The nature park at Gl. Avernæs
Join us on a journey in Sinatur – a journey that brings us closer to nature. It is located right outside our door and is part of our kitchen. We are constantly sowing new initiatives to make the experience of nature richer. You must be able to taste, smell and feel that you are close to nature at Sinatur.
The latest addition is Gl. Avernæs Nature Park, which is a biodiversity park that makes the wild nature around us flourish. Nature's own ecosystem has been given a helping hand so that plants, herbs, fungi, insects and animals can grow.
In the park you will find diverse nature, which is connected by grass paths and avenues, so you can easily get around and experience it. The park also brings our kitchen closer to nature, which is our pantry, and closer to our goal of being self-sufficient.
The Biodiversity Park was established in 2021 with the help of the Transition Pool
Look up at the trees and see if you can spot the bat boxes. You may be lucky enough to experience the small winged mammals when they hunt. They are active in the evening and at night, and you have the best chance of seeing them at dusk. During the time of the bright nights, you will be able to see them as a dark contrast in the sky.
Elsewhere in the park, you'll find nest boxes for owls that hunt with silent wingbeats at night, and boxes for starlings, woodpeckers, buzzards, falcons and eagles. The park's plants attract insects, which attract birds of prey. It is nature's cycle. As long as there is something to eat, the animals will come.
In our orchard, you will find over 80 different fruit trees, along with a variety of berry bushes. More than half of the fruit trees are apple trees, of which we have about 30 different varieties. You will also find many cherry trees and trees with plums, pears and quinces. To the east, where there is more shelter, bushes with raspberries, blackcurrants, currants and gooseberries grow. Also experience the old cherry forest with crooked trees on the Troll Path at Højengen.
In the Hedgehog Forest, you will find piles of old brushwood and branches, which are stacked to create shelter and habitat for the hedgehogs. Here they thrive in the dry knots of small branches, under which they can hide, find shelter and spend the winter in nature's dwellings. Before, we gathered branches and twigs for a large annual Midsummer bonfire. Now we leave everything so that small animals and birds can keep their hiding and nesting in the park.
The vegetable garden is filled with herbs and edible flowers that have a Nordic touch and can take care of themselves in the garden. Nature itself takes care of renewing itself and replenishing itself. The high natural beds provide the kitchen with unique taste experiences. Here is an abundance of herbs – parsley, rhubarb, dill, chervil, rosemary, sage, sorrel, thyme, fennel, anise, lemon balm, mint – up to 30 different kinds. There are also many different bulbous plants here. Experience the old mulberry tree, which is almost lying down, but has sprouted upwards again. The large dark mulberries are also used in the kitchen.
The herb kitchen garden has a special area called the Sensory Garden. The oval area with raised beds contains a variety of scents. Try making your hands glide over the herbs, or pick a leaf and rub it between your fingers. Maybe it smells of bronze fennel, basil or sage. Or maybe from one of the 10-12 other herbs. Enjoy citrus notes, anise and other exciting scents and aromas. The herbs are used both as appetizers and flavorings in dishes. But also as a feast for the eyes when we serve. There is something for all the senses.
Take the trip up Butterfly Avenue along the oak trees. Here you will find a sea of nectar-producing butterfly flowers such as marigolds, poppies and oxeyes, which attract the nectar-sucking insects, bees and butterflies. The more nectar the flowers offer, the more insects come here. Butterflies also find peace to breed and walk in the pupal stage in small thickets and bushes area. Experience the brightly colored butterflies fluttering around among the flowers and sucking in nectar. In the dark hours, it is the dark butterflies – also called moths and evening moths – that flutter around.
Take a romantic stroll along the lawn avenue and enjoy the sight of flowers blooming in different colors and in full bloom in summer. You will be led through a flower meadow of fragrant, edible flowers, which benefit both insect life and the hotel's kitchen. They decorate the food, the party table and the hotel. The garden is used as a beautiful photo backdrop when there is a wedding party.
From March to November, there is always something blooming here.
In the Mushroom Forest, we have created a breeding ground for edible mushrooms for the restaurant. The fungi require both the right temperature, humidity and light. Here, tree trunks, straw bales, wood chips and sawdust have been laid out, which develop into habitats. A wide variety of edible mushrooms have been grafted, including oyster mushrooms, emperor mushrooms, shiitake and tubes, which also attract animals, and clearings have been created where the sun can reach down and create warm columns where insects thrive. The elevated temperature also improves the growing conditions for mushrooms.
The Troll Trail is like a tunnel for the imagination. The hills and trees have formations that are reminiscent of trolls, animals and strange creatures.
Many years of strong westerly winds have shaped the old cherry trees, which bend windlessly down the path with crooked branches, while the trunks stand mysteriously in the dark.
Especially on a dark autumn day with a fresh wind at dusk, you can experience your imagination run away with you as the bare branches sway with their enigmatic shapes and shadows.
Are they supernatural beings, animals or human figures...?
Before, it was barren. Now more life has been created here because old trees, shrubbery, brush fences and tubers are allowed to lie.
There is a beautiful view of the waters on both sides, and from the hill you can enjoy both sunrises and sunsets. You will also find beehives and beds with wildflowers that benefit the bees, which give us honey that is part of the kitchen.
Here are insect hotels and hiding places that make butterflies, caterpillars, snails and flower bees thrive.
We make room to watch the sun rise and set
Take a seat on the bench facing Helnæs Bay to the east and watch the day begin.
Just a five-minute walk from here, you can take a seat on the bench facing the Little Belt and the sky in the west, and enjoy the end of the day from the Sunset Square.
Gl. Avernæs Nature Park contains natural hiding places and habitats that help a richer nature on its way. Instead of trimmed grass and pruned bushes, we have created 9 natural areas where a richer variety of plants, herbs, fungi, insects, flowers, bees, butterflies, birds and animals can grow.
Here you will find insect hotels, bat boxes, beehives, owl boxes, hedgehog hides, thickets, bird of prey boxes and much more. You may be lucky enough to experience some of the animals when you go for a walk in the park. Maybe even the big sea eagles that soar above us. Explore and hear, smell and feel nature at Sinatur.
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