Middelfart Municipality: Coast, Culture and Nature by the Little Belt

Middelfart has 117 km of coastline and connects the Little Belt with distinctive landscapes, maritime history and a variety of trails. Between Røjle Klint, the shores near Føns and the harbours of Middelfart, nature experiences, water activities and cultural attractions are all close to one another.

Nature

Røjle Klint is 40 metres high and consists of moraine clay and meltwater sand from three ice ages. On the beach below the cliff, visitors may be able to find fossils. Gamborg Fjord is part of the EU Lillebælt Habitat Area and an internationally protected bird sanctuary.

The bird tower at Føns Vang offers a good view of Føns Vang and the birds that live there. Many branching paths also make the area accessible to pushchairs and wheelchair users.

Trails

The 27 km-long Lillebæltsstien is a coastal trail from Strib in the north to Gamborg in the south. It passes through the town of Middelfart and across the Hindsgavl Peninsula. The 6 km-long Kongebroruten runs by Hindsgavl Castle, through the forest and along the northern coast of the Hindsgavl Peninsula.

Keramikruten is a free 2.3 km-long walking route in Middelfart that connects the CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art with the waterfront promenade and the old town. It uses the Clayfinding system for its route, consisting of glazed tiles and stones set into the cobblestones. The route is free to access around the clock every day and is open to everyone.

National cycling routes pass through Middelfart Municipality. Staurby Skov has a 5.6 km-long mountain bike trail with a skills area. The trail is designed as a one-way route and marked with blue arrows. The disc golf course in Staurby Skov has 12 holes.

Coast and Water

Middelfart Municipality has 14 official beaches, five of which have Blue Flag status. Føns has an officially registered and approved open-water swimming course measuring 200 × 50 metres, as well as changing facilities.

Along the coast of the Little Belt, there are numerous opportunities to launch kayaks. Conditions are often sheltered from the wind for beginners, while experienced paddlers encounter challenging currents. During Bridgewalking, visitors stand 60 metres above the water on the Old Little Belt Bridge and take part in an approximately two-hour guided tour through the steel structure.

Culture and History

The MIND Museum is located in a patient residence of the former Middelfart psychiatric sanatorium, which existed from 1888 to 1999, and has Denmark’s largest collection of objects relating to the history of psychiatry. There is parking behind the MIND Museum; the museum is accessible to wheelchair users.

The CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art is the largest museum in the Nordic region for ceramic art, crafts and design. Middelfart Lervarefabrik used locally available blue clay and produced utilitarian and decorative objects from the 1890s to the 1940s.

Lillebæltsværftet is now run by volunteers who keep the craft and maritime cultural heritage alive. Boats are still built there using the traditional clinker-building method.

Gl. Havn is Denmark’s first cultural harbour and was recognised by the Danish Ship Preservation Foundation in 2023. The harbour is home to around 10 historically valuable ships; the boat houses contain a maritime exhibition. An audio station plays sounds of harbour porpoises.

Places in the Area

Other place names in Middelfart Municipality include Båring, Asperup, Brenderup, Ejby, Middelfart, Båring Strand, Husby, Røjle, Hjorte, Nørre Aaby, Vejlby Fed, Viby, Bro and Gelsted Parish.

For the overarching travel overview: Funen.