We left Amsterdam and moved on towards Denmark, staying at a small campsite in Witmarsum. We’d crossed the large dams on the motorway and even had to wait for the bridges to open after the ships had been let out towards the Wadden Islands and off to the North Sea. We’d decided to see parts of the Netherlands which we wouldn’t normally as we were always too desperate to get to where we needed to be.
After, the Netherlands we wanted to get to Denmark to begin our tour of Scandinavia. We decided to sprint across Germany and after a short ferry crossing (with a long wait and driver who kept pushing in the queue) from Wischhafen to Glückstadt we set off in search of the campsite, knowing that one I had looked at shut at 18:00 and we were very close to the time! Luckily, it wasn’t the one we were in search of, as the road had been closed for roadworks and there was a diversion in place!
We arrived at the campsite – Elbdeich Camping in Kollmar, Germany – where the owner asked what flag we wanted to have raised for our stay. We opted for the English Flag and watched as it was raised in our honour. To be honest, there was a very large basket and it had every flag I could think of! He was very proud to have bought the New Zealand flag for visitors soon to arrive.
From here we turned north and headed across the German / Danish border and stopped at a lovely village called Tønder. The pavements had roses growing through them up the walls of the houses.
From Tønder, we moved further north to Søndervig, in the rain, The views were amazing still and the sides of the roads were sand dunes. On this trip we completed our 2000 mile milestone.
From Søndervig we moved further north to Vesløs and the Bygholm Camping Thy. Vesløs is not far from a Fjord and about 11km from the beach, so off we headed with our bikes but the weather looked a little doubtful and we lost our way so we returned after a bout 13 miles! The campsite was a little quirky but friendly. They seem to have their own way of doing things!
Next we set off for Skagen, the most northerly point on mainland Denmark. On the way, we had read about the Osterlid Test Center for Vindmøller – the Test Centre for Wind Turbines. Were able to climb up part of a tower, look at a blade and know why they have three blades and not two or four! They also research the best type of turbine for the area with prototypes being installed in various countries around the world. All the statistics are available to view! There are a lot of wind turbines in Denmark.
The campsite in Skagen was just a short walk (or cycle) away and we dutifully cycled there on the two days we were there. It is a cruise liner stop too and the population increases with each boat that arrives. We set off on our own little trip and got to Grenen, which is a little like the danish equivilent of John O’Groats and very touristy. We saw the many different ships on the horizon heading for the North Sea (or returning). We went to a little church which was closed for services after being covered by sand – each week the parisionners would dig back the sand for Sunday Service, Now, the main part of the church is buried and only the church tower remains visible.
So we have have had a great week, Nortia, the Etrusco T7400 QBC is a perfect touring vehicle. She is so comfortable that travelling at a slower pace than we are used to has been a blessing. That said, we have had to tell ourselves to slow down too – the past sometimes catches up with us and we feel we have to get to somewhere but we don’t! We have no schedule, no big plans – just thoughts and ideas on paper and in our heads.
I can not let this week pass without a potato masher tale (Phil – this is for you), I lost it! I’d traded the one we used to have in our kitchen gadget box in the old camper for the decent one we’d had at home – a much easier to use implement, but had forgotten where I had stowed it. The potatoes were cooked and the butter and milk added but…. I did find it still in the box in the large garage we have. Maybe next week we need to look at what we’ve got and put it in places which are easier to use? We’ll let you know more.
For now, though we are making the most of the sunshine in Denmark and planning the next weeks’ adventures. I think a curry may be involved as there are a few murmurs of needing one!
Thank you as ever for reading this. I’m off back to the sunshine in Denmark… planning to be done!