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Swedish FlagDanish flagDenmark Sweden Tour 2018 -

Part 1 - Copenhagen - Malmo - Ystad and around Bornholm to Køge

31.07.18 - Home to Copenhagen

The taxi arrived just before 10.00am and the driver loaded our bike boxes using the tail lift on the back of the minibus. As we drove up to Norwich we got talking to the driver and found out that he was the husband of Kathy, one of our teaching assistants at school. We were dropped off at just after 11 o'clock and it was a good thing that we had plenty of time as when we came to book in the bikes we had a problem. When I booked in the bikes with KLM I had specifically told them that they were 34kg in weight however they said that they wouldn't take them as the baggage handlers aren't allowed to lift anything heavier than 32kg. They were very good about it and said is there any way we could take anything out of the boxes. We took out the wheels and they then weighed the boxes and they were 30kg. So the wheels then went separately. Fortunately they had their own bags and they put fragile stickers all over them. We just hoped that they would survive intact and the transfer at Schipol. We had a short transfer at Schipol and the flight staff had advised us of our departure gate and fortunately it wasn’t too far away and we joined the queue of the passengers who were just starting to board the plane. When we got to Copenhagen our bags and the four wheels arrived on the conveyor belt and the bike boxes were in the oversized baggage area. Apart from some scratches on the bike boxes everything seemed to have survived the flights. We would know more when we get to the hotel and put the bikes back together.

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01.08.18 - Copenhagen to Malmö

map linkWe had a nice buffet breakfast and whilst we were finishing it it then started to rain and then we had thunderstorms. Fortunately by mid morning it cleared up and we could get on with putting the bikes back together which took a couple of hours. Following the rain the sun came out and it got very hot so we needed several shandies from the bar to keep us going. Fortunately the wheels had survived the flight without any damage. With the gear loaded we cycled towards the center of Copenhagen to find Spejder Sport an outdoor shop to get some gas and then we cycled back to the airport railway station to catch the train to Malmö. At the airport station it was difficult to get information as to whether we could take the bikes on the train to Malmö. Eventually we found a DSB guy who told us we could as long as it was a DSB train and not a SK train and he told us that we needed a ticket for the bikes. Fortunately the ticket machine had the ability to change the language to English so it was easy to get the tickets and there was a lift to get us down to the platforms. The train was fairly full but we managed to find a space to get our bikes on.

It was a short ride on the train and we got off at the Malmö Arena station at Hyllie. After finding a supermarket we decided to eat in a restaurant before going to the campsite. There were several restaurants near the entrance of the shopping mall where the supermarket was. We fancied the Italian so went into that restaurant. It was a strange Italian place as you ordered your food directly from a row of 6 cooks who took your order and told you to come back in 6 to 7 minutes. They then cooked the pasta sauce in woks and heated the part cooked pasta in baskets in hot water. It didn't seem very environmentally friendly as every ingredient seemed to be individually wrapped for portion control. The pasta meals were OK but we wouldn't rush to go back. We are also not sure what the Italians would have made of it. After the meal we set off for the campsite. Fortunately It was only 5km to the campsite and the Locus Pro app on my phone navigated us there all on cycle paths which was great. On the way we passed a huge chalk quarry which they are thinking of making into a housing estate. The campsite was quite good with good facilities and a large area for tents and we found a good spot not too far from the facilities.

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02.08.18 - Malmö to Nybostrand

map link We didn't have too bad a night considering that we were woken by a family putting their tent up alongside us at 10.30pm. There was plenty of room in the rest of the camping field, why did they have to pitch right next to us! Eventually they settled down but it was nearly midnight. We were then woken up an hour later by one of their children being sick. In the morning when we woke up it was a cloudless sky and it didn't take long for the hot sun to warm the tent and it was really hot work packing the tent up. We were away from the campsite by 11 o'clock.

