Get our free cycling brochure 2013 - Bornholms Velkomstcenter

4
“Cycling makes you feel good”
Lone Anker has no doubt about the best way to experience
Bornholm: sitting on a bicycle with the wind in
your hair and your hands on the handlebars. Ever since
a foot injury put an abrupt end to her running pursuits
a few years ago, she has truly enjoyed taking bike trips
from her home in Allinge.
In summer, she prefers to bike at least once a day
with her dog Pippi, a five-year-old Bichon Frisé who
sits comfortably in her basket attached to the handlebars
of Lone’s powder blue, seven-gear Winther
bicycle.
When the weather is warm, they often start the day
with an early bike ride, together with Lone’s husband
Steffen. They coast down through the slowly waking
town – across the cobblestones along the waterfront,
past yachting holidaymakers on their way to the baker’s,
through the narrow winding streets lined with
many pleasant guesthouses, past Nordbornholms
Røgeri smokehouse and restaurant – before reaching
their final destination: the small, secluded Næs
bathing beach at the southern edge of Allinge where
they take a morning dip, before enjoying coffee and
sandwiches on the rocks.
“The atmosphere at Næs is unique in the morning.
The beach is not very big and it’s actually inside the
town limits. That’s why many locals bathe here and,
if you come here every morning, you soon get to
know the other morning bathers and their routines,”
Lone says.
After working hours, Pippi and Lone like to set out
on the bike again. This is when they usually cycle out
of town to Marie’s Kiosk at Hammerhavn harbour at
the foot of the Hammershus castle ruin. Here, locals
get together on two benches with a sea view behind
the kiosk, which serves coffee, home-baked goods
and freshly made sandwiches.
Pippi and Lone take longer bike rides whenever
they have time. Sometimes they take one of their favourite
routes all the way to Hammershus across the
island, through Slotslyngen wood, past the “hidden”
sculpture park near Stenløsevej, past the whitewashed
round church of Olsker, down the long hill to Tejn and
from there back along the coast to Allinge.
“A ride like that makes me feel good. I love to feel
the fresh air against my face, smell the sea air and
plants, listen to the cry of seagulls and the crashing
of the waves, and enjoy the sight of the yellow rocky
coastline. Cycling through the Bornholm countryside
stimulates all your senses. It lets you forget your daily
troubles for a while and lose yourself in the experience,”
Lone believes.
“I fully understand why people want to experience
Bornholm by bike. We have a network of signposted
cycling tracks extending more than 230 kilometres.
Bornholm has routes for everyone, regardless of their
physical fitness or age. You can easily cycle around
Bornholm even if you haven’t trained yourself up for
it. All you have to do is divide the trip into small stretches,”
she says, adding:
“The terrain and countryside are incredibly varied
and you can ride on cycling paths and tracks almost
the whole way. There are lots of places where you can
stop for a tasty bite to eat, go for a swim or see an
interesting sight. And not only that, outdoor exercise
is good for you, too, and puts you in a good mood.”