On the south side of Haraldsted Lake – on a promontory – lies Humlebjerg, an almost secret natural gem.
Humlebjerg, which in the 1940s was owned by farmer Jens Marius Jensen, is made up of gravel and was almost dug away.
Instead of having Humlebjerg dug up, the farmer received 6-8,000 kroner for allowing the gravel extraction area to be handed over to the municipality. On December 7, 1948, the Nature Conservation Board decided to approve the request to protect Humlebjerg.
Today, Humlebjerg is owned by Ringsted Municipality, and it is a true natural gem. In addition to its breathtaking view of Haraldsted Lake, Humlebjerg is home to a rich birdlife and a variety of fascinating plants. There are also Japanese knotweed and goldenrod in the area, but these plants are being controlled.
Guided tour with DN Ringsted on September 11, 2020
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation (DN) Ringsted hosted a tour of the area on Wednesday evening, where 23 interested participants and a single dog showed up.
It can be difficult to find Humlebjerg, as there are still no clear signs. It is located on the opposite side of the Riding Center Team Cabe. Until the municipality provides parking facilities, an agreement has been made with the riding center allowing visitors to park on their grass field on the opposite side of Humlebjerg. Signs have been put up. Parking is not allowed on the riding center's gravel parking lot.
A beautiful tour
Chairman of DN Ringsted, Tom Christiani, welcomed everyone and talked a little about how nature needs help and that DN Ringsted would love to have more members – especially active members.
Biologist and botanist Jon Feilberg, whose eagle eyes miss no plant, was the expert guide on the tour, which was a short walk of just under 2 km. Although the tour is not very long, you can easily spend a lot of time in the area due to all the things to look at. And even if you are not particularly interested in spotting the fascinating plants in the area, you can enjoy the truly beautiful view.
In the enclosed area, there is a bull, some cows, and a few calves.
“If we take care of ours, they’ll take care of theirs. There usually aren’t any problems,” Jon Feilberg explained, and he was right. The animals were curious but not at all intrusive toward the group of visitors.
There is also rich birdlife, and if you’re lucky, you might spot both lizards and frogs at Humlebjerg.
The tour is not particularly suitable for those with limited mobility, although one participant did manage to complete the tour with walking poles.
If you are interested in joining a care group for the area, you can email ringsted@dn.dk. You can follow DN Ringsted on Facebook here.