Our route south to Trelleborg took us on good cycle paths through farmland. It was easy cycling but very hot in the sun and we had to keep stopping for drinks along the route and we kept looking for a shady spot to stop our lunch. We managed to find a bus shelter which had a seat and fortunately there was a nice breeze. We sat there and had a brew of tea and eat our sandwiches. At Fuglie we stopped at the very impressive red brick church and had a well earned drink in the shade of some large trees outside. Further on we passed the white painted Kyrka at Bodarps. Our route to Trelleborg took us through the villages of Västra Värlinge and Västra Tommarp. After cycling through Trelleborg we stopped at a supermarket on the outskirts before heading to the campsite at Nybostrands. We soon got to Nybostrands Camping which is right on the coast just behind some sand dunes. I asked at the reception if we could stay for the night. The young lady at reception said that they were full however she offered as an alternative which was the use of one of their own shelters. As we have been used to using these we said yes and it only cost us eighty krone with free showers.

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03.08.18 - Nybostrand to Bornholm

map linkI woke early at 5.30am and the motorbike guy in the next shelter was packing up. I tried to get back to sleep and I must have dozed off as I was awoken by the motorbike guy starting up his engine and setting off. By 6.30am I was wide awake so I decided to go off and explore the dune area west of the campsite and find a few of the caches there. I was back just after 8.00am and I made Frank some tea and breakfast. Even at that time it was getting hot and we were sweating hard just rolling up the exped sleeping mats. It was a good thing that we didn't have to pack away the tent as well. The route for today was very straight forward as all we had to do was follow the coast road to Ystad. Fortunately there was a cycle route and good cycle path all along the route so we weren't on the road at all. It made it so easy to cycle and with a good tailwind we could often get into a large gear and we were really bolling along. The sun was hot and it was a real treat to cycle in the cool of the shaded bits.

Just before Smygehuk where there was a small car park by the side of the road close to the lighthouse a lady called out to me in German that she needed some help. As I replied to her in German she thought I was German but faulted in her German as she was trying to explain her problem. I asked her where she was from in German and she said Sweden! I then replied in English as I guessed she probably spoke better English which turned out to be true. Oh she said you are English I thought you were German. She was having problems with her front wheel as she had taken it off to get it in her car and was trying to get it back on. What the problem was that she didn't have strength to tighten the quick release and the mudguard was impinging on the tyre. I told her that her mudguard stays needed adjustment but she insisted that it was fine when she had taken it off to put the bike in her car. Obviously she hadn't realised that they might have got shortened by the mudguard bouncing on something during her trip in the car. I got my toolkit out and soon had them adjusted, her chain had come off as well and with my trusty chopstick I had that back on. After I insisted that she test ride it around the car park she was happy that all was well and seemed greatly relieved. She thanked me for my help and I headed off to find Frank. Thanks to our intercom system Frank had heard the conversation and had stopped in a shady spot to wait for me.

Just a little further on at Smygehuk there was an ice cream kiosk so we stopped to get an ice cream to help cool us down. After being suitably refreshed we got back on to the cycle route. It was quite popular with cyclists and we met several touring cyclists as we cycled along. The cycle route basically followed along the coast road and you got nice views of the sea to our right and farmers fields to the left as we sped along. Most of the fields were golden stubble with huge cotton reels of straw, however there were several fields of beat and potatoes that were obviously struggling in the drought. Just before Abbekås there was a lovely little bay and a small marina. As it was just after half past 1 o'clock we decided to stop for some lunch. Fortunately there were several picnic benches and we found one that gave us some shade from the sun. Whilst we were having lunch I looked at what was left of our route. Our plan had been to camp at Ystad and then catch the ferry to Bornholm the next morning, however our progress with the tail wind had been very good and we had only 16km left to get to Ystad. It was just coming up to 2 o’clock we could easily make the 16.30pm ferry to Rønne. So after packing up our brew kit and lunch we headed off to Ystad.

