diff --git a/solara/autorouting.py b/solara/autorouting.py
index 542224b64..9bb003e83 100644
--- a/solara/autorouting.py
+++ b/solara/autorouting.py
@@ -205,11 +205,12 @@ def get_args(f):
                 content = solara.Markdown(path.read_text(), unsafe_solara_execute=True)
 
             main = solara.Div(
+                classes=["solara-autorouter-content"],
                 children=[
                     solara.Title(route_current.label or "No title"),
                     content,
                     navigation,
-                ]
+                ],
             )
             main = wrap_in_layouts(main, layouts)
         else:
@@ -218,17 +219,25 @@ def get_args(f):
         title = route_current.label or "No title"
         title_element = solara.Title(title)
         module = None
-        if route_current.module is not None:
+        Page = route_current.component
+        # translate the default RenderPage as no value given (None)
+        if Page is RenderPage:
+            Page = None
+        if route_current.module is not None and (Page is None):
+            # if not a custom component is given, we try to find a Page component
+            # in the module
             assert route_current.module is not None
             module = route_current.module
             namespace = module.__dict__
-            Page = nested_get(namespace, main_name, None)
+            Page = nested_get(namespace, main_name, Page)
             if Page is None:
                 # app is for backwards compatibility
-                Page = namespace.get("page", namespace.get("app"))
+                Page = namespace.get("page", namespace.get("app", Page))
                 Page = nested_get(namespace, main_name, Page)
-        else:
-            Page = route_current.component
+
+        if Page is None and route_current.children:
+            # we we did not get a component, but we recursively render
+            Page = RenderPage
         if isinstance(Page, ipywidgets.Widget):
             # If we have a widget, we need to execute this again for each
             # connection, since we cannot share widgets between connections/users.
@@ -253,10 +262,11 @@ def get_args(f):
                     Page = getattr(modules[route_current.path], "app", None)
                     Page = getattr(modules[route_current.path], "page", Page)
             main = solara.Div(
+                classes=["solara-autorouter-content"],
                 children=[
                     title_element,
                     Page,
-                ]
+                ],
             )
             main = wrap_in_layouts(main, layouts)
         elif Page is not None:
@@ -268,10 +278,11 @@ def get_args(f):
             else:
                 page = solara.Error(f"{Page} is not a component or element, but {type(Page)}")
             main = solara.Div(
+                classes=["solara-autorouter-content"],
                 children=[
                     title_element,
                     page,
-                ]
+                ],
             )
             main = wrap_in_layouts(main, layouts)
         else:
@@ -393,7 +404,7 @@ def generate_routes(module: ModuleType) -> List[solara.Route]:
                     continue
             else:
                 # skip empty modules
-                if get_renderable(submod) is None:
+                if get_renderable(submod) is None and not hasattr(submod, "routes"):
                     continue
                 children = getattr(submod, "routes", [])
                 if subfile:
diff --git a/solara/components/applayout.py b/solara/components/applayout.py
index eb32f06c8..034d6a046 100644
--- a/solara/components/applayout.py
+++ b/solara/components/applayout.py
@@ -306,7 +306,12 @@ def set_path(index):
             with v.Row(no_gutters=False, class_="solara-content-main"):
                 v.Col(cols=12, children=children_content)
     else:
-        with v.Html(tag="div", style_="min-height: 100vh") as main:
+        # this limits the height of the app to the height of the screen
+        # and further down we use overflow: auto to add scrollbars to the main content
+        # the navigation drawer adds it own scrollbars
+        # NOTE: while developing this we added overflow: hidden, but this does not seem
+        # to be necessary anymore
+        with v.Html(tag="div", style_="height: 100vh") as main:
             with solara.HBox():
                 if use_drawer:
                     with v.NavigationDrawer(
@@ -340,8 +345,13 @@ def set_path(index):
                     if fullscreen:
                         solara.Button(icon_name="mdi-fullscreen-exit", on_click=lambda: set_fullscreen(False), icon=True, dark=False)
 
