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/

On my old Specialized touring bike (see Cycling home for Christmas) I have used a Shimano dynamo hub (DH-3N80) with both head- and taillight for several years. It has worked perfectly ever since installing. A no worries system. Next to the great lightning power it is convenient never to have to think about bringing your battery lights, when you leave home.

A no worries system

On the Specialized I have went through all phases of headlight development. I started out with a regular light bulb, driven by a dynamo on the rear wheel. The lamp had a nice yellowish light, but did not really illuminate the road. Then I moved to a halogen lamp and the road in front of me got brighter. Finally, I got my self a B&M LED headlight, which gives a colder but a much stronger light. It has been on the bike for 3 years now and still works flawlessly.

Therefore I wanted to have a dynamo system on my new touring bike, the Genesis Croix de Fer.

It is my plan to use the Genesis for longer tours, maybe also some brevets, but first of all it is my commuter bike. I live in Copenhagen, but work in Næstved, which is exactly 83 km away. On most days I commute by train, but 2-4 times in a month I try to cycle.

Though the Shimano/B&M system still works to my full satisfaction , I wanted to try something new. After reading at several reviews on the internet I decided to go after the SON hub dynamo in combination with the brand new SON Edelux II headlight. In the end the thorough overview on Peter White Cycle’s homepage convinced me – just take a look at the first photo!

Building a wheel

I ordered and waited. The interest for the new Edelux seemed very large. Finally, end of February two small packages arrived. The hub and the light. I had already received a B&M taillight to be mounted on the seat stays.

Now I just needed to rebuild my front wheel with the new dynamo hub. I cannot build a wheel without looking at a recipe, so I found my old bicycle repair book (Hold cyklen i form – Keep your bike in shape) and attached a wheel turning stand to the desk in the living room. A podcast from The Bike Show on Residence FM had told me that wheel building was simple and yet highly complicated.

To sew the rim and the spokes together is no big effort, but to get it right in all dimensions needs an experienced hand or a lot of trying. With only a few wheels on my resume I had no hopes of getting it right the first time.

It turned out to be quite meditative. Turn the wheel and check for trueness. To loosen and to tighten spokes. Slowly I got a hand for it. I began to learn how much I needed to turn each spoke to see the result I wanted. It took all night and when I installed it on the bike it was a centimetre off centre. To loosen and to tighten again. So it went a couple of times until I finally got it right.

Cycling in the dark

So far I have only tested the system for a few hours in the dark, but enough to be very impressed by the lightning power of the Edelux II. The beam both illuminates the road way ahead of you – more than 25 meters I should say – and it provides a nice wide projection area on the road. I would feel safe going down a curvy road in the night with the Edelux.

The dynamo hub, I have the SON28 ISO Disc, runs very smooth. I have noticed a minor reduction in speed with the headlight turned on, but no more than expected.

Both hub and headlight make a very good quality impression. It is also very convenient that the headlight has a sensor mode, so that the light turns off and on automatically. It really is a no worries system. I am looking forward to test it during a night ride.

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.