October 2023 had the largest amount of rain in Denmark for 25 years.
But it is still possible to see the incredible autumn foliage.
Not everything has been washed away by the rain.
Our walk in Bøllemosen is wonderful, and the smell of peat conjures up images of Norway.
Have to decide which part of Norway needs a visit next year. 😃
Happy new week to you all!
A flower of purest white,
Floating upon the lake,
A delicate and fragile sight,
Yet strong and unafraid.
Its petals open wide,
To greet the morning sun,
And close at night to hide,
From the darkness and the cold.
A symbol of beauty and grace,
The white water lily,
A reminder that even in the darkest of places,
There is always hope.
Lots of heavy showers today.
The branches were already there 🙂
We passed the wreck on our holiday last week. The sight of it in the setting sun piqued my curiosity.
How did the cement ship go down?. And what happened to the people aboard.
Our lovely hosts sent us a link about the history of the area including the story about the wreck .
It was an interesting read.
I have chosen to focus the story on the shipwreck itself. The narrative is sober, and that only seems to heighten the drama.
But I am warning you. This is what is called a longread:
On December 29th, 1947, the tugboat S/S Castor left Hundested Harbor with the barge ‘Brøns Odde’ of Copenhagen towards Randers.
The barge was unusual while it was built of reinforced concrete in 1944 and not as usual of steel and iron or wood. It was therefore heavy and difficult to handle. The barge was ballasted according to the regulations for towing over open sea for such a vessel.
S/S Castor had a crew of 4 and on the barge ‘Brøns Odde’ there were 2 men for maneuvering and handling the tow rope.
The weather was nice and the sea was calm. When they were clear of Hesselø, the weather changed very quickly. It blew up into a northerly blizzard and visibility dropped to zero.
It was precisely in this difficult situation that the tow line snapped. The barge ‘Brøns Odde’ went into operation, and disappeared in the thickening snow.
As the S/S Castor had no radar and no radio, all communication between the two vessels was lost.
There was a temporary clearing in the weather, and from S/S Castor they were lucky enough to spot ‘Brøns Odde’, and ascertain that it had dropped its anchor.
S/S Castor therefore sailed as close to the barge as they dared, and remained there while they waited for an improvement in the weather and, in particular, for the high and violent waves to subside.
Instead of settling down, the storm increased in strength and ‘Brøns Odde’s’ anchor could not hold it in position. The barge drifted off in a south-westerly direction with its anchor dragging across the seabed.
Due to the depth conditions and the strong current and sea, S/S Castor did not dare to follow. The barge therefore disappeared in the darkness and new snow.
When it dawned the next day, the S/S Castor immediately began searching for her missing tow, and it didn’t take long to find it.
The barge was stranded at Yderby Lyng on the east side of Sjællands Odde, a peninsula on the northwest coast of Zealand.
S/S Castor approached cautiously ‘Brøns Odde’, but getting all the way in was not possible.
When the Master of S/S Castor had formed an overview of the situation, he sailed Castor to Odden Havn, where a solid dinghy was hired, and informed the shipping company and authorities about what had happened. The S/S Castor then sailed with the hired dinghy in tow to the beaching site where the tug anchored and then established a connection with ‘Brøns Odde’ via the dinghy as soon as the weather permitted. There was no risk for the two crew members on the barge.
In the following days the lake was still strong and caused swells around ‘Brøns Odde’ as when the wind and current changed direction and began to work on the land, causing the barge to leak. Sea and current also prevented S/S Castor from trying to pull ‘Brøns Odde’ off the ground. Moreover, local fishermen and skippers estimated that the S/S Castor was too weak to carry out the towing work, and in that the locals were right.
The shipowners, the crew of both S/S Castor and ‘Brøns Odde’ and some men the shipowners had brought from Copenhagen, worked eagerly, partly to seal ‘Brøns Odde’, partly to pump it bilge. Here again, it proved very difficult to seal a leak in a vessel that was built of reinforced concrete.
On 6 January 1948 the S/S Castor was moored for the night and with a lighthouse along the side of ‘Brøns Odde’, as it had been shown by soldering that the S/S Castor could well float to the outside, but with only 1 meter of water under the keel, a situation that was to become the indirect cause of S/S Castor’s sinking.
A storm now arose from the west which stirred the sea, and great waves came against the two vessels.
The driver of S/S Castor had been immediately reprimanded by the watchman and realized the acute danger the tow steamer was in.
