Denmark en.

A few reflections on Germany (Well the bit of the W coast that I saw).  The scenery is similar to W coast Holland, North of the dunes, and that would go with the first few km of Denmark as well.  Saw much more rape seed being grown as moved further North as well, though no idea what  the subsidy set up is!
Having come through Holland, Germany and now well into Denmark, a huge generalisation would be that many of the Germans I had brief dealings with were more dour, though there were others, like the farm hand who stopped to enquire if I needed any help fixing my puncture, the Bank Manager in Ditzum who locked my bike away and invited me to the cake shop opening, and Mica, Gerhard and Granddaughter Charlotte who  sorted out accommodation, internet access and all the little 'extras' bread, milk, eggs and jam!
In mentioning these people I can't forget Sophie and Joop who basically gave me a house to use, and then insisted that I eat with them!   A couple at a camp site, who's names I should have written down, offered to take me to a bike repair shop, and not forgetting the UK, Simon who provided coffee and then locked me up for the night!  All with the best intensions!!
Starting to get a bit carried away there!!  Back to business............

Let's start with a day off!!  Wednesday 15th May.  0730 overcast, showers forecast.

Marie & Nihan, Scientists!!

But a bright start to the day as two lovely young ladies joined me for breakfast!  (see pic).  Nihan (Right) is Turkish and is doing her Master's and I'm sure she said was on  an exchange for some months but due to go back to Turkey shortly.  Marie has done her masters and was covering the 'field work', assisted by Nihan, on the Predation of Lapwing in this part of Denmark.  The work involved driving off into the sticks on predetermined routes and stopping points, then 'nightlighting', using a powerful spotlight to shine out to the sides of the pickup to see what could be caught in the beam.  Work started around 2300 and finished around 0300 with part of the following day set aside to fill in the log sheets, so breakfast consisted of the day's caffeine fix, a choice of muesli, assorted yogurts, fruit.  A variety of bread rolls and sliced breads, butter, various cheeses, sliced meats and an assortment of jams, honey etc and more caffeine, along with tales of families of fox cubs playing by the road side, a few adult foxes spotted along with numerous sheep posing in the glare of the spotlight!
Marie, also an enthusiastic cyclist, had done a group tour in China and had stayed on alone to spend more time cycling around.

The rest of my day off:  Cycled into Hojer to the Dagli Brugsen!?!  Turns out its a store by the Mill where I was able to get a padded envelope to send home maps no longer required.  They also made a fine coffee (two free top up's!)  and a cake I had to try, potato and apple!  I guess it was potato flour in the mix, rather than a load of mash!  Anyway, which ever it was very nice.  The local ladies lace making group also meet there, and it's part of the mill museum.  Next on the list was to try The Famous Hojer Pulser!  Yep, another one ticked off.
Bike back to the B&B by the Hojer Kanal, eat, early bed!

Potato and apple cake with cream, much nicer than it sounds!
Plus coffee and two free top ups!

The Ladies of the Lace Making Guild

The Hojer Windmill

Thatched house in Hojer

Thursday 16th May.  Hojer - Ribe.  Bike loaded up pre breakfast and apart from last minute bits was ready for the road.  Well stoked up on breakfast goodies, carb loaded, it was another 'into the wind' day!  Said goodbye to the science team, It was only a few minutes after I'd set off that they drove past me waving through the pick up's back window as they headed back to Århus University. 
The route to Ribe was pretty straight forward, a mix of roadside cycle lanes, dedicated trails away from traffic and surfaced / gravel farm tracks.
The route for the most part followed the sea dyke, cutting past the Romø turn off, Brøns and turning off at Vester.
At Vester there were two options, Left, out to the coast, North for 6.5km, a right turn and 5km into Ribe  and to the right, follow a minor road for 8km through Sonder Farup and Oster Vedstead.  No contest as far as I was concerned. The outskirts of Ribe were fairly predictable, small industrial areas, some more modern apartments rapidly changing to much older properties towards the town centre.
Ribe is listed as the oldest Scandinavian town and is well worth a visit if you're ever near by.    

