Monday 14 March 2011

Sorgenfri to Ølstykke

The sun was shining so it seemed like an ideal opportunity to take a local walk. Having packed my Aarn Featherlite Freedom I set off by bus then train to Sorgenfri, approximately 40 minutes away.

Passing Sorgenfri church I headed down to the Prinsessestien a path between Lyngby and Fredriksdal named after Prinsesse Caroline Amalie this path is also interesting for its approximately 800 year old Oak tree





The path follows and then crosses the canal connecting Farum Sø and Lyngby Sø before reaching Fredriksdal. After which I followed the western side of Furesø. Along the banks of Furesø there was a fascinating mixture of ice, water and debris.


The trail continued along the banks of Furesø and with the sun shining there was excellent views of the semi frozen lake.



Leaving Furesø I passed under the motorway and headed to Farum Sø, the main trail (Mølleådalen) follows the north side of Farum Sø whereas I chose to follow the south side as the path wended its way around the lake then inland before returning to the lake at a bird watching tower. Soon after which I arrived at an ideal location for the bivy.



The campsite provided excellent views across the lake to Farumgård which was initially established in the 1300's.



After a pleasant night punctuated by the sounds of the Naturugle, I awoke to a misty morning. Setting off along the lake shore then inland and ultimately returning to the Mølleådalen by the banks of Mølle Å which flows Bastrup Sø to Farum Sø. I did wonder if it was possible to pack raft through here but decided there would be more packing than rafting.

Reaching Bastrup Sø it was apparent that the swans were waiting for the ice to melt.



It was in this section that I also passed Bastrup Tårn (tower) a site of an earlier day walk.

After Bastrup Sø the path bordered the forest and the fields as it wended its way towards Buresø.


From Buresø it was through the recently harvested forest to a delightful small ice covered lake Guldbjerg Mose where I sat and enjoyed the hazy sunshine whilst eating lunch. Fishing is allowed here. The final section took me through Sperrestrup Skov before finishing at the railway station in Ølstykke.

It had been a pleasant 24 hour walk and it was evident that spring was coming with the ice melting and many more people out enjoying the outdoors.

Gear Observations.

Nemo GoGo Bivy, this bivy weighs in at just over 1 kg including stuffsack and pump. This was the first trip I have used it on and I was happy with it. There is sufficient room for one with a pack near the door and gear along the sides by the sleeping mat. The airbeam is easy to inflate and provides a rigid structure when assembled. I was able to keep the front open all night so there was no condensation at the front and only a minor amount at rear of the bivy. It is not a light bivy but one I will be happy to use on quick overnight trips again.


Pacific Outdoor Peak Elite AC - Regular Size, recently Phil Turner gave his readers a first look at this new offering from POE, I was impressed and soon as they were in stock at BPL.co.uk I obtained one. I was pleasantly surprised by the weight of the mat which including stuff sack was 345 grams. Now they are perhaps not the ideal height for the bivy but as a side sleeper there was still some space between me and the bivy outer. I was pleased with the comfort of the mat though I did feel some cold seeping through from the frozen ground. At this time of the year I would probably put a thin piece of foam underneath to provide a little ground insulation. I will report on its extended use in due course.

Saturday 5 March 2011

Hareskov to Lyngby

It had been a grey and gloomy week weather wise and with the appearance of sunshine it seemed like a good idea to get out and go for a walk. My only plan was to catch the train to Hareskov station and return from Lyngby station, in between there are three major lakes, Farum Sø, Bagsværd Sø and Lyngby Sø as well as three forests Store Hareskov, Fredriksdal Skov and Nybro Skov. So I set off through Store Hareskov choosing whichever path appealed to me as I walked, I have visited this area on many occasions so I always try to go a slightly different way and with the ice still in the low lying areas and bright sunshine it was easy to find something to look at.





After leaving Store Hareskov I entered Fredriksdal Skov but instead of taking the shortest possible route through the forest I decided to head west which resulted in perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the walk, because I entered an area that I had not visited before. There are many well trodden (and cycled paths) here but I picked less travelled sections and found myself on the edge of a frozen lake with the ice glistening in the sunshine I located a warm spot out of the wind and settled down for lunch, it was magic.



After a relaxing lunch I sidled around Store Hulsø before climbing away onto another minor trail trail which ultimately provided me with beautiful views of the windswept and partly frozen Farum Sø.



At this point I was glad of my macpac fleece, Icebreaker shirt and especially my Montane Litespeed which ensured the wind did not penetrate. I followed the shoreline of Farum Sø before crossing over into Nybro Skov which took me to the banks of the canal connecting Farum Sø and Lyngby Sø



By now there were many people wandering the trails around Lyngby Sø, but I was still able to find my own sense of enjoyment in what is an area not more than 10 km from the centre of Copenhagen.