The Road goes to H…

Due to the gloomy weather outside, read dense fog and rain, you get a story that goes back years, but the events are still fresh in the memory.

We start the walk at noon. It’s windy and out on the lake a man and a woman are about to set course for land with their sailboat. A little further along the path is a bench, and here we make a dent in our packed lunch, while the man lets oaths and curses rain down on his chosen one. She’s not fast enough to rope the sails, but humiliations have never boosted any performance significantly.
In order not to get cold muscles, we continue our walk. Our start was in Lyngby and we intend to finish the walk by walking through the forest on the other side of the lake.
It’s starts to rain a little, but there’s no need to change into rain pants, says my friend.
Just before the Bridge of Fiskebæk, the rain starts to pick up, but what do you do when your clothes is wet – You take them off and walk on wearing only rain clothes.
It’s a bit clammy and cold, but better than the icy sticky clothes, he says.

It’s getting dark, and at the entrance to the forest it’s so dark that we can not find the path into the forest –
We know it is there, and yet we trample and rummage around in thickets, bushes and small trees.
In the end, there is only the road of Frederiksborg left as a last resort.

It is the eerie knowledge about those steep slopes down towards Lake Furesøen, which determine the decision . A forward roll drop into the lake is not an attractive alternative to a peaceful forest walk, so we prefer to walk on the cycle path that runs the entire length of the forest.
That’s not fun! Asphalt and monotonous, straight roads, it’s one of the worst things I can offer myself, that is, apart from bad stunts starring myself. And then there’s a long way to go!

That must be what it’s like to be a soldier on a march, just one foot in front of the other without thinking.
The next day we measure the trip to be about 36 km, with detours and misfires, but a very pleasant trip with great experiences and good exercise.
Later on we had lots of laughs at the bushes that were trampled and pushed around. We still have 🤣

A trip around Lake Furesøen is approx. 25 – 30 km. Start in the morning with good provisions and enough to drink.

Furesøen er et rigtigt dejligt naturområde. Der er højt til himlen og masser af frisk luft og udsyn. Jeg har sejlet i kano fra Frederiksdal op til Farum sø, og hjem igen. Men den mest minderige tur var rundt om søen til fods.

Det kunne været blevet: “Turen går til Helvede”, havde vi ikke truffet en lidt kedelig, men sikker udvej -.

Vi starter vandreturen over middag. Det blæser godt, og ude på søen er en mand, og en kvinde ved at sætte kursen mod land med deres sejlbåd. Lidt fremme ad stien står en bænk, og her gør vi indhug i provianten, mens manden lader eder og forbandelser hagle ned over hans udkårne. Hun er ikke hurtig nok til at rebe sejlene, men ydmygelser har aldrig fremmet nogen præstation nævneværdigt.

For ikke at få kolde muskler, fortsætter vi vandringen. Turen er startet i Lyngby området, og vi har tænkt os at afslutte vandringen ved at gå gennem Nørreskoven på den anden side af søen. Det begynder at regne lidt, men der er ingen grund til at skifte til regnbukser, mener min ven. Lige før Fiskebækbroen begynder regnen at tage til, men hvad gør man, når tøjet er blevet vådt- man tager det af og går videre kun iført regntøj. Det er lidt klamt og koldt, men bedre end det iskolde klæbende tøj, forlyder det.

Det begynder at mørkne, og ved indgangen til Nørreskoven er det så mørkt, at vi ikke kan finde stien ind i skoven – Vi ved, hvor stien er, og alligevel tramper og roder vi rundt i krat, buske og småtræer. Til sidst er der kun Frederiksborgvej tilbage som sidste udvej. 

Det er tanken om de meget stejle skåninger ned mod Furesøen. Et forlæns rullefald ned i søen er ikke et attraktivt alternativ til en fredelig skovvandring, så vi fortrækker ud på cykelstien, der er i hele skovens længde. Det er ikke sjovt! Asfalt og ensformige, lige veje, det er noget af det værste, jeg kan byde mig selv, altså udover dårlige stunts med mig selv i hovedrollen. Og så er der laaangt! –

Det må være sådan det er, at være soldat på march, bare den ene fod foran den anden uden at tænke. Næste dag opmåler vi turen til at være omkring 36 km, med omveje og fejlskud, men en meget hyggelig tur med flotte oplevelser og god motion. Vi har senere grinet meget af det buskads, der blev trampet og maset rundt i.

