We visited Denmark as an add on to our Baltic States trip of 2013.
We set off Harwich on the DFDS ship Sirina at 5pm on Sunday 28th April. Harwich was a nice treat because it is only two hours from home and at the port there were plenty of helpful signs. The Eurotunnel terminal in Calais could take some lessons here. We checked in at the port with just our passports and were given a ticket to display on the dashboard and two room-lock tickets for our cabin which turned out to be clean, compact and with everything we needed -
a couple of beds with pillows & duvets (there were also two bunk beds above, folded into the wall),
hanging space for clothes,
a decent bathroom with shower, wash-basin & toilet,
a small desk with a power point,
a TV (Sky News),
and a window through which we could observe the very grey sea.
This crossing cost us £314 one way for a 7+metre vehicle and we were quite impressed with the crossing and quality of the facilities on board – it being the first time we have done anything other than the Dover Calais crossing we may be easy to impress.
We set off Harwich on the DFDS ship Sirina at 5pm on Sunday 28th April. Harwich was a nice treat because it is only two hours from home and at the port there were plenty of helpful signs. The Eurotunnel terminal in Calais could take some lessons here. We checked in at the port with just our passports and were given a ticket to display on the dashboard and two room-lock tickets for our cabin which turned out to be clean, compact and with everything we needed -
a couple of beds with pillows & duvets (there were also two bunk beds above, folded into the wall),
hanging space for clothes,
a decent bathroom with shower, wash-basin & toilet,
a small desk with a power point,
a TV (Sky News),
and a window through which we could observe the very grey sea.
This crossing cost us £314 one way for a 7+metre vehicle and we were quite impressed with the crossing and quality of the facilities on board – it being the first time we have done anything other than the Dover Calais crossing we may be easy to impress.
What a view
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Fortunately the sea was very calm throughout the 18 hour voyage so we retained the two pints we had in the bar (DK98 - €13.15, but free wifi) and the bottle of wine we had with our dinner and the good breakfast (DK260 for the two of us - €34.90). We have to start forgetting Portugal prices - or even UK prices - for the next couple of weeks.
Getting off the ferry at Esbjerg at 1pm on Monday was a bit unusual because we had to turn the motorhome round (a three-pointer for us) to get off the same way we got on. Otherwise very straightforward- no stopping for customs of passports - and on to the road north for the two-hour trip to Hvide Sande on the Ringkøbing Fjord.
The other unusual thing was seeing Thomas the Tank Engine at the dock, maybe he had been to Legoland and was on his way home.
Getting off the ferry at Esbjerg at 1pm on Monday was a bit unusual because we had to turn the motorhome round (a three-pointer for us) to get off the same way we got on. Otherwise very straightforward- no stopping for customs of passports - and on to the road north for the two-hour trip to Hvide Sande on the Ringkøbing Fjord.
The other unusual thing was seeing Thomas the Tank Engine at the dock, maybe he had been to Legoland and was on his way home.
Thomas the Tank engine waiting to board to go back to UK
Our first stop was Nordso Camping which takes Camping Cheques.This is a clean and well-appointed site with a good kitchen (cookers, coffee machines and more), heated toilets/showers (6 minutes), toilet rolls in the loos, and a shop in reception with fresh (and very tasty) bread. In addition to lots of grass pitches (some with water, drainage & TV points) it has lots of cabins, some very new & smart (with kennels attached marked "fido"). The site is separated from the sea by dunes and there is a fine (and very long) beach on the other side. We took a walk there but it was blowing half a gale so we retreated to other side of the dunes and wandered around some of the summer houses which seem to be scattered randomly about the area, many with thatched roofs.
Nordso Campsite
Denmark's fabulous North Sea coastline
Being keen birdwatchers we took the motorhome down to Tipperne (a flat, low-lying area bordering the fjord) to do some birdwatching and had a good day. Although we do have our bikes with us the wind is pretty strong and not good for rusty cyclists such as us.
There were thousands of Barnacle Geese and a very odd albino Lapwing. Amongst other things we saw a fine Ruff just coming into summer plumage,lots of Linnets, Wheatears, Hooded Crow, a few Rough-Legged Buzzards , Marsh Harrier, Reed Bunting and Black-Tailed Godwit (perhaps our first – we usually see Bar-Tailed), and
Yellow Wagtail. And a remarkably tame Chaffinch that came calling as soon as we
parked the motorhome.
There were thousands of Barnacle Geese and a very odd albino Lapwing. Amongst other things we saw a fine Ruff just coming into summer plumage,lots of Linnets, Wheatears, Hooded Crow, a few Rough-Legged Buzzards , Marsh Harrier, Reed Bunting and Black-Tailed Godwit (perhaps our first – we usually see Bar-Tailed), and
Yellow Wagtail. And a remarkably tame Chaffinch that came calling as soon as we
parked the motorhome.
cheeky chaffinch
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Ruff
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A very pale lapwing
Black tailed godwit
There are a lot of thatched houses in this part of the west coast, and plenty of reeds in the marshlands around the fjord. There are also a huge number of wind turbines – enormous farms of them off-shore and plenty more on land. Perhaps not surprising because it has been very windy since we arrived.
