The Danish Summer

Why travel abroad when the living is this good?

By Sebastian Haw

Now the darling buds of May are already blossoming and the days are lengthening at an almost alarming rate, surely the thoughts of every resident of Denmark will be stretching towards their summer holidays.

These are the days when we can bare our pasty, sun-starved skin to get those first few bouts of sunburn out of the way so we are ready to turn it into a glowing bronze(ish) tan by July.

And although it’s not very warm, it won’t really get too much warmer, which is a good thing: Denmark in summer is mercifully cool compared to its Mediterranean cousins, and it has enough islands to rival Greece (sort of).

So before you board crowded Ryanair flights to go south this August, why not consider visiting the homes of Hansens, Hamlet and Hans Christian Andersen? Unless you’re already here, in which case read on to find out what any Dane worth their salted liquorice does on their summer holidays.

Beaches Galore

Well, first of all: the seaside. Denmark has 8,750 km of coastline. That’s more than Italy, but unlike Italy, where many of the beaches have been cordoned off and monetised by private companies, Denmark’s coast is largely wild and unspoiled.

During the summer months, the water is warm enough to swim in, and you have the right to roam on every inch of beach, so get out and explore the dunes and white sands found all around the country.

Particularly worth visiting are the vast dunes and beaches of western Jutland stretching up to Skagen, which inspired some of Denmark’s most celebrated painters, the stunning north coast of Zealand — from Helsingør to Hundested — and Odsherred, the ancient home of the sun-worshipping pre-Viking peoples (the weather must have been different back then).

And Camping Too

The Danes love camping, and campsites saw a massive increase in summer visitors when people couldn’t leave the country due to the pandemic. Barbecuing, mini-golf, and campfires are typical activities on Danish campsites. There are numerous glamping options too.

And it’s not just paying campsites: you are allowed to pitch a tent in many places in Denmark and, more often than not, purpose-built enclosures in the forest will have fire-pits and shelters in case it rains.

A slightly posher version of camping is a staple of Danish summer life: the summerhouse. Thanks to a democratic combination of decent wages and reasonably priced houses by the sea, a vast portion of Danes own a small and simple second home, which they will visit when they need a break from the pressures of the city.

If you find yourself in Denmark on June 23, don’t miss the festivities of St John’s Eve – Sankthansaften – when bonfires are lit to burn the effigy of a witch. This happens around the country to commemorate six months passing after the birth of baby Jesus, but it stems from ancient pagan rituals to mark the mid-point of summer. And for anyone who has seen the film ‘Midsommar’, don’t worry: that only happens in Sweden.

FRESH FRUIT PICKING

Another staple of summer in Denmark is fruit picking. The climate here is perfect for strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Many farms will allow customers to ‘selvplukk’ – picking your own.

You can enjoy your freshly-picked fruit with koldskål, a delicious traditional buttermilk drink, and kammerjunker, biscuits made specially to go with this thirst-quenching dairy drink.

Other fresh produce include Danish peas — sold in the pod in most supermarkets as well as roadside stalls — deliciously sweet, August apples, which are ripe in late summer and have a beautiful translucent green colour, and redcurrants.

Beautiful Bornholm

What else to do in the summer then? Since Denmark is cycling mad, you could tour the country by bike, or even try your hand at hiking. And what better place to do those things than on Bornholm…

This island would have to be on anyone’s list of places to visit around Denmark, and with standard ferry prices costing just 99 kroner from Køge, you won’t break the bank getting there either.

Some geologists theorise that Bornholm was once attached to South America, strangely enough, and it would appear the South American sun has left a trace on the island – as it is known by Danes as the ‘Sunshine Island’. 