As I travelled on the Bus number 888 from Valby Station to Sjællands Odde and then to Ebeltoft Ferry station. I reflected on my previous trip along the Nordsøstien, this time I wanted to complete the section from Ebletoft to Grenå a walk of about 40 km (see GPS waypoints and details here).
After leaving the ferry port the Nordsøstien follows H H Hansens Vej past the 4 wind turbines which dominate the skyline the trail soon enters the grassland before turning onto the beach and the firm sand makes for pleasant walking as you approach Ahl Plantage after walking along the beach for a little over 2 km. The trail then meanders through the plantage taking in the variations of the forest and according to the Ebeltoft Kommune brochure it is possible to view the Yellow Ants. The trail through the plantation ultimately takes you to a bike path that you will follow into the township of Ebeltoft. Within the township of Ebeltoft there are many opportunities for purchasing food as well as camping equipment. The Glasmuseet (Glass Museum) and the Fregatten Jylland the largest wooden ship in the world according to the website. There is also an information centre in near the trail which can provide information on the trail along with possible accommodation in Ebeltoft. The trail follows the shoreline as it heads North out of Ebeltoft towards Ebeltoft Strand Camping which provides a option of staying all year round. After passing through Ebeltoft Strand Camping the trail turns towards Route 21 and after crossing Route 21 it follows a minor road before meeting up with Banestien which is the former Ebeltoft Trustrup railway line. The trail now follows this railway line through Skæso Plantage to meet up with Molsruten at Stubbe Stovej (Molsruten which runs from Aarhus to Grenå is part of the European Union E1 trail running from Scapoli in Italy to Varberg in Sweden a total of 4900 km. more information about Molsruten can be found here ).
The Molsruten and the Nørdsostien follow the same alignment all the way to Grenå, some 28 km away. After crossing Stubbe Stovej the trail continues past a low lying area which was full of water when I passed through in October. The trail meets up with Stubbe Stovej again and it is at this point you leave the Banestien and turn east along the bitumen road. You follow Stubbe Stovej till you meet up with Ved Fredskoven a private road linking Stubbe Stovej with Gamle Mejerivej, this private road takes you through farmland and forest and provides easy walking through undulating country. The trail veers left onto Gamle Mejerivej heading in a northerly direction before turning east along Bjergenvejen for before it meets up with Stenledvej which will take you south west to Rugårdsvej which will lead you north to the sign-posted turn to Rugårds Camping a large holiday camping area overlooking Kattegat. The trail passes through the camping park parallel to the foreshore after which a trail will continue to take you north following the coastline all the way to Grenå.
The walk along the coast line is pleasant, and whilst at times the sand and or gravel can slow progress there are many opportunities to walk on foot trails that parallel the coast. One such place is Glatved strand where there is a working gravel pit along with informative signs advising of the importance of the gravel dating back to prior to the Second World War. I enjoyed this section of the trail as it provided a respite from the road walking that I had experienced earlier and apart from the occasional fisherman I was able to spend a lot of time just admiring the scenery and the wild life that can be found in the area. Perhaps one of my most enjoyable tarping and bivvying experience occurred on this particular section of trail.