-            with v.Content(class_="solara-content-main"):
-                v.Col(cols=12, children=children_content)
+            with v.Content(class_="solara-content-main", style_="height: 100%;"):
+                # make sure the scrollbar does no go under the appbar by adding overflow: auto
+                # to a child of content, because content has padding-top: 64px (set by vuetify)
+                # the padding: 12px is needed for backward compatibility with the previously used
+                # v.Col which has this by default. If we do not use this, a solara.Column will
+                # use a margin: -12px which will make a horizontal scrollbar appear
+                solara.Div(style_="height: 100%; overflow: auto; padding: 12px;", children=children_content)
         if fullscreen:
             with v.Dialog(v_model=True, children=[], fullscreen=True, hide_overlay=True, persistent=True, no_click_animation=True) as dialog:
                 v.Sheet(class_="overflow-y-auto overflow-x-auto", children=[main])
diff --git a/solara/components/columns.py b/solara/components/columns.py
index eff4e177e..c5164e4cc 100644
--- a/solara/components/columns.py
+++ b/solara/components/columns.py
@@ -74,7 +74,10 @@ def Page():
     style_flat = solara.util._flatten_style(style)
     with rv.Row(class_=class_, no_gutters=not gutters, dense=gutters_dense, style_=style_flat) as main:
         for child, width in zip(children, cycle(widths)):
-            with rv.Col(children=[child], style_=f"flex-grow: {width}; overflow: auto" if width != 0 else "flex-grow: 0;"):
+            # we add height: 100% because this will trigger a chain of height set if it is set on the parent
+            # via the style. If we do not set the height, it will have no effect. Furthermore, we only have
+            # a single child, so this cannot interfere with other siblings.
+            with rv.Col(children=[child], style_=f"height: 100%; flex-grow: {width}; overflow: auto" if width != 0 else "flex-grow: 0"):
                 pass
     return main
 
diff --git a/solara/server/assets/style.css b/solara/server/assets/style.css
index 10ec9ed43..9045feacd 100644
--- a/solara/server/assets/style.css
+++ b/solara/server/assets/style.css
@@ -109,3 +109,7 @@ div.highlight {
 .solara-content-main {
     animation: solara-fade-in 0.5s ease;
 }
+
+.solara-autorouter-content {
+    height: 100%;
+}
diff --git a/solara/website/pages/apps/scrolling.py b/solara/website/pages/apps/scrolling.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a38cf95ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/solara/website/pages/apps/scrolling.py
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import solara
+
+github_url = solara.util.github_url(__file__)
+
+# list of nice soft colors
+colors = [
+    "#e6194b",
+    "#3cb44b",
+    "#ffe119",
+    "#4363d8",
+    "#f58231",
+    "#911eb4",
+]
+
+
+@solara.component
+def Page1():
+    with solara.Sidebar():
+        solara.Button(label="View source", icon_name="mdi-github-circle", attributes={"href": github_url, "target": "_blank"}, text=True, outlined=True)
+        solara.Markdown("The sidebar will get scrollbars automatically, independently of the main content.")
+        for i in range(10):
+            with solara.Card(f"Card {i}"):
+                solara.Info(f"Text {i}", color=colors[i % len(colors)])
+
+    solara.Markdown("The main content will get scrollbars automatically, independently of the sidebar.")
+    for i in range(10):
+        with solara.Card(f"Card {i}"):
+            solara.Info(f"Text {i}", color=colors[i % len(colors)])
+
+
+@solara.component
+def Page2():
+    # it is important we do not interrupt the height 100% chain
+    limit_content_height = solara.use_reactive(True)
+    # warning: if we add "margin": "10px" to the style, we will trigger
+    # scrollbars in the parent div, if you really need to add margins,
+    # you should correct for that in the height using "calc(100% - 20px)"
+    with solara.Column(style={"height": "100%"}):
+        with solara.Sidebar():
+            solara.Button(label="View source", icon_name="mdi-github-circle", attributes={"href": github_url, "target": "_blank"}, text=True, outlined=True)
+            solara.Markdown("Main content columns will scroll together, or independently if we limit height to 100%")
+            solara.Checkbox(label="Limit content height", value=limit_content_height)
+
+        # if we do not limit height to 100%, solara's AppLayout will add a scroll bar
+        # to the main content, which will be independent of the sidebar's scroll bar
+        # but both columns will scroll together
+        with solara.Columns([2, 4], style={"height": "100%"} if limit_content_height.value else {}):
+            with solara.Card("I have my own scroll bar"):
+                solara.Markdown("")
+                for i in range(10):
+                    with solara.Card(f"Card {i}"):
+                        solara.Info(f"Text {i}", color=colors[i % len(colors)])
+            with solara.Card("I also have my own scroll bar"):
+                solara.Markdown("")
+                for i in range(20):
+                    with solara.Card(f"Card {i}"):
+                        solara.Info(f"Text {i}", color=colors[i % len(colors)])
+
+
+routes = [
+    solara.Route(path="/", component=Page1, label="Scrolling"),
+    solara.Route(path="custom", component=Page2, label="Custom scrolling"),
+]
diff --git a/solara/website/pages/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.py b/solara/website/pages/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2df8722b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/solara/website/pages/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+redirect = "/apps/scrolling"
+
+Page = True
diff --git a/solara/website/public/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.png b/solara/website/public/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84718728f
Binary files /dev/null and b/solara/website/public/examples/fullscreen/scrolling.png differ
diff --git a/tests/unit/autorouting_test.py b/tests/unit/autorouting_test.py
index 17f12aafe..bf551d6ee 100644
--- a/tests/unit/autorouting_test.py
+++ b/tests/unit/autorouting_test.py
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ def test_routes_examples_docs():
 
