Today the fortififications provide the backdrop for a recreational ride around Copenhagen.

The fortifications were built between in 1885 and 1892, and consisted of a series of heavily armed forts along the coasts, and a wall on the western side of Copenhagen reaching from the southern coast to the eastern.

Being one of the largest, and also one of the best preserved, military structures of its time is worth while a visit. Military history aside, today it is a green belt stretching all the way around Copenhagen. Most parts of the fortifications were decommisioned in 1920 as longer rangeing canons rendered it obsolete, and today, the forts and wall stand derelict, mostly used for recreational purposes.

The best part is that you can cycle along, and some times even on the fortifications, on nice paved – and many places even lit – paths all the way from the coast of Avedøre in the south to the lakes and swamps of Utterslev in the north and further east to the coast at  Svanemøllen or Charlottenlund (the latter famous for its upmarket harbour restaurants).

The Route

The full route is 40-some km, but you can take the s-train back into town at Avedøre, Brøndbyøstre, and Husum, just as you can start your trip at those stops. Bringing the bike on the S-train is free for any ticket holder, as are children (and their bikes) in company of adults. Alternatively, just turn inwards to the city at any major road crossing the wall.

The Western Wall has a visitors centre located in the part that was decomissioned by the military as late as at the end of the cold war, where nuclear bomb proof bunkers had been added to the Wall. It is situated at Jyllingevejen.

Some kms south of the Visitors centre, you find a row of cycling playgrounds with all sorts of challenges for riders of all ages.

The military still holds the camp at Svanemøllen, making it inaccessible, but  some of the other military camps have been put into new services. In Avedøre, 500m towards the city from the Wall, the former military camp is home to the film studios of the Danish movie auteur Lars von Triers Zentropa.

Links

The visitors centre: www.vestvolden.dk

The Zentropa Film Studios www.filmbyen.dk/ (tours by appointment)

Arriving in Copenhagen by air, you might notice is that Copenhagen Airport is close to the city, but you might not know that it is within cycling distance, and with decent cycling roads.

Halfway around you stop by for refreshments at one of the many restaurants and cafées in the charming city of Dragør, spend time admiring the citys old houses and laid back maritime flavor, before you rush on.

The full round trip is aproximately 40,5 km, starting at the Town Hall Square, but you can of course start wherever you like. The route is not sign posted as such. You can either go happy-go-lucky, or bring a detailed map (downloading OpenStreetMap for your device is recommended).

Highlights

You go along the beach – with plenty of good places for a dip in the sea; the lovely old city of Dragør, Cycling along the perimeter of Copenhagen Airport; the rural land and woods of Kongelunden; the  military intelligence listening post; the bird sanctuary at the south tip of Amager. Seing Copenhagen from a new angle.

Technicalities

Most parts of the route are on asphalt, but minor parts are on rough gravel or dirt especially if you take the paths through the woods. If you don’t like gravel, you can go almost the same route on roads – the on-road aproximation to the route is very popular amongst Copenhagens racing and sports communities.

The south-western part of Amager, around the bird sanctury is very exposed to the wind, since you go on the outside of the dam, so let the wind direction decide whether you go clockwise or not, to avoid a long stretch in headwind.

Having used my Ortlieb panniers for almost every bike trip the last 10 years, carrying everything – from the laptop and papers on the daily commute to the office, carrying powertools, touring, and everyday shopping.

What finally did my panniers in was carrying binders with study literature. The metal reinforcement on the binders simply cut a hole in the bottom corner of the pannier as I put them on the floor.

You might argue that a hole in the bottom of the pannier is acctually not  critical since it provides important ventilation, thus keeps your clothes from becomming stuffy. Anyhow, it is like a bucket with a hole…

Luckily you can buy repair-kits for your panniers, and breathe another ten – or so – years of life into them, saving the environment for the production and transport of new ones (eventhough the new ones come in such nice colours and with new fittings.

