Review: Skovskolen

Skovskolen’s (forest school) dormitory is located on the school, on the outskirts of Nødebo, and at the edge of Gribskov. The school has its own bus stop with a direct route to Hillerød, where you can take the S-train to Copenhagen or take the short walk to the shopping streets.

If you wish a quiet and immersive experience close to nature and what is learned in the classroom, you are within a few minutes’ walk in the center of the forest and a wealth of natural habitats.

Since the dormitory is a part of Skovskolen, it takes less than five minutes to get to and from classes. The close connection between the school and the dormitory provides an ambitious environment, where everybody has an mutual understanding of when to study and when to party.

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‘Hygge’ at the fireside

The low buildings fit nicely into the surrounding scenery. The wooden houses are mainly black with white posts at all entrances to symbolize the birch trees in the forest.

With a location directly connected to forest and lake, the opportunities for a varied leisure life is splendid. You can go trekking, walking, running or mountain biking in the forest, canoeing or kayaking at the lake, enjoy the parkour track or even go hunting. The students have their own hunting fellowship.

The residents live in four-person houses with a private room and shared kitchenette. They share bathrooms two by two. The houses also have a storage area with a locker for guns and space for extra stuff. Both the rooms and kitchenette have white walls, wooden floors and the ceiling wooden bars are visible.

Vegetable garden and climbing wall

The outdoor area offers large, open grassland. During the spring and summer months many students spend a lot of their time here playing ball games, sunbathing or studying. In the evening they assemble in front of the shared building, centrally placed in the dormitory area and sit in front of the campfire barbecuing and enjoying life.

In the shared building you find TV lounges and a large, shared kitchen. The open fireplace, which can also be used outside, is a cozy focal point a cold winter’s night. There are also laundry facilities, private freezer cabinets and a half cellar room belonging to each house. There are furrows behind the houses where residents may have a vegetable garden or perennial plants.

The dormitory has its own gymnasium, where students play badminton, basketball and tennis. There are fins and ropes and a small gym with spinning bikes, rowing machines and dumbbells. A brand new climbing wall is also being built as of writing this article.

Healthy food and networking

Should you tire of your own cooking skills, residents – as all other users of Skovskolen – can buy lunch and dinner in ‘Skovskolens Spisehus’, the school restaurant. They serve healthy and seasonal food without unnecessary additives and at cheap prices – and it tastes heavenly. The coffee in the breaks is free.

The dormitory also has its own pub called ‘Flækken’. It is a log cabin built by former students. ‘Flækken’ is open virtually every day and offers dancing opportunities, good ol’ fun and drinks at student friendly prices.

It is the students themselves who run ‘Flækken’. Here you can meet with other students under informal conditions. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to expand your professional network, as ‘Flækken’ often is visited by leaders and other professionals from the green industry. They are staying at Skovskolen as participants on a wide range of courses and postgraduate training.

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