2011-07-18 Æbelø Island, Denmark – Walking on Water!

[Peder]

Walking on water...

If you have never hiked 2 miles across the sea, then Æbelø (Apple Island) is an remarkable place to go. It is thrilling to walk across the ocean for one mile to reach an island, it certainly adds interest to the hike. Our hosts suggested this hike and we drove along small roads to the north coast of Fyn (Funen in English). Shortly after leaving their home the road goes through these three arches, it is my good friend Søren posing:

Søren with road

These three buildings that block the road are part of the local road away from our friends’ house; my daughter filmed this part of the drive the day we went on our hike. Much of Fyn island is quaint in this manner.

Right when leaving the parking lot you enter the water:

Starting out

The itinerary is marked by poles every 100 meters and curves to the right as it seeks the most shallow water.

The water section of the itinerary. The labelled items are on the island.

We went out at low tide and the water was never more than 30 cm deep (1'). After 1.5 km (one mile) through the water we reached the southernmost end of Æbelø Island (called Æbelø Holm and labelled "flat island" in my photo above).

Æbelø Holm

We followed a tractor trail across Æbelø Holm and then continued on a long sand bar:

Sand bar

Parts of the sand bar (as we found) is slightly submerged at high tide. After reaching Æbelø Island we settled down for a lunch:

Hereafter we looped around the island; the pictures are pretty self-explanatory:

Erosion causes great blocks of clay to slide into the sea carrying the beech trees with them.

Same area with beech trees

Typical danish slug (on the right)

Small lake

The island is also popular with boaters

The lighthouse at the north end of the island; we had a second picnic here.

Cormorants

The island contained a farming community until the 1960'ies, where after it was gradually abandoned. It has been a completely protected area since 1998. The island is known for a group "mouflons" (Corsican mountain sheep), though we did not meet them. It seems surprising that a foreign (French) sheep species that was introduced in 1955 (presumably for hunting) are allowed to remain on an island where great efforts have been made to remove all other non-native species. We did meet deer on the island.

Strong headwinds on the return trip!

I seem unable to upload more pictures, so I will finish this trip report in a second posting...

[Peder]

Æbelø Holm

Walking back

We walked back at close to high tide and found that the water was about knee deep for the adults. My son went for a swim in the water, nobody else was so foolhardy, given the low water temperature and strong wind. It took him quite a while to warm up again!

We hiked a total of 16 kilometers and the route can be seen below:

There is even a brochure on the web in English for those who may wish to go!

[Charley]

Is that slug for real? It's huge!

[Splintercat]

That's cool, Peder! So, only about a foot difference between high and low tide..? That part is a bit freaky, although I guess you could just wait until low tide again if it seemed too deep to cross back. Cool to see a whole forest of European Beech -- a tree grown as an ornamental over here.

Tom

[Roy]

DSC08498.JPG

If you have never hiked 2 miles across the sea, then Æbelø (Apple Island) is an remarkable place to go. It is thrilling to walk across the ocean for one mile to reach an island, it certainly adds interest to the hike. Our hosts suggested this hike and we drove along small roads to the north coast of Fyn (Funen in English).

.

Always enjoy your trs, do you travel for work or are you just lets say well off? That place is very interesting.

I showed the slug photo my to wife she loves to work in the yard. Next I realized she was gone my son said she went to buy some salt.


Good stuff Tom

[Peder]

Always enjoy your trs, do you travel for work or are you just lets say well off?

I wish! It was a holiday in Europe - but my travels to SE Asia and Yemen are for work.

Danish forest slug

There seems to be some confusion about the slug - I did write that it was the character to the right in the picture! The Danish forest slugs come in black or orange-brown colors and are a little bigger than the banana slug.

[fettster]

Wow, those slugs are even bigger than here! Sounds like the water is pretty cold. Do you have to wear waders then?

[Peder]

Wow, those slugs are even bigger than here! Sounds like the water is pretty cold. Do you have to wear waders then?

In July the inland waters in Denmark are around 18 degrees Celsius (about 64F); “warm” bathing water temperatures by Danish standards. We wore river sandals and carried a pair of tennis shoes for the island, Next time I would do the whole trip in sandals. For a winter visit, I would certainly recommend waders and thick socks. Without waders, I would wait for a cold winter and cross to the island on the ice.

[ErinL]

Just checking this out. What a great experience. Thanks for posting, Peder!

[deloew]

I know the island quite well. Been there countless times beginning 1972.
Last time: yesterday.
The experiment with the Corsican mountain sheep was done by idiots. Most of them got Foot Rot - they are not designed for areas with partly muddy soil. Corsica is dry and rocky. Still few left on Æbelø.
Today Æbelø is owned by Aage V. Jensens Foundation, Denmarks biggest landowner.
Everything is left to nature. Normally you are allowed to walk on the island except when the weather has been too dry and there is danger of woodfire.
175 different kinds of birds including white-tailed eagle and golden oriole, many other animals. Probably too many fallow deer. Actually heavily discussed. Should the shoot hundreds of them? To many of them already died from hunger!
Why do I travel that peculiar island each and every year?
Just to take a photo of one tree. Started to do so in 1972 and continued to do so untily the tree literally vanished.
But tree or no tree - I have to visit that island minimum once a year although it is ~200 kilometers from my home....