They say that with people, the very first impression is often decisive. This may sometimes be the case with islands, but it is definitely not the case with Bornholm. Approaching by ferry, some people's jaws drop at the sight of the capital Rønne. Beautiful is different ... Yet everyone raves about Bornholm. It only takes a few turns of the pedals to realise why everyone raves about the "Pearl of the Baltic". The second impression - and all those that follow on this varied and diverse island - is simply fantastic.
The Danish island of Bornholm has sandy beaches with sand so fine that it was once used for hourglasses. Bornholm has imposing cliffs and archipelago coasts, the fields glow golden in the sun. In Bornholm's forests you can supposedly find paradise, the heather blooms as beautifully purple here as near Lüneburg, in the south of the island they even grow wine - and lo and behold: on closer inspection and away from the harbour, even Rønne turns out to be a pretty little town.
Our first tour takes us directly along the Baltic Sea, through tiny villages called Teglkås and Helligpeder, where white, yellow or even red half-timbered houses line the streets. The inevitable Dannebrog, the Danish flag, flutters in the wind on the masts in the pretty cottage gardens. A few boats bob around in the tiny marina at Helligpeder. Here, Bornholm is what people like to call "hygge" or "hyggelig". This "hygge" does not describe the hilly landscape of Bornholm, rather it stands for the Danes' attitude to life. Cosy would be an inadequate description of "hygge". Rather, it also has to do with an awareness of sharing this cosiness with others.
We share the brilliant cycle path towards Hammershus Slotsruin with numerous other cyclists; word has got around about how beautiful it is here. However, the cycle path to Hammershus is - in keeping with the name of the castle ruins - also tough in places; the short, crisp climbs force some of us to push. But to use the pun once again: the old fortress at the north-western tip of Bornholm really is awesome, especially in the evening at sunset.
The surrounding landscape with its dark beech forests is reminiscent of the Jasmund National Park on the island of Rügen, where our ferry had departed from. Closer than Rügen, but also much closer than the Danish mainland, is the Swedish coast near Ystad, which you can see from Hammershus. After a coffee with a sea view in pretty Sandvig, we cycle along the coast to Gudhjem. A beautiful little town, no doubt, but also the one with the most souvenir shops. It is probably most fitting here that Bornholm is sometimes called "Denmark's Mallorca".
Getting in the mood for paradise
Our second tour takes us from Rønne to Nexø. At the harbour, we sit down in the only restaurant where nobody else is sitting - and we've done everything right. The Molen restaurant serves so-called Nye Nordiske Køkken for frokost (lunch). Refined, light and damn tasty.
The meal was therefore a prelude to what was to come. Nothing less than paradise. The Paradisbakkerne (Paradise Hills) are a wooded hilly landscape where we enjoy dessert - blackberries and blueberries from the bush - and where Bornholm's largest so-called wobble stone can be found. Rokkesten is the name given to these boulders left behind by the last ice age, weighing up to 35 tonnes, which you can actually move a little if you jerk them in the right place. Nothing can really come after paradise. But Almindingen, the largest forest area on the island with Ekkodalen and the 162 metre high Rytterknægten, is just as beautiful as Paradisbakkerne. We roll down from here, the blue sea flashing in the distance far below. Somehow this whole island is a little paradise.
Cycling tour tips for Bornholm
Tour 1: Hammer Tour
From Rønne (tourist information centre) on Cykelvej 10 in the direction of Allinge. From Hasle, the route mainly runs directly along the Baltic Sea, and at Jons Kapel 99.9 per cent of all cyclists have to dismount and push. There are a few more steep climbs to Hammershus Slotsruin. The climbs in the opposite direction are even tougher, so it is advisable to cycle the tour in a clockwise direction. From Allinge to Gudhjem, the cycle route runs mainly along the coastal road. From Gudhjem, the route follows tiny country roads into the hills and from Rø on cycle route 23, partly on a disused railway line, via Klemensker and Nyker back to the start.
GPS data
You can download the GPX track for this tour download directly via this link or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Tour 2: To paradise and back
The first 20 kilometres or so are along the south coast in an easterly direction, mostly on the cycle path along the country road, sometimes with a view of the sea. From Nexø, continue north along the coast, then off into the Paradisbakkerne (Paradise Hills), a wooded heath and hilly landscape. Continue along the cycle path towards Almendinge, taking a detour to Ekkodalen, the largest of Bornholm's rift valleys. Continue through the forest and past Rytterknægten, the highest mountain on the island at 162 metres. Via Vestermarie mainly downhill back to Rønne.
GPS data
You can download the GPX track for this tour download directly via this link or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Arrival
The quickest and most comfortable way to reach Bornholm is by ferry from Sassnitz/Mukran on the island of Rügen to Rønne. The journey takes just under three and a half hours. In the low season, tickets for a return journey, including your own bike, are available from around 60 euros per person. www.bornholmslinjen.de
Price level/currency
In Denmark, you pay in Danish kroner (DKK). Exchange rate: 1 euro = approx. 7 DKK. Food and eating out are approx. 20 to 30 per cent more expensive in Denmark than in Germany.
Accommodation
Hotel Skovly, Nyker Strandvej 40, 3700 Rønne, tel. +45 5695 0784, www.hotelskovly.dk
Hygge hotel ensemble, about 6 km north of Rønne; situated in the forest, a stone's throw from the sandy beach. Double room with breakfast 110 to 160 euros
MYBIKE video
Henning Angerer, Sven Bremer
Bike service
Rønne: Bornholm Cykeludlejning, Nordre Kystvej 5/Dépendance at Hotel Skovly, tel. +45 5695 1359, www.bornholms-cykeludlejning.dk
The shop has acceptable models on offer, but not all the bikes are really well maintained. Take a test ride! Touring bike with 7-speed gears/mountain bike: 1 day DKK 85 - 7 days DKK 500
E-bike: 1 day 200 DKK - 7 days 1,050 DKK
For problems with your own bike:
Fri Bikeshop Rønne, Snellemark 24 / Søndergade 7, Tel. +45 5695 0740 / 0604, www.fribikeshop.dk
Food
Bornholm focuses on "Regional Madkultur": products from the island, processed into traditional dishes, reinterpreted in the so-called Nye Nordiske Køkken. In the fish smokehouses "Rogeri" you will find the island's speciality: smoked herring, salmon and mackerel. One of the beers brewed in Svaneke is an excellent accompaniment.
Map / Travel guide
Waterproof cycling map (Cyklekort), scale 1:50,000, DKK 99, available at the Tourist Office or online at www.bornholm.info
Compass map 236, Bornholm, waterproof map (1:50,000), activity guide, city map of Rønne, 11.99 euros
Bornholm, Michael Müller Verlag, 15.90 euros. www.michael-mueller-verlag.de
Bornholm, Marco Polo, 12.99 euros (with useful map). www.marcopolo.de
General info
Ferieøen Bornholm, Ndr. Kystvej 3, 3700 Rønne - DK, Tel. +45 5695 9500, www.bornholm.info
Further offices in Allinge, Hasle, Gudhjem, Nexø, Svaneke and Aakirkeby. www.visitdenmark.de