En tur rundt om Furesøen er ca. 25 – 30 km. Start om morgenen med god proviant, og nok at drikke. 

God tur!

The trail that never ends

Maybe we’ll have snow next week. At the moment, it’s a lovely spring. People are enjoying the outdoors and the sun.
Years ago I was on a great walk at Sjaelssoe.
Steep hills, small springs, pastures, winding paths and a wooden pier for ‘happy swimmers’.
The temperature varied a lot depending on whether I was in the woods or on the sunny meadow.
It was bitterly cold in the wood by the springs, and the lake didn’t beckon for a swim, on the contrary. But the walk was worth remembering ❤

Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø
Ved Sjælsø

The place where you lose the trail is not necessarily the place where it ends.
Tom Brown, Jr.

Walking From a Castle to a Mountain on an Icy Day.

Athene and me

“The days are short,
The sun a spark,
Hung thin between
The dark and dark.”
From the poem; January by John Updike

The summer was lovely and a light breeze made the walk enjoyable for my friend, Joanna and I. She has a high metabolism like me, like a hobbit, and we didn’t get far before we had our first meal on a bench in the garden of Frederiksborg Castle.

Today* the temperature is slightly difference to put it mildly. There is frost in the air and severe wind but the sun is shining.
I have layer upon layer until there are no more space under my jacket. Nevertheless, I take a short break on a bench beside Athene.

My walk is about 15 km long and I don’t have much time before darkness set in.
I buy a bottle of water in a shop but I cannot open it. My fingers are already frozen. I slip the bottle into the rucksack and continue the walk past the spectacular little castle, Badstuen and Louise’s Island.

The small buildings on the Island in Ødammen was built by Frederick 7. as a miniature version of a Norwegian manor.
I walk through the village Gadevang, and soon I’m on my way up towards the mountain, Fruebjerg, in the forest, Gribskov. The sun is setting and the sight towards the coast is magnificent. I love this view. However I have a train to catch so I hurry down the mountain and through the forest to the train station.
There are ten minutes until the train arrives! I can not remember the last time I’ve been so cold. Well, maybe when I skated as a child 🙂

Curious to learn more? Frederiksborg Castle

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Sommeren var dejlig, og en let brise gjorde vandreturen behagelig for min veninde og mig. Vi har et højt stofskifte, ligesom en hobbit, og vi nåede ikke langt, før vi indtog vores første måltid på en bænk i parken ved Frederiksborg Slot.

I dag er temperaturen anderledes for nu at sige det mildt. Der er frost i luften og hård vind, men solen skinner. Jeg er iført lag på lag indtil der ikke er mere plads under min jakke.
Alligevel tager jeg en kort pause på en bænk ved siden af Athene.

Min tur er cirka 15 km lang, og jeg har ikke meget tid, før mørket indfinder sig.
Jeg har købt vand i en kiosk, men jeg kan ikke åbne flasken. Mine fingre er allerede stivfrosne. Jeg pakker flasken ned i rygsækken, og fortsætter turen forbi det spektakulære lille slot, Badstuen og Louises Ø.
De små bygninger på øen i Ødammen blev bygget af Frederik den 7. som en miniature udgave af en norsk herregård.
Jeg går ud gennem landsbyen Gadevang, og snart er jeg på vej op mod Fruebjerg, inde i skoven. Solen er ved at gå ned, og synet mod kysten er storslået. Det er højdepunktet på turen bogstavelig talt, og i overført betydning. Min vandretur fortsætter i hast mod togstationen, Kagerup.