We soon joined the Västra Kustvägen and the tail wind was still in our favour and we continued to make good time and with a short stop at the site of the Ting at Svarte we were soon approaching the outskirts of Ystad and could see the ferry coming in. We got to the ferry terminal at Ystad at 3.40pm just as the ferry was docking. With our tickets purchased at the ferry terminal office we were directed around to load with the cars and into lane 1 with all the motorbikes. It is amazing just how quickly they can turn these ferries around as no sooner had they docked then they were off loading the cars and it was only a few minutes and they were waving us on. The ferry was a fast catamaran and took just over an hour to get to Rønne. Rønne is a pretty town and harbour which has some lovely old half timbered houses many of which had to be rebuilt after the Russians bombed the island at the end of the war the lighthouse and the lovely Sankt Nicolai Kirke stood out in the lovely evening sunshine. After a very bumpy ride over the cobbled streets we found a supermarket in the centre of the town and headed for the nearest campsite which was just south of the town.

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04.08.18 - Rønne

Both Frank and I felt absolutely knackered today, Whether it was the heat of the last few days or the fact that it had been a stressful term and that was catching up on us I don't know but we decided to stay at the campsite and we had a very lazy day.

05.08.18 - Rønne to Dueodde

map linkWe both felt actually much better after our lazy day yesterday and we were up fairly early to try and get the tent packed up before it got too hot. With the bikes loaded we headed off to the kitchen to have our breakfast and we sat outside to eat it as it was cooler under the shade of the picnic table umbrellas with the stiff breeze. Talking of the breeze, that actually determined our direction of travel around the island that day. We had been debating whether to go clockwise or anticlockwise, but with the stiff westerly it was a no brainer and we turned right at the campsite entrance and joined route 10 which circumnavigates the Island following the coastline. The route took us initially through a lovely cool wooded area and then through a little residential area before going past the airport. We found a little stall by the side of the road which sold lovely blueberries which were purchased to add to our lunch. A little way on from the airport after the village of Arnager we turned off the cyclepath down a little track to the top of some cliffs where there was an earthcache. It was the site of a phosphorite mine opened in 1918 to provide phosphorite for fertiliser. It was a short-lived mine as it closed in 1920 after the mine flooded with water. There were steps down to the beach where we could find answers to the questions needed to claim the cache. While I found the answers Frank found some wild flowers to photograph.

When we got back up to the bikes at the top of the cliffs Frank realised that her Pebble power pack was missing from her barbag. On riding back up the track we found it on the gravel. It must have bounced out when she hit the gravel from the cyclepath. We were lucky to find it and that will teach her not to close her barbag properly! The cycle route follows alongside the main Søndre Landevei which is the main road that runs along the south of Bornholm. The cyclepath was easy going as it was mainly flat. At Bøsthøj we stopped at a small bridge to find a cache. It was worth the stop as under the new concrete bridge there was a lovely old stone bridge which we wouldn't have seen unless we had stopped for the cache. A little further on we came to Laesåen where there was a nice grass area to the side of the road with some shade from some trees and we decided that it was a great place for lunch. A few miles on from our lunch stop we saw a sign to a burial chamber at Jættedal which on our map was only a couple of kilometres down the road so we decided to turn off and have a look. It was very similar to some of the burial chambers we had seen in Scotland. We then cycled back to the cycle route and continued towards Dueodde.

At Ved Kirken there was a lovely Windmill which we stopped to have a look at. It was painted a brilliant white with contrasting red vanes which stood out in the sunshine. Soon after that we turned off the main road to head for the Dagli Brugsen at Pedersker. When we came out of the supermarket there were a couple of guys and a couple of kids looking at our bikes. They were German and interested in touring so we stopped for a chat. They were on holiday staying in a small summerhouse at Dueodde. We said goodbye to the Germans and headed back to the Søndre Landevei and were soon back on the cycle route 10 and headed for Dueodde on the Strandmarksvejen. Again it was good cycling on a good cyclepath with a forest on our right and farmland to our left. It didn’t take long to get to the campsite at Dueodde. We could see where the entrance road to the campsite was as at the junction there was the Bornholmertarnet, which is an enormous white painted observation tower that was built during the cold war period to give warning of any invasion forces coming down the baltic sea from Russia. Having turned right at the junction it was a short ride down to the Dueodde Familiecamping. It was a lovely campsite with a special quiet area away from the main campsite specially for cyclists. Why can’t all campsites have that?