The environmental side of repairing the panniers might be outweighed by the glue, that smells like thinner and chemical industry together. But then, my panniers are made of PVC which is defined as hazardous trash, and has to be disposed properly of and since I already have them there is little need in buying new ones.

Then the only thing that is left now, is waiting 24 hours for the glue to harden, then patch the outside, and reasemble the whole thing.

It is not really a quick patch, you apply on the go.

500-some km of the great North Sea Cycle Route’s 6000 km go along the North Sea Coast of Jutland. In Denmark known as the Westcoast, hence the routes Danish name, Vestkystruten (Westcoast Route). The danish westcoast is famed for its strong winds, great waves and wide, sandy beaches, in the north and the Wadden Sea in the south.

The Westcoast is where many danes (and germans) traditionally spend their summer holidays from late June to July, when the temperatures reach the 20’ies, to catch a refreshing dip in the waves (the water temperature, though, rarely even comes near the 20’ies). The small towns, inns, hostels and campsites are relatively busy in the 6 weeks of high season – in stark contrast to the rest of year (see Jesper’s experiences while Cycling home for Christmas).

On this particular trip we, a family of four with the youngest being 8 years old, went the upper half of the danish part of the route, from Agger to the top of Denmark in Skagen in 10 sunny cycling days and two rainy restdays. Around 330 km all in all (including multiple trips to the beach and unintentional detours).

Acctually, we went from the nearest  train station was Hurup Thy, from where it is some 11 km to the camping at Agger, added a detour to see the passage-grave at Lundehøj, 5 km in the opposite direction, making the first day a 20 km stretch. The train takes an epic 5 hours from Copenhagen, including changes at Vejle* and Struer.

Highlights

Among the highlights of this tour are riding on the white sand beach, surfing the waves of Cold Hawaii, the frenetic summer life of the coastal towns, the famous chefs and restaurants’ summer residencies in Skagen and the beach hot spots. The Thy National Park, the rough nature, the numerous signs of the locals fight against the sand: where they lost and the churches houses and even beacons were buried. Also the enormous wandering dune, that slowly  wanders across the land crushing everything in its path, the remains of the German WWII Atlantic fortifications – bunkers in various states of disrepair dotting the coast line all the way to Skagen. The

Skagen Museum dedicated the  famous Skagen Painters, Michael and Anna Ancher and P.S. Krøyer (anyway, the museums restaurant in the museum garden is nice and serves delicious food).
For the youngest there are 500 km of sand beach, amusement parks, many nature playgrounds and lots of places to get ice cream, along the route.

Somewhat off the route in Thy you may find Kirsten Kjærs Museum, museum for a (rather unknown) female artist and collector who was  in the midst of the cultural elite of the 20th century, Thylejren, the first danish hippie commune, still waving the hippie flag high – famous for having had John Lennon and Yoko Ono staying there. Although not really a tourist sight (like Christiania is), they have cheap beer and soft drinks for a refreshment.

If you’re not content with just going along one route, og might want to see something off-route, you can follow the sign-posted detours, called Panorama-routes, roundtrips of 20 to 50 km along the traditional cycle route.  On the northern part of the Westcoast Route so far 7 Panorama-routes have been made.

Nice to know

Apart from the occasional grand gourmet apperances by danish chefs relocating for the summer to traditional foodie “hotter spots” like Skagen and Lønstrup, food on the Westcoast is rather basic, and most surprising, rarely fresh fish. Pizzas, burgers and kebabs rule the tables. In the tourist centres in the season you may find restaurants or cafees with an alternative offering. It pays to have your eyes open.

Technincal data

The route is almost flat, though it has some climbs that that can challenge the rider of a heavily packed bike, mainly due to the tracks rough surface.

The quality of the surface varies a lot along the route. From the high grade tarmac in Thy National Park, to gravel, dirt, concrete plates, grass and even sand – of course along the shore line but also on some paths further inland.

As many cyclists say: “The mountains in Denmark are flat”, and refer to the at times strong and continious winds, that really can take the energy from you.

