Troldeskoven, Rold Skov’s Twisted Beech Forest

An ancient forest corner with a fairy-tale twist

Troldeskoven lies in the heart of Rold Skov, Denmark’s largest contiguous forest, yet it feels like a self-contained world. Here the otherwise straight, dignified European beeches suddenly writhe, bend and loop into shapes that look more like frozen dancers or slumbering trolls than ordinary trees. The grove is compact, but every few steps reveal another sculptural trunk or natural arch, inviting you to wander slowly rather than stride through. Despite its modest size, this is one of the most distinctive pockets of woodland in northern Jutland. The light filters differently here, broken by layers of crooked branches, and even on bright days the mood is soft and slightly mysterious. Underfoot, a cushion of leaves and moss muffles sound, adding to the impression that you have stepped briefly out of everyday time.

The curious life story of the ‘røllebøge’

The trees that give Troldeskoven its character are not young saplings distorted by chance, but some of Rold Skov’s very oldest beeches. Many are direct descendants of the first beeches that colonised this part of Denmark in the Middle Ages, and some are estimated to be more than 300 years old. Their tangled look is partly genetic: northern Jutland beeches have a particular ability to sprout vigorously from stump and root after felling. For centuries, people took advantage of this trait. Instead of clear-felling and replanting, foresters repeatedly cut the same trees and allowed them to reshoot, a practice known as coppicing. Over generations, this created multi-stemmed individuals – the so‑called “røllebøge” – with as many as twenty or thirty trunks radiating from a single root system. Combined with poor, sloping soils and grazing by livestock that nibbled young shoots, the result was trees forced into knots, loops and low, spreading forms that look almost designed.

Legends, eye trees and royal anecdotes

Where trees grow strangely, stories tend to follow. In Troldeskoven, superstition once centred on the remarkable “eye trees”, where two or more twisting trunks fuse to form a ring you can see through. Folklore held that a child suffering from rickets – today known as vitamin D deficiency – could be cured by being passed through such a living hoop, symbolically leaving the illness behind in the tree. In the early 1950s this old belief intersected with modern royalty. As children, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and her sisters were ceremonially passed through an eye tree here, a specimen that became known as the “Prinsessetræet”, or Princess Tree. Whether or not the ritual had any medical effect, it cemented Troldeskoven’s reputation as a place where nature, custom and a touch of magic meet in a uniquely Danish way.

Walking among wooden trolls

For visitors today, Troldeskoven is above all a place to move slowly and look closely. Narrow forest paths loop around the grove, and there is no single prescribed circuit; you are free to meander between trunks, duck beneath low branches and circle your favourite trees. It is an easy, low‑level walk suitable for most abilities, though the natural surface can be uneven and muddy after rain. Many people find they spend as much time standing still as walking, tracing the lines of a particular trunk or picking out faces and creatures in the bark. The grove is especially atmospheric in mist, when individual trees loom out of the haze, and on calm days when birdsong and the rustle of leaves are the main sounds. Families often turn the visit into a gentle treasure hunt for the strangest shape or the best “troll tree”, while photographers can easily lose track of time working with curves, textures and filtered light.

Seasons, light and the wider Rold Skov

Troldeskoven changes character dramatically with the seasons. In spring, tender green leaves soften the silhouettes but still leave the skeletal forms clearly visible. Summer brings a denser canopy and deep shade, perfect on hot days when the rest of the landscape feels exposed. Autumn adds a rich carpet of copper and gold, emphasising the forest’s sculptural lines, while in winter the bare branches turn the entire grove into a gallery of living calligraphy against pale skies. Although the twisted beeches are the highlight, Troldeskoven is also a natural gateway into the broader landscapes of Rold Skov and nearby heaths and hills. Many marked hiking routes pass close by, allowing you to combine an unhurried exploration of the crooked trees with longer woodland walks or a picnic among more conventional beech stands. Returning to the grove at the end of a day on the trails, those familiar contorted trunks feel almost like old acquaintances greeting you beneath their many-armed crowns.