The crew of S/S Castor quickly got the steam up and cast off from ‘Brøns Odde’ and steered out towards the open sea, to get clear of the now dangerous coast. At first it seemed that the S/S Castor would succeed in reaching deep water and riding out the storm from there. BUT?
Now the consequences of the fact that the S/S Castor had ventured into too shallow water became apparent. A few strong shocks from below up through the steamer told the crew with all desirable clarity that S/S Castor’s bottom had hit one or more large rocks. But still the steamer stood outwards with all the power that the machine could produce.
S/S Castor had received her fatal wound, although there were no more collisions with large rocks on the seabed, the ship had sprung a leak and the water rose rapidly in the engine room. S/S Castor’s Master let two men pump continuously, but the water ingress continued with ever-increasing force.
The engineer had to leave the combined engine and boiler room at the same time as the water reached the fire under the boiler and extinguished it.
When the escaping engineer came on deck and reported to the Master, it was clear to him that the S/S Castor was going to sink, no matter what was done to prevent it.
It was therefore about utilizing the steam that was left on the boiler, because the Machinist had not stopped the machine when he rescued himself from the engine room.
Resolutely, S/S Castor’s Master turned his ship towards land again, to try to sail it as far ashore, and as close to the shore as he could with the remaining steam in the boiler.
But the S/S Castor did not make it far. When the Engineer had to leave his engine room, S/S Castor had arrived approx. 900 meters from the coast, and here the ship then turned around, but only reached a distance of approx. 55o meters from the shore when the machine stalled for lack of steam and the S/S Castor sank deeper and deeper into the water playing at deck level.
At the same time, the storm had dropped to a stiff gale, and turned to the north-east, which certainly did not benefit the landing attempt.
It was at the last minute that the crew of the S/S Castor pulled the hired dinghy into the side of the tug and stepped into the dinghy and cut the tow rope to the S/S Castor.
A few minutes later, the S/S Castor went to the bottom in approx. 8 meter depth. The crew managed to sail the dinghy into Brøns Odde and got aboard it with difficulty, thus saving their lives.
There was a terrible surf on the coast, which of course would be dangerous to pass in the dinghy, as the shipwrecked quickly got proof of, as the dinghy broke free from its mooring at Brøns Odde and drifted into the surf, where it was immediately transformed into stick fires .
The shipwrecked were forced to stay on board the barge and wait for help from shore when tomorrow dawned.
The authorities ashore were well aware that something could have happened out at the stranded ‘Brøns Odde’ during the night of the storm. They did not fear the heavy cement laths, they believed that it would take more than a storm to destroy Brøns Odde’s solid cement construction, and to this day, it can be ascertained to be absolutely correct. Because Brøns Odde still lies where it laid to rest on the 30th. December 1947.
On the other hand, the S/S Castor and its crew were feared to the highest degree, because in contrast to the heavy cement lath, the S/S Castor was to a large extent comparable to a shuttlecock with which anything could very easily happen when it dared to go all the way into shallow water in such an unstable area in terms of weather and sea as was the case at Gnibenkrogen, where no one with local knowledge of the waters could dream of dropping anchor.
As soon as it was daylight again on the morning of January 6, 1948, many eyes and binoculars were directed towards the stranding site where ‘Brøns Odde’ lay just as it had the day before, but S/S Castor was gone and the sea empty. What had become of the S/S Castor, one asked themselves on land?
They did not remain in uncertainty for long, because help was signaled from ‘Brøns Odde’. The lifeboat from Yderby then went out to the wrecked barge, and took all five men on board and sailed them into Odden Havn to safety.
This story about the hawthorn trees is probably one of the most interesting discoveries I’ve stumbled upon while blogging. I have passed the hawthorn trees at the gate at Taarbæk several times, but without knowing the secret they hide.
This is my encounter with the secret several years ago:
I do not consider myself superstitious, but a week ago I was susceptible to the bizarre entertainment.
It all began with a stroll in the Deer Park on a field where Hawthorn represents itself in a large number. It was an amazing sight. Starry flowers gathered in endless white dome-shaped clouds buoyed by the ancient gnarled and wrinkled trunks.
I Goggled the Hawthorn, when I got home. I found that the Hawthorn on that particularly field is unique. It has crossed spontaneously with the single-seeded Hawthorn one and a half kilometers away at the gate down to Taarbæk. The trees stand close here. and they grow on a mass grave. Yes, you got it right.
People died during the cholera epidemic in Copenhagen in 1853, 4750 humans to be precise. Those who weren’t infected yet drove the victims on carts from Copenhagen to Taarbæk. They built a chapel and buried the poor people in a mass grave inside the Deer Park. To prevent the spread of infection from the graves the single-seeded Hawthorn, with its needle-sharp long thorns kept people and animals away from the graves.