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06.08.18 - Dueodde

As this was such a nice place we decided to stay another night and spend some time on the beach and have a swim in the Baltic sea, another thing to knock off the bucket list as the German chap that we had met outside the Dagli Brugsen yesterday said as we met him again in the afternoon. One interesting phenomenon of the beach at Dueodde is along with the quartzite sand on the beach the sand contains Magnetite. If you have a magnet with you and if you place it in the sand or run a handful of sand over it you can see the black Magnetite attracted to the magnet (see the photos below of the magnetite attracted to the magnet in our Primus stove tool). According to the lady in the campsite this hot weather was exceptional for this year and the sea is much warmer than it normally is. According to her last summer they had had a lot of rain which wasn't again normal. What with this heat wave across Europe and the wildfires in California and still that idiot Trump refuses to believe in global warming! In the evening we decided to treat ourselves to a meal out as there was a restaurant not far from the campsite. It was lovely sitting outside in the warm evening drinking cold Tuborg and people watching.

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07.08.18 - Dueodde to Svaneke

map linkWhilst we were packing up the tent we chatted to a Dane and his wife who was packing up their tent that was next to us. They were also touring and they were from the mainland and were catching the bus to Rønne as his hub gear was stuck in first gear. He was asking us where we were going. I said Svaneke. 'Oh the most beautiful place in Denmark' he said 'but you will be cycling in the mountains' , we couldn't work out if he was saying it tongue in cheek or that he was getting his English wrong and he meant to say hills. Once we had had our breakfast I went around to the reception to book us out and pay the bill. I was really surprised the two nights only cost us 150Kr whether she had given us a special cyclist rate I don't know but there is no mention of it on the website.

It was good to get back on the bikes and a little way along we picked up some more blueberries from a little stall by the side of the road. Again the day was very hot so we were grateful for any shade. At the little village of Snogebæk there were several herring smoking huts and some lovely old thatched traditional houses. From Snogebæk our route took us along past the Balka Strand with its white sandy beach and then the cycle route took us towards Nexø along the old track bed of the De Bornholmske Jernbaner railway line which ran from Rønne to Nexø. It was tree lined and gave us some welcome shade from the hot sun. At the far end as we approached Nexø we stopped at the 'Fugletårnet syd for Nexø', which was a small wildlife area of mud flats. There was a nice bench there overlooking the flats so we took the opportunity to have a quick brew of tea. While we sat drinking tea we got the Binoculars out and there was a raft of Greylag Geese and some Pectoral sandpipers looking for food on the mud and shallows. When we got to Nexø which is Bornholm's second largest town we decided to find somewhere for our lunch. There was a nice cafe on the Tørvet which had some outdoor seating under an awning to give us some shade from the sun. As we sat waiting for our open prawn sandwiches on the other side of the Tørvet there was a small stage and a guy with a guitar was setting up. While we were having our lunch we were entertained by him playing and singing some popular classics. It was all very pleasant.

After our lunch we headed towards Svaneke and as we left Nexø we passed Nexø Gamle Røgeri where they smoked the local herring. It was just a shame that we had had our lunch as they had a small restaurant. It would have been good to have tasted the local smoked herring. The cycle route followed the road for a couple of kilometres but then turned inland for a bit until we got to Aarsdale where there was a lovely large white painted windmill and also some lovely old thatched houses. We continued on the cycle path alongside the main road through Grisby and were soon on the outskirts of Svaneke. The Dane we talked to this morning was indeed correct Svaneke was indeed beautiful with its red and orange walled half timbered buildings. We had a good look around the town and the harbour before stopping at a cafe near the harbour for a well earned drink. We were going to push on to Gudhjem but as we cycled out of Svaneke Frank's head was beginning to pound, I don't think that she had drunk enough today, so we decided to go back to Svaneke to find the campsite. It was a nice site and the lady found us a lovely quiet shady spot overlooking the sea.

