After 37kms yesterday, I was hoping for a good nights sleep before continuing my journey. As I left the hotel yesterday, a stage was being built in front of the hotel. A concert with Danish artist Anne Linnet, was planned for 13:00 and was over, well before I arrived back. But the stage remained, and being Saturday night, lots of people took the chance to exhibit their singing talents on the stage. This continued throughout the night and until early morning. I only got some sleep by putting med headphones in my ears and playing low volume music.
I always find day 2 to be tough, and today was no exception. I took the bus back to my starting point yesterday, Skals. Being Sunday the earliest bus was at 10.30, so it was a late start for the 24 km from Skals, largely south to Viborg.
The first part of the journey was along the Himmerland path, along which I had walked north yesterday. I was walking south-east towards Hjarbæk Fjord and the weather was beautiful. There weren’t many people out and about, but I met a group of photographers with large telescopic lenses, where the Skals river runs into the fjord. The area a a nature sanctuary, with lots of birds.
I walked along the edge of the fjord and climbed up towards Volde Church, with a beautiful elevated view towards the church and the fjord, and a stone celebrating Christianity.
I continued towards Hjarbæk a beautiful village and small port with a number of thatched cottages, plus a summer cottage area looking down onto the fjord.
From Hjarbæk I followed the fjord before walking south-east towards Viborg, following route 26, but along smaller roads, through forested areas and picking up the old railway line to Viborg.
I passed through Undallslund forest. Here, 101 men and 2 women were sentenced to death for treason during the German occupation of Denmark. 46 of the sentences were executed. 30 men and the 2 women were pardoned by the Minister of Justice and had their sentence changed to life imprisonment. There is a beautiful lake with waterlilies, a contrast to the executions that also had taken place here.
Now on the outskirts of Viborg, I followed a path system into the town center and onto the Cathedral. Even though todays walk was “only” 24km, I was tired, but happy that it was picturesque and varied leg of my walk along Hærvejen.
My wife and I had visited Viborg a few weeks earlier – for the first time since 1979, so it was odd being back such a short time afterwards. The main attraction in Viborg is its magnificent Cathedral. A Cathedral has stood in Viborg since 1130 and the current Cathedral was built in the 19th century, and is designed after the Cathedral in Lund, southern Sweden.
Viborg is certainly well worth a visit. An old Viking city dating back to the 8th century, it has many historical building and museums and a good base for walking. The sculpture below is of Hans Tausen, the leading Lutheran theologian of the Danish Reformation in Denmark.
Viborg is also a central city on the Hærvej, from here you go south to the German border at Padborg, or north to the main ports of Hirtshals and Frederikshavn, to sail to Norway. I was walking south this time.
