Blowin away

Alighting from the train I headed into Tornby Klitplantage and set up camp for the night it had been a cold clear and calm sunny day, sadly for me most of the day had been spent on the train.





The following morning I awoke to an ice encrusted shelter, having had breakfast I set off on the frozen ground towards the coast as the clouds gradually built with a breeze strengthening. I crossed Liver Å on the bridge and it was evident that any moisture in the sand had frozen whilst evidence of sand slips above the bridge ensured that every step was taken with care.



The trail took me through many summer house areas as it skirted the coast line and with the wind increasing the sun covered in cloud there was little time to hang around, it was cold. Finally descending and then walking along the beach to Lonstrup before heading through this quiet windswept village and once again turning south west towards the highlights of the days walk.



The coastline here is subjected to the force of the wind and the North Sea and as a result the coast line is forever changing and with many buildings gradually getting closer to the cliffs and ultimately disappearing. Such is the case with Mårup church originally built in the 1200's about a kilometre from the sea, it is now less than 10 metres from the sea.





To the south of the church lies Rubjerg Knude and accompanying light house, as I climbed to the top of the dune the windswept sand ensured that my face was kept buried in my Tuara.




Fortunately much of the sand was frozen and as such it was not too bad, I can however imagine the sand storms that must rage through this area at times.



The sand around the lighthouse was hollowed out making a veritable wind tunnel and it was interesting to see that the lighthouse originally built in 1899 was surrounded by outbuildings but now only the tower remained. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1968 and the fight against the sand drifts was given up in 2002, once again demonstrating the power of nature.




Leaving the sand dune the trail descended into the peaceful sheltered tranquility of a small forest, it was here, sheltered from the wind, I had lunch.

The afternoon took me through Nørre Lyngby another town threatened by the encroaching sea.

Leaving Nørre Lyngby the trail followed the sea and I slipped and slid over many large ice patches on the sand (should have packed my micro spikes) while there was more evidence of the power of the sea over man made structures.




The cliffs provided some respite from the wind, however, it was evident that the wind was increasing and the accompanying windchill ensured the temps were dropping into the the negatives teens I decided that it was time to find a sheltered spot for the night and a small cabin seemed ideal. Having booked into the cabin, on the outskirts of Løkken, with forecasts of wind speeds ranging between 15 and 20 metres per second for the coming days and with temps below zero combined with a possible reoccurrence of an old injury I felt it was time to head home.

Some gear observations, the Haglöfs Ozo Pullover was perfect for such conditions and it has possibly the best hood of any jacket I have used.

The MLD Speed mid is an ideal size for one and provides enough space should the weather turn bad, this will be going on more trips.

For the trip I used the Snowpeak Gigapower Ti Stove and I used 20 gms of gas per litre of water.



I will be back, as there are many more beaches to walk.

Gendarmstien: Padborg to Skelde Kobbelskov

The weather forecast for the week was for a little snow and clear cold conditions with temperatures ranging between -15 and -5 degrees C, it was to be a cold trip.

The Gendarmstien is a 74 km route from Padborg to Høruphav and follows the border between Germany and Denmark mostly along the coastline of Flensburg Fjord. The Gendarmstien was patrolled by Danish police between 1920 and 1958 and the path now forms part of the European Long Distance Route 6 (E6).

I set off from Padborg Station as large snowflakes began to fall, no doubt getting a few strange looks from the locals wondering why would anyone go backpacking at this time of the year. I soon realised that whilst many people had been out walking and the snow was only supposed to be 15 cm deep, it was very powdery and soft. It was grey and cold as I started along the Gendarmstien.





Once settled into my normal walking pattern I soon noticed the first of many Grænsesten each individually numbered and with a sighting line to the next Grænsesten in each direction.



However, there was also this strange object which looked like some form of listening post, I wondered if the Gendarme stood there listening to their favourite music? Anyone who has a suggestion on what this is I would be very appreciative of further information.



Soon after passing the "listening post" I came to one of the border gates now open for easy access, however, I can imagine in days gone by it was a lot more difficult to cross the border here.



Soon after passing the border gate I found myself on a section of the trail which was much less travelled and drifts of up to a metre were common as was "post holing" making for slow and tiring going. Snowshoes would have been useful but they did not arrive in time, sadly.

Fortunately though there was not too many drifts and I finally reached Kollund Skov my intended home for the night. The campsite provided a view across the fjord to the large city of Flensburg resplendent with its cathedral and ship building yards.



I required no encouraging to go to bed, it was cold out and I went to sleep to the sounds of sirens in Flensburg. In the morning I was awoken by the church bells, or was it the horns at the shipyards, not sure. It was still early as took a look around in the grey pre dawn, it was a calm morning.



After packing up, having had breakfast in bed, the luxury of it all, I was on my way and the sun began to make its presence known albeit weakly as I wandered through the beautifully wintery Kollund Skov.