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08.08.18 - Sveneke to Christiansø

map linkSome bastard stole our solar panels! We had packed up the tent and loaded our bikes and had moved to the little courtyard where the kitchen was. We are usually very diligent about keeping an eye on our gear and they were sitting folded up on the picnic bench ready to fix on to our bikes when we had finished breakfast. It was only when we came to fix them on did we realise they were gone. The only time we could think when it could have happened was when Frank found that something had leaked into the food racpac and had brought it through to me in the kitchen. Some bastard had obviously spotted them and took the opportunity. Oh well it is the only thing we have had stolen in 21 years of touring! Fortunately they are not critical but it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Oh well it is only a couple of solar panels we can manage without them let's get on with the holiday. Leaving the campsite we headed back in to Svaneke and rode up the hill to have a look at the church which was interesting in its shape and rustic maroon colour. Our route to Guljhem basically followed the main coast road and there was a cycle route running alongside it. It took us through some lovely little villages with yellow and maroon painted half timbered houses some of which were thatched. Just after Listed we stopped at Bølshavn to look at a monolith stone called the 'Hellig Kvinde' which translated from Danish means, Holy Woman'. The smaller stones around her are supposed to be her children.

A little bit further on we stopped at the site of an18th century gun battery. An indication of Bornholm's prominence as fortified island in the wars against the English. At a steep hill we left the main road and zigzagged up the hill by means of a couple of side roads. Unfortunately it was very hot and hard work and I wondered if going straight up the road would have been easier, at least it would have been a short sharp shock to the system rather than a prolonged agony! When we got to the top of the hill we realised that we had only a few kilometres to go to get to Guljhem and looking at the ferry timetable there was a sailing at 3.00pm. It was just after 1.15pm we could easily manage the remaining 7km especially as it looked mainly downhill. The first bit was a good run down and for the first time for a while we both got into a ‘Clarkeson’, unfortunately we had to slow down at the bottom as the cycle path had some sharp bends and ended with a set of off set barriers. We stopped at the Dagli Brugsen at Guljhem which was on the main road to get some food to take with us to Christiansø. Gudhjem is a lovely little place with some lovely old buildings on winding streets that took us down to the havn where we found the ferry office. Outside it was offering daily ferry services to Christiansø at 10.00am and 12.00am. I ask the guy at the counter if there is a 3.00pm ferry yes there is but you won't be able to stay as there is no later ferry to bring you back. I told him as we wanted to stay there for two nights and then come home. Then that is not a problem he said. I then asked him if the ferry took bikes unfortunately not he said. I said I would discuss it with my wife and we may have to change our plans. As Frank and I sat on a bench debating what to do the guy came over and said we could store some of our gear in his office if that would help. What about the bikes? He said if we lock them up on the Quayside they should be alright. It was now 14.25pm so we only had a short time to organise ourselves. With a bit of reorganisation we managed to get the things we needed into 3 of the rear panniers and the two racpacs, we hoped that it wouldn't be too far across the island to the campsite. After putting our front panniers, the remaining rear pannier and our helmets in the ferry terminal office. I said to the guy that we had better buy a ticket. He asked me if I had booked a place at the campsite. I said no. He said he thought that it wouldn't be a problem but he said he would phone the campsite for us just to check. He got through to someone at the campsite and they said it was OK and that someone would meet us as we got off the ferry.

The ferry arrived just about 2.45pm and I have never seen so many people on a ferry, it took quite a time to get them all off. Fortunately there were only about a dozen people waiting to get on so the ferry was quite empty. The crossing was a bit choppy and the ferry wallowed its way across. It was quite warm sitting on deck and I struggled to keep my eyes awake. After an hour we were approaching Christiansø and you could see its two distinctive towers or Tårns and the mustard coloured houses. The ferry went between the island of Grisholm to the left and Fredriksø on the right and then turned sharply right to moor up in the little natural harbour between Fredericksø and Christiansø. When we got off the ferry we were met by the campsite owner who told us where the campsite was and found us a wooden wheelbarrow to put our gear on which was a relief. He told us that we would have to push it along the track around the North of the island as the direct route was hilly with steps. We were to use pitch 15 and we could pay him at the grocery shop which he ran near the harbour. The barrow was a little awkward to push but it was a lot easier than to have carried our panniers. We soon found the campsite which was basically within the bastions of the fortified island with huge 6ft thick walls with obvious gun emplacements. Due to the hot dry weather there wasn't a lot of grass on the site. The campsite had a small kitchen area so we cooked ourselves a meal and then went for a wander around the island. It was a lovely sunny warm evening and there was hardly anyone about.

