The Archipelago
Explore the islands in the South Funen Archipelago . . . Delve into one of the biggest flooded ice age landscapes in the world by exploring one of the islands of The South Funen Archipelago . . .
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Avernakø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 4 Birkholm ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 6
Bjerne
Bøjden
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Bjørnø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 8 Drejø….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 10 Hjortø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 12 Lyø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 14
Dyreborg
Skarø….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 16 Strynø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 18 Svelmø ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 20 Traffic regulations for the islands / Book a shelter / Bike Friends ….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….… 21
Lyø
A taste of the archipelago ….….….….….….….….….….….… 22 Book your Island-hop ….….….….….….….….….….….….… 24
Lyø By
Averna The South Funen Archipelago is one of the world’s largest flooded Ice Age landscapes - and is in the process of continual change - which means the archipelago stands apart from the other Scandinavian small island groupings. These islands have been inhabited for centuries and our use of the land and the sea has left traces that you can still encounter in the archipelago. Out on the islands there is an entirely special atmosphere and tranquillity. Island dwellers are open and honest, they focus on the good things of life and everything moves at its own pace. Here you’ll find both fine beaches, special overnight accommodation and experiences of the natural world that are far from ordinary. Welcome to The Archipelago Published: July 2018 Editorial:
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Avernakø
VisitFaaborg.dk
Setup, design: Mads Sletbjerg, Christian Streich
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Vester Skerninge
Aastrup Ulbølle
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Thurø By
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Vindeby Avernak By
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Information Avernakø Size: 6 km2 Population: 114 (2017) Grocery: Yes Number of harbour berths: Avernakø Harbour: 90 / Korshavn Bro: 25 www.avernak.dk Ferries Faaborg - Lyø - Avernakø Sailing time 25 min or 70 min with departures from Lyø (triangular sailing) Tel:+45 72 53 18 00 (weekdays 08-14) E-mail: oefaergen@fmk.dk www.oefaergen.fmk.dk
Be creative in The Archipelago Release your inner child, there are so many things you can do on the beach and around the islands. There are ideas and facts perhaps you didn’t know on all the information boards. The beaches in the archipelago are not vast, desolated deserts like those along the North Sea, but are full of intriguing things and flotsam that you can gather and use creatively. For example, can you imagine painting and decorating the stones you find. It’s an engaging activity for all ages. When you go along the beach and collect stones, take some fresh seaweed home with you, bladder wrack for example. It’s a delicious snack to have while you are painting.
Avernakø There was a time when this long island consisted of two individual islets, namely Avernak and Korshavn. In 1937 they were joined together by a causeway that is called ’Drejet (The Turn)’.
Things you can do with stones:
History: Avernakø is first recorded in 1232.
Play ducks and drakes and have a competition with your friends. Create mosaics with beautiful stones in the sand. Play noughts and crosses by drawing the grid in the sand and use your own fine stones. Make a sundial with a stick and some stones - follow the movement of the sun (if there aren’t any clouds).
It is in Valdemar’s Property Register where the islands of the South Funen Archipelago are all mentioned in connection with an inventory, ’ The Island List ’ itemizing King Valdemar the Second’s possessions.
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There have been major, rich archaeological discoveries on Avernakø. Flint tools, daggers and axes from The Stone Age have been found in many places on the island. But it was the tenant farmer Hans Lauritsen who made the richest find on the 16th of April 1685 in a field at Munke when his wooden plough unearthed a metal object made of gold. In fact there were six sacrificial bowls in total, all with sun symbols and made of the purest gold, used by our forefathers in religious ceremonies. Today five of the six are in the National Museum, the sixth being donated to a French envoy in 1812, as Avernakø’s contribution to the fateful alliance with Napoleon.
Drejet (The Turn): Money was allocated for the construction of the causeway between the two islands during the economic crisis
of the 1930s as part of a job creation scheme. Until 1937 Avernakø was two islands, now connected by a 700 metre long embankment between Avernak and Korshavn. Throughout the years many people have drowned there in stormy weather.’Through common enterprise Drejet became a roadway’ are the words that stand on the memorial stone marking the unity and development between the two island communities.