It aroused my curiosity and imagination. It was fascinating, and at the same time it also gave pause for thought. It is only a short time ago an Ebola epidemic was raging in Africa. Epidemics are always to be taken seriously.
The other day I visited the burial site. I went there late in the afternoon. It had just rained, it was cloudy and there was a gloomy atmosphere over the place. Maybe I needed a rest, or maybe it was my encounter with the woman that influenced me.
Suddenly she was in front of me. Where did she come from? She was white-haired and pale. The eyes were dark and strangely tinned at the same time. She looked right through me and I stepped aside or she would have walked into me on the narrow path.
A few hours earlier, I had read several stories about farmers forbidding the cutting of hawthorn. Cutting down a hawthorn means disaster for animals and people, and the old superstition is alive and well.
I wondered if photography was a no go given the many legends and myths surrounding the trees.
I took the chance and found a few motifs, after which I happily left the burial site.
I was unusually tired when I got home and I attributed it to the long day I had.
At night I woke up with severe pain in my stomach. Yet I managed to fall asleep again.
Next morning I had fever and abdominal cramps something that is quite unfamiliar to me. I was very tired and slept all the time. When the illness was at it’s worst I thought of the cholera victims and the woman I had met. I had to pull myself together, luckily I had a very plausible explanation for my illness.
At long last, my health improved and I have been out there again. The sun was shining through the trees, and tourists walked down from the cozy Taarbæk. There were no trace of the woman I met the last time.
The pictures ended with that warm evening light they deserve.
Despite my story I will always think of the field with the Eremitage-Hawthorn as the romantic harbinger of spring ❤️
Hvidtjørnen og Døden
Denne historie om hvidtjørnetræerne er nok en af de mest interessante opdagelser, jeg er stødt på, mens jeg har blogget. Flere gange har jeg passeret tjørnetræerne ved porten ved Taarbæk, men uden at kende hemmeligheden de gemmer på.
Her er fortællingen om min oplevelse for flere år siden:
Jeg anser ikke mig selv for overtroisk, men for en uge siden var jeg alligevel modtagelig for den bizarre underholdning.
Det hele begyndte med en vandring på Hvidtjørnesletten i Jægersborg Dyrehave i maj måned. Det var et fantastisk syn, der mødte mig. Stjerneklare blomster samlede sig i endeløse hvide kuppelformede skyer holdt oppe af de ældgamle krogede og furede træstrammer.
Jeg googlede hvidtjørnen, da jeg kom hjem. Det viste sig, at hvidtjørnen på Sletten er unik. Den har krydset spontant med en engriflet tjørn, der står halvanden kilometer væk ved porten ned til Taarbæk. Træerne står tæt her. og de er plantet på en massegrav. Ja, I læste rigtigt.
Der døde 4750 mennesker under koleraepedimien i København i 1853. En stor del af dem blev kørt på kærrer fra København op til Taarbæk. Her byggede man et kapel og begravede de mange mennesker i en massegrav inde i Jægersborg Dyrehave. For at undgå spredning af smitte fra gravene plantede man den engriflede tjørn, der med sine sylespidse lange torne holdt folk og dyr væk fra gravene.
Det vækkede min nysgerrighed og fantasi. Det var fascinerende, og på samme tid gav det også stof til eftertanke. Det er kun kort tid siden en Ebola epidemi rasede i Afrika. Epidemier skal tages alvorligt.
Forleden besøgte jeg gravpladsen. Jeg tog derud en sen eftermiddag. Det havde lige regnet, det var overskyet, og der herskede en dyster atmosfære over stedet.
Måske var jeg træt, eller også var det mit møde med kvinden, der påvirkede mig.
Hun stod pludselig foran mig. Hvor kom hun fra? Hun var helt hvidhåret og meget bleg. Øjnene var mørke og sært fortinnede på samme tid. Hun så ret igennem mig, og jeg veg til side, ellers var hun gået ind i mig på den smalle sti.
Nogle timer forinden havde jeg læst adskillige historier om bondemænd, som til stadighed forbyder at fælde hvidtjørnen. Det betyder ulykke over dyr og mennesker, og den gamle overtro lever i bedste velgående.
Jeg spekulerede over, hvor vidt fotografering indgik i de mange sagn og myter, der eksisterer omkring træerne.
Jeg tog chancen og fandt flere motiver, hvorefter jeg med glæde forlod gravpladsen. Jeg var ualmindelig træt, da jeg kom hjem, og jeg tilskrev det den lange dag, jeg havde haft.
