Trail 18, Ærø

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 leads you through the maritime town of Marstal, past Ommel Church, across the coastal meadows at Kleven, through Kragnæs with its passage grave, over Gråsten Nor, and onward past Ellemose Banke before reaching the village of Lille Rise.

Marstal

There is once again a ferry connection between Marstal and Rudkøbing via the ÆrøXpressen, and the ferry Birkholmposten carries mail, goods and passengers to the small island of Birkholm.

Marstal was formed when the trading settlement and the rural settlement merged. Although it never became a market town, Marstal prospered thanks to skilled fishermen and seafarers.

Even though Ærøskøbing held the commercial rights on the island, the old marstallers were apparently little troubled by this—unenforceable rules tended to be ignored.

Marstal is a classic seafaring town, with narrow streets and old houses. In 1890 it was home port to no fewer than 300 ships—one of Denmark’s largest merchant fleets.

Off the harbour lies the long stone pier known as Drejet, built by local seafarers between 1825 and 1842 to protect overwintering ships.

Ships were built and repaired here, Marstal Marine Insurance was established, and sailors’ wives kept the households running while the men faced harsh conditions at sea.
There were no large merchant yards or warehouses—the trade took place between foreign ports while shipowners kept their offices in Marstal. Ships are still traditionally registered here even when they sail elsewhere.

Inside Marstal Church hang six ship models.

Carsten Jensen’s novel We, the Drowned is based on life in Marstal, and guided tours are offered by the Ærø Tourist Office.

Marstal Maritime Museum

Located on Prinsensgade, Marstal Maritime Museum is a treasure trove of maritime objects—from historic tools to ship models and exotic items brought home by Ærø seafarers.
The museum occupies several old buildings and has a unique atmosphere.

It is recommended to fill your water bottle and provisions in Marstal, as there are no supplies before Ærøskøbing.

The Archipelago Trail begins at the harbour and heads northwest past the former steel shipyard (1915–1970), then through the old Bondeby with its stately houses overlooking the water—once home to shipowners.

Toftegård Forest

From the coast, the trail zigzags southwest through town and continues west into Toftegårdsskoven.
The forest is state‑owned and was planted around 1995. Most original woodland on Ærø was felled long ago to fire brick kilns—local clay was ideal for brickmaking and required large amounts of fuel.

Until the mid‑1980s, only Loddenbjerg Plantation near Søby could truly be called a forest. Between 1985 and 2000, the Nature Agency established new forests near Marstal, Lille Rise, Borgnæs and Vitsø Nor.

Public access is permitted around the clock. In the western edge of Toftegårdsskoven, a shelter house and toilet—used by the local kindergarten—are open to everyone.

Ommel Church

Ommel Church was built around 1900 as an annex to Marstal Church. You can attend services here, but burials take place in Marstal as Ommel Church has no graveyard.

The Coastal Meadow at Kleven

From Ommel Church, the trail continues west along an old church path to the bay of Kleven, site of a shipyard in the 1800s.
The trail crosses the coastal meadow with views towards Ommel and Ommelshoved. The flat meadow is dotted with small mounded ant hills—evidence that the land has not been ploughed for decades, perhaps ever.

In wetter hollows grows sea blite; elsewhere sea aster with yellow centres and purple rays; but overall grey sea wormwood dominates the landscape.

Winter Harbour Kleven

In winter, sailing ships were laid up here. Out in the water you can still see stone piles that marked the channel and acted as wave- and ice‑breakers. You can also spot duc d’alber—clusters of driven piles used for mooring.

Kleven Harbour

At Ommel Harbour—also called Kleven Harbour—the old cookhouse still stands. Sailors prepared hot meals here due to the high fire risk when ships lay tightly packed.

There was a customs officer and a state telephone station here—the forerunner of the public phone box. The harbour was closed in 1960, and navigation markers removed. Today it is used by leisure sailors.
Near Kragnæs Harbour is a small “coffee spot” with a view.

Kragnæs

Kragnæs is a former skipper and ferry village with small houses, gardens and winding streets.

Gråsten Nor once nearly divided Ærø in two; only a narrow isthmus, Drejet, connected the island. This made a ferry route between Kragnæs and Grønnæs practical—records date back to 1627–28.
The dam separating Gråsten Nor from the sea was built in 1856, but the nor was not fully drained for many years. The ferry route ended no later than 1856.

Kragnæs Passage Grave

The trail passes the Kragnæs Passage Grave, a low hill north of the path. Built more than 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic, it was restored in the 1970s. You can enter the chamber if you are willing to crawl.
Bring a headlamp—or more atmospherically, a tealight—for a moment of quiet in the space where early Ærø farmers laid their dead.

Nørreholm

From the dam you can look north across Nørreholm. A small 1960s‑style windmill pumps water into troughs for grazing animals.
Geese often graze here; one or two typically act as sentries, standing upright while the flock feeds.
The island also holds remnants of a Neolithic settlement and a round barrow.

Gråsten Nor

Looking south from the dam, you see the broad flat expanse of Gråsten Nor, once a shallow lagoon.

In 1854, Ærø’s physician Edvard Biering applied for permission to drain the nor. The dam was built in 1856, a pump installed, and the area slowly drained for grazing and later cultivation.

In the middle of the nor stands a low building and two windsocks marking Ærø Airfield.

Plant lovers can enjoy spring displays of the protected Early Marsh Orchid (majgøgeurt).
Birdlife is also rich, and a leaflet about Gråsten Nor is available in the Spor i Landskabet series.

Ellemose Banke

West of Gråsten Nor rises Ellemose Banke, over 50 metres high. Despite the steep slope, farmers have long cultivated the land.
Shelterbelts are characteristic of Ærø and help shape the sense of distance in the landscape.

Poplars and Wattle Fences

On the way to Lille Rise you’ll see old poplars planted 5–10 metres apart along boundaries for fence material. Every ten years they were pollarded.
Thick branches were used as stakes, thin branches woven between them.
If not pollarded, the heavy branches eventually break hollow trunks—sadly removing nesting places for barn owls.

Lille Rise Brickworks

Near Lille Rise lies an old clay pit. North of the trail you can see the concrete foundation and old iron wheel from the clay‑digging machinery.
The brickworks operated from 1899 until 1915, closing due to petroleum rationing during World War I.

Near the pump station there is a water tap.

Lille Rise

Lille Rise began as a village organised around a central common green. The trail crosses this historic communal space.
The path you follow from Gråsten Nor to Lille Rise is the same one the villagers used in the late 1700s when heading down to the nor.