I continue my ramble northwards, passing by more burial mounds and through oak forests, moors and farmland. 
At one point I stop
at the church Øster Nykirke, which is the church with the highest location in
Denmark (127 above sea level). Okay, okay, not exactly an impressive height
compared to so many other countries, but throughout the ages it has afforded
good views and a marker for people on the Hærvejen route. 
I also come close to the spot where Denmark’s two main
rivers have their source. Skjern Å, the river containing the most water, flows
westward to the North Sea, while Gudenå, the longest river in Denmark (about
158 km) flows eastward to Randers Fjord. I have canoed on both of them –
wonderful trips!
The stages of the walk described above and in the previous two blogs
were undertaken in May and June 2016. Then along came a very rainy summer that
took care of most of July and August until I went on holiday in warm and sunny
Nova Scotia. When I came back to Denmark from Nova Scotia it was still raining.
Then a wonderful thing happened: September. This was the year’s warmest month
in Denmark, so I laced up my hiking shoes, packed my backpack and walked as
much as possible before the “normal” dreary autumn set in.
On the next stage of my journey up through Jutland I
have convinced Niels to accompany me on the first little bit. 
The route changes
character and becomes quite beautiful. We do not see as many churches, burial
mounds, rune stones or other historical monuments as before. 
We leave the farm
country behind (except for a wannabe zebra). The soil is too poor for farming,
anyway.
Instead, nature abounds. We marvel at the large areas
of inland dunes. We pass through oak forests. We walk on moors covered with a
purple, fragrant spread of heather. 
We wander through cathedrals of pine
forests with soft moss floors. We see elk, deer and kestrel, and dewy grass
decorated with spider webs that sparkle in the morning sun. 