                                        

Church in Ballum on way to Ribe.

Assorted views of Ribe (Oldest town in Scandinavia)

The Cat's Head Door, Ribe Cathedral

The Cat's Head Door, Ribe Cathedral

Denmark to.

Friday 17th May.  Ribe - Fano (Esbjerg).  Fine, sunny, hot and getting hotter!
Breakfast at Ribe Danhostel was ample for the meal itself and enough 'extras' to make a good packed lunch.  Food sorted for the day, the route was north out of town followed by a left hander and five km back to the strand
The morning was spent riding along the back of the dyke on mostly reasonable trails, most of the concrete was in good nick, some of the Asphalt had seen better days and the gravel/packed earth was fine to ride on.
Route finding was quite straight forward and well signed, the only place I asked directions was after leaving the NSCR in Esbjerg to get to the Fano ferry; it's in the same area of the docks that the DFDS ferrys from UK use.  Found the right spot, followed another guy wheeling his bike through the turnstyle, turn right, down a ramp and that was it, last one onto the ferry!  Ten or so minutes later bike passengers are getting in position ready to ride off before the cars are released.  A bit of a frenzied rush (for me) to stay with the crowd but once clear of the ferry ramp I could pull to one side and get my act together.  Check map, not the first camp site, too close to Nordby, the second one will do, it's far enough out of town, yet not the far end of the  island.
Rindby Strand is essentially a family site and the area for small tents is on it's own, well away from touring and camper vans.  The Manager, while I'd been going through reception, had mentioned a kitchen, it wasn't far from my pitch so off I went for a recce.  Great stuff, warm, clean, plenty of cooking tops, two microwaves, sinks, hot water.  All you need to do is provide cooking pots and food!  Folk wandered in and out, one couple came in to boil potatoes, while a handicapped group did a full meal, there were even tables and chairs if you wanted  to sit and eat there as well.  The campers kitchen was a facility I used at all the Danish camping sites I stayed at.  45.3k.  Running total: 1108.6k

Basic amenities on way to Esbjerg!!

Fano ferry, Esbjerg

Dogs on a pole! Not mentioned in guide book.

 
Saturday 18th May.  Fano - Oksbol.  0530, looked out, looking good!  Sun coming up, a few whispy clouds  but they should burn away like yesterday.  Off to the wash room then kitchen, coffee on, last sachet of porridge in my mug, some milk, a drop of honey in it, magic!  Back to the tent, get all the gear out piled onto the nearby picnic table, sort and pack.  That was it, big fat wet drops coming down.  "Jings" I said, "What a bother" (or words to that effect) and proceeded to stuff everything back under the tent flysheet.  It was a brief shower and within minutes the sun had dried the picnic table sufficiently to put the kit out on it.  By the time I'd packed the panniers the sun had dried the flysheet, with that folded, stowed in its bag and secured on the bike I was ready.
A short pedal and I'm back at the ferry which is busy loading, I look around for a ticket office or machine, nothing, no one else seems bothered, then it clicked!  Once you've bought a ticket to get onto the island, it covers you to get off it as well.
The back streets around the docks in Esbjerg were fairly quiet and no problem following the route.  Within half an hour I'd arrived at 'The Men And The Sea', I had to wait for someone to walk up to the sculptures just to give an idea of the scale of them!!