The Maypole: The maypole has gradually become Avernakø’s landmark. It’s a fertility symbol from the pagan era - a prayer to the gods to ensure a good harvest in the fields. Today the maypole functions as the island’s official flagstaff. When it exactly came to Avernakø is lost in history but the tradition is maintained in Avernak and in Munke where the maypole is crowned with birch
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branches and spring flowers every Whitsun Saturday.
Nature: Avernakø has a long stretched out shape, a 19 km coastline with good bathing beaches and fishing places. The island is rich in birdlife. At the same time in certain ponds there is the possibility of seeing and hearing the rare fire-bellied toad.
Tourism: Because of the size of the island we recommend you take a bike or rent one at the harbour. You can also bring your car. There are several opportunities for an overnight stay. You can find a Hotel/B&B, holiday apartments and summer houses. There’s potential for outdoor camping at Avernakø’s yacht harbour. Along the narrow roads and at farm shops you’ll find exciting cafés and island products.
Birkholm The little, low, morain island of Birkholm is situated between Tåsinge, Strynø and Hjortø in an area of shallow water with three small islets Nyland and the big and little Egholm as its nearest neighbours. This region of shallow water is very attractive for kayaking. Mørkedyb, a natural sailing channel which runs close to the island’s ferry port, is a former floodwater melt from the last Ice Age and a widely used sailing route since the water is otherwise low or rocky on both sides.
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Hyllensbanke
History: Birkholm is the flattest of the inhabited islands to the south of Funen and it’s difficult to see the island’s highest point. Hyllensbanke is situated on the northwestern part of the island. It is only 2 metres above sea level, otherwise Birkholm is quite flat and for this reason is protected by double dykes. The inner dyke that encloses the houses is 2.8 metres high and 2100 metres long . Beyond this lies the lower sea dyke. Birkholm was flooded with high water in 1872 and the residents had to climb up onto their roofs. Again in 1874, it was only Hyllensbanke, the island’s highest point that remained dry. And there were not only these two disasters - in 1876 all but two of the houses burned down, which is why you find the year ’1876’ on many gable ends, because after the two storms and the fire the island was almost completely rebuilt. In more recent times, in 1976, the sea broke through Birkholm’s outer dyke and a large area between the sea and the houses lay under water. Since then the islanders have spent hundreds of thousands of Danish kroner so that today the outer dyke stands renewed and strengthened.
Birkholm Havn Sandhoved 6
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70 years ago there were just 80 inhabitants on the island, who had their own school, grocer’s shop and mill and many farmed the land. In the mid 1990s the last farmer stopped working. Since then the island has lain fallow and has been grazed for some years by heifers and sheep. But now thorns, elder and rosa rugosa have spread over the fields. Since 2003 the residents have worked together to clear these areas
so that the view is preserved and birds that prefer open grassland are provided with better conditions.
Nature: Birkholm is the most unspoilt of the inhabited islands in the Archipelago. The island is dominated by natural, open areas and only next to the inner dyke can you find trees, where many fruit varieties grow between the houses. The fields that are grazed are characterized by grasses. Outside the inner dyke and in uninhabited areas particularly you’ll find species-rich beach pasture and salt marsh flora. These lower, coastal and humid areas provide the most exciting bird habitat. The large godwit has one of its few Funen breeding grounds on these meadows, where there are also many redshank, lapwing, meadow pipits and yellow wagtails. Eider duck, oystercatchers and the common ringed plover breed on the beach and in the upper reaches there are mallard and the Northern shoveler. There are no bird colonies on the island. The area close to the houses teems with small birds: the common linnet, the garden warbler, swallows, starlings and the white wagtail.
You can be fortunate enough to see seals in the low water around the island and the islets where thousands of knots rest while they moult.
Information Birkholm Size: 0,94 km2 Population: 9 (2017) Grocery: No Number of harbour berths: 40 www.birkholm-beboerforening.dk
On Birkholm rare amphibians like the green toad and the fire-bellied toad have been reintroduced having disappeared for a number of years.
