Day 6: Almograve to Porto Covo Today was a big day. I had booked a room in Porto Covo, 36kms from where I stood this morning. Normally, 36 kms would be within my walking range, but today the big unknown is the sand, and not least how deep it is. Loose sand slows me down by ca. 1km per hour, so…
Day 5: Asseiceira to Almograve I woke up to the sound of rain for the first time during this vacation. I’d slept well, but woke up 5 or 6 times with muscle pains, but fell asleep again once l changed position. Breakfast was with a Slovenian tour guide, who was in Portugal to find new walking trips for her clients…
Day 4: Rogil to Asseiceira Breakfast was at 8am at the baker next door to the hotel – the owners own the hotel and the baker. Through a gradual dialogue with the lady behind the desk, who was putting bread and cakes in a display, I went from orange juice and a croissant, which wasn’t particularly filling, followed by a…
Day 3: Chabouco to Rogil I woke somewhat stiff after the hard walk yesterday and wondering how the 34kms today would pan out, not least whether there would be just as much sand to walk through as there was yesterday. And it was a long day, walking from 9.15 to 5pm, 6km through sand and steep descents and ascents, not…
Day 2: Vila do Bispo to Chabouco Today was “only” 27km, but perhaps the most spectacular 27 kms I have ever walked. I know I am repeating myself, but the coastline is spectacular. One beautiful view is replaced by the next, one descent, at times dangerous, is replaced by an equivalent ascent and new spectacular views. I slept well, waking up occasionally,…
Day 1: Sagres to Vila do Bispo As I write the first part of this post, it is lunch time and I am sitting in Sagres, where I slept last night and left this morning, instead of walking towards Vila do Bispo. Not exactly what I had imagined. I had a good night’s sleep, 10 hours all told, waking every now and…
Day 0: Copenhagen to Sagres The alarm went off at 3.45 – I felt that I’d barely fallen asleep, but was still a relief, as I was dreaming that I’d overslept. After a quick shower and standing breakfast we were ready – my wife had “volunteered” to drive me to the airport, through the sludge and rain. The departure boards…
Day 42: Løgstør to Aars Day 42, the last day of my Danish Pilgrimage that has taken me across much of Denmark since I started out walking from Helsingør to Hillerød nback in 2020. It’s been great to see Denmark on foot, visiting many places that I otherwise would never have come. My last day was a 28km walk following…
Day 41: Slettestrand to Løgstør After a terrible night following a potential food poisoning, I woke up feeling OK. I had a very light breakfast and set off first along the coast and then inland via Fjerritslev to Løgstør, 35 km. The first 6km were in the dunes along the coast, passing Svinkløv Hotel, renovated following a fire in 2016,…
Day 40: Hune to Slettestrand Today was going to be another long day – I recalled it was a 30km day, but actually it was 38km, and I didn’t get to the hotel until past 6pm. But it was a beautiful trip, as I hope the pictures below illustrate. It was also a day of a big surprise. As I…
Day 39: Bøglum to Hune I was the only person staying at the B&B, and replenished after a nice breakfast, I set off on what would be 30 km walk, initially through the countryside and later along fairly quiet roads on my way to Hune. It was a mostly sunny throughout the day and for the first many kilometers, the…
Day 38: Hirtshals to Børglum Seven months after the previous leg of my Danish pilgrimage, I start out on the final five legs that will take me along the west coast of Jutland from Hirtshals and back to Aars. I’d taken the Monday evening train from Copenhagen to Hirtshals, changing in Aalborg, arriving just before midnight. I managed to get…
Day 37: Byrsted to Aars Theoretically I would today complete my walk along the Ox road, Hærvejen, as with the 22km from Bysted to Aars, I will have walked from Frederikshavn in the north, to Padborg in the south. However, there is an arm of the Ox road to the west, from Hirtshals to Aars, which I need to walk…
Day 36: Aalborg to Byrsted Yet another 30km day, as I left Aalborg and walked south towards Aars. I left Aalborg passing the hospital and Zoo as well as the suburbs of Hasseris and Sofiendal, with great views towards Limfjorden. I passed Drastrup forest, which was fairly hilly, and also with nice views. I continued onwards to Svenstrup church and…
Day 35: Aalborg to Klokkerholm It was a beautiful sunny day when I left the hotel at 7.30 to walk across Aalborg to Vesterbro (West bridge) to catch bus 73 at 8.00. It didn’t come. I waited 20 minutes, slightly frustrated, and had no choice but to walk from Aalborg to Klokkerholm, rather than Klokkerholm to Aalborg. Seen as walking…
Day 34: Thorshøj to Klokkerholm I was up early for an 8.03 bus back to Thorshøj, where I had ended yesterdays walk. The weather was fresh, but sunny. Today I head a deadline, 16.42 in Klokkerholm, 30km away, for a bus towards Aalborg. I had plenty of time, so I managed to take a picture of Frederikshavn Church and Krudttårnet,…
Day 33: Frederikshavn to Thorshøj It is almost 3 weeks since I arrived at the German border. Today I am at the northern end of Jutland in the fishing port of Frederikshavn, ready to walk towards Aars, where I also visited on day 21, when I started my walk along the Ox road (Hærvejen). I expect to walk for 5…
Day 32: SønderJyllands Golf to Rønsdam Day 32 on my Danish pilgrimage took me 21kms to Padborg. My wife and I had stayed in Vedsted and she drove me to the spot she picked me up yesterday and I continued south. The sun was shining and it was perfect walking weather for the short walk to the German border. I’d barely…
Day 31: Vedsted to SønderJyllands Golf Club Today I walked pretty much direct south after spending the night at Slukefter Kroen i Vedsted. It was a grey start to the day as I walked along country paths towards the first attraction of the day. With 800 to 1000 cattle passing along the Ox road daily, it was important that there were bridge…
Day 30: Jels to Vedsted Jels B&B was directly on the route, so I was on my may by 8.30. It was pleasant walking weather, and today I had to cover ca. 37km and meet my wife in Vedsted at around 16.00. She was driving from Copenhagen. The first eight or so kilometers were fairly uneventful, primarily along paths in…