The Men And The Sea

The ride to Oksbol was straight forward but included a few km of cycle lane at the edge of a busy road, this was a lane painted onto the road rather than a separate track.  It was a bit unnerving at times, like when some of the lightweight bike, Lycra brigade were coming past me and a mega truck would shoot past, its slip stream causing riders to wobble violently!
At one point I could hear a truck approaching and tucked myself into the edge in case someone was going to come past.  A voice from near my wheel hubs said "Cheers Mate", I did a 'double take' and said "You're welcome" to the pilot of this three wheeled recliner plus trailer.  A few hundred metres on was a lay-by where we both pulled in.  The recliner pilot was minus his left arm, his prosthetic arm had an inverted cup-like socket which fitted over an adapted extension to the steering set up.  He was heading for North Cape!  A hardy character with a lot of Km's to cover before he's anywhere close to where he wants to be!
Oksbol has a fairly modern heart; a small paved square, supermarket, bank, a few general shops etc.  Chance to stock up on a few provisions before following the way markers to the Danhostel.    "Sorry" the man said, "Full up"!!  "What!?! all rooms"??  "All rooms with shower and toilet".  "As long as its got a bed I'm not bothered where the shower and toilet are"!!  I wasn't bothered if the toilets were 200mtrs up hill through a nettle patch, I intended to spend more time in bed than on the toilet or in the shower for that matter!  The disruption to the managers routine was a Golden Wedding party, with many of the guests having booked rooms.  The main celebrations were to be on the Sunday and I would be long-gone.
In the end, I had a huge four bunk room to myself and the shower and toilet were not quite directly across the hall.  33.4k  (1141.4)

The Strand

The beach footy team

Sunday 19th May.  Oksbol - Hvide Sande.
My room was so big and light I was up and just about packed by 0600.  To the members kitchen to make a brew and spot of brekkie, then off down the road to link up with the signs I'd spotted on my way in to Oksbol.  From the rural roads into the warm dappled light of a delightful woodland trail.  Much of the morning was spent passing through an Army training area.  All was quiet and the roads even more quiet!!  What a brilliant start to the day.
From the moorland and small wooded patches into the dunes, holiday home country!! The trail through the dunes varied from asphalt to a fine gritty substance which when packed was great but if cut up by aggressive braking was desperate to ride through and would have you off in no time.  In all, a long run on this narrow strip of land between the sea and Ringkobing Fjord taking me to another Danhostel.  69.6k  (1211).

Church, Oksbol

A pleasant Sunday morning ride through the woods.

Army training area, blank rounds scattered around

Tarmac trail through Hobbit Land!

Wild Pansy

Holiday Hoose?

Holiday village

Germany 5 (A very very long way(But Denmark's getting closer)).

Saturday 11th May.  St Margarethen - Busum.  Sunny but still that NW breeze mostly in the face.
A good trail led through the outer grounds of a power station and into Brunsbuttel.  Good signage showed the way through some of the back streets and to the ferry, which was free! The ferry took you across the mouth of the Nord-Ostsee Kanal and into the main part of Brunsbuttel, again I was looking for the Tourist Information office to update maps.  A quick coffee before getting back in the saddle and away.  Good well marked trails, but the wind not helping, brought me to Friedrichskoog sluice bridge, then the heavens opened with a vengence!!  An hour of struggling to just to make a bit of headway!! Eventually got to JDH Busum 1900 drookit!!  (70.6k)

Bike track goes through the power station grounds on way to Brunsbuttel

 

I could have jumped that if it wasn't for all the luggage on my bike!!

Sunday 12th May.  Busum - Tonning.  Slow start today, in at breakfast early enough but gear strewn all around bedroom, all dry except shoes.  Off at 0945, two choices ahead, picked the wrong street and found a harbour between me and where I wanted to be.  Soon rectified and with a following wind made reasonable time.  A well marked nice trail to follow.  Rolled into Tonning around 1230 and enjoyed an hour dozing in the sun in the town square.  Eventually I felt I should move and do something about finding the hostel, a couple of wrong turns but soon sorted, arriving 1425.
The building was open but officially reception not manned until 1600.  I was dozing inside this time, out of a cool NE breeze which had sprung up.  Two staff members were sorting out bed linen and moving boxes about kindly leaving me dozing in peace.  Around 1520 one of  them asked if I was there to check in, Membership card handed over, I was signed in, bedding issued, showered and had a brew before anyone else had turned up.  (34.8k)