You can go on a normal touring or everyday bike as we did, or, if you would like to try out some of the great mountain bike tracks, fit a mountain bike with panniers.

Notes

* Usually the ticket states that you change at Fredericia, but that means that you will have to change platforms (with bikes and stuff) in a rather short time. Changing at Vejle is less stressfull since there is only one platform, and the trains go on the same tracks, so they will come in the right order. Ask for advice from the personel on the train.

Additional links

The Route: http://cyclistic.dk/da/?routeID=96b3fc95-c02b-4d45-b5fe-5c9e70bf1ece

North Sea Cycle Route: http://www.northsea-cycle.com/

West Coast Route: http://vestkystruten.dk/

While planning the trip, I noted that the only cycling guide from Lonely Planet acctually was on New Zealand, so: “a perfect spot for a cycling vacation with the family”, was my initial thought.

Luckily, we added up the kms needed to visit the sights we wanted to see on the South Island, and realized that renting a car would be more sensible as we were going the whole family. So we picked the one “unmissable” trek for our cycling needs, following the advice from Lonely Planet – and numerous online sources – and went for the Central Otago Rail Trail.

To be honest, we only rode half of the trails 150 km, as our rather tight schedule for the round trip of New Zealand’s South Island didn’t allow more. It was the best half, of course. The half with the tunnels and bridges, and going downhill.

Cycling in New Zealand

Discussing the state of kiwi-cycling with cycling advocates in Auckland proved the point that the Lonely Planet guide book may be overly optimistic, since cycling in the urban areas still is mainly for enthusiasts, and distances are rather big – since most traffic planning is made mainly with cars in mind.

As we drove our car around on the South Island, the verdict on cycle-friendliness was: “not so much”. Most car drivers are considerate, but most the Island’s roads are rather narrow. I was happy having been pragmatic, and not having to cycle on the edge of the road with cars going 90 kmh on the right and an abyss (or mountain wall) on the left with my family…

Cyclists, whom I asked about the cycling experience, loved the landscape, but found mainly the infrastructure tough to handle. Even a well equipped swiss randonneur, who had cycled throughout Europe, US,  and Asia, found the roads and the traffic challenging.

The Rail Trail

The Central Otago Rail Trail, on the other hand, is car free. A former rail track, where you cycle on the rail bed over rail bridges, and through rail tunnels, stopping at former railway stations.

The lure of converting rail tracks into cycle trails is that rail tracks are generally flat, with no steep climbs or descents, making them ideal for recreational cycling. In Europe rail-to-bike-trail-conversions are known under the name “Greenways”.

The Rail Trail opened in 2000 and attracts around 12000 visitors annually. The trail forms a crescent starting in Middlemarch (at 200 m above sea), going up hill peaking at 600 m altitude at Wedderburn and ending down hill in Clyde at, roughly, 200 m above sea.

We started our tour of the Trail just after the peak, in the historic city Oturehua, and had scheduled 25 km per day. Advices on the difficulty of the trail differ from source to source, from “doing the trail” in one day to travelling it in 5 or 6 days. For a family with kids of 10 and 6, cycling on unfamiliar bikes on a rather rough surface, the 25 km proved to be fine, also leaving time to enjoy the surroundings and for the kids to play with other kids at the camp site.

The trail is build on the rail beds’ grawel and stones, which gives a certain charm and rustiqueness, most of the time the track has been smothed-out with gravel, but on certain segments of the trail it seemed as if the sleepers of the rail track had been removed and left it to the cyclists to even out the track, giving a rather rough and bumpy experience, keeping the trails railway-heritage extremely present.

For the kids, the rail-heritage was also kept present by buying the “Otago Central Rail Trail Passport” where you could stamp the pages at stations on your way. Spotting the small red lockers soon was a favorite sport, eventhough the younger of the kids was limited in her search by  sitting on a

tow-bike. And after the trip, the booklet is a nice souvenir with short presentations of the stations and towns on the way.