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09.08.18 - Christiansø

We woke to a beautiful sunny morning. After a quick breakfast we went off to explore Ertholmene which is the correct name for the archipelago. Ertholmene consists of three main islands, Christiansø which is named after the Danish King Christian V, Frederiksø which is named after King Frederick IV and Græsholm, there are a number of minor rocks and skerries, including Tat and Østerskær, which is Denmark's easternmost point. Christiansø is 22.3 hectares in size, Frederiksø 4 and Græsholm is 11 hectares. Only Christiansø and Frederiksø are inhabited and Græsholm is a bird reserve. The sound between Christiansø and Frederiksø, is a well-sheltered natural harbour which can be crossed by a pedestrian bridge that can be pulled aside to accommodate larger vessels coming into the harbour. Apparently there are just 80 residents on the island, there is a grocery store, restaurant, church and they do have a small school.

As the mainland ferry didn’t get in until 11.30 we decided to go and have a look at the 2 main buildings, the Store Tårn and the Lille Tårn before it got busy. You can buy a ticket that gets you into both buildings. Store Tårn is a granite built fortified canon turret that obviously housed several guns. In 1798 they built a lighthouse on the top of it designed by Poul de Løvenørn (1751–1826). It was the first lighthouse in Denmark to have a flashing light, apparently inspired by the Swedish lighthouse at Marstrand. From the top of the lighthouse you get a fantastic view of the islands, the mustard coloured barrack blocks and the fortifications on the island. From there we went over to have a look at Lille Tårn on Frederiksø. This was another fortified canon turret that was used to house numerous guns which was built to protect the channel between Frederiksø and Graesholm.. It is now a small museum showing various artifacts and dioramas of the history of the archipelago. We spent the rest of the morning exploring the fortifications of the rest of Frederiksø before heading back to our campsite for some lunch.

The afternoon was spent exploring the lanes around Christiansø and the fortification on the east side of Christiansø In the evening we treated ourselves to a really good meal at the Kro restaurant the only one on the island. Frank had the pork dish and I had a traditional Danish dish called ‘Skipperlabskovs’ both were delicious and washed down with some of the local beer. The desert was just as yummy, a small slice of really light sponge topped with little soft meringues, raspberries and a rhubarb coulis. After our meal we further explored the south of the island visiting the Juuls Bastion, the Korgens Bastion, the Coucherons Bastion and the Bielkes Bastion.

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10.08.18 - Christiansø to Gudhjem

map linkWe were up early after the thunder storms and rain last. It was sunny with clouds and a strong wind. Some of the tents on the campsite were having problems in the wind. We packed up the gear in the tent and left it to dry whilst we had breakfast. Frank noticed that my shorts had split at the fly, typical I spent ages the other day sewing the seams up and it was the one seam I didn't do. I had no spare pair as we had left them in our other bags which we had left at the ferry terminal at Gudhjem. We managed to find some gaffa tape in the campsite first aid box to try and retain some dignity but it was a bit old and didn't stick very well but it looked a bit better than a gaping hole. We loaded the wheelbarrow and headed for the harbour. Whilst we sat on a bench we got talking to one of the guys who was in the party of sailors from one of the boats in the harbour. He had recognised us from the restaurant. He was going to fire the canons on the King's battery with his mates from the boats. He was hoping that there would be some tourists to watch it but looking at the sea he reckoned that there wouldn't be many on the ferry. Just then one of the guys from the campsite came by and said there was a rumour that the ferry had been cancelled. I went off to try and find the guy at the shop to see if he knew however he wasn't at the shop. I suddenly thought this is silly. I have the ferry company telephone number in my bardale so I went back to Frank. She was talking to a lady who was panicking as she had flights booked from Rønne to Copenhagen and then on to London. Fortunately the guy from the campsite came back to say that the ferry was still running.

