Northerly Vacation Avoiding Heatwaves, Denmark's Kystlandet

There’s a rift occurring in the world of holiday and travel at the moment. For decades most Brits and northern Europeans have had a set notion that a vacation should include plenty of sun, sea and blue skies - which is why we’ve been flocking to the Med for the past 50 years. Now, though, endless heatwaves are making that concept look somewhat over-baked. Who wants to holiday in a place where you are forced to hide from the sun in body-sapping temperatures of over 40 degrees?

Not me, and most people I know who have passed the age of 40 would agree. What do you do in a full-on Mediterranean heatwave? You can only spend so many hours trying to keep cool in the sea or pool, the rest of the time you’re panting around trying to find a bit of shade or breeze. Best not even mention the horror of being evacuated because of forest fires.

I am not alone in thinking that some more northerly coastal locations - which have in the past never really had a look-in with summer holidaymakers - could become popular thanks to climate change. Indeed, I joined a group from the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW) recently to explore just such a place. Its name, Kystlandet, is Danish for Coastal Land - an interesting corner of littoral located on Jutland’s eastern (Baltic) shoreline.

It is a very pleasant area indeed, in my opinion. Sparsely populated low hills and farmlands surround a massive inlet or fjord which boasts several inhabited islands. Small towns and attractive villages are dotted here and there, but there’s no massive industry or burgeoning urban centre to spoil the peace and quiet of the place.

And there are hardly any tourists. We were there in late August and on many of the rural drives, bike rides, ferry crossings or country walks we did not see any other visitors at all. We swam in a surprisingly warm sea, we strolled through silent and seemingly endless forests, we stayed in a bustling but pleasant little seaport town and we sailed to tiny islands - and not once did we get the idea that we had joined some new heatwave-and-forest-fire-avoidance boom in tourism.  

Perhaps this visit by a gang of travel writers might help spark the beginning of such a boom. I wouldn’t be surprised. For a start Jutland - that large section of the Danish landmass which points north - is quick and easy to reach from the UK. You can go by train or car, taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam and an express service onwards to Denmark, or put your vehicle on a North Sea ferry. We flew to Billund Airport on a budget airline from Stansted on a quick flight. It took an hour - no sooner had we gone up, we were coming down.    

From Billund (of Lego Land fame) it’s a half-hour drive to Horsens, the harbour town which could be described as the capital of Kystlandet.

Horsens main street

We stayed at the wonderful and classy four-star Jørgensens Hotel (once known as the Lichtenberg Palace), an historic building situated right in the centre of one of the oldest cities in Denmark. Being a country-boy who lives out in the sticks, I loved staying in the heart of this quiet, well-mannered community and hugely enjoyed being able to wander around the open air bars and eateries of an evening. 

Horsens waterfront

Lunching on an island off the Horsens fjord

The only thing I didn’t like about Horsens was being thrown into prison!

The old Horsens State Penitentiary is one of the most famous (or infamous) jails in all of Denmark - and before you get any ideas about a West Country journalist falling foul of the law, please note that the Danish authorities have spent great deal of money converting this grim and claustrophobic edifice into an award-winning museum. 

Interior of Horsens prison

I am not surprised it has won so many tourism accolades - a visit really does give you an idea of what it must have been like to have been locked away in such a bleak place for countless years - or indeed, what it must have been like to attempt escaping from such a hell. If I am honest, it wasn’t an experience I wanted to dwell upon - however, some of my travel writing colleagues loved every minute of it - including the rather nauseating trip back to town in an authentic prison-van. I discovered they were big fans of “Scandi-noir” TV series and so enjoyed seeing the place where all those moody murderers may have ended up. 

Danish sweet snacks

I am more of a fresh-air lover, so I very much preferred our adventure the next morning which took us to a delightful little coastal village on the edge of a large forest where local guide Kirsten Aagaard made us a delightful traditional Danish breakfast before taking us on a ten kilometre hike through the woodlands she knows so well. Most of the walk took us along tracks which make up the 52-kilometre long Fjordmino trail - a wonderful right-of-way which more-or-less circumnavigates the large Horsens Fjord.

Horsens fjord

The trail passes through forests, fields and idyllic villages - it runs across causeways to visit busy marinas and charming harbours - and it climbs to low ridges and hilltops to offer stunning panoramas. It also takes the occasional small ferry so that you can visit inhabited islands which lie within the fjord. 

