Travel report from the Danish South Sea
From our guests Irene and Heinrich
Flensburg
Start in Flensburg
Day 1 - Let's go
Soon after the start in Flensburg, we cycle across the German-Danish border without realizing it. Remember: there are no signs on cycle paths.
The evening before, we took photos of students celebrating their graduation - unfortunately with their cell phones, so no pictures of the event.
We soon reached Aabenraa on the fjord of the same name and chose the shorter route of just under 40 km. A picturesque little town!
Aabenraa
Aabenraa
Day 2 - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Today we're off to Christiansfeld. Thanks to an old settlement, the town is a World Heritage Site. Again the shorter route of 50 km. A good decision, because it rains at lunchtime. But we put up with it in the café in Haderslev.
Our hotel resembles a large manor house with a thatched roof, it is quietly located outside the town, just don't miss the turn-off.
Day 3 - Up high
Now it's time to really get going: 70 km overland to Middelfart. The ride around the Kolding Fjord is scenically beautiful.
To get to Fyn (the island of Funen), we have to cross the bridge. In Denmark, they build the bridges so high that all ships can pass underneath, so you have to pedal up 40 meters. At the top, the wind is usually very strong and gusty. As the bike lane is quite narrow, you have to be very focused.
Day 4 - Odyssey to Odense
Odense is our destination, a real big city with 180,000 inhabitants. We cycle 50 km to the capital via Vejlby Fed with its picturesque harbor. I managed to miss the well-signposted cycle path no. 6 and we ended up on a busy main road - eyes open and through.
There is a lot to see in Odense, but unfortunately there is not enough time for the new H. C. Andersen Museum. The rooms in the hotel are named after his fairy tales and novels.
Thanks to a travel guide, we can eat very well and cheaply at Sturms Pakhus. There are 20 street food stores with international cuisine in a huge hall.
Hans Christian Andersen and Irene
Vejlby Fed, harbor
Day 5 - Caution: seagull
Out of the city. Continue south on the island towards the sea. Suddenly: an attack! While driving, a seagull swoops down and screams really loudly - I didn't attract it (fish sandwiches) or provoke it in any other way, so there's no photo.
The 50 km turned into 60, there was definitely a sign missing in Odense.
Instead, there is a large vintage car exhibition at the harbor in picturesque Faaborg - it takes place regularly according to the travel guide.
Faaborg, harbor
Days 6 and 7 - islands galore
Aero is the name of the next island - we take the ferry across. As suggested, we circumnavigate the island and take another ferry back to Svendborg. From here, a boat trip to the islands of Skaro and Drejö is planned for the next day. Unfortunately, according to the organizer, this didn't work out with the boat tickets. No problem: as we are staying on the island of Tasinge in Troense, we cycle to Valdemars Slot (a castle in classic Renaissance style) and straight on to the next island: Langeland.
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Aero, signpost
Svendborg, Valdemars Slot
Valdemar's slot
Hotel Svendborg
Svendborg, Ferry
Day 8: Back to Faaborg
In front of the hotel, we meet our most important helper, the man who transports our luggage. It's a chance to say thank you in person.
My partner and I are a mixed pair. She: e-bike, I: normal bike. That works quite well. I can ride in the slipstream, which is particularly pleasant in headwinds. But we don't want to do without the luggage transport because the mountains (and the bridges!) are higher than we imagined.
Day 9: Tour de France
Today we cross the Lillebelt (= Little Belt) by ferry and the final highlight awaits us in Sonderborg: the Tour de France. Although it has not yet begun on June 9, 2022, it will start in Copenhagen in a few days' time. And the whole of Sonderborg, the finish of stage 3, is eagerly awaiting it. Children's drawings of the cyclists are on display. And now the yellow-painted bicycles everywhere suddenly make sense.
Day 10: Coming full circle
After a leisurely 40 km, we return to our starting point in Flensburg. We take a detour by car to the nearby moated castle of Glücksburg.
Glücksburg
Our conclusion
A lot of variety on the route due to the constant change between islands and mainland with numerous ferry crossings.
Good to very good hotels (food is quite expensive, alcohol very expensive).
Unfortunately, we got lost a few times despite mostly good signposting, GPS support would have helped.
You need to be in good shape for the climbs.
A rest day in Odense would be ideal for sightseeing.
The organization with tour book, bike maps and hotel directions was very good. It was our first, but certainly not our last trip with Radweg-Reisen.