Lots of thatch
thatch is a popular roofing material around here
First impressions of Denmark? Very flat. Lots of sky – mainly blue. On a sunny day the light is beautiful. Clean and tidy as one would expect, good roads but mainly single-lane, although there are motorways we haven't used them yet, pleasant but not exciting scenery (no mountains or cliffs), and not outstanding architecturally so far except for some old-looking summer houses. Campsites are very good and the people courteous and friendly and speak English very well.
The one thing that Denmark is famous for in UK is Danish Bacon, probably thanks to a very successful marketing campaign over the years. However although we have seen Danish pig sold in the shops and we have smelt ( and how...) Danish pig as we drove through the farmlands we haven't seen one yet. Clearly don’t have the range of free range pigs that we do in UK.
Next stop will be Skagen up in the north of Jutland.
4 May 2013
The one thing that Denmark is famous for in UK is Danish Bacon, probably thanks to a very successful marketing campaign over the years. However although we have seen Danish pig sold in the shops and we have smelt ( and how...) Danish pig as we drove through the farmlands we haven't seen one yet. Clearly don’t have the range of free range pigs that we do in UK.
Next stop will be Skagen up in the north of Jutland.
4 May 2013
North Jutland - Skagen
From our first campsite we moved up to Grenen Camping just outside Skagen in the north of Jutland. Good facilities, though the four-minute showers test Gilroy’s slowly-does-it approach to body-washing, and the shower-heads are built for giants: by the time the water gets down to your body it has cooled down quite a bit. The kitchen is well equipped with gas hobs, ovens, microwaves and a selection of pots and pans. However this is not cheap about €26 a night and another 60cents for
the four minute shower, but it is very convenenient for Skagen which can be reached by foot via the old road and Grenen itself which is a walk through the dunes. As with the last site, delicious bread available each morning from reception.
From our first campsite we moved up to Grenen Camping just outside Skagen in the north of Jutland. Good facilities, though the four-minute showers test Gilroy’s slowly-does-it approach to body-washing, and the shower-heads are built for giants: by the time the water gets down to your body it has cooled down quite a bit. The kitchen is well equipped with gas hobs, ovens, microwaves and a selection of pots and pans. However this is not cheap about €26 a night and another 60cents for
the four minute shower, but it is very convenenient for Skagen which can be reached by foot via the old road and Grenen itself which is a walk through the dunes. As with the last site, delicious bread available each morning from reception.
typical of the houses in Skagen
It was clear and sunny, but also still windy so when we walked into town we had on full winter gear, and we needed it. Skagen is a small town but very big on tourism and its heritage as an artists' colony in the past (think Poppylands on the Norfolk coast).
It is also a major fishing and fish processing port, and presumably has a gas terminal because there were a couple of big gas tankers anchored outside the harbour.
Most of the houses in town are attractive in yellow with a red roof and there was a pleasant pedestrianised centre with some nicely upmarket shops full of designer
glassware, woodwork, pottery, furniture etc.
It is also a major fishing and fish processing port, and presumably has a gas terminal because there were a couple of big gas tankers anchored outside the harbour.
Most of the houses in town are attractive in yellow with a red roof and there was a pleasant pedestrianised centre with some nicely upmarket shops full of designer
glassware, woodwork, pottery, furniture etc.
The harbour was very large and very busy, with some huge (Irish) trawlers and some more modest local boats.
Some of the old fishing sheds had been converted into restaurants and cafés.We had coffee in one of them – DKK70 for the two = €9.40 – which beats Lille’s €8 for two coffees which until now had held the record for expensive coffee.
Some of the old fishing sheds had been converted into restaurants and cafés.We had coffee in one of them – DKK70 for the two = €9.40 – which beats Lille’s €8 for two coffees which until now had held the record for expensive coffee.
Skagen has a good supply of lighthouses– a C17th bascule model, the 1747 white coal-fired job and the 1858 'grey’ mode which may still be in use but we didn’t see any lights when we walked past it.
Electric lighthouse
Coal brazier at the top provided the light
bascule lighthouse.Basket of fire hauled up
At the local museum they were thatching an old windmill and there was a reproduction of a traditional ‘black’ house – timber covered with tar with a thatch or grass roof.
A walk through the dunes brought us to a notable landmark – the Tilsandede Kirke or buried church .. Only the tower is left (they took the rest away to re-use), built around 1400 and abandoned to the encroaching sand in 1795 when the parishioners got sick of having to dig their way to church every Sunday.