In most presentations, the lack of supplies is emphasised, and this is acctually something to keep in mind, as there are no supplies of food or water along the trail, apart from the shops and cafees. We passed two toilets set up by The Departement of Conservation, but they were both lacking toiletpaper at the time we passed them. Bringing your own toiletpaper might not be such a bad idea…

All things considered

Coming from Denmark, as I am, off course you seem to be spoiled in regards of perfected cycle infrastructure, but even the danes – especially danish tourism – can learn a lot from the services build around the Rail Trail. You can argue the huge difference in the state of cycling is important. Yes and no. The danes might be used to cycle, have their own bike and stuff, but tourists coming to Denmark might not.

Transportation: Try having your bike and luggage transported in Denmark. It is a hassle if possible, but it rarely is.

Perfection: Danish recreational trails tend to be made as smooth as a german Autobahn. The Rail Trail proves that it might not be necessary to plaster the trail with the perfect road surface to attract guests from all over the world, but then, it might be too rough at times. the keyword is “comfortable enough”. In Denmark you can even find cycle routes with surfaces that are impossible to cycle on…

The stunning, mountaneus landscape, Denmark can’t compete with, nor copy, but the way to engage and revive the local communities by enabling the trail is something that could bring more recreational cyclists

Facts in short.

When to go? We rode the track in january, which is early summer in NZ. In the spring/fall the weather is even more unstable than in the summer, where we experienced both dry heat with temperatures around 25 degrees celsius, sudden rain, and windy chills, on only two days

Helmets – yes, always an issue – are compulsory by law.

Luggage – one bag with tent and sleeping bags – was transported to a campsite in Omakau. We rented bikes,  transportation of ourselves and the luggage item from Trail Journeys (www.trailjourneys.co.nz) providing a good service, but for my taste, the bikes were too tall, and tires to slim for the track. A mountainbike with fatter tires would have been more apropriate in my opinon.

Disclaimer: The tour was not sponsored by any meassure or means.

Secondly. The lighter you travel, the easier it is to move.

Before going summer touring on Bornholm with the family we decided to test the bikes, panniers, and the youngest member of the family. How far could she manage to ride with weight in the panniers?

From Copenhagen, we took the regional train to Sorø, where we had planned a short trip around the twin-lakes, Tystrup-Bavlelse Søer.  The full round-trip around the lake back to Sorø would be 38 km, but also having the option of a short cut to approximately 25 km going to the train station in Glumsø.

Starting in the early afternoon, we planned to stay the night at a hostel, not so far from Sorø, the Kongskilde Friluftsgaard.

The tour is not a dense collection of highlights, but rather a nice slice of the diversity of beautiful country side. The landscape is dominated by the many small hills and small villages that dot the landscape.

On the first leg, from Sorø station and south, through the countryside, and avoiding the bigger roads, we passed the only wild growing forest in Denmark, Suserup Skov. It is the last remains of the forests that covered Mid-Zealand after the ice age 20000 years ago. Today, it is privately owned by the Sorø Akademi, and has been left to its natural order for experimental reasons since 1920. You are only allowed to walk on the paths, but it is beautiful, and a rare sight in Denmark.

The hostel is placed  almost directly at the intersection of the National Cycle Route 6 and 7,  and is a great starting point for exploring the area around the twin lakes, since it also doubles as a information centre for local nature and food.  Since it is fairly large it is also quite popular with weddings and parties.

Continuing the round trip next day, we became aware that Copenhagen is actually quite close, when meeting the hordes of cyclists on carbon racing bikes on their sunday morning exercise.

The gentle hills and curvy rural roads make for perfect road racing. Actually, Copenhagen is not further away, than many road racers from Copenhagen include the twin lakes in their training circuits.

As we left the National Cycle Route 7, we realized that the roads we’re not as suitable for cyclists as the roads designated for the cycle route, and decided to go to the nearest station, and take the train back to Copenhagen.