Her må jeg måtte vente i 10 minutter. Jeg kan ikke huske hvornår jeg har været så nedkølet. Jo, måske dengang, da jeg løb på skøjter som barn 🙂

Frederiksborg Slot

* My walk took place in 2016, but the weather today is very similar to that cold day ❄️
Wish you a wonderful walk out there and remember your packed lunch and the mittens 🥕😊

Closer to Nature

The weather is cold and grey. The rain is pouring down. What’s the point in going outdoors? I did and if you go close enough you’ll see many colours, amazing shapes and birds.

This post is back from 2016 but the condition is unchanged 😊

‘… Grasshoppers, birds, fish and plants live
With natural colours as protection forever!
Chameleons are something different though
Capable of changing colours as to situation!

Even seasons have colours for a change
Winter darkness, summer brightness,
Autumn brownness and spring greenness
Indeed are beautiful and inspiring all lives!

Refraction of colourless water reveals 7 hues
As seven colours of rainbow at the raining times!’

An Attire Of Colours In Nature! by Ramesh T A

The Need of Positive Stories

I need positive stories and I’m not getting them from the news.

January 2023 is the hottest and wettest month on record. Fields are under water and inflation presents many people with challenges. And sadly there is a war going on too.
That’s for Europe alone! Oh! I forgot the Corona scourge.

January is a dark month, particular with the absent of snow.
So I need positive stories and nature doesn’t fail!

Yesterday I saw the little white-throated dipper. It was in a good mood. That’s my own opinion 😉😊 The bird had taken up residence on a rock, if it wasn’t walking around the bottom of the fast-flowing stream in search of spring fly larvae and other goodies.
The bird nodded and preened its feathers and tilted with its tail. Quite a ballet, I think.

The white stag and the white-throated dipper are my crown jewels.
Though the green mosses that light up on fallen trees in the forest floor are marvellous too.
The trees are allowed to stay to support birds with food, they find in cracks and under the bark.

And I forgot all the nice people who are out enjoying nature too. The good talks, many smiles and the enthusiasm! It is uplifting.

Nature is incredible, enchanting, stimulating, sublime, extraordinary, staggering, impressive…

Happy Walks ❤️

A Summer Adventure

“Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here…”
~ Mark Twain

Lovely walk yesterday. Today’s weather turned out very hot and didn’t invite for walking.
An extremely hot wind from south made the temperature rose rapidly.
Not like in the poem of Mark Twain 😊

Strange Visions of Mountains

I’m dreaming of wilderness and mountains. About shades of rugged and stunning landscapes.

I have seen a wonderful, scenic film about climbing Suilven, a remote mountain in the north west of Scotland.

It is a life-affirming film about a woman who has recently become a widow. The woman, Edie, decides to live out an old dream she shared with her father when she was young. A dream to climb the strange mountain, Suilven.

Actress Sheila Hancock was 83 years old during the filming. She says it was a great and challenging experience. Something she wants for everyone to try.
Sheila Hancock is the oldest person to have climbed Suilven back in 2018.

Hopefully, it’s safe to travel next year.

A Road between Mleta and Gudauri in Georgia

What a scenario. What a hike!

From Mleta to Gudauri, date 1868. The Russian-Armenian painter, Ivan Ayvazovsky, 1817-1900.

The Ambassadors of Nature

We were walking in the wild part of a forest when we met a woman at a crossroad. She asked for directions and soon we fell into conversation about walks, nature and places.

She’d just finished an outstanding week’s holiday in England. An English friend had introduced her to The Lake District. Let me put it this way: The Lake District had got one more ambassador.

London is the only place I have visited in England. But one of my favorite books as a child was The Swallows and the Amazons by Arthur Ransome.

A few years ago I learned by chance that the stories weren’t only fiction, but some part had their origins in reality. Windermere and Coniston Water in Lake District were the focal point.

———————-

George Kitching owns Lakeland Walking Tales. If you miss inspiration for an exciting hike in The Lake District, then you will not go in vain on Lakeland Walking Tales

Mei shows her love for photography, travel, and hiking through her blog: Mei Photo Images. Jewels Of The English Lake District is a wonderful tribute to The Lake District.

Mike never miss a chance to go for a walk including glacier walking depending on what country he is in. Luckily, I can show you excellent pictures of Lake Windermere because Mike’s wife, Jude, loves sailing. Mike calls his blog: A Little Bit Out of Focus.