One day we took the motorhome a couple of kilometers up to the end of the
road at Grenen and walked through the complex of German WW2 concrete forts along
the huge beach to the point where the Kattegat and Skagerrak, i.e. the North Sea
and the Baltic Sea, meet. As per usual it was bright and clear but very windy so
full winter gear was again deployed. This is clearly a popular tourist spot –
there is a huge carpark (DKK13 - €1.75 for all day) and even early and out of
season on a Friday there were dozens of people going to the same point, though
most of them were taking the tractor-train rather than walking.
road at Grenen and walked through the complex of German WW2 concrete forts along
the huge beach to the point where the Kattegat and Skagerrak, i.e. the North Sea
and the Baltic Sea, meet. As per usual it was bright and clear but very windy so
full winter gear was again deployed. This is clearly a popular tourist spot –
there is a huge carpark (DKK13 - €1.75 for all day) and even early and out of
season on a Friday there were dozens of people going to the same point, though
most of them were taking the tractor-train rather than walking.
Sheila at the end of the Grenen spit
There were a lot of Sandwich Terns diving just off-shore, and we also saw Gannets, Red Kites, Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and – wonderfully camouflaged by the pebbles a Ringed Plover. We also saw some Barnacle Geese flying past, accompanied by some black geese but we don’t know what they are, and Sheila heard a Bittern booming in the reeds.
Starfish in a razor clam shell
Starfish wrapped around a pebble
On our way back we stopped in at an art gallery which had some very tempting items. One which caught our attention was just a glass with razor-clam shells stuck to the side to make a rather attractive vase. We were so taken that after a rest for lunch we walked the same route again and collected a decent bagful of huge razor-clam shells
which we will take home to use for our own vases.
which we will take home to use for our own vases.
There was quite a difference between the two beaches in terms of content – both had plenty of very white sand but the extras on the Kattegat beach were mainly stones (we kept our eyes open for bits of amber but no luck), while the razor-clam shells and starfish were on the Skagerrak beach. Further back from the beach there was a wonderful variety of very attractive pebbles which would have come up nicely in a polishing machine. We refrained from pebble picking though, a Sainsbury’s bag of razor
clam shells is sufficient.
As usual we are the only Brits about the place – there are many Germans, plus a few French, Dutch, Swedes and Norwegians. Despite this, many of the tourist signs are in English as well as German (and Danish of course) and everybody seems to speak
English.
clam shells is sufficient.
As usual we are the only Brits about the place – there are many Germans, plus a few French, Dutch, Swedes and Norwegians. Despite this, many of the tourist signs are in English as well as German (and Danish of course) and everybody seems to speak
English.
Rajberg Mile
As we left Skagen we called in for a quick walk in the huge sand dunes (40metres high in places) known as Rabjerg Mile. The strong wind blowing the sand around our feet gave a very odd blurring effect to the ground so that we could not properly see the often quite sharp drops at the edges of some dunes. The dunes move 15m per year, and we could see trees that were gradually being buried. This is clearly another popular spot for local visitors – there were lots of horse boxes in the car park (and we later saw
a group of ladies on some stout ponies) and another group were setting up a table laden with beer and water for an afternoons drinking.
a group of ladies on some stout ponies) and another group were setting up a table laden with beer and water for an afternoons drinking.
Aarhus
A school trip to Den Gamle By
Our next stop was Aarhus which is Denmark's second city.
It was warm and sunny – difficult to believe it was winter just last week – so we took the bus outside the campsite (Aarhus Camping in the ACSI book) into Aarhus(DKK28 each, not return, so Dkk112 all told – €15).
We had a quick look at the fishy helicopter in front of the modern art museum (which is called ARoS) which has a walkway on the roof with different coloured “glass walls”
so it looks like a bit like an elongated rainbow running around the top of the building), the garish theatre façade, and then explored the C12-C15 brick Domkirke (Cathedral) which had a beautifully light interior and some excellent frescoes - revealed by scrubbing off the whitewash put there after the reformation because the paintings were a bit too catholic.
It was warm and sunny – difficult to believe it was winter just last week – so we took the bus outside the campsite (Aarhus Camping in the ACSI book) into Aarhus(DKK28 each, not return, so Dkk112 all told – €15).
We had a quick look at the fishy helicopter in front of the modern art museum (which is called ARoS) which has a walkway on the roof with different coloured “glass walls”
so it looks like a bit like an elongated rainbow running around the top of the building), the garish theatre façade, and then explored the C12-C15 brick Domkirke (Cathedral) which had a beautifully light interior and some excellent frescoes - revealed by scrubbing off the whitewash put there after the reformation because the paintings were a bit too catholic.
