Hedehusene is a busy railway town in Høje-Taastrup municipality, about twenty kilometres west of Copenhagen. It grew up around the railway in the mid-nineteenth century and takes its name from the old houses that once stood on the heath. For many decades the area's gravel pits were an important source of work, and those very excavations have since been reshaped into Hedeland, a large nature park with lakes, hills, a vineyard, a modest ski slope and a little heritage railway that winds through the landscape. The S-train station gives quick access to the capital, making the town a calm residential base with schools, shops and active sports clubs. Open fields and marked trails surround it, inviting walks and cycle rides. Hedehusene is not a classic tourist destination, but it is a handy starting point for exploring the green, recreational countryside close to the city.