In the end, we spend 12 days on Bornholm for our vacation, to be able to have plenty of resting days.

Bornholm features, as the only part of Denmark,  genuine rocks, combined with rather large forests, a unique flora, and great beaches that make it stand out from the rest of Denmark. It also has build a reputation of being one of the best places for cycling holidays in Denmark. You find cycle path almost all way round the island, and disused rail tracks have been restored into bike tracks, passing through beautiful scenery with gentle climbs and curves, and undisturbed by car traffic, making it a comfortable ride.

Even though bike rental is affordable and reliable on Bornholm (and thus makes i possible to avoid the rather steep ticket price for carrying your own bike on the ferry), we brought our own everyday bikes. The kids carried their personal stuff (teddies, a notebook and rain clothes) in their own panniers. Actually, normal front panniers fit kids’ bikes rather well. We adults took the rest of the stuff. Tent and sleeping bags were put on a small bike trailer, to penalize the fastest going adult, making his speed somewhat slower.

Getting there (and away)

Bornholm is a relatively well connected island, especially in the season with daily ferries from Rügen in Germany, Ystad in Sweden and Copenhagen (Køge) in Denmark.

It is possible to bring bikes on all connections, although the Ystad-Rønne connection has limited space. The Bornholm CykelExpress provides cheap transport of bikes, kayaks and stuff.

The night ferry departs from Køge, 45 km south of Copenhagen, around midnight. Going to Køge from Copenhagen by bike is absolutely an option.

The cycle route through suburbian and industrial south Copenhagen qualifies to be among the most boring bikerides in the world. For the less fanatic, there are S-trains going every 10-20 mins. Accompanied by paying adults, kids and bikes go for free on the s-train.

All ferries arrive at Rønne. The night ferry around 6 am and usually you can buy a breakfast on board the ferry, and enjoy the view over Rønne before venturing out. If you prefer solid ground under your feet when eating breakfast, the bakeries of Rønne usually open at 7.30-8am.

Being the hub, and main city of Bornholm, Rønne is where you rent your bikes, stock up food and what ever you’ll need for the next 10 km. The smaller cities have shops catering for most of your everyday needs.

Setting the pace to high

Our ferry trip had been really exhausting. So after a quick breakfast on the main square, we left Rønne going north following the National Cycle Route 10 through the forest passing the rather amazing Ruby and Emerald lakes that have filled former quarries.

Traveling with kids, you can never make to many breaks. So after just 3 km we made the first break to go swimming. The beaches on the southern half of Bornholm are sand beaches, while the the northern beaches are mostly rocky and less suitable for bathing. The Baltic Sea is rather cold in the early summer, and after a quick dip, we continued to our lunch stop at the smokehouse in Hasle 10 km from our start in Rønne.

Herring is called the “Gold from the Baltic Sea”, and Bornholm owes lots of its former importance to the abundance of herring. Smoked herring is the “national dish of Bornholm”, and almost every town on the coast has at least one smokehouse serving a variety of smoked fish. The smokehouse in Hasle is a personal favorite.

After lunch we took some time to sleep and play on the nearby playground, then we continued north aiming to stay at a basic campsite just north of the port Vang. Making it a total of 20 km for the first leg. The the southern part of west coast of Bornholm is nice for beach fun, and you can stay in Rønne or Hasle, but we preferred to spend more time on the north coast.

The stretch from Hasle to Vang is one of the most hilly parts of the cycle route, and just outside Hasle the fun begins with a descend of 20%. The gravel on the descend showed be a serious challenge, and some bandaids later we continued rolling carefully downhill to sealevel heading for the amazing rockformation Jons Kapel (“John’s Chapel”) for afternoon tea (eg. ice cream).

