Drivvejen

Had the opportunity to travel to Jylland in the last couple of days and as a result we were able to spend some time on the Drivvejen, which is a part of the North Sea Trail. Drivvejen starts at Thyborøn and finishes on the Danish German border at Sæd Grænse south of Tønder. The trail is approximately 200 km in length and is a collection of drove ways, some of which were originally established around 800 AD. The trail visits many important historical and geographical places along the way including Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark which was an important market place in the beginning of the eighth century. We hiked only a small section of the trail in the vicinity of Tønder and specifically visited Ribe and Råbjerg Plantage.

The weather has been dry and warm so we were able to explore the many different set ups of our Black Diamond Beta Light. Shown here is one of our favorites which we call star gazing.

Bush Buddy

We have owned a BushBuddy Ultra for a while and have always thought that it is ideal for places where there is an abundant supply of firewood, especially along the coast. The stove weighs 150 gms and fits snugly into our Backpackinglight 1100 ml pot but will also slip inside a MSR 0.85 litre pot with about a cm of the stove protruding above the pot.
We used the stove this past weekend on the Österlenleden. The stove lived up to all its claims of burning efficiently with the design allowing continuing refuelling from the fuel sources available, in our case small pine cones which provided a hot fire and almost ash free residue. Given our proximity to ample supplies of driftwood we were able to keep it burning longer than we would have been able to with a gas stove.

One of the benefits of the stove is also its warming glow that it can provide at night, though this also means that it is difficult to use in confined surroundings.

Österlenleden, Sweden

The southern part of Sweden contains a number of walking trails over this past weekend we spent some time walking a part of the Österlenleden which initially follows the coast from Ystad in the south to north of Kivik where it turns inland and continues to Snogelholm where it meets up with the Nord till Sydleden (North South trail). The complete walk is 165 km in length and is divided into stages with accommodation suggestions, including tent and shelter sites, provided through out the walk.

We started at Ystad and headed east with the well formed gravel trail following the coast line towards Nybrostrand, the beautiful sandy beaches and the sunny weather made for a pleasant walk, the camping area at Nybrostarnd has all amenities and is a possible overnight stay location. After Nybrostrand there is an artillery range and if the warning flags are flying then a detour around the roads is required this route returns to the coastline at Hammar. After Hammar you arrive at Ales stener ( large stone Viking monument in the shape of a ship) these stones are of 1 to 3 meters in height, and are dated to about 600 AD. From here it is a short walk down to Kåsberga with its fish smokehouse and small shops. After leaving Kåsberga the trail continues along the coast to Löderups strandbad, firstly skirting the township before passing through Backåkra, the former home of UN Secretary General Dag Hammasköld, on our way to the camping site to the east of the township. This quaint campsite has all amenities and as it is adjacent to the nature reserve it provides idyllic surroundings with plenty of places to listen for birds and generally enjoy this quiet hamlet. The heads inland from the campsite and follows the northern boundary of Hagestads naturreservat and passes through lovely stands of forest with occasional glimpses of farmland, it was here that we cam across our first Swedish snake, certainly no where near as dangerous as those in Australia and elsewhere. However, there is an alternative route and that is to walk along the bench, the fine sand makes for easy walking and can be recommended as long as it is not too windy. Either way you ultimately come to Sandhammaren which is supposedly Swedens best sandy beach, according to the signs. The trail now follows the beach north passing many small hamlets before reaching Skillinge a larger village with shopping along with a fish smokehouse. Continuing along the coast you come to Simrishamn, one of the largest fishing ports in Sweden, it has a railway access to Malmo and Ystad. The trail now heads north towards the imposing Stenshuvuds National Park, Sweden's southernmost national park and a truly beautiful place to visit. From the naturum it is a short climb to Stenshuvuds which provides commanding views of the surrounds and is the site of a fort which dates back to around 600 AD. Soon after leaving Stenshuvuds you arrive in the small fishing hamlet of Kivik with its modern fish smoke house as well as wonderful organic foods shop. Kivik is the site of the apple festival in late August. This was where our trip concluded, however, we will back. Detailed information on hiking trails in the Skane area can be found at www.skaneleden.se

Falster Strand

Yes it has been a while since I last posted and hiked for that matter. Sometimes other events in your life become more important.

However, I did get to spend some time on the coast at Marielyst in Southern Sjælland, it is a beautiful stretch of beach and with a trail running parallel to and overlooking the beach it makes for an ideal walk with the beach on one side and the forest and summer houses the other. There are many summer house areas along Falster Strand as well as kiosks where it is possible to buy many different food items. There are several options for access via public transport using the Nykøbing Railway Station as a starting point.

All in all a nice place to visit.

