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Travel report: Little Belt, Funen and the Danish South Sea Islands
From our employees Eva & Kristina
On to the Infotour!
But what exactly is an Infotour? That's what we at Radweg-Reisen call a tour where we get to hop on the saddle ourselves to get to know our products. Not only do we test the tour, we also explore new routes and take a look at new as well as familiar hotels.
The most important thing here is to find out for yourself how cycling holidays actually feel! Because once you've carried your heavy e-bike across two platforms yourself, you suddenly understand the guests' desire to book a cycle tour with return transfer.
From Flensburg, our tour was to go via Sønderborg, Haderslev, Kolding, Odense, Fåborg, Svendborg, Nyborg and back to Odense. We have just under two weeks for this. A huge tour covering a total of 550 kilometers with a clear work assignment lies ahead of us: "Get to know Denmark!".
Little Belt
We set off from Flensburg and it was already hard to say goodbye, as Flensburg, with its location and old town, was the first major highlight of our trip. We enjoy the view of the sea along the Flensburg Fjord and drive past geese, cows and sheep. It usually takes two to three days to get away from the daily grind and get that "vacation feeling", but here it goes really quickly.
On the second stage from Sønderburg to Haderslev, we face the biggest challenge of our trip, as we have around 100 kilometers of cycling ahead of us. We would have loved to cycle the circular route on the island of Als, which leads through a wonderful wooded area close to the water, but even the e-bike battery has its limits. So we take the direct route to the small ferry from Hardeshøj to Ballebro, which we definitely want to try out for a new tour.
We had already been amazed by the nature in Denmark, but from Ballebro the adventure really begins. The route takes us through small woods, meadows and fields and the golden wheat shines in the sun everywhere. We are glad of our good cycling profile, as the cycle path does not always run on asphalt roads. Only the signposting lets us down in some places, so we resort to the GPS tracks we brought with us. After a good 100 kilometers and with almost empty bike batteries, we reach Haderslev.
The next day, we continue on to Kolding.
On the way, we stop in Christiansfeld. The place looks rather inconspicuous on the map, but is a real highlight of the tour. Its history and architecture make it something special, but the small Café Apothek is the secret winner of the day. In the small garden, you can sit among trees, shrubs and flowers and we try a traditional apple pie made according to a very old Danish recipe.
Funen and the Danish South Sea Islands
From Kolding, we take the train via pretty Middelfart to the long-awaited island of Funen. From Odense, we cycle on to the "south", as island hopping is on the agenda here.
Fåborg is the perfect starting point for exploring the small islands of Lyø and Avernakø. We are happy to leave the bike behind to enjoy nature in peace and quiet.
Our next overnight stop is Svendborg. The most beautiful route there is from Fåborg via the island of Ærø, which we reach by ferry.
There is little traffic on the idyllic island and it's easy to take a break between the pretty bathing huts in Eriks Hale. Preferably with the island's typical pancake specialty Løvtens Paa'kar.
Day trip to Egeskov Castle between Fåborg and Svendborg
In Svendborg, we actually want to take a day off, but our program booklet tells us about what is probably the best ice cream parlour in Denmark.
On the small island of Skarø, a small café has come up with the idea of making homemade organic ice cream with sugar kelp and birch sap - simply delicious! An excursion that is definitely worthwhile, especially as the island is perfect for a day of swimming.
We continue from Svendborg via Nyborg to Kerteminde. A very special assignment awaits us for our last stage to Odense: Fyns Hoved. The north-easternmost tip of Funen is still a blank spot on our cycle route map. The question we ask ourselves here: Is the tour there worthwhile? - Oh yes, it is! Because it goes deep into the wilds of Denmark. There is hardly a soul to be seen on the way to the top. Instead, there are forests, fields, meadows, hills and lots of sea. And when you see a stag with regal antlers walking just a few meters past you, you can hardly feel closer to nature. However, we are very glad that we brought a packed lunch with smørbrød. Because there are hardly any cafés or snack bars in this remote part of the country.
After almost two weeks of cycling, we finally arrive in Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. As a reward for us brave cyclists, we enjoy a small beer tasting before setting off on the long journey home. We will look back fondly on this beautiful country and can only warmly recommend a trip there!
Tips and information about Denmark
So much for our trip. If you've got wanderlust, here are a few more tips and quick facts about Denmark:
- Elevation gain: Denmark is everything but flat. This makes it incredibly exciting and varied, but you shouldn't underestimate the altitude difference. But don't worry, Denmark is not the Allgäu.
- Coffee culture: The Danes love their coffee culture. In every major town there is at least one special café that is lovingly decorated and bakes according to traditional recipes. By the way: Danes, young and old, love ice cream, whether it's hot or cold outside. It's always ice cream time in Denmark.
- Danish kroner: A dinner costs the equivalent of between 25 - 35 euros per person.
- No racing bikes: It is better to ride with a higher profile on the national routes. They are mostly on asphalt or firm gravel paths, but sometimes on a dirt track.
- Don't underestimate the wind: Even though we had two sunny and almost wind-free weeks behind us, you must not forget that you are constantly close to the coast.
- Everything for cyclists: the route network is very well developed and leads along extra cycle paths or roads with little traffic. Oncoming cyclists are always happy to say hello.