Just before Jons Kapel we are met with the propably most challenging part of the cycle route, when the road ends and the track turns into a set of stairs going 25 m up a steep hill. On bikes with luggage you must dismount and pull the bikes up the hill. Luckily, theres a bench at the top of the hill, and a small café 500m further along the route, where you can catch your breath, and get an ice cream before locking your bike and walking back and down another set of stairs to Jons Kapel. The lower chamber is flooded during high tide, so check the tides at the touristinformation before you go.

Around 5 pm we arrived – as some of the first – at the campsite, giving us the challenge of finding the right spot to put up the tent.

For the youngest, the day had been exhausting, so we decided to shorten the length of the stages from a max of 25 kilometre to a max of 15 kilometre – and to hurry the food for the evening. We had the time to do this – but even then it meant less days for excursions.

We chose this particular camp site due to its proximity to the “Castle heather” that is particular beautiful in the early summer, and the nearby Hammershus, despite being in ruins still is a impressive sight built on the edge of the cliff.

Near Hammershus you find twin-cities Allinge-Sandvig, both former fishing villages, now popular with urbanites from Copenhagen. The northern, Sandvig-part of the city, has campgrounds close to the beach, the southern has the supermarkets and cafees…

In the surroundings of Allinge-Sandvig you find the usual beach tourism thrills and also a working quarry museum (“Stenbrudsmuseet”) and the Route 10 passes by the remains of a large field of bronze age rock carvings on “Madsebakke” just behind the soccer fields of Allinge.

Continuing along National Cycle Route 10, following a short stretch of greenway then merging with the main road between Allinge and Gudhjem, you pass some of the spots unique in Denmark: At Døndalen you’ll find the tallest waterfall in Denmark, and just a few kilometers further you’ll find Helligdomsklipperne (“The Sacred cliffs”) where the new Art Museum of Bornholm is placed.

On the way, almost blocking the path to the cliff, the museum is a perfect spot for a break. The museum building is build over a stream, that is now running through the main corridor of the museum. It is housing a nice collection of Bornholms artistic heritage, having attracted light seeking artists throughout the last century or so.

Leaving the bikes locked at the bike parking makes sense. The paths are meant to be explored by foot, and occasionally unsuited for touring bikes.

The caves in the cliff are habitat for some rare spiders, and on the cliffs you can be lucky to see the only orchids growing in the wild in Denmark. The caves are accessible by a steep staircase descending down the cliff to a pier at water level.

From the cliffs you can go by boat to Gudhjem and back and see the beautiful shoreline from the sea side – they don’t carry bikes, so it is purely for sightseeing.

From Allinge to Gudhjem, the cycle route is rather hilly, and the city of Gudhjem is situated on the hill side with the road running above the city. In Gudhjem cycling is prohibited on some of the steepest roads, and ignoring the signs on a bike with luggage is not reccommended. The road are steep and narrow, and if you make it to the bottom you’ll find the harbour, with cafees and people walking around…

The hostel is bike friendly, and the very comfortable campsite is in the next bay from the harbour, close to the shore, and with a 500 meter footpath directly into the heart of the city.

After a couple of days in Gudhjem we continued along Route 10 heading for Svaneke. This part of the route is dotted with outlets and shops, from glass and antiques to teddy bears, but also some magnificent views.

In Svaneke we decided to stay at the hostel – not because the campground was to far from the city centre, but because we on the way from Gudhjem already had experienced the first of the showers the weather forecast had promised would come the next days, and we found no reason not to stay dry.  (The campground is just next to the hostel and closer to the beach).

Svaneke is the third largest city on Bornholm, but the one where things are happening. It has the one of the few buildings build in Denmark by Jorn Utzon, architect famous for the Sydney Opera House, but probably not for this landmark water tower.

One reason to stay in Svaneke is the local microbrewer, Svaneke

Bryghus, and spending an evening with a tasting platter of their latest brew. The food in the Brewhouse is usually nice, too.

The other reason is the fun park Joboland, where the kids can try water slides and other fun stuff. Visiting the park on a rainy day proved to be a great succes, since it was less crowded, and the lines shorter.