Modern art gallery with weird fishy helicoper in front
Domkirke, Aarhus
one of the recovered old wall paintings
Den Gamle By is a must see ifyou are visiting Aarhus, its an open air museum with lots of original (but relocated) ancient buildings, many complete with equipment and items for particular trades (hatmakers, tailor, clockmaker etc.) and some with live bodies – dressed in style – who would explain enthusiastically. The man in the 1927 hardware shop was good, and the guide for the mintmasters mansion took us on a personal tour. There were also parties of schoolkids dressed in style and the boys would doff their caps as they passed and the girls would curtsy and say
g’day. Splendid buildings, perfectly done, entertaining and educational. And only DKK110 (€15) each. Probably the highlight of our visit to Aarhus. After hours at Den Gamle By we ran out of time (and steam) to visit ARoS and took the bus back to our campsite.
g’day. Splendid buildings, perfectly done, entertaining and educational. And only DKK110 (€15) each. Probably the highlight of our visit to Aarhus. After hours at Den Gamle By we ran out of time (and steam) to visit ARoS and took the bus back to our campsite.
Den Gamle By
While in town we had a €5.50 cappuccino at one of the many stylish canalside cafés which were crowded with people eating delicious looking plates of food.
Town planners what were you thinking?
From Aarhus we travelled across Jutland to Ribe on the west coast and in doing so pretty well completed a circle around Jutland which had started just a few miles up the
road from Ribe at Esjberg. This is a delightful old town full of period houses
and fine buildings. It had once been an important town but got left behind when power moved to Copenhagen, this meant that there was no pressure to redevelop and there must have been an awareness of what a little gem this was as there was a conservation organisation set up in the 19th century and the town had a preservation order placed on it in 1963.We spent a day wandering around the beautiful narrow streets , and a couple of hours in the excellent Viking Museum (DKK110 for the pair of us with the
Ribepass kindly supplied by the campsite –saving us DKK30).
There was another fine Domkirke with an excellent pulpit and we paid DKK20 each to climb the tower (the ringing of the huge bell gave me a fright on the way) but the weather was misty and the views therefore rather blurred. We ended yesterday at a riverside bar enjoying a beer (DKK92 for two, just over €12) in the evening sun.
Delightful.
road from Ribe at Esjberg. This is a delightful old town full of period houses
and fine buildings. It had once been an important town but got left behind when power moved to Copenhagen, this meant that there was no pressure to redevelop and there must have been an awareness of what a little gem this was as there was a conservation organisation set up in the 19th century and the town had a preservation order placed on it in 1963.We spent a day wandering around the beautiful narrow streets , and a couple of hours in the excellent Viking Museum (DKK110 for the pair of us with the
Ribepass kindly supplied by the campsite –saving us DKK30).
There was another fine Domkirke with an excellent pulpit and we paid DKK20 each to climb the tower (the ringing of the huge bell gave me a fright on the way) but the weather was misty and the views therefore rather blurred. We ended yesterday at a riverside bar enjoying a beer (DKK92 for two, just over €12) in the evening sun.
Delightful.
Ribe
The view from the tower
angled mirror, described below
One of the local peculiarities was demonstrated to us by the 1927 Ironmonger in Den Gamle By – it is a pair of angled mirrors which were attached to the outside of upstairs windows of wealthier households so that the women could observe what was going on in the street without actually venturing out amongst the great unwashed. There were lots of these in Ribe.
There was also a wooden post which recorded the height of floods in the town (we are close to the sea and in a very marshy area). The 1634 flood level was way above my head and the 1911 level (also shown in photos in the bar) put a fair part of the town under water.
Our visit to Ribe concluded our trip to Denmark as this was only a stop off on our way to the Baltic states. We spent about 12 days there and never met another British motorhome or caravan. We suspect that the motorhomes on the ferry were moving on to Norway and Sweden. This is a shame, Denmark is a nice place, countryside is pleasant and the people friendly and most speak English very well.
There are lots of campsites, finding somewhere to stay is never going to be a problem. Some campsites operate the QuickStop scheme which let you stop over for about 15euro a night, from 8pm to 10am. All campsites we visited were well equipped, all had wifi - at a price, not cheap. However before coming camping in Denmark learn how to take a quick shower - you only get 4 minutes.
We found it a bit expensive but probably that's because we have recently spent many months in Portugal where the cost of living is so low, Denmark is more expensive than UK certainly but not in the same league as, say, Norway.
There are lots of campsites, finding somewhere to stay is never going to be a problem. Some campsites operate the QuickStop scheme which let you stop over for about 15euro a night, from 8pm to 10am. All campsites we visited were well equipped, all had wifi - at a price, not cheap. However before coming camping in Denmark learn how to take a quick shower - you only get 4 minutes.
We found it a bit expensive but probably that's because we have recently spent many months in Portugal where the cost of living is so low, Denmark is more expensive than UK certainly but not in the same league as, say, Norway.