Ferry
Sandhoved, a narrow spit to the east, together with the islets of Egholm are sensitive nature reserves and should be avoided from 1 March to 15 July.
‘Birkholmposten’ Marstal - Birkholm Sailing time 25 min (twice daily in the summer and once in the winter) Tel:+45 40 40 03 25 E-mail: jan@seaconsult.dk
Hares can be found everywhere and in earlier times were caught for export as blood renewal for other animal stocks. Today they are hunted once a year. In some years foxes make an appearance having crossed over the ice in winter.
Bird breeding reserve No public access from 1 March to 15 July Marked with shading on the map
Tourism: The island has good beaches suitable for bathing and there is the possibility of accommodation in shelters and an unsophisticated campsite at the harbour.
Shelter www.bookenshelter.dk
No shopping facilities are available so you must bring your own food and drink. There are no asphalt roads on Birkholm so all transport is on foot, by bicycle or tractor.
Printing with seaweed How to do it: 1. Fill a tray with water. 2. Lay the seaweed out in the tray and spread it well. Trim if necessary. 3. Gently place a piece of heavy paper underneath the plant. 4. Take hold of the lower part of the plant and the paper. Lift the paper 5. together with the plant out of the water. 6. Hold the paper at an angle so that the lower part of the plant is uppermost. 7. Let the water run off. 8. Let it dry, for example out in the sun. 9. There are no limits to the next step, you can combine different kinds of prints, 10. or draw on the paper afterwards.
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Bjørnø History: Bjørnø is mentioned for the first time in the 1200s with the spelling Byørnø, which originates in the old Danish word biorn, a beast, meaning Bear – the island where the bears live. Bjørnø has, like other small Danish islands, probably been covered with forest. From the 1200s to the 1900s the island was a registered possession. First to the crown and later to the Holstenshuus estate. On Bjørnø smuggling became almost a virtue. In the 1700s the islanders alone had authority. But in 1752, in order to put things in order, a customs boat arrived from Faaborg, but the crew
Digerne
When the customs men later returned they handled the women and children roughly. It became too much and the case resulted in a 50 rigsdaler fine for the residents but the verdict also meant that the islanders would be free of customs regulations! In 1808 two British warships were in combat with a small gunboat from Faaborg. The naval battle took place near the Knaste ground and several residents later picked the cannonballs out of the cliff and used them for grinding mustard.
Nature: Bjørnø is a quite hilly morain island. The southwestern coast is interesting for those who like geology. Bjørnø is crowned with Højbjerg as its highest point at 23 metres. The landscape is characterized by hills and continuously running dry stone walls. It is only
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was thrown out of the gate by the island’s menfolk.
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Information Bjørnø to the east that the island flattens out into a reef with a pair of small islets. Towards the northwest lies a little tidal meadow. A peat bog is situated almost in the middle of the island, a little out towards the southwest coast. There is no forest on Bjørnø but there is some tree growth north of the peat bog. The commonest bird on the island is the sand martin and there are probably more than a 1000 pairs in colonies within large parts of the eroded cliff face. Black headed gulls breed in the marshes and along the coast you find common and herring gulls. On the islets there are smaller gull colonies and here too mute swans have their nests. Otherwise there are standard shore birds such as oystercatchers, redshank, lapwing, large herring gulls, shelduck, mallard, red breasted mergansers, all of which can be experienced in a single visit. Another characteristic animal on Bjørnø is the water vole. In hard winters martens and foxes cross over on the ice. The short crossing time means that the islanders cancommute to Funen. Therefore, in the last 20 years, Bjørnø has not experienced a population downturn.