 def test_routes_directory():
     routes = solara.autorouting.generate_routes_directory(HERE.parent / "solara_test_apps" / "multipage")
-    assert len(routes) == 7
+    assert len(routes) == 8
     assert routes[0].path == "/"
     assert routes[0].label == "Home"
 
@@ -152,11 +152,18 @@ def test_routes_directory():
     assert routes[4].path == "and-notebooks"
     assert routes[4].label == "And Notebooks"
 
-    assert routes[5].path == "single-file-directory"
-    assert routes[5].label == "Single File Directory"
+    assert routes[5].path == "custom-routes"
+    assert routes[5].label == "Custom Routes"
+    assert routes[5].children[0].path == "/"
+    assert routes[5].children[0].label == "Hi1"
+    assert routes[5].children[1].path == "page2"
+    assert routes[5].children[1].label == "Hi2"
 
-    assert routes[6].path == "some-other-python-script"
-    assert routes[6].label == "Some Other Python Script"
+    assert routes[6].path == "single-file-directory"
+    assert routes[6].label == "Single File Directory"
+
+    assert routes[7].path == "some-other-python-script"
+    assert routes[7].label == "Some Other Python Script"
 
     main_object = solara.autorouting.RenderPage()
     solara_context = solara.RoutingProvider(children=[main_object], routes=routes, pathname="/")
@@ -201,6 +208,16 @@ def test_routes_directory():
     nav.location = "/a-directory/wrong-path"
     assert "Page not found" in rc._find(v.Alert).widget.children[0]
 
+    # custom routes in a single file
+
+    nav.location = "/custom-routes"
+    button = rc._find(v.Btn, children=["hi1"]).widget
+    assert button.children[0] == "hi1"
+
+    nav.location = "/custom-routes/page2"
+    button = rc._find(v.Btn, children=["hi2"]).widget
+    assert button.children[0] == "hi2"
+
 
 def test_routes_regular_widgets():
     # routes = solara.autorouting.generate_routes_directory(HERE.parent / "solara_test_apps" / "multipage")
diff --git a/tests/unit/solara_test_apps/multipage/06-custom-routes.py b/tests/unit/solara_test_apps/multipage/06-custom-routes.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c3214c156
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/solara_test_apps/multipage/06-custom-routes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import solara
+
+
+@solara.component
+def Page1():
+    solara.Button("hi1")
+
+
+@solara.component
+def Page2():
+    solara.Button("hi2")
+
+
+routes = [
+    solara.Route(path="/", component=Page1, label="Hi1"),
+    solara.Route(path="page2", component=Page2, label="Hi2"),
+]