Sunday 31 August 2008

Møns Klint




The clouds parted and the sun shone so it was time to go hiking, for a while now I had planned a visit to Møns Klint about 2 hours south of Copenhagen, whilst my original plan changed a little it still gave me the opportunity to spend a couple of nights and 2 glorious days in this beautiful area.

Møn is renowned for its cliffs (klints) of White chalk, these cliffs rise around 100 metres above the sea level and are visible for many kilometres, the area has been a popular tourist attraction for many years and now has a a large visitor centre with restaurant as well as tourist information facilities. However, Møn Rundt, part of the Sjællandsleden, offers opportunities for both day and overnight hikers.

For this trip I travelled down late in the afternoon and then camped in a spot which overlooked the Baltic Sea. I set up my bivy and made dinner before taking time to sit and reflect on the day at work and the trip to Møn, as a I sat quietly looking out to sea I noticed a deer grazing on the cliffs below, it made me realise how often in my rush to get somewhere I had not really taken the time to look around.

After a rainy night the sunrise the next morning was really special and as I stared bleary eyed out of my bivy I felt that sense of belonging that often comes with my visits to forested areas wherever they may be. After packing up I headed south along the well used walking path that follows the cliff line to the Møn's Lighthouse some 12 km away, this was to be my days walk. There are many fine viewpoints along the way where you can see the chalk cliffs as well there is plenty of evidence of the erosion that continually causes landslides and sees yet another part of the klint disappear into the sea. For me it was a surprise to see the changes in the facilities at the Geo Centre where a modern building now stands housing a restaurant, galleries and tourist information, once past the centre it is less than a kilometre to a free campsite with 4 new shelters and accompanying fireplaces, toilet and running water. I continued past the shelter place, passing a military radar system before reaching the lighthouse. It was here that I begun to retrace my steps to a secluded campsite overlooking the Baltic. Having set up my bivy I sat down to relax and take in the view whilst watching the many ferries sailing to or from Bornholm along with those sailing to Køge. The evening concluded with a beautiful sunset over the farmland adjacent to the Møn's forest. The following morning saw yet another wonderful sunrise over the Baltic, from here I traveled north along the coast to the Geo centre before heading inland along the Kridtstien which took me through the forest and past a wonderful area for children to play and finally back to the car.

Møns Klint is not the only white cliffs on Sjælland (see our earlier post) but they are perhaps the most well known and given that they are about 2 hours from Copenhagen they provide an ideal location for an overnight walk in this picturesque area.

Access to the are can be gained by car or by the use of public transport with a Regional Train to Vordingborg and then bus to area of Møn.

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