There weren't quite so many day trippers that got off the ferry and there were quite a few going including several groups of young kids and several older ones who were obviously going back to high school. It wasn't too bad in the shelter of the harbour but as we hit the open sea the wind and the waves hit the boat. I had gone to the kiosk inside to get some hotdogs and cans of drink (a good deep sea captain friend of mine said if it looks like being a bit lively get something in your stomach, it better to have something to throw up than bile). Whilst I was waiting for my order we were hit by a large wave which knocked me sideways and I nearly demolished the galley cake display. Please sit down sir was the polite but slight order which I duly did. Generally I have reasonable sea legs but whether it was spending that time below but by the time I got back to Frank at the stern I was beginning to feel a bit queasy. The rest of the ride back to Gudhjem was to say the least a tad lively, the boat was getting tossed about by some big waves. We were sitting outside at the stern and every so often when we hit a big wave we got showered with sea water. We could have gone inside but we were both feeling a bit seasick and it is better to be out on deck where you can see the horizon. Fortunately we both hadn't been sick but by the time we docked at Gudhjem I wasn't feeling so good. I hadn't slept very well last night and the last thing I felt like was cycling on to Allinge, all I wanted to do was get my head down so we decided to head to the campsite at Gudhjem. Fortunately it wasn't very far away but the road up from the harbour is quite steep. I didn't feel up to try to ride it so we pushed the bikes up it. Once we got to the campsite we quickly got the tent up and I crawled inside and promptly fell asleep for 3 hours. Meanwhile Frank took the opportunity to do some washing and sat in the wash house reading her kindle.

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11.08.18 - Gudhjem to Sandvig

map linkRoute 10 at this point follows the coast road and for the first part there was no separate cycle path once we had left Gudhjem. However it looks like they are extending it as we came across some traffic lights around a couple of diggers that were obviously preparing the way. It was still fairly hot cycling and we needed to pull in for a drink. Frank suggested the next turn on the right. When we got to it there was a place of interest sign to the Helligdomsklipperne. This turned out to be a set of 22 metres high granite cliffs. There was a car park so we left the boys in the car park and went to have a look at granite cliffs.They were certainly worth a look and quite interesting, at Lyseklippen we found a cache which was an added bonus. When we got back to the car park it was lunchtime and we had noticed an open sided barn with picnic tables in it. We decided to take the bikes over to it and have lunch. It was quite fortuitous as it just started to rain. Fortunately it was only a shower and by the time we had finished our lunch it had stopped.

From the Helligdomsklipperne it was a pretty route along the coast road and as we moved north the terrain got less hilly. From Båstad onwards the cycle route was off the road on a nice surfaced path although at one point it had small hillock that Frank wasn't prepared for and was in the wrong gear which caused her to have to stop and push the bike up it as it was a bit too steep to get going again. Just before Tejn we met another tourer with his bike upside down. It turned out to be Michael from Germany who had just got a puncture. He was struggling to pump up the tyre with a very small hand pump so we lent him the use of our foot pump. We stopped in Tejn which is a little fishing village with a small harbour and went to a lovely bakery for some lovely Danish pastries which went down well with a brew of tea. From Tejn theroute 10 continued along the coast on a good cycle route all the way to Allinge and as we come into the town we past the old railway station at Allinge which was part of the old DBJ (De Bornholmske Jernbaner) the narrow gauge railway that criss crossed Bornholm and operated from 1900 to 1968. Some of its trackbed has been used for some of the cycle routes on Bornholm. From there we headed down Storegarde to the center of Allinge. It has a large Kirke with its ochre coloured walls contrasting with the cream buildings of the center of Allinge. Close to the church was a lovely sculpture of an old lady. From the centre we headed down to the Allinge havn. It was a lovely little harbour full of boats and various other craft. As we came out of Allinge there was an interesting building called the Domen, with its very unusual domed construction of wood and glass, apparently it is a cafe and music venue. From Allinge it didn’t take us very long to get to Sandvig which is basically the next village. Sandvig is another lovely Bornholm village with its typical old orce and tuscan red wooden houses. The campsite was situated in the back streets which took a little navigating to find. Once there we were soon booked in and were just putting the tent up when it started to rain which was good timing.