Backpackinglight Arctic Pack

I have used this pack on one trip last winter in Australia, I used it with the 50 litre dry bag and the 2 aluminium stays for a complete weight of 1100 gms. What attracted me to this pack were two things, one it is made by ULA in Utah, a well respected pack maker and the dry bag would enable it to be carried in wet conditions without the need for a liner. In both aspect I was not disappointed. It did rain on the Prom during my visit and everything inside my pack was dry. Other aspects which I came to appreciate were the excellent hip belt pockets, the comfort of the carry, I had about 12 kg when loaded. The usefulness of the front pocket, the ability to compress the dry sack and let the air out at the bottom, thereby reducing the volume.

There is however, an art to pack this pack, the obvious is to treat it the same as a normal pack and load from the top with the pack sitting vertically, because of its design I found this method not very successful, instead I laid it on it frame and filled it that way with light items at the bottom and heavier items in the middle and so on. This was much more effective.

I personally would like to have some more outside pockets so I am looking at adding side pockets, which I think will also add some sideways stability to the pack when loading it.

This is a specialist pack and I will only use it when I am expecting a wet trip or when I am going to damp environments, such as Lapland.

Stevns Trampesti

I started the trail at Bøgeskov Havn, it was a gloomy grey day but no rain. The start of the trail is well marked and points you west along a sandy trail before taking you on to the beach after about 300 meters. A walk along the pebble-covered beach eventually leads you to a sheer cliff into the sea, it is now that you will get wet feet, if you have not already. For me the tide was in and the seas calm so the depth was no more than 30 cm. There were 2 sections the first being 50 meters the second 150 meters. I was glad to be on dry pebble covered beach again. Soon after at Kulstirenden the trail turned inland.

After first following a farm trail through the cliffs and then farmland the trail follows small roads onto Holtug Mosevj. These quiet country lanes make for pleasant walking and all junctions are well marked, ultimately the trail turns towards the cliffs just prior to Stevns Nature Center. Following the cliff trail soon takes you to the back of the nature centre which was to be my home for the night. According to the booklet, Overnatning i det fri, there is a shelter and a toilet, but no water. There is however, a tap outside and a hand basin inside. As well there is a shelter and some tents sites both of which are protected by some small pines. The shelter would sleep no more than 6 persons. Nearby is a DMI weather radar and in the building below it there is an excellent display the flora, fauna and history of the area. As well there is an excellent lookout tower providing views of the sea, farmlands and the neighbouring chalk pit at Stevns. During my stay the plant operated all night, with a ship arriving to collect a load a chalk. The sound however, was in no way intrusive, and along with the constant hum of the raider provided a interesting contrast to the bird song.

Morning arrived with a much more pleasant outlook, the potential for a good day evident in the sunrise.

Leaving Flagbanken, the trail firstly follows the cliff tops before heading in land as it skirts the chalk pit. After travelling away from the sea and then parallel to it turns back towards the sea and finally rejoins the cliff tops less than a kilometre from where it left. By now the clouds had cleared and the white cliffs dipping into the blue and turquoise sea provided the backdrop for the remainder of the day. The walk is now a cliff top walk that follows the cliff tops whilst meandering around the farms, as the Stevns guide explains this is a trampsti and as such is the trail is constructed by persons walking along it, as well the trampsti exists through the cooperation of the surrounding landowners and therefore users should be aware of their obligations as they walk.

Aside from the outstanding views of the sea and cliffs the next point of interest was Stevns Fyr. The lighthouse stands atop of the cliffs which separate Køge Bugt and Fakse Bugt, I did wonder for how much longer will lighthouses be needed in this day of GPS navigation. The trampsti then wends its way south till it arrives at Højurup gamle Kirke which is slowly being washed into the sea. The kirke is a popular tourist attraction in the summer but for now it was peaceful and provided me with time to relax and reflect on the beautiful surrounds. After passing through the kirke and its surrounds the next point along the trail is the Fortress of Stevns which has an important history with its use spanning many years and NATO only ceased to use it in 2000 the kommune of Stevns now uses most of the surrounds as a museum, more information can be found at the Stevnsfortet web site.

Further down the coast the views continue whilst in the distance Rødvig can be seen. As you approach Rodvig the trails turns inland to take you through the Boesdal Kalkbrud with its imposing Lime Kilns and pyramid storage shed. The final 1 km of the trampsti takes you into Rødvig where you can catch a train to Koge and then the S train to Copenhagen. I can recommend this 22 km walk as either an overnight or a long day walk which is within 2 hours of Copenhagen.

Photos of the trip can be found in the web gallery.

Shelters and Shelters Jægersborg

Well I had a chance to get away and do some walking, as a result I ended up at Jægersborg Hegn and Jægersborg Dyrehave, just 20 minutes by train north of Copenhagen. What started off as a day of exploring the forests on the leap year day turned out to be a discovery of shelters. Yes I had intended to use my Mountain Laurel Designs Poncho as rain gear and start practising to use it as a shelter but what I did not know is that I would see many other shelters along the way.

If you are in København and looking for a walk in the woods then we can recommend Jægersborg Dyrehave, a trip on the C train to Klampenborg will have you there in less than half an hour.

Back to shelters we have posted in our web gallery a set of shelters found in Jægersborg Hegn we hope you enjoy them