This was a mad dash tour of Denmark's only hilly country to the south west of Arhus, Jutland.
Thursday May 8th 2014
I took a train from home to London then boarded the Eurostar to Brussels then a connection through Cologne on a night train arriving in Kolding at breakfast time and a local train up to Arhus. I had pre-booked a hire bike from the largest bike hire shop in the city at the crossroads with the Silkeborg road north west of the city centre. This was the best option rather than bring my own bike as I was only cycling for a day. This sounds a bit rich coming all the way from England to Denmark only to stay one day but really it isn't. As an ex employee of Network Rail I have free travel at home and in Europe on the rail system. I did have to pay on Eurostar - a colossal fee of £52 ! I wasn't staying anywhere but was sleeping on the train both nights. I would arrive back in Cologne for breakfast the following day and be home in the afternoon. I have to have some perks for working for railway companies for over 44 years ! So here I was, ready to cycle.
Friday May 9th 2014
I rode out at 12.00 to Ry then found the short climb that would lead me to the tower of Himmelbjeget (BIG 50). This was easy, just a short rise but the BIG (Brevet Internationale Grimpeur cycling club) had to find at least two heights in an otherwise flat country and this I ticked off as my first conquest in Scandinavia. it took me an hour to reach here on an excellent hire bike. I took photos of the tower overlooking the lake, had a look at the gift shop inside and bought a cheap Danish flag to poke into my pannier bag to flutter away in the breeze on the road, and also to add some photogenic colour. Back down to the main road and across to Old Rye to meet a crossing road A453 through wooded hill country to Voerladegard then south on a road called Moldrupvej to Yding village and cross over on to road Skovhojvej for 5lm to Ejer for the second climb, this time it was a little effort to reach the brick arch of Ejer Bavnehoj (BIG 49), taking a right at the top of the rise to reach the arch. before that however there is the old top on the left and took a stop here. Down the other side from Ejer heading for the Horsens to Skanderborg road E170 and reached the rail station there at 16.15. I was fortunate to have a train to Arhus only 15 minutes later so bundled the bike into an overcrowded train at rush hour. the conductor challenged me for a bike ticket but I pleaded ignorance, "Sorry, I'm English, I didn't know!" I arrived back in Arhus and to the shop to return the bike and receive my 500 DKK deposit back and only had 20 minutes to spare before the shop closed and no way was I going to wait until morning for it to open again. I walked back on a footpath following a stream then through the park past the university clock tower and into the city close to the station for a train home. I had plenty of time so had a couple of strong rocket fuel lagers and slept most of the way and through the night back to Cologne and wandered across to the Dom and later an ICE train to Brussels then the Eurostar to London St Pancras. That's what I call a flying visit and what satisfied I had dipped my toe so to speak into Scandinavia as a prelude to my trip with Ruth and my own bike to Iceland later this month to conquer the seven BIG's in a 10 day drive around the island.
Train trip: Outward journey from Crewe 09.04, arriving London Euston 11.10, then London St Pancras 14.04, Brussels 17.05, Brussels 18.25, Cologne 20.15, Cologne 22.28, Arhus 10.28.
Return journey from Arhus at 18.41 to Kolding 19.55 leaving there at 21.10 to Cologne at 06.14 so time for some breakfast, leaving there at 07.43 to Brussels 09.35 then Eurostar at 10.56 to London St Pancras 11.57, London Euston 13.40 and home at 15.00