The trail took me through the small township of Kollund Strand before heading inland to the snow encrusted Kollund Dyrehave.



As I headed east towards Rønshoved, I passed this beautiful ice and snow covered lake, magic.



Finally returning the fjord coastline a constant feature for much of the remainder of the walk.



The walk along the coast brought with it frozen ice and snow covered sand, which in most cases was okay for walking upon, but every so often a patch of ice hidden by snow would remind me to take care.



As I headed towards Dalsgård, I found some of the deepest drifts of the trip and with a fence on one side and tree covered cliffs on the other I was left with no option but to wade, crawl, though metre deep snow, fortunately this section was only about 100 metres in length. However, after passing through Stranderød I was informed by one of the locals that it was just as bad further along. I decided to try my luck on the beach but with the small ice covered rocks it was almost as bad, but different. Finally though I climbed away from the beach before descending again past the Dalsgård Fyr.



Climbing away from the beach the Dalsgård homestead glistened in the afternoon light and made for a very memorable sight.



After passing the homestead I followed the coastline before heading inland away from the Gendarmstien to the nights campsite Syvstjernen in Gråsten Skovene, as I entered the forest I noticed the owl inspecting my gear closely.



Syvstjernen, is a popular area and requires booking for groups at certain times of the year. Much to my surprise, 8 Danes arrived to stay the night, this was their third visit at this time of the year and I was the first person they had seen in those 3 years staying out here. They had carried their large packs about 500m from the car park and were fully provisioned for the night including Salmon for dinner. The -15C temperatures and the struggles for a decent fire ensured that we all retired early.

It was a bright, sunny cold morning as I headed off back to the trail via Gråsten before crossing the Egernsund Bridge.



On this cold clear day I passed by many old and new houses with views across the ice covered fjord to Germany. The marina was almost empty now but I could easily imagine the bustle of boats, people and vehicles during summer.



As I followed the coastline towards Brunsnæs there was plenty of evidence of wonderful ice sculptures brought about by the cold. There were many examples of what I dubbed "Ice Swans"



Fishing nets and boat moorings also provided ideal places for ice sculptures to grow.



Finally passing through Brunsnæs I left the coast and headed inland before turning east along a road, I was thankful that they had cleared this road as I could see myself still wading through snow until the thaw.



By now it was getting late and as I climbed towards Gammelgab the sun was beginning to set providing wonderful colourings on the ice.


As it was getting dark and with still a few kilometres to go it was a hasty walk with little time to take in the surrounds, but given tomorrow was the last day I had time to back track and visit some of the beaches again. I arrived at Skelde Kobbelskov to discover that most of the campsite was also a wind tunnel, fortunately I was able to find a small place out of the wind which still offered views of Sønderborg across Sønderborg Bugt.

It was a leisurely start the next morning and I was able to take the time to look at the ice covered trees suspended in the water, though the wind ensured that standing around for any length of time was not an option, so I headed off along the coast towards Kragesand.



With the wind came the cloud but the coast providing many fascinating scenes such as ice covered rocks.



Snow covered cliffs, I even wondered if there was a need for "avalanche warnings" as there was evidence that large lumps of snow had collapsed onto the beaches below.



Finally returning through Skelde Kobbelskov I came across the composition of fungi, timber and snow.




It was a cold, and at times challenging walk but one that was very enjoyable and therefore a walk I can see myself revisiting in winter or summer.

The waypoint map can be found here

Border Patrol

Down south in Denmark there is a trail known as the Gendarmstien which is a trail that was used by the Danish police to watch out for unexpected visitors from the south. It seemed appropriate to visit this area in the southernmost point in Denmark between Christmas and New Year as hopefully it would be a warm and sunny tour. Alas, with recent snowfalls and below freezing temperatures, the sunscreen will be staying at home and all possible warm clothing is being packed.

So for the past few days I have been trying to decide the gear to use given expected temperature ranges of -10 C to -5 C.

My almost final list is as follows.


Rucksack
Aarn Featherlite Freedom

Shelter
Golite SL 1 with inner net (warmth and condensation protection) I have been interested in looking more closely at this shelter and have been able to borrow one from Outlandia for this trip.
4 Sno Pegs
4 Clamcleats
2 Easton 8” stakes

Sleeping

Exped Downmat 7 Short
Therma Rest Ridge Rest
Nunatak Arc Alpinist Epic cover
Katabatic Bivy

Cooking

Primus Express Spider
BPL 1300 + lid
Lightmyfire
Folda Spoon
Kupilka
Nalgene 1.5l

Clothing Carried

BPL Vapr Thrm Mitts
Possum Fur Fingerless Gloves
Possum Fur Socks (Sleeping)
Balaclava
BPL Cocoon Pants
Rab Xenon (maybe warn if needed)
Wester Mountaineering Flash Hoody (around camp and sleeping)

Clothing Worn
Ibex Hoody
Macpac fleece
Paramo Vista
Paramo Adventure Light Pants
Merino Buff
Icebreaker Merino Legless
Darntough Socks
RBH Vapr Thrm Liner Socks
Blue OR GTX cap
Ibex Liner Gloves
Inov 8 390
REI Komperdell Trekking Poles

Other items include
Mobile phone, PrincetonTec Head Torch with Battery, Kahtoola Micro SPikes, First Aid and repair, GPS
Washkit, Pentax W60 with case.