Tourism: There are several departures
Size: 1,5 km2 Population: 32 (2017) Grocery: No Number of harbour berths: 15 www.bjørnø.dk Ferries Bjørnø-ferry Sailing time 17 min Tel: +45 20 29 80 50 www.bjoernoefaergen.dk
Did you know? Seaweed has previously been used as mattress stuffing, animal feed, in embankment construction, roof insulation and as fertilizer. The Vikings probably took along seaweed as a provision on their expeditions, and bladder wrack has been utilized for headaches. Seaweed is a fun material that can be used in many ways.
daily from Faaborg with MS ‘Lille Bjørn’ which functions both as postboat and ferry. The sailing time is around 17 min. The harbour and the landing stage are on the north coast facing Faaborg. You can find both Bed & Breakfast, a rudimentary campsite and plenty of opportunities for bathing and fishing. Did you know? Bjørnø is a car-free island.
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Drejø Information Drejø Size: 4,12 km Population: 69 (2017) Grocery: Yes Number of harbour berths: 45 Harbour berths in Gammel Havn: 15 www.drejo.dk 2
Ferries Svendborg – Skarø - Drejø Sailing time 75 min (triangular sailing) Tel:+45 62 23 30 84 (weekdays 09-12) E-mail: rederi@svendborg.dk www.svendborg-havn.dk/højestene Shelter www.bookenshelter.dk
Hollowstones On the beach you can find stones with holes in them in all different sizes. And they can be used for many things. The small ones can function as jewelry together with glass beads. Larger stones with holes can be used as weights with a clothes peg to hold down your summer tablecloth. Or you could make a fine set of wind chimes with driftwood and stones.
At the beginning of the 1800s, when the rural dean of the county said to an 80 year old woman on Drejø “You live well here and your vision is rightly in a desirable place”, she answered “ Yes Father, one mile to Tåsinge, one mile to Funen, and one to Ærø. Lord God! Drejø really does lie in the centre of the world!”
History: 8,000 years ago the sea level rose and the mainland to the south of Funen was transformed into an archipelago. Two of the islands were the hilly ‘Skoven’ and the flat ‘Drejø’. Since then the sea has connected them with a natural causeway, or turn, ( dragh from which comes the name Draghø – Drejø) Archaeological finds from the sea indicate that people had lived here long before the water level rose. Drejø is mentioned in King Valdemar’s Property Register of 1231 “in eastern Draghø there are fallow deer, horses and houses”. Drejø is described as the only island around with a house on it, probably a royal hunting lodge. After that time the island was built upon, so that in 1534 there were 13 farmers who sought the king’s permission to construct their own church, inaugurated in 1535. It was Denmark’s first Lutheran church, built in the Catholic era, where a Catholic mass never took place, although it was built before the Reformation. In 1555 the islands of Skarø, Hjortø and Birkholm were designated as part of Drejø’s community, which until local authority amalgamation in 1964 formed one parish. Drejø’s dwellings constituted one of Denmark’s best preserved village environments. On a hot summers day in 1942, on the eve of Saint John, a disaster which everyone feared occurred, when 11 farms and 7 houses which lay close together in the village were destroyed in a massive
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fire. At that time it was a catastrophe, but the residents rebuilt their village which is today an exciting mix of old and new. Elmegaard in the middle of Drejø village is the island’s own museum and is one of the few farms that escaped the flames. The museum also displays a unique model of the village as it was before the fire of 1942.
Nature: A large profusion of flowers can be found along the coast, including several rare species. To achieve the greatest diversity the meadows have to be grazed, here by cattle and sheep. In the low water around Drejø the marine eel grass
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provides a fine nurturing environment for many species of fish. Drejø has good fishing prospects along the whole of the south coast and very nice beaches for bathing. No less than 60 different species of birds reproduce on the island, among which
is the marsh harrier, with six pairs also breeding here. And the white tailed eagle is often seen floating over the island.
1 March to 15 July. Skoven also possesses Drejø’s highest point – the 17 m high cliffs, home to colonies of sand martins.
The old harbour lies on the north side of Drejø, a unique environment. It is one of the last natural harbours still in existence. The channel is 1.4 m deep and is always marked. Several hiking trails lead around the island, mainly along the coast. One of them goes to the west. Near Skoven lies a bird sanctuary at Mejlehoved, which has no public access from
Tourism: Drejø is a favourite tourist stop offering many possible excursions, farm shops, a café and experiences of the natural world. Overnight accommodation is available in holiday homes, apartments or on a rudimentary campsite. There is also bike rental and a tractor taxi.
