Position

South-southwest of the lake Madum Sø in Willestrup Kjær.

Size and Shape

Store Blåkilde is a typical pool spring. The pool is oval and approx. 12 metres wide and 4-5 metres deep.
From the bottom of this pool the water gushes from several small craters with a force strong enough to keep the bottom in and around the craters constant moving. The up-going current raises the sand up- and sideward whereupon it sinks and glides towards the craters. Because of the depth in the pool, the surface is not affected by the current at the bottom. On days with little or no wind, the surface is completely smooth, and since the spring water is clear you can easily see the bottom.
The clean blue colour of Store Blåkilde is due to the fact that the bottom partly consists of chalk and to the reflection of the blue sky.

The Brook

The brook from the spring is relatively wide and the flow is slow and calm. A few metres down the drain you find several small spring craters. The water flows into Willestrup Å. (The Brook of Willestrup)
Store Blåkilde might be the sub terrain drain for the lake Madum Sø, located nearby. The lake doesn’t hold a permanent drain on surface. The theory however is not scientifically researched.

Fauna

In the clear pool you might get lucky to get a sight of large trout. Especially during tough winters the temperate water attracts quite a few fish as well as white-throated dipper, common kingfisher and grey wagtail.

It is probably the clear, blue water that have reasoned the name of the spring. Another possibility is that the name origins the word “Botkilde” referring to an Old Danish word for sacrifice.
During the last century it was still a custom for the master of Willestrup Castle to throw silver coins in the pool before hunting. The movements of the coins in the water was said to give omens about the outcome of the hunt. There might still be a treasure hidden in the spring.

Position

West-northwest of Nørreskov (Northern Forest), close by the ranger-residence of Slettingen. Lille Blåkilde is known to be the richest of the springs in the area of Rold Skov, measuring the outflow of water. The outflow is approx. 150 l/sec. and the spring drain an area of 10-12 square kilometres.

The spring is a mix between a string spring and a seepage spring. The water gushes from several small craters, often with a chalky bottom. The stream leads to Lindenborg Å (the Brook of Lindenborg) that flows approx. 70 metres from the spring.

Flora

In the spring you find among other species pondweed. On the calcareous slopes above the spring grows an interesting limestone flora, such as narrow leaved and other and other bell flowers, milkwort, salad burnet, bedstraw, thyme, autumn gentian and all-heal.
In addition more wooden species like hawthorn, common buckthorn, blackthorn and common juniper are found here and on the water meadow close by the spring panicle sedge, hawk weed and species of orchids.
The area is protected and it is prohibited to collect plants.

Fauna

Caddis worm (Apatania Muliebris, a relict from the late glacial period), is the most interesting inhabitant of the spring. The specie is found in creeks and rivers by the coast of the Arctic Ocean and in streams on the mountainsides in the Alps. It is not supposed to exist in the Danish climate, since it doesn’t stand the summer temperatures normally found in brooks and springs. In Lille Blåkilde, however, the temperature doesn’t reach critical heights, even during the warmest summer days. The specie will die out, if over a period the water temperature rises above 10 degrees Celsius.
Naturally the spring contains a number of common “spring species”.

History

It is unknown, if the spring in ancient time was of religious significance. A few hundred metres south of the spring remain tracks from an ancient road. It leads through the forest into the river valley and a ford can still be recognized in the stream Lindenborg Å. 

Location

North northwest of the hills Rebild Bakker on the eastern slope of the valley Gravlev Ådal is Ravnkilde in exceptional scenic beauty, surrounded by old beech forest on three sides.

Size and Shape

Ravnkilde is a seepage spring. A huge cut in the slope create the environmental frames for this characteristic spring. The bottom of the cut is a swampy morass through which the water seeps. When leaving the spring areas the seeping has grown into a stream of impressive dimension. The stream flows into the River of Lindenborg. The outflow of water is not quite the size of Store Blåkilde and Lille Blåkilde, only approx. 60 litres of water pr. second.

History

The origin of the name Ravnkilde (Spring of Raven) is not established. One explanation says that the ravens used to breed in the area in ancient times. This could seem reasonable, since the Forest of Rold was one of the last locations in Jutland with breeding ravens. 

The spring lies in the North Forest, west of Hobrovej - at Rebild Tourist Office, you can get maps showing the location.

Springkilden skips a few meters in the air with such force that it is difficult to put your hand in beam

Location

East of The Rebild National park.

Size and shape

The Kovadsbæk gushes in the flat morass-area stretching from Hulvejen (The Sunken Road) towards Stendalen (The Stone Valley).All over this area are numerous small springs, joining in the stream passing under "The Sunken Road. The outflow is similar to the one of Little Blåkilde (90 l/sec.).

Kovadsbækken is a seepage-spring. The water flows north from the spring-area to join the outflow from Ravnkilde, before entering Lindenborg Å.

Flora

Among others you can find Umbelliferae in great numbers. Please notice, that the plant is very poisonous, even when dried.

Fauna

In the morass you find a fauna typical for this area.

Notice: The Kovadsbæk is preserved area, and collecting of plants and animals is prohibited.

History

The spring used to be dammed just north of the sunken road, and the pond would feed a watermill. Several hundred years ago, however, the mill was moved, in the first place to Thingbæk, and later on to Røde Mølle.

The spring is located west of Skindbjerg.

It is a reservoir-spring and the activity is probably comparable to the one of Store Blåkilde. The spring is not well known and difficult to find. To our knowledge no investigations on the fauna has taken place.

Lille Skovkilde (Little Forest-spring) is located in the southern part of Rold Skov.
The brook has quite a fall, and is the only brook in Denmark with character of a mountain-brook, concerning the current.

By the spring and in the upper part of the brook, the water flows through a carpet of old leaves. This creates a habitant for a special fauna, f.ex. a caddis worm (Stenophylax Nigricornis) that creates its mantle from leave-material.

This spring area is located in Lindenborg River valley, south of Røde Mølle.

A great number of springs gush here from the slope of the valley. The outflow of water is rather limited, and the depth of the spring-brook is only a few centimetres.

The surrounding forest leaves good protection against the wind etc., and combined with the limited depth, the area is the only in Denmark, where you can find warm-period relicts: Beetle-larvae (Eubria Palustris) and the caddish-worm (Hermione Pulchra.)
 
The human activity on the spot is the main reason why these species have survived. Stubbervad is an ancient ford that used to have a high activity.
Therefore the tree-growth has been held back, leaving the sun possibility of warming the ground. A necessity for these species, in terms of breeding.

The area is now preserved, and the tree-growth kept on a reasonable level.

In the area of Rold Forest many more springs are located than the ones mentioned. Some of these feed trout-farm ponds, f.ex. by Gravlev and Buderup bro.

The majority of the smaller springs have never been researched in terms of fauna and flora. In the future we expect remarkable biological discoveries to be done.

Since many of the springs are connected with Lindenborg Å, it is relevant to give a few comments on it. The river is very rich in water and constant in its flow. (From a Danish point of view).

The land it cuts through is very varied, and the river changes from straight passages with rapid current into peaceful passages with many curves. The river is rich in fish, and attracts many anglers.
 
During the last few years, however, an increasing degree of pollution has been noticed, mainly from the trout-farms and the agricultural farms along the river. The river drains aprox. 225 sq.km.