From Svaneke we planned to go straight to the classic, white beaches of Dueodde.

In my opinion, the route 10 from Svaneke to Nexø is very boring. The only thing worth continuing along the Route would be a visit at the smokehouse in Aarsdale, for which people travel to eat the “Saltstægte sild”, the salted, fried herring on ryebread with mustard and beetroots. Knowing what I would be about to miss with my detour, I took my bike a day earlier and set out to pick up some lunch boxes of the meal (but aquired taste).

If you absolutely dislike hills and fields, keep going the “10”, but other wise I recommend to take the little longer excursion inland.

So, not missing a thing, we left the Route 10 and ventured in land to see the Great Rocking Boulder – a huge piece of rock, left on a flat rock surface by the receeding ice from the ice age, so that it now can be rocked by an average person. It dislocates from time to time, but it usually “works”.

Going inland also means going “up”. Luckily the rocking stone is not on placed on the pinacle of Bornholm, 108 meter above sea level, but only half way to the top. But less is also noticeable. And to our luck, we found wild blueberries on the way. Finally, as “The laws of cycling on an island” say, that, having gone upwards to the middle of an island, there is a descend to help you the rest of the way.

Crossing the middle of Bornholm also emphazises the very compounded geology of Bornholm, where the northern half is rocky and “nordic”, the southern part is flat and very “danish”.

The beach of Dueodde is famous for its very fine, white sand, and wide beaches. It has been a favored beach for 100 years and was goal for some of the earliest danish tourists, and the sand has been used for sand tea timers, spreading the brand throughout Denmark.

The water temperature around Bornholm is rather “baltic”. The baltic sea is rather cool, and even after weeks of hot summer it remains a refreshing dip until late in the season. The shallowness of the water at Dueodde make it possible to actually enjoy bathing here. Making it a fun and safe beach for kids. Take note of Lifeguards warnings though.

After some days of beach holiday, we decided that we had had our vacation, and set for Rønne and home. This we would do in two or three stages. depending on how strong the head wind would become. We decided on two days in order to try some of the specialities of Bornholm.

Before we left,  we had to try a lunch at the local gourmet restaurant, the Kadeau. The chefs have specialized in locally sourced food, and upgrading traditional dishes to a modern, fine cuisine. Their outgrowth in Copenhagen has earned a star from the Michelin Guide, but this is the relaxed vacation version, with a restaurant in a former beach kiosk, and you  can bring a towel and have a dip in the ocean between the courses, or just enjoy the magnificent view over the sea and the amazing food. In the season the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

On the laste stages we were deviating from the “10” again, partly due to the strong head wind, and partly to see the Nature centre of Bornholm, where the  unique nature of Bornholm is on display, as well at the dinosaur finds, that have been made, indicating that Bornholm – contrary to the rest of Denmark, has been land when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. The Nature Centre also arranges guided excavation tours, where you can try to find fossils yourself.

Our last stage, from Aakirkeby to Rønne is again a traditional greenway, a rail line put in to good use as a cycle way. Going straight a head, with few curves, passing one of the round churches, that Bornholm also is famed for.

Facts

Being a holiday island, booking in advance is advised, especially in the main season.

If you want to visit Bornholm in mid june (usually the second weekend in june), be aware that every possible accommodation in the in and around Allinge is fully booked due to a recurring political festival.

Basic nature Campsites are found all over Denmark. Many are free, but some charge up to DKr 25 per person per night. The sites are generally not accessible by car. The guide “Overnatning i det fri” is the comprehensive guide to basic camping in Denmark, where you’ll find maps and details for all campsites charging little og nothing per night. Being a basic campsite, there’s only the most necessary amenities: drinking water and a toilet, and you are only allowed to stay there for two nights in a row.

To plan the stages of our trip we used the map from the Cycling Guide for Bornholm, some maps from the local tourist information, the guide “Overnatning i det fri” and the online portal Cyclistic.dk

The Tourist Information on Bornholm is very cyclist friendly.