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12.08.18 - Sandvig to Hasle

map linkFortunately the overnight rain had stopped by the time we woke and we had some morning sun to dry the tent. As we were preparing to leave the campsite there was a family in the car park, the mother was on a standard bike but dad was on a brilliant cargo bike with their two young kids in the front. After leaving the campsite the route 10 took us south past the ruins of the Hammershus Slot and then through the Slotslyngen which was a track through some lovely woodland. Unfortunately it was a bit hilly in parts so it was an interesting ride through to Vang on a good gravel track. Soon after Vang we saw a sign post to ‘Jons Kapel’. We decided to have a look at it although we weren’t sure exactly what it was. It turned out to be a steep bluff in the 41m high cliffs. The formations are apparently the result of the waves beating against the rock at a time when the sea level was considerably higher than it is today. It was named after a hermit who resided on the bluff, Jon's caves are visible from the beach below the rocks in the cliffs. There are a steep set of wooden steps that takes you down to the beach.

On our way back from Jo’s Kapel it started to rain. Unfortunately we hadn’t taken our waterproofs with us and we had to run back to where there was a little kiosk near to where we had left our bikes. We decided to seek shelter there and get ourselves a warming cup of coffee each and went to drink them in a little summer house that was next to the kiosk. Whilst we were drinking our coffee a party of eight elderly Danes arrived and proceeded to get out flasks of coffee, china mugs and cakes. We were quite surprised, we assumed that they had arranged this with the Kiosk owner or maybe they hadn’t. We held on for a bit in the summer house hoping that it was just a short shower. Unfortunately it just seemed to continue so we donned our waterproofs and headed off towards Hasle. Eventually the rain stopped when we got to Tegikås where there were several old herring smokehouses. From there we headed out on the Tegikåsvej heading towards Hasle. It was a nice route along the coast through several small fishing harbours. As we got to Hasle our route took us past some sweetcorn fields which were very poor and had obviously suffered from the continued summer drought. As there was a campsite in Hasle we decided to stop there rather than pushing on to Rønne.

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13.08.18 - Halse to Køge

map linkWe woke up to find an enormous orange tent next to us. We must have slept better than we thought as we didn't hear it go up at all. We got chatting to the Danish couple and they arrived at 2.30am and heard us snoring. What was amazing was that they had an enormous air mattress which they had pumped up. We thanked them for being so quiet and they thanked us for being such deep sleepers. It was a lovely sunny morning and we cycled through forest tracks in beech woodland. It was quite humid so we were glad to be in the shade of the trees. We were soon on the outskirts of Rønne. As our ferry didn’t go until 5.00pm we decided to go and look for the dinosaur footprints earthcache which was near Myregård the other side of Rønne a good 30 minutes ride away.

On the way just at the airport I spotted a young kestrel sitting on the perimeter fencing. It didn’t seem to be too phased by me and allowed me to get quite close. It was just a shame that it was slightly overcast as bird shots against grey skies never look good. We had some difficulty in finding the exact spot for the dinosaur footprints but we eventually found what we were looking for although they weren’t quite what we were expecting, Time was pressing on and we realised that we hadn’t had any lunch or a brew. There was a picnic bench back near the road where we had parked the bikes so we headed there and had a very hurried butty stop and brew. We had to put some cold water in our tea so that we could drink it. We left the picnic spot just after 4.00pm and got to the ferry terminal at 4.35pm.

I eventually found the ticket office and managed to get us booked onto the 5.00pm ferry to Køge. It was slightly sad leaving Rønne as we had enjoyed our tour around Bornholm. As we left Rønne harbour we saw that they were building a new outer harbour wall. That was obviously the cause of the noise that we could hear when we had been camped at the campsite at Rønne. Fortunately it was a calm crossing but a long one as we didn't dock at Køge until 10.30pm. Unfortunately it was raining when we got off the ferry so we had to don waterproofs. Fortunately it was only a few kms to the campsite but it was a dark and very wet pitch. Eventually we got ourselves sorted, thank goodness that the Oppland 3 has a nice big vestibule as Frank was in the cabin sorting out the bedding whilst I sorted the wet gear in the vestibule. It absolutely hammered it down with rain all night with thunder and lightning at one point.

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