Steve Foster takes us around Buttermere Lake. Another wonderful place in Lake District. Steve calls his blog: Treks and Tors.

Take pleasure in finding your own paths and leave only your footprints behind.
Happy walks 😍

Nature has many dramatic expressions from wonderfully mild summer weather to storm and thunder that roars between the mountain walls. I chose these lovely paintings on Wikimedia. Details coming up soon!

‘Coniston Water’ by Painter and illustrator, Harold Sutton Palmer.
Pearson C. – Watercolor – Landscape in the Lakes district 1867
Julius Caesar Ibbetson Lake Windermere Google Art Project
Grasmere Lake.
Alfred de Bréanski Snr. – Borrowdale
Skiddaw from Derwentwater by Richard Corbould
Henry Clarence Whaite Mountain mist, sun rise (Lake District)

Note

“Swallows and Amazons is a series of children’s books by the English writer Arthur Ransome. The series is named after the title of the first book in the series. The 12 books are about the adventures by groups of children during school holidays. Events mostly take place in England and Scotland between the World War I and World War II. The stories usually are about outdoor activities, especially camping, fishing and sailing.” * Wikipedia

Two Friends on an Outing

Per Thomsen, former editor-in-chief on Stavanger Aftenblad wrote this humorous subtle story about the mysteries of a wilderness:

“The trip to Svartvatnet was a battled experience and we were too puzzled to write anything before today.

Only now, are we able to see the comedy in it but there was nothing to laugh at, while it lasted.

On the way home, I slipped over a small grass shelf, and fell about a quarter of a meter.

My right foot went down into a hole between some moss-covered rocks. The foot was helplessly stuck. I tried to slide and tail and wiggle, but without any luck.

My friend Tore, became impatient. He tried in his way, which by the way was quite similar to my own. It made no difference and I said I would rather try myself.

Unfortunately, the foot had gotten so far down the hole that I couldn’t get the boot tied up, nor could I get a knife down and cut the boot up.

Tore tried once with the knife, but I said that if I wanted my foot amputated, I would rather have a doctor.

Then we tried to get the stones away, but unfortunately it was Mother Norway herself, and after an hour of clearing work, we made no progress.


It was completely idiotic. I was not injured. I had managed to get my foot down the hole. Therefore, the hole was also large enough for it to come up again.

I could feel that the foot wasn’t sprained. Therefore, it was not likely to be swelled. So why couldn’t it come up again?

Both Tore and I asked this question, to each other and to the world in general, to the Lord, and we made a series of highly derogatory remarks about the way the world is governed.

We stated that we found the case extremely funny the first five minutes, but now it was enough.

Of course the rain started to fall. The question came up if Tore should go for help?

It sounds good: ‘Go for help, when an accident occurs in the mountains.’

But how can the rescuer help. There are no reports of that!

While we were wondering about this, Tore thought very sensible that we needed to relax.

Whereupon we sat for half an hour, eating and smoking, pretending as if we had just sat down voluntarily.

The view wasn’t so bad, it stopped raining and the sun came out. We agreed that we had a holiday.

We told each other stories. Occasionally I jerked my foot, but it did not come loose, and I pretended not to have done so. Tore said I should leave it alone.

It could be, it slept eventually, and we might cheat it to come along.

But even though we both seemed cheerful and indifferent, we didn’t like it.

Did the foot sleep? I do not know, but at first Tore fell asleep, and shortly after I fell asleep too.

We don’t know for how long. But suddenly I was awakened by Tore who looked incredibly sleepy while he muttered; we’d better go home.

I gathered the fishing pole and the backpack and off we went.

We had been walking for at least five minutes before I remembered that the foot was actually stuck.

I was filled with an indefinable and strange feeling. The same was Tore when he remembered.
But then we reassured each other that the spirit had triumphed over matter, and we proceeded home, extremely carefully and cautiously.

Such experiences affect us, especially when we can give no explanation for them. We went to bed without many words. But today we think the story is really funny. ”

“As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.”
~ A.A. Milne