During my NVCtrip my plan is to cycle from Stockholm down to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, to walk the pilgrim route (Camino de Santiago or the way of saint James) back and forth and then cycle back home. In this blogpost I describe my ride through Denmark from Helsingør to Rødbyhavn July 3 to 5.
I arrived by ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingør on Wednesday evening. My plan was to find a suitable camping site somewhere between Helsingør and Copenhagen. A short while after I got out of the settlement I came to a resting place that was perfect for camping. The rest area had sections with tables and benches with bushes in between. Some sections only had grass. That was a perfect location with protected visibility from the passing cars.
The next morning it was grey and cloudy and just as I had packed and cycled along the first burst of rain came. It rained occasionally during the morning and I took some breaks before I put on my rain clothes. When I had passed Copenhagen I took a longer break in a cafe along the coast. Later when I left, it rained all afternoon and evening. At first I was pretty dry, but eventually I became more and more wet. It was also quite cool, around 15 degrees. Somehow it went pretty well to ride a bike despite a persistent rain. It was as if the body accepted the condition of things, “Yes, this is also a way of living”. I cycled for kilometers after kilometers and although it still felt pretty good I decided not to complete my goal of 120 kilometers, but to stop and stay overnight when I found a place with a roof over my head.
In Brøderup I came to an “after school” (for 14-18 year old students). “Here there is potential” I thought. First I found a shed with an unlocked door where I could sleep, but I decided to take a tour of the area. At a small pond I found a wind shelter. The only drawback was that it was seen by the staff who seemed to be staying at the school even though it was summer holidays. I could, however, sleep undisturbed with both the bicycle and the trailer under the roof.
The next morning I woke up to a brilliant day and I could dry my clothes in the sun’s light before I left. The day’s journey was almost without hills all day. After a long break at Café Einstein in Vordningsborg, I went over a long bridge and towards Rødbyhavn. As the day before I decided that I didn’t have to reach my goal if I found a suitable place where I could stay overnight. However, it all ended with me going all the way to the ferry that took me over to Puttgarden in Germany