Om natten vågnede jeg med stærke smerter i maven. Det lykkedes mig dog at falde i søvn igen.
Næste morgen havde jeg feber og mavekramper noget, der er ganske uvant for mig. Jeg var meget træt og sov hele tiden. Da det var værst et par dage senere, tænkte jeg på koleraofrene og kvinden, jeg havde mødt. Jeg måtte tage mig selv i nakken, for heldigvis havde jeg en meget plausibel forklaring på min sygdom.
Nu har jeg fået det så godt, at jeg har været derude igen. Solen skinnede varmt mellem træerne, og turister kom gående nede fra det hyggelige Taarbæk.
Kvinden, jeg mødte den forrige gang, var der intet spor af.
Billederne er gjort om med det varme aftenlys, de fortjener. Jeg vil altid tænke på Eremitagetjørnen, som den romantiske forårsbebuder den er, fornyelsen efter vinterens endeligt.
Hvidtjørnen blev også brugt, da pesten hærgede Danmark af flere omgange. Sidste gang i 1711.
”Kirkegårdenes indviede jord kunne ikke rumme de døde, og man slæbte dem derfor ud på marken i store dynger for at begrave dem dér, og oven på en sådan grav plantede man en hvidtjørn for at advare efterslægten fra at røre ved dette sted. Endnu efter 500 års forløb står trindt omkring på vore marker nogle mærkværdige gamle hvidtorn under navn af »pesttorn«; de fredes af bønderne, thi de står på vore forfædres grave. Hele det vestlige Fyn er rigt på sådanne enkeltstående gamle hvidtorn.” Danske Studier 1970.
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God tur i den dejlige sommer!
I love the April light. This image is from a wonderful walk in ‘my’ bog.
Happy Walk ❤️
Years back I had the privilege to get a mail from Norwegian Silje, who was looking for attractive nature walks close to Copenhagen
Silje’s mail goes like this:
“I’ve just moved to Copenhagen from Norway and now I need a bit of nature 😊
Can you advise me on a hiking trip, a route of two day trips with an overnight stay in a cabin?
I live in Copenhagen and I’m thinking of taking the train out somewhere, a good long day trip, sleeping over in a cabin, then a good long trip the next day and then taking the train home to Copenhagen.
Possibly if you can advise on a website with tips for routes, ala the tourist association in Norway.”
My answer to Silje and everyone else who wants inspiration for hiking:
We have wonderful nature in close proximity to Copenhagen with many marked routes. We lack DNT’s cabin system, but there are hostels, B&Bs, shelters and tent pitches established in collaboration with the Danish Nature Agency
At the bottom of my post I will mention long-distance hiking trails, but for a start and in future posts, I will recommend the trips you can do in one day and still get home and get some sleep the same day.
And to you Silje, a place where you can go in a hurry when the longing for Norway’s mountains is pressing in.
I recommend that you get to know the forest, Gribskov. It gives you an unimaginable possibilities for a cracking walk.
There are 4 hiking leaflets about the forest. There are marked yellow routes. You are probably used to the use of maps and compasses, and it will not be difficult for you to find your way around the forest.
The advantage of living in Copenhagen is the close public transport network. This means that you can take the train from Copenhagen Central Station, and 57 minutes later you are in the middle of Gribskov, Denmark’s 4th largest forest.
Here I would recommend that you acquire, Rejsekort. You travel reasonably cheap that way, but you must remember to check in and out.
Your question immediately made me think of Esrum Sø. One spring day I started in Gribskov and continued up along Lake Esrum and further up through an area called Russia.
I took the train home from Dronningmølle station. Some of the following photos are from that trip.
Rejsevejledning til Fruebjerg: Fra Hovedbanegården i København tager det 57 minutter, så står du midt i Gribskov på Gribsø St, vel og mærke på gunstige tidspunkter. Herfra udgår en mærket rute op over Fruebjerg, se: Skovtursfolder. Ruten er afmærket med gule mærker. Tag et print af kortet eller gå på nærmeste bibliotek, hvor de har hele landets vandretursfoldere stående til fri afbenyttelse. Her er et link til den tur: På afmærket sti til Fruebjerg.
Røde Dam, Gribskov
Hærvejen er en asfaltvej, der begynder ved Kagerup Station og fortsætter ind i skoven til det gamle militæranlæg, hvor Multebjerg Radarstation lå engang.
Her ender Hærvejen ved det gamle militæranlæg.
