Møborg Bakkeø - Red route

Starting at Bavnehøjen in Møborg or the parking lot east of the sand pit, you can experience the landscape on and around Møborg Bakkeø, the unique nature of the oak scrub, and get a glimpse into the geological layers from different ice ages. The burial mounds and the church tell about how people from ancient times have settled in the area.

On a trip in an ice age and cultural landscape

During the last ice age, 21-23,000 years ago, the ice stopped its advance at the main retreat line just south of Lemvig. Meltwater flowed from the ice edge over the heath plain, where the highest parts of the landscape rose like hill islands. Møborg Bakkeø is a small hill island of 7 km2 that contains deposits from the last three ice ages. The large glaciers from the north brought parts of the Scandinavian mountains with them in the form of stones, sand, and gravel.

In the early 1100s, about 2,000 of the stones that the ice had carried with it were collected and hewed into so-called ashlar stones to build the church. It is said that they attempted to build the church at the highest point on the hill island, but a troll living inside the hill tore the construction down every night. So, they had two oxen drag a large ashlar stone down the hill, and where the oxen parted, they built the church.

At 45 meters above sea level, Bavnehøjen is the highest point in the region with a wide view of the landscape. In ancient times, the Bavnehøje across the country were used as lookout points from which one could see if an enemy approached. When that happened, one could raise the alarm by lighting a fire (=bavn), and then the local people would gather to defend themselves.

According to an old tale, Møborg got its name when all the inhabitants of the parish, except for a young woman – a mø – died during the plague in Europe from 1347–52. She lit a fire on Bavnehøjen, which was noticed by a lonely young man from Fjaltring. He warmed himself at the mø on the hill island (= mountain = fortress), and from there the village got the name Mø–borg.

The oak scrub is the oldest vegetation in the area. The crooked trunks are clear signs that the trees have grown up under harsh conditions. In Æ Sandgrav, sand was extracted and tiles were manufactured for more than 40 years. Here you can now get a glimpse into the hill island with layers from three ice ages, and from the top of the slope, there is a beautiful view of the landscape to the east.