itsmylife: 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).