Ry offers a variety of options for a stay: the long Gudenå Trail, a circular route of about ten kilometres, culture at the church and folk high school, and activities on the water. When planning, it helps to organise these options by the desired length of your excursion and by event or departure times.
Hiking routes: stages, a circular route and a longer trail
The Gudenå Trail is a continuous 175-kilometre route. It is divided into 18 stages, each 6 to 14 kilometres long, and was inaugurated in Ry. In Ry, you can extend the Gudenå Trail to 200 kilometres by including both routes around the Himmelbjerg Lakes. The Himmelbjergruten is about 52 kilometres in total: it leads from Ry along the north side of the Himmelbjerg Lakes to Silkeborg, then back to Himmelbjerget along the south side of the lakes. The routes therefore differ both in their total length and their course, which can help you decide which hike should be the focus of your stay.
A shorter option is the Ry Højskole Loop: an approximately 10-kilometre circular walking route around Ry, near Ry Højskole. The route includes eight story stops. It is not marked with posts and pictograms. As trail conditions can change, check the route before setting out.
In summer, Skimminghøj Bådhus is a place to take a break and meet other hikers, cyclists, canoeists and tourists. The public Skimminghøj camping site has modern toilet and bathing facilities. Both may be useful for a trip that includes different activities; however, the Bådhus is explicitly a seasonal meeting place.
Church, folk high school and local history
Ry Church was officially inaugurated on 31 October 1909. Because the women's association made an important contribution to funding its construction, it is known as “Kvindernes Kirke” (“The Women’s Church”). The church hosts cultural activities and groups centred on singing, music, literature and film. Check the current programme for specific dates, as schedules may change.
Ry Højskole is a Grundtvigian folk high school founded in 1892. It regularly opens its doors to the public for lectures, concerts, theatre performances and discussion evenings. Here, too, it is worth checking the events calendar before your visit. This lets you include cultural events in your plans without assuming the school is open at all times.
The boats tell a different kind of local history. Gl. Turisten was built in 1922 for tourist excursion trips between Ry and Himmelbjerget and was awarded the title of “Historic Monument” by the Ship Preservation Foundation in 2012. It does not operate as a scheduled boat service, but makes 40 to 50 educational trips each year for school classes, sponsors, donors and members of the Ferskvandsmuseumsforeningen. Hjejlen, by contrast, is the world’s oldest coal-fired paddle steamer and has been operating since 1861. A trip on Hjejlen runs along the Gudenå River from Ry to Himmelbjerget. If you would like to include this trip in your plans, check the timetable for your travel dates.
Water, green spaces and getting there
Ry is a possible starting point for canoe trips along the Gudenå River. Ry Kano rents canoes and kayaks for trips on the river. Anna Klindt Sørensens Have is also located in the centre of Ry. This small town park has a landing stage on the lake, which canoeists can use for a break or a coffee stop. The park is named after the painter Anna Klindt Sørensen. She wished for her estate and Villa Petersborg to be converted into a museum and a bequest residence for women artists.
Nearby Himmelbjerget offers its own view of the landscape: from the tower, the view stretches across Julsø, the forests and the surrounding area. Ry also has a train connection to Aarhus; check the timetable for specific departures. The trails, cultural events and boat trips offer different ways to plan your journey, without requiring you to fit every experience into a single trip.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Them Municipality, Gjern Municipality, Kongensbro, Svostrup, Virklund, Lemming, Svejbæk, Kjellerup.
Go to the overview of the wider area: Silkeborg Municipality.
