Anyone who wants to hike is usually drawn to the Alps, Nepal, the Way of St. James or at least a famous long-distance hiking trail such as the Kungsleden, which leads up to the North Cape. But the real adventures await elsewhere, where there are no hordes of hikers. Where the landscape is unknown and the hiking trail is very often not even signposted.
A not-hiking Country
Denmark is not a traditional hiking country, but the Danish Baltic Sea island of Møn is famous for its chalk cliffs - and a wonderful hiking destination for the curious. The Baltic Sea island now also has a hiking route that has been awarded top marks. The Camønoen is a 175-kilometer-long circular route around the island of Møn, but it also leads over the islands of Bogø and Nyord and has the lovely title of “friendliest hiking trail in the Danish kingdom”.
Most of the time it goes along the beach, through forests and fields, swarms of mosquitoes and past the villas of famous writers. The sun is burning, the wind is blowing. Anyone who wants to walk all that will work up a sweat, but will be rewarded with wonderful views. Møn is not a beauty that attacks visitors with loud screams.
Visiting a flat island
The flat island, surrounded by the Baltic Sea, takes a moment to discover. But then it generously shows off breathtaking nature, historical artifacts, friendly people and many surprises.
The highly praised Danish Way of St. James, touted as "Camønoen", is also a great tip for inexperienced hikers, as the walk along the coast from Ulvshale to Borre shows.
The sound of the waves, the salty sea air and the endless expanse of the horizon - they are there again in the morning. On Møn's wild and romantic east coast near Ulvshale, the sand is brilliant white and the campsite kiosk serves breakfast rolls almost like in real life. The sun is shining, the sea is flashing blue. The mosquitoes are gone, probably gone swimming.
Off to the coast
The Camønoen trail first follows the road through the next village, but then it turns off to the coast, an endless sandy strip with stunted trees. Wind and waves have shaped this beach for centuries. It is deserted, because this side of Mon is even more deserted and lonely than the other sides, which are already absolutely lonely compared to well-known Baltic beaches.
After just a few meters, a breathtaking view of the Baltic Sea reveals itself. The village next door is tiny, the houses are sometimes almost luxurious, sometimes well-kept, but sometimes also deserted. The stormy gray water meets the light sand of the small bays, while foaming surf lashes against the limestone formations. But we have a way to go from Ulvshale to Borre - along the beach it will be 22 kilometers.
Wild flowers and grasses
An intoxicating natural spectacle that invigorates the senses. Everything here is part of the Ulvshale Nyord wildlife reserve, a diamond well hidden from tourists. Nobody comes here, so the dune landscape along the road is dotted with wild flowers and grasses swaying in the wind. In between, oystercatchers and ringed plovers nest in the barren sandbanks. With a little luck, you can see a seal in a quiet bay, but we only see a few deer and hares, which disappear as soon as we get closer.
After just under two kilometers, the coastal forest thins out and suddenly a magnificent view of Nordfeldt Beach opens up. The wide, fine sandy beach ends here and a stretch of gravel begins, built from stones that the currents have exposed after taking the sand with them to Ulvshale. The day is calm, the sea is still. Above it, the sky shines a wonderful turquoise blue.
Tractor from the middle ages
Apart from a few manor houses, there are no human settlements here on the coast. But there is nothing here that invites you to linger: the north coast is rugged, the beech forests are dense. An old tractor by the side of the road looks as if it has been here since the Middle Ages.
In order to spend the night, hikers have to turn inland. Denmark does not have the right of all mansions that allows you to camp anywhere for a night in Norway and Sweden.
The next place to sleep is the Keldborg Camp campsite, a small tip town in a field near a farm. It is not far from here to Borre, a remote place that is the only one with a supermarket for miles around. So we add on the kilometers - and as always, they take much longer than the map suggests.
Strangers with keys
But it is worth it. In the supermarket, you simply register with the cashier, who gives you the key to the sanitary facilities that belong to the village shelter. Lucky for the local choir: its leader has just forgotten her key to the village club, where the shower is. Happy hohos als around and lots of laughter as the strangers open the door to the rehearsal room for the locals. At the shop we see. .Hannah Aldridge is coming to the small village Borre to sing - and she is good! But the concert unfortunately isn't today...
The shelters are in a meadow, under apple trees, in the tall grass. Nothing can be heard, nothing can be seen. Only the wind rustles and rushes. Dark clouds are coming in. An after-work beer, a shower and a small campfire later, the kilometers between lush meadows, dense forests and lonely stretches of beach pass before your inner eye once again. A perfect end to an unforgettable nature experience on Møn's wild Baltic coast.
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