Experience Otterup’s history on a pleasant walk along the Blue Clover Leaf Trail. The route takes you from the old station and around the town, where you can see how Otterup has developed from the Viking Age to the present day.

Along the route

Railway town

First, you follow Bredgade, where the old dairy and former inn are located. You then pass Jernbanegade and the old station, which helped Otterup grow much larger.

Otterup was a railway town on the private railway between Odense and Bogense. It was called Nordfyenske Jernbane and was also known as Bogensebanen. A lot of industry grew up around the railway, and the station in Otterup had, among other things, loading tracks, a gantry crane, a pig pen, a draisine shed, warehouses and a beet railway to the manor Nislevgård. The railway opened in 1882 and closed in 1966.

The large houses you see on Langelinie were close to the railway. Many of the villas are from the 1930s.

Vikings

North of Otterup town centre, there is a hill that you climb on the route. Today, the area is called Fresiavænget and is a residential neighbourhood, but before the houses were built, the hill was called Galgedil. This was because bone remains were found here, and people believed there had once been a gallows where criminals were buried.

But the bones were much older. Many archaeological excavations have taken place here, and a large Viking burial ground with more than 40 graves was found.

As you continue, you will find a fire pit and a playground in the green area by Lindegårdsvej 85A.

The church and the workhouse

On the corner of Bakkevej and Nørregade stands Otterup Church, which was built in the 12th century. In the churchyard, you can sit quietly on the benches or see the artwork Bronzeøksen og Englevæsen.

Right next to the church is the old poverty hospital from 1772. It was built by the estate owners from Nislevgård, Christian Sehested and Charlotte Amalia Gersdorff, and had room for 8 poor residents. It also served as a hospital and remained in use until 1925. Later, it became a library, and today it is a museum where you can see how people lived several hundred years ago.

There are plenty of places to buy drinks, snacks and baked goods for the trip in the shops and cafés in Otterup, all close to Torvet.

Facts about the route

Length: 5.6 km
Terrain: Hilly, with a maximum gradient of 6.3%
Food and drink: Buy snacks, sandwiches, drinks and tasty deli treats in the shops in Otterup
Remember to bring food and drinks, as there are not many places to buy anything along the way.
Parking is available at Torvet, at Banevænget in Otterup by the old railway station and at Søndergade 2 by the library.
There is a bus route between Otterup and Odense. You can find your journey on rejseplanen.dk.
If you want to get to Otterup from somewhere else in North Funen or from a neighbouring municipality, it is possible to book a Flextrafik trip.