A report will follow.

To the Top End along the Nordsøstien

I attended a family christening (Barnedåb) before commencing my travels to Jutland. Interestingly Danish Railways (DSB) were offering a special on upgrades to first class and I decided to try it. Apart from an endless supply of coffee, fruit, biscuits and water, the peace allowed me to read Erin and Higs book The long trek home a wonderful book about the environment, conservation and the will to survive, a book I very much recommend. I alighted from the train at Tornby at 5:30 in the evening and with a 3 km walk to the campsite I quickly set off to make the most of the remaining daylight. Passing through the outskirts of Tornby I noted that there were several people out for a walk in the pleasant evening light. No doubt some of them wondered why there was a backpacker heading out of town at this hour of the evening. I soon entered the forest which was a mixture of pine and beech and arrived at the shelter place where I intended to camp, finding a nice spot in the lee of the trees I quickly set up my Trailstar and settled down to cook dinner and enjoy the moonlit evening. Soon I was in bed eagerly anticipating the coming days walk which would take me to the top of Jutland.



There was some rain during the night and the morning brought with it grey skies and with the prediction of rain late in the day I soon set off towards the coast and the Hirtshals.



The trail firstly took me towards the coast before heading inland through the forests of Tornby Klitplantage before returning to the coast at Tornby Strand. Following the trail along the coast I soon arrived at Hirtshals Fyr (lighthouse) which provides wonderful views of Hirtshals as well as bunkers from the second world war.



Descending into Hirtshals the rain began to fall as I passed by the port with its collection of fishing vessels as well as ferries bound for Norway.



I was happy to leave Hirtshals and continue my trek north through Lilleheden Klitplantage with its autumn colours and still waters.






The trail paid a brief return visit to the coast at Uggerby Strand with its broad firm sand providing easy walking along with access for motor vehicles.



I returned inland to follow the forested paths past the Uggerby Tårn (tower) before arriving at the campsite adjacent to Uggerby Å. The campsite consisted of space for 2 small tents a bench and a small fireplace, it was sheltered from the wind and it was soon evident that the trailstar would accumulate condensation. No sooner was camp set up, the rain started which persisted all night so the following morning after the rain had ceased I was left to pack a very wet shelter. It appeared that the weather may improve and the first views of Tannisby strand were further evidence of a good day.



With the sun only just rising the lighting on the sand dunes provided wonderful contrast of colours, light and shadows.



I was soon on the beaches and there were many different patterns brought about by the water such patterns endured ensuring that the walk was always interesting as every step brought a new perspective on the landscape.



Passing by the popular tourist spot of Tversted Sø where the ducks were eager to be fed I headed into Tversted Klitplantage, the oldest plantation in Northern Jutland. As I approached Østerklit Stokmølle (windmill) I entered a camping area and much to my surprise there was a Sauna, this was the first time I had found a sauna in Denmark, it provided ideal shelter as the rain poured down for the next hour while I ate lunch.



As the rain eased I set off to the windmill and was pleased to find that not only was it open but there was an audio display in 3 languages.



For a while the trail continued through the forest before finally returning to the beach, which would be followed for the next 8 km or so. It was a pleasant walk, with little wind, firm sand and I was entertained by all the variety that can be found on a beach, such as rainbows.


Windblown sand dunes.



Sand, sea and clouds.



As I departed the beach the sun was beginning to set and with one last look along the beach I climbed back into the forest and found a quiet corner to set up the trailstar.



The next morning it was to be a different story, having been awoken about 2 am by strong winds requiring a "tighter pitch" on the trailstar and before settling back to sleep, when I finally arose it was a gloomy grey and windy morning. I reached the beach near Højen and began the long trek north along the beach, but today was to be much harder as there was a headwind gusting to 40 km/hr, this was the only time I used 2 trekking poles for the whole trip helping me to propel forward.



As the beach curved towards Grenen the wind became more of a cross wind and thus a little more bearable, and with Grenen coming into view my spirits lifted.



Soon I was at the top of Denmark accompanied by many others, some who came by tractor and some who had walked a kilometre from the carpark into the same wind that I had. Here I just stood and enjoyed the moment having finally achieved a goal that I had set when I first moved to Denmark, it was a rewarding moment.

So as some left by tractor, I joined the others in walking back to the carpark area then for another 5 km to the Skagen railway station and home from what had been a memorable and rewarding trip.