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Information Hjortø Hjortø is one of the smallest islands in the Archipelago, with only five residents. It is a really flat island which is why dykes have been constructed all the way round it in order to protect the farmland. The highest point is just 5 metres above sea level. The sea around the island is child-friendly shallow water with narrow, pebble beaches and you can easily wade from the northern part of the coast to an even smaller island, Hjelmshoved, where two houses bear witness to earlier occupation. At extremely low tide you can also wade to the two islands of Mejlholm and Odden both of which are Hjortø’s grazing pastures for animals, each lying a little further to the east towards Tåsinge.
Nature: Hjortø is known for the capture of hares at a major annual event, when hunters poured onto the island to take part. Yarn was pulled across the island by these legendary sportsmen a few days before protection came into force in December. The hares were subsequently sold as “new, fresh blood” to replenish other hare populations in Denmark. In spite of the “hare trawling” of earlier times there are still considerable numbers on the island.
Hjortø is today a fertile island rich in bird life and several rare toads, such as the fire-bellied and green toads for example. In addition to ordinary beach vegetation you’ll also find rare plants such as lax-flowered sea-lavender and the multi-flowered buttercup. The western part of Hjortø, Halen, along with the tiny islets of Danmark and Vibeholm are particularly vulnerable bird locations, where there is no public access from 1 March to 15 July because of breeding. This is an island on which to experience the natural environment along with a formidable peace and quiet.
Size: 1 km2 Population: 5 (2018) Grocery: No Number of harbour berths: 20 www.hjorto.dk Ferries “Hjortøboen” Svendborg – Hjortø Sailing time I hour Tel:+45 62 23 30 84 (weekdays 09-12) E-mail: rederi@svendborg.dk www.svendborg-havn.dk/hjortøboen
Tourism: There are no shopping
Bird breeding reserve
facilities on Hjortø so you have to bring your own food if you want to stay in the rudimentary campsite or rent a private holiday home.
No public access from 1 March to 15 July Marked with shading on the map Shelter
If you don’t have your own boat it is possible to stay in newly built shelters or your own tent in the campsite near the harbour.
www.bookenshelter.dk
At the harbour there are toilet and washing facilities, drinking water, barbecue places and there you can also charge your mobile phone.
Did you know? Most of the fossilized sea urchins we find today are about 65 million years old. At that time Denmark was covered by a warm sea inhabited by crustaceans, urchins, fish and much more. In the Cretaceous period, from 145 to 65 million years ago, it is believed the water level was up to 200 metres higher than it is today.
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Lyø Lyø lies southwest of Faaborg, and is the westernmost island in the South Funen Archipelago. On arrival at Lyø, many people are surprised by the silence, the clean air, the beautiful landscape, the sea and not least the old village with its many half-timbered houses, which looks like something from a Morten Korch film. Lyø never experienced the land reforms of the late 1700s,
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and therefore the farms are still clustered around the village pond and give the village a unique look, which has meant the place is worthy of conservation and constitutes one of the most exciting village environments in Denmark.
History: King Valdemar the Victorious played a special role on Lyø. On a spring day in 1223 he was out hunting when he was captured by one of his own bonds-
Information Lyø
men Count Henrik of Schwerin. He was only released some three years later. It cost him 45,000 marks, his dead queen’s silver and considerable parts of the north German possessions in which he was held prisoner. In the 16th century the entire population of Lyø died after robberies and epidemics. The island was repopulated by 24 families who had rebelled against their estate owner and received the message : ‘Either disappear on Lyø or be executed!’ Several of the 24 farm holdings have since been divided and smallholdings and other single family houses have arisen but the structure of the built environment on Lyø originates from the first 24 immigrant families.
Size: 6 km2 Population: 99 (2017) Grocery: Yes Number of harbour berths: 150 www.lyø.dk
flood deposits. In earlier times minerals were extracted from the site but now it is used for cattle grazing. The sandy soil and the lack of nutrients create a habitat for entirely special plants that do not thrive in other places. The area is characterized by lakes of brackish water that are an eldorado for birdlife.
