Cycling Stage Thorning - Funder Kirkeby (18 km)
The route follows small, less trafficked roads from Thorning to Funder Kirkeby and cuts through the village of Kragelund. Towards the west are the flat, sandy areas which used to be heath land, but today are pine plantations.
Grathe Hede
Grathe Heath, south of Thorning is the location of many royal feuds. In 1157, Svend Grathe fell in battle against Valdemar the Great, and a cross has been erected in his memory at Grågårde. The battle marked the victory of Jutland over soldiers from Skåne and Zealand, and is an example of how the Hærvej lived up to its name.
Kragelund
The route goes past a large romantic period village church in Kragelund, which has beautifully decorated granite portals. Near the church is a construction from the 1920’s called Helledammen, named after the holy spring. The works, which were rebuilt in 1987, contain a combination of new and old stones, including a rune stone, a town centre stone, a new memorial for Blicher and Dalgas as well as a block with the text “Death will also find you”. There are tables and chairs onsite, so you can take a break and perhaps ponder the meaning of the inscription.
Kragelund has shopping facilities and a hostel. West of the village is the protected area of Stenholt woods, as well as Bølling Lake and Klosterlund Museum and Nature Centre.
In the neighbouring village Funder Kirkeby, you can see Funder church, an old Hærvej church, where traces of the Hærvej can be seen only a few hundred meters away to the west.
TO THE NEXT STAGE: FUNDER KIRKEBY - NR. SNEDE