As I say, Kirsten - a wonderful and informative guide who made us a truly memorable traditional Danish breakfast - took us on a three hour stroll through the most wooded and, arguably, scenic part of the trail. It took all ten kilometres to walk that big breakfast off, but soon we were eating again - this time at a traditional Danish country inn called Sandvad Kro where we were served the local speciality, “tarteletter”, which is a kind of giant vol-au-vent. The puff pastry shells are filled with a creamy mixture of chicken, peas, and carrots. It’s a Danish classic, but they are particularly fond of tarteletter in Jutland where they’re served on special occasions and at family gatherings.

tarteletter

 And then there was more in the way of physical excursion. This time, e-biking through the lovely countryside of the Bakkelandet - the area around the Gudenå river - a land of small lakes, forests, and some of Denmark’s highest peaks (by which I mean 600 foot hills).

Holmely E-Bike Tours

Our guide, Heidi Holm from Holmely E-Bike Tours, took us along a wonderful old narrow-gauge railway which has been converted to a 60-kilometre cycling trail. I love e-biking, but hate cycling on busy roads - so for me this really was a wonderful ride through lovely, empty countryside. Our destination was The Uncovered Bridge, which is one of Denmark’s favourite tourist sites. 

The “uncovered bridge”

Strange term “uncovered bridge”… I learned that after the railway closed, a large earthen dam was built across the lovely Gudenå river, and as the engineers erected this large obstacle, so they buried the old railway bridge under thousands of tonnes of rubble.  Just under a decade ago, it was decided to reveal the glorious example of early Danish bridge-building which, for 85 years, had been entombed. A fine bridge it is too - albeit one that nowadays has the much easier task of coping with bicycles rather than steam trains.

On another day we took the ferry to isolated island of Tunø in the East Jutland Archipelago. Cars are banned from this isle, with its beautiful and unspoiled countryside. We did what a great many visitors do when they arrive at small islands - we found the coastal path and spent three very happy hours strolling around Tunø’s handsome shores. Which meant we were more than ready to enjoy lunch at the Røgeriet Tunø (the Tunø smokehouse) - and what a wonderful al-fresco meal it was, right next to the harbour-side. Who needs a Greek taverna on the shores of the Aegean when you can enjoy the products of a traditional smokehouse in the Baltic?

Our last night was spent at the Borre Knob Hotel - a hidden gem located on a narrow peninsula in Horsens Fjord. We arrived after one of the best dinners I’ve ever had (at Ji-Mi’s in the centre of Horsens where we enjoyed a ten-course “holistic gourmet experience”), so it was well and truly dark when I eventually clambered to my room.  Which might help explain my confusion the next morning when I marvelled at the watery view from my balcony, only to discover there was yet another view of the sea awaiting me on the opposite side of the building.  It’s the only hotel I know with a beach on both sides.

Chef Jimi Jensen

The next day we went island-hopping in true Greek style - only these were flat and wonderfully moody Danish islets, which reminded me of the haunting essence of the Ingmar Bergman movies I used to watch years ago. Our first port of call was the small island of Hjarnø, just 500 metres from the mainland with a population of 150. The island has a special place in Viking history, as well as one of the smallest churches in Denmark. We called at the Det Grafiske Magasin - a tiny arts workshop run by artist Jane Willumsgaard, who made us wonderful and restorative coffees so that we could continue our walking tour.

Ferry at the small island of Hjarnø

Then it was time for another boat ride - this time aboard the “bicycle ferry” to the island Alrø. And why were we visiting this next isle? I will tell you… Because we were booked in at a remarkable restaurant that specialises in dishes made from locally farmed bison meat. I can tell you that bison makes a world beating burger.

“bicycle ferry” to the island Alrø

So… A whirlwind tour and taste of Denmark’s Coastal Land. A cool new coastal destination in the making perhaps. I use the word “cool” advisedly. In my book it’s much better to be cool than to be so horribly hot you can barely be bothered to think.   

We travelled to Kystlandet as a guest of VisitDenmark - Twitter: @GoVisitDenmark, Instagram: @GoVisitDenmark. Airport parking was provided by I Love Meet and Greet - www.ilovemeetandgreet.co.uk