Category Archives: Touring

We do bike touring ourselves. Sometimes more epic than others. Here, you can read about our exploits

The Western Fortifications of Copenhagen

In the aftermath of the defeat to the Prussian army in 1864, and loss of a huge chunk of the southern part of Jutland, danish politicians decided to build the third fortifications of the Capital to be able to at least save the government, royals, and culture if aggressors again should succeed in overrunning the Danish military.

Today the fortififications provide the backdrop for a recreational ride around Copenhagen. Continue reading The Western Fortifications of Copenhagen

The North Sea Coastal route

The North Sea Cycle Route follows a 6000 km long path from the city of Bergen in Norway all the way along the coast around the North Sea to the village Norwick on the Shetland Islands.

Cyclists on grass tracks
Grass track are relatively fast to go on, with treacherous pits of lose sand.

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. Continue reading The North Sea Coastal route

Central Otago Rail Trail

New Zealand has a magnificient landscape of which you can assure yourself by watching Lord of the Rings. So the prospect of cycling in a landscape of that diversity and grandeur is a dream come true.

The trail ahead. Photo: Michael Hammel
The trail ahead. Photo: Michael Hammel

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. Continue reading Central Otago Rail Trail

Exploring Swedish hills

Back in May my girlfriend and I were invited to Sweden by Björn from Kvinnaböske Krog & Hotell. Björn wanted to know how he could attract more Danish cyclists to the area and to his inn. Kvinnaböske, a small settlement of a few houses, lies between Båstad and Ängelholm in Western Scania. It is only a two hour train ride away from Copenhagen. Direct trains serve both cities every hour.

The inn is open. Photo: Jesper Pørksen
The inn is open. Photo: Jesper Pørksen

Kvinnaböske is situated at the foot of “Hallandsåsen”, a horst on the border between Scania and Halland. It reaches its highest point at Högalteknall near the village of Hasslöv at 224 metres. The horst can be climbed from either North or South via a number of great, long ascents. Many of them reaches grades of 10% or more. For a Danish cyclist not being exploited with hills this alone is a reason to go. Continue reading Exploring Swedish hills

On a bike to Amsterdam – part #2

After a good day of rest in Hamburg it was time to mount the bike again. The goal of this rather cloudy Sunday was Hannover, close to 200 km South of the Hanseatic city at the Elbe river. And the Elbe was my first waypoint.

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The old Elbtunnel. Photo: Jesper Pørksen

There are several ways of crossing the Elbe. I chose going under it via the old St. Pauli Elbtunnel. Build in 1911 and with a length of 426.5 meters it connects the city with the extensive harbour area on the other side. Cars are allowed at certain times, but on Sundays it is only accessible on foot or on a bike. It was cool and quiet. Two lifts made going down and up effortless. Continue reading On a bike to Amsterdam – part #2

On a bike to Amsterdam – part #1

A while ago I had a German friend in Amsterdam, who invited me to visit him and his family. It fitted well into my work travelling plans because I already had a project meeting in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the work calendar didn’t fit with the calendar of Chris and his family.
Continue reading On a bike to Amsterdam – part #1