Hiking Experiences
A plethora of hiking experiences awaits you in Tøndermarsken. You can take the 54-kilometre long Marsh Trail or one of eight shorter hiking trails. You can forage for wild herbs everywhere in Tøndermarsken and cook up magical dishes when you get home. Experience the very varied bird life here. Tøndermarsken has everything from starlings and dunlins to barnacle geese and white-tailed eagles. You can join a guided hiking and birdwatching tour all year round or join us when we take the full Marsh Trail on the longest day of the year.
THE MARSH TRAIL
The fifty-four kilometres of hiking trail bring you closer to the marshlands and the very special landscape. At first glance, the natural environment here seems bleak and untamed but it was designed meticulously – formed by the lives of local people who worked with and against the water.
The Marsh Trail transverses and passes several of Tøndermarsken’s many sights. The trail leads to special natural landscapes, flat expanses of meadows and along the dykes. It takes you to the marsh towns, Tønder, Møgeltønder, Rudbøl and Højer, and past local attractions, including Schackenborg Castle, Højer Mølle Windmill and Ubjerg Church. Follow the Marsh Trail! It makes taking your bearings easy and visitors can get into every corner of an area that may initially seem quite inaccessible. When you hike the Marsh Trail, you must respect the abundant bird life, which is characteristic of this area.
BIRD LIFE
Tøndermarsken is one of Denmark’s most diverse bird habitats and attracts many species of waders and birds of prey.
This area is famous for a spectacular phenomenon known as “Black Sun” that occurs in spring and autumn. Huge flocks of starlings swoop in fantastic formations over the meadows before they settle overnight in reed beds.
To find bird hides in Tøndermarsken, click here: The Marsh Trail map
Click to learn more about: Bird Life in Tøndermarsken
WILD HERBS
A wide range of foods grows wild in Tøndermarsken. In addition to fish and shellfish, there are more than 130 different types of wild herbs.
You can forage for herbs all year round, including glasswort, sea plantain, hastate orache, water mint and many more.
If you go out on the Marsh Trail, bring a book on herbs and fill your basket.
Note: Several private initiatives offer guided herb-gathering trips in Tøndermarsken.
THE TOWNS IN TØNDERMARSKEN
The fifty-four kilometres of hiking trail bring you closer to the towns in Tøndermarsken: Tønder, Rudbøl, Højer and Møgeltønder. All eight shorter hiking trails take you through one of these four towns.
The towns offer a wealth of experiences. They each have unique architecture and interesting history. Each of the four towns bears unique hallmarks of the special conditions that apply in the marshes.