Bornholm II

July 4- Svaneke to Dueodde
Weather:  Mostly sunny, windy, mid 60s

Writing this a few days after the fact, so some of the details aren't as fresh in my mind, but the last 2 days of the bike tour went really well.  We woke up on Day 3 of the trip at a pleasant pay campground on the northeast corner of the island after a long but pleasant push over the north end of the island.  The campgrounds in Denmark are kinda like KOAs but considerably classier.  Interestingly, what seems to be the standard RV here is more of a tow-behind camper with a really elaborate porch-tent thing off the side complete with heavy-duty clear vinyl sides, tasteful dining table set, sometimes a TV, couch, and but of course stylish minimalist interior design.  Campers eat their herring and meatballs by candlelight in comfort and elegance.   Perhaps they miss the marshmallows over the campfire, but they seem to get by.

Day 3 was a short mileage day, but we wanted to end up on the northwest end of the island near the town of Dueodde.  This was an attractive destination not only because it was the only camping between the end point and where we were, but also because it was on by far the best beach on the island, and by many accounts, Denmark.  It didn't take us long to get down the 12 miles or so down the coast, so we had a pleasant lunch in Snogebaek,  then set up camp on a dune and proceeded to sit on the beach drinking terrible wine and akakvit for 7 hours or so and loving it.  The sand is so white and fine there that the area historically was a source for hourglasses!  Perhaps a strange way to spend the 4th of July, but we certainly were willing to take it.

July 5
Dueodde to Ronnie, then over to Ystad, Sweeden
Weather- Windy with mixed clouds and sun, mid 60s

Since there had been a strong wind from the west pretty much the entire time we have been on Bornholm, we were really worried that we would have a nasty headwind for the entire 20 mile stretch back along the southern shore of the island.  Plus, there was no guarantee that the south side wouldn't have the same tricks in store that the western and northern shore did- with sections more suited to mountain bikes and steep hills.  So we got up early and left as early as we could check out from the camping area.  Well, I suppose fortune favors the prepared, because the winds never really kicked up until the early afternoon, and the trail was smooth and relatively hill-free.  It was pretty much all farm country, open, beautiful, and with a sweeping view of the Baltic Sea stretching out to the horizon.  We sailed across the section, making it to our starting point in Ronne by lunchtime.  Picnicking in a pleasant forest on the edge of town, we looked at our books and our options, and decided to make the push back over to Sweden that day instead of the next, as we had originally planned.  We went into town, got to the ferry station, bought the tickets that would have us leave in a few hours.  We then went back into town, which was nice because we hadn't seen much of it before.  We checked out a museum in town which had a pretty nice exhibit on Viking artifacts, and had a pleasant drink in the town square.  We then caught the ferry across, located a campground on the other side, and then rode out, ate some very strange pizza in the campground, and fell asleep exhausted from the long day and many miles traveled!

The Bornholm trip was fantastic as a whole.  The trail system is incredibly well marked, the variety of terrain and trail surface keeps things interesting, and the mix of nature and culture a delight.  Camping is ample and pleasant, supplies available at each little town, and delightful rest stops and points of interest abound.   It was, in a few words, pretty much ideal from a bike touring perspective.