View back to Busum

The tide coming in to Katinger Watt 

The tide coming in to Katinger Watt

Gates in the dyke at Tonning

Tonning DJH

Wall mosaic in DJH

Monday 13th May.  Tonning - Niebull.  From JDH it was back into town to the Tourist Info office, where I was given a map covering much of the last leg of my journey through Germany.
About half an hour into the riding the rain started, no messing this time, jacket, overtrousers, even overshoes went on.  Head down and keep pedalling!!  Approaching a junction there were two bikes parked at the road side and standing back under the trees, two bedraggled Germans.  As I approached they started waving a map around and shouting stuff which was intelligible to me, so I pulled up and replied with the usual Brit understatement "Not very nice is it"?  The florid faced bloke was appoplectic!!  he was almost jumpin up'n doon!  waving the map, shouting and pointing at right angles to where I'd come from, or was going.  His missus had her head screwed on, she just shouted "Tonning"? so I pointed back the way I'd come and said "I've just come from Tonning.  At that hubby bellowed even louder! so just to stir things a bit I only spoke to the wife, pointed the way I'd come and repeated that I had just come from Tonning and it had taken nearly an hour.  She gave me a smile as I took of  and I last heard her giving hubby 'what for'.  It sounded as though a good old domestic ding dong starting up!!
Midday-ish I rolled into Husum having done the last few km on a track by the main road; it was a relief to just have to  get around the slightly more sedate town traffic.
This was another gold star and smiley face for the tourist info staff! a free map and help negotiating the Scandinavian computer keyboard to get through and book a place at the JDH in Niebull.  First pit stop during the afternoon!!  A wee back road, back tyre gone spongey then on to the rim.  Off load, strip the old tube out to fix later, feel around inside the tyre to make sure I'm not putting a good tube into a tyre with a thorn, nail or piece of wire poking though; nothing there, tube in, pump up,  load up again.  Forty mins and was good to go.  Arrived Niebull 1820, found hostel loaded with three classes of Hamburg primary pupils!  Christina (Evening reception) had all my details from the lunchtime e-mail, and because the kids were full board and there was plenty of food spare I got a big bowl of pasta, meatballs and salad!!  She even aimed me at a quiet spot to eat undisturbed by shrieking kids!!  (83k)

After a long hard day to Niebull

Tuesday 14th May.  Niebull - Hojer (DK).  Cool, variable S wind.
Today's route meant the wind would be side or behind but rarely into!!  Whoppee!!
Stoked up on a good breakfast again eaten in peace away from the  kids and their natural ability  to create a racket!
Got the bags packed up and out by a picknic table all ready to load.  Got the bike, yep, you probably guessed, flat tyre!.  When I repaired the first tube I noted that the hole was near opposite the valve.  A careful check of the tyre tread showed up a piece of grit which wouldn't clean off.  I did a quick job of opening the tyre and exposing that bit of inner tube, sure enough there was the hole; puncture marked, I used a pointy bit of my Leather Man multi tool to excavate the piece of grit, and the pliers to finally extract it.  It was a bit of quartz shaped like a minature tooth!  I couldn't feel it on the inside of the tyre so it must have been the weight over the back that finally caused the damage.  Problem solved and finally sorted, loaded and away, eventually!  About a km up the road I pulled in again, this time an Aldi store, away to get some lunch goodies.
The ride was easy going, the border a 'non event', see pics!  No guards,  no passport required!  Hojer, about 5k into Denmark.  Well, that's Germany done.
Time for bed.

2nd puncture fixed, Niebull DJH

Field of solar panels on way to Denmark

The Border, the German side

The Danish side

A foot in each camp!
Well you've got to do it haven't you?

Me, Germany, bike, Denmark

Crossing Hojer Kanal

1st Danish windmill

My room, prior to getting gear strewn around

Germany 4 (A very long way).