Nordlige del af Esrum sø
Nordlige del af Esrum Sø
Esrum Kloster
Ved Esrum kloster
Ved Esrum kanal
Esrum Sø
Sti ved Esrum sø
Rusland, tæt på Dronningmølle med labyrinter af kæmpe ene buske og statueparken af Rudolph Tegner.
Silje skriver til mig:
“Jeg er nyflyttet til København fra Norge og nå trenger jeg til litt natur 😊
Kan du tipse meg om en vandretur, en rute på to dagsturer med en overnatting i hytte?
Jeg bor i København og tenker meg å ta toget ut et sted, en god lang dagstur, sove over i en hytte, så en god lang tur dagen efter og så ta toget hjem til København.
Eventuelt om du kan tipse om en nettside med tips til ruter, ala turistforeningen i Norge.”
Mit svar til Silje og alle andre, som ønsker inspiration til vandring: Vi har fantastisk natur i tæt afstand på København med mange afmærkede ruter. Vi mangler DNT´s hyttesystem, men der er vandrehjem, B&B, shelters og teltpladser etableret i samarbejde med Naturstyrelsen.
Nederst i mit indlæg vil jeg omtale fjernvandreveje, men til en start og i de kommende indlæg, vil jeg anbefale de ture, I kan gå på én dag og stadigvæk nå hjem og sove.
Og til dig Silje, et sted, hvor du kan tage hen i en fart, når længslen efter Norges fjelde trænger sig på.
Jeg anbefaler, du lærer Gribskov at kende. Det giver dig uanede muligheder for smukke vandreture.
Der eksisterer 4 vandretur foldere over skoven. Her er der afmærkede gule ruter. Du er nok vant til at bruge kort og kompas, og så vil det ikke være svært at finde rundt mellem de afmærkede ruter og på den måde komme hele skoven rundt, eller så meget som der er tid og lyst til.
Fordelen ved at bo i København er det tætte offentlige trafiknet. Det indebærer, at du kan tage toget fra Københavns Hovedbanegård, og 57 minutter efter står du midt inde i Gribskov, Danmarks 4. største skov.
Her vil jeg anbefale, at du anskaffer dig Rejsekort. Du rejser rimeligt billigt på den måde, men du skal huske at tjekke ind og ud.
Dit spørgsmål fik mig straks til at tænke på Esrum Sø. En forårsdag startede jeg i Gribskov og fortsatte op langs med Esrum Sø og videre op igennem Rusland. Jeg tog toget hjem fra Dronningmølle station. En del af de efterfølgende billeder er fra den tur.
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Når jeg er returneret efter vandring i Norge eller i Sverige, er det ofte havet, jeg søger mod. Her er det store kig, stilhed og plads til eftertanke.
Sjællands nordkyst byder på flotte strande. En vandretur jeg altid er glad for er mellem Tisvildeleje og Liseleje.
Man kan tage toget til Frederiksværk og bus til Liseleje. Herefter går turen langs med en vidunderlig strand. Er du frisk er det ved at være tiden for en svømmetur. Stranden er rigtig god.
Længere fremme kan du vælge at gå ind i Tisvilde Hegn og Troldeskoven. Jeg vil dog anbefale, at du lærer skoven at kende, før du lægger ud med turen fra Liseleje.
Tisvilde Hegn er visse steder behersket af elverfolket, hvilket gør turen meget lang 😊
Det er et sagn, men der eksisterer et bestemt sted i skoven, jeg ofte er gået vild.
Mit link til en vandretur i Tisvilde Hegn og turen fra Liseleje: Vandring i Tisvilde Hegn, Vandring fra Liseleje til Tisvildeleje.
Fjernvandreveje:
Et link der er oplagt at bruge er: Sjællandsleden.
Her er kortbeskrivelser, henvisning til overnatninger, madindkøb, og ikke mindst transport.
Her kan du downloade stierne, der er afmærket i Nationalpark Skjoldungernes Land.
Til sidst skal jeg beklage min manglende evne til at afgrænse mig. Det er mere tiden end mangel på turmateriale, der sætter en stopper for dette indlæg. Håber, at du Silje og andre der måtte være nået hertil i læsningen kan bruge mit indlæg til noget.
Kommenter gerne på indlægget med flere ideer.
Når I planlægger tur, så tjek om der er planlagt banearbejde!
God tur og husk mad og drikke ❤️
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Oplysninger og kort over Gribskov:
Endelig er der stor inspiration at hente i appen AllTrails
“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
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 🙂
* 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 🥕😊
HANNA'S WALK 
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