Castles and Manor Houses

From the harbour, ride west and at the roundabout along Kildetoften. Just after the roundabout, turn right onto the pedestrian and cycle lane. Continue across Pugesøvej and you will come to Johan Rantzausvej, where you turn left. Ride a short distance on the bike lane. At the roundabout, turn right and at the next roundabout turn right again. At the gas station, turn left onto Vængegyden, towards Svanninge, over the much travelled Nyborg road. At the end of the Vængegyden turn right and immediately then left onto Brahesvej.

Svanninge Church The Church of Svanninge, which dates from the Middle Ages, was very dilapidated when it was handed over in 1834 to the region’s large landowner, Count Preben Bille Brahe. He undertook a thorough restoration and commissioned one of the famous architects of the time, Professor Hetsch, to design the present appearance of the church. At the inauguration in 1838, it stood as a cross shaped church with a high-roofed spire. According to reports, the Count was inspired by the unusual spires of village churches during his travels in Austria.

Because the Svanninge Hills were already known at that time as part of the “Funen Alps” the parish should of course have an “Alpen church”! The path to the Svanninge Hills Should you wish to visit the Funen Alps, the Svanninge Hills, you can both walk and cycle along the path south of the church up through the hills. If not - you can continue the tour.

At the church turn left onto Kirkegyden, continue past the school. At the intersection turn right on Østerbyvej towards Håstrup.

Steensgaard Turn right on Stenbækvej. A little way in you will find a dirt road that leads to the manor house Steensgaard, which today is an ethical, organic farm. The main building that used to function as a hotel is now privately owned and not open for the public.

From here continue straight out along Skelbanke. Now you are approx. 80 metres above sea level. Continue straight on Horseballevej. Turn left onto Ny Stenderupvej and ride a short distance before turning left, just after the old Trente Mill, along Trentevej. Continue straight ahead.

Trente Mill At Trente Mill environmental centre children and adults can try out “Kiss the Frog”, where you / I can explore the natural world with various aids.

Østrupgaard

A little further on lies Østrupgaard, which is one of Funen’s oldest manor houses. The main building, a stone house, was built in 1500 and rebuilt four times. The east wing was reconstructed in 1940-1942. The first thing you see is the impressive storage gateway barn with one of Northern Europe’s largest thatched roofs. Østrupgaard is privately owned, but from the road you can see the old stone house.

Continue along Østrup and turn left onto Stubbedam, left again onto Radbyvej. At the next junction, turn right onto Stenbækvej towards the village of Millinge.

Hvedholm Slot The current main building was radically renovated in the 1880s. After many years of serving as a nursing home and mental hospital, Hvedholm is run today as a modern castle hotel. Hvedholm

Distance 33 km. In Funen, Langeland and Ærø there are a total of 123 castles and manor houses, of which only a few are open to the public. However, most of them can be seen from the road.

Difficulty: This tour has many climbs and descents. The trip therefore requires you to be reasonably fit. The roads are narrow and asphalted with little traffic. The route is suitable for narrow tyres.

Suitability for children: There are few dangerous stretches of road, but the tour is very hilly with big climbs and is therefore not suitable for younger children.

is first mentioned in history in 1475. It was the headquarters of the South Funen Brahesminde estate from 1798-1928. At Hvedholm you can see examples of the lavish lifestyle that unfolded in one of the country’s largest estates in the late 1800s.

Back along the avenue, left and then turn left onto Sinebjergvej. Turn left onto Bjerne Langgyde. At the end of the hill turn left onto Bjernevej towards Faaborg.