Thursday 9th May.  Otterndorf.  Day off.  I'd had a look at the forecast the previous evening, not good, wet and windy.  A leisurly breakfast and several coffees (while they were free) and it was time for a look around the village.  The main square was a bit of a building site, new paved areas and cobbled sections were partly done, nothing hapening today though, It's Father's Day, Sunday routine!  Was planning to sit in the sun with a brew but there was still that chilly N wind taking the edge off things.  By early afternoon the weather was breaking and beginning to look a bit more promising for a day or so.

The Otters of Otterndorf

<The Rathaus and Ratskeller!!

Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", historically Rathskeller) is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (Rathaus) or nearby. 

The Teahaus

A stork on the roof! Must signify something!? 

Strudel with cream and ice cream, and a cappuccino!
What a deal!!

The cake, coffee and strudel shop

A monument to the workers

Otterendorf DJH

Friday 10th May.  Otterndorf - Sankt Margarethen.  Sunny but still cool.  I had the kit well sorted, all urgent stuff washed and dried, even had the bike loaded pre breakfast.

What's on for brekkie?

Fed and watered I pedalled off a few minutes after 0800 heading E to Freiburg then SE to Hamelworden and the Elbe ferry to Gluckstadt.  The ride was much like other days, initially nice smooth tarmac, riding into the rising sun alongside a canal, then concrete slab back roads interspersed with narrower concrete trails usually covered in varying amounts of sheep droppings.  One occurance brightened the day though,  near Neuhauserdeich was a bridge crossing a tributary of the Elbe.  Roughly 1km to the bridge, approaching I could see the bridge was 'open' literally!  Got to the bridge, a sign saying 'Bridge open all day Fritag' was tied to the barrier!!  I'm sure this 'sense of humour' thing is getting out of hand!!

The bridge wot woz open!

Street in Freiburg

Ferry crossing the Elbe to Gluckstadt

Arrived at the ferry 1315, trucks were unloading followed by a few cars, motorbikes and a couple of cycles.  It must take hours to get through even though there were three ferry boats operating.  Off the ferry and a short back street pedal to the Hostel.  Full!!!  How dare they!!  Don't they know who I am??  Ah well, off to the Tourist info office.  A very helpful young lady sorted a couple of maps out for me, while her sidekick was waxing lyrical about how beautiful Skye and Edinburgh were when she was there last year.  For a 2.5 Euro fee they would do all the search and phoning to find accommodation for you, which I thought was a pretty reasonable deal.  It was beginning to look a bit bleak for a bed in Gluckstadt, so I asked how big an area did they cover?  It looked as though they were almost into the next big town of Brunsbuttel, their patch just including St. Margarethen, she had a quick look through one of her lists and came up with two names, first call got an answer, "An apartment, yes, same price, no problem".  Another windswept 15k, a couple of minutes trying to make sense of a google maps print out then asking in the local SPAR.  Rather than mess around, when she realised my German was abysmal the lady who was just leaving with her groceries took my arm, pointed to the bike and said "Come!", The bike wouldn't have dared not to!!  About 150mtrs, round the corner, past the hotel and left.  She even knocked the door and introduced me, probably as the pudding who couldn't find his way over 150mtrs while clutching a map!!  But she smiled nicely while she said it.
Antje (pronounced Anthea) helped me off load my bike, showed me where to stow the bike out of the rain which had just started, then helped carry some of my bags up to the appartment.  She just couldn't do enough, rushed off to make a pot of coffee, came back (plus coffee) with a list of stuff available for breakfast.  When she asked did I want jam, marmalade, chocolate spread or honey?  And before I could answer said "I'll put them all on!!.  She and her husband had done quite a bit of cycle touring in the past but work, kids and life had got in the way!  "Maybe again soon" she said wistfully.

Apartment in St Margarethen

Apartment in St Margarethen

Apartment in St Margarethen