Langeskov you can see the red buildings of Tranekær Castle.

Tranekær Castle and Tranekær Village

Find information at tranekaergods.dk.
Tranekær’s cultural landscape includes one of Northern Europe’s largest medicinal gardens and the land‑art exhibition TICKON.

The Sound of Tranekær

Listen to the podcast The Sound of Tranekær.

The Archipelago of the Stone Age People

About 9,000 years ago, the area was a shallow lake. Hunters lived in seasonal settlements here, fishing, hunting and using dogs as helpers.

Today, wild Exmoor ponies graze the area.
During high water, follow the alternative route through Tranekær village.