Ferries Faaborg-Lyø-Avernakø-Faaborg Tel: +45 72 53 18 00 (weekdays 08-14) E-mail: oefaergen@fmk.dk www.oefaergen.fmk.dk
Tourism: Lyø has several good bathing beaches and fine fishing locations, and there is something for everyone to experience when they come to the island. There is a summer café, but do you want to stay overnight? Then you will find holiday apartments, B&B, and a rudimentary campsite.
Attractions The Bell Stone, remains of a megalithic tomb Bird breeding reserve No public access from 1 March to 15 July Marked with shading on the map Shelter
There are several ancient monuments on the island among which is the Bell Stone, a thousand year old dolmen from the New Stone Age. It delivers a clear, resonant tone when you strike it. Many stories relate to this dolmen, such as when it gives out a sound your wish will be fulfilled.
www.bookenshelter.dk
Did you know?
Nature: The island has a very varied landscape, flat to the west, hilly to the east with two fertile subglacial stream trenches and many fine views in the middle out towards Horneland to the north and to Als in the south. The birdlife is rich and varied with several breeding colonies on the Reef (a tidal meadow area) to the west by the Baltic and by the New Land (a headland) to the east. On the reef, which is designated as a bird breeding reserve, there is no public access from 1 March until 15 July, and during the same period visitors are advised not to venture onto the New Land because of breeding and vulnerable species. The reef is an area to the north formed by
Thunderstones (the fossil belemnite) come from octopuses living in the Cretaceous era in the time of the dinosaurs. They had a skeleton with a backbone which you can now find on the beaches of the South Funen Archipelago. These octopuses died out at the same time as the dinosaurs.
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Skarø
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Skarø or Skarre, really means “to share” or “the island lies like a fragment in the sea on the edge of the sailing channel “ which suits it very well, since the island is soon encountered after putting to sea from Svendborg sound.
mainland with Tåsinge and Drejø. But the sea level rise in the Archipelago changed the relatively flat landscape into an island. The first people on that island can be traced back to the Stone Age but over the years the place was primarily covered by forests and used by kings for hunting. In the Middle Ages (the 1200s) the island was built on and the inhabitants lived from farming and fishing.
History: For approximately 4,000 years Skarø was a part of the
The last forest was felled in the 1700s, when Østerhoved was cultivated. For a while Skarø belonged to the Hvidkilde estate but this ended in 1821. During the Swedish wars in 1669 it was not those under the blue and yellow flag who landed and plundered the island – but Danish naval officers.
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Otherwise history has been kind to Drejø. The village is situated in the middle of the island and has been divided into two with its village pond and a community area. Not so far from the village is the little church. In the cemetery two British pilots are buried, who were shot down during The Second World War. Today, a large number of the residents commute to Svendborg on the ferry and this also applies to schoolchildren. More and more can now work from home – or have an independent business thanks to internet access. Many people have heard of Skarø ice cream which has grown from being a small island company to an enterprise with sales to international firms. A wonderful success story.
Nature: The island offers good bathing beaches, animals and flowering tidal meadows.
You can hear the rare green toad croaking in the pools during the month of May, while avocets and other waders breed on the beach.
Information Skarø Size: 2 km2 Population: 31 (2017) Grocery: No Number of harbour berths: 50 www.skarø-beboerforening.dk
On Skarø there are no predators, apart from stone martens – so the hares and breeding birds have suitable conditions.
Ferries
Both the two headlands, Kalveodde to the south and Skarø Odde to the north, as well as the reef to the northwest of the island are all vulnerable areas where there is no public access from 1 March until 15 July.
Svendborg - Skarø - Drejø Sailing time: 35 – 55 min (triangular sailing) Tel:+45 62 23 30 84 (weekdays 09-12) E-mail: rederi@svendborg.dk www.svendborg-havn.dk/højestene
Skarø has good waymarked hiking trails where “coffee breaks” have been set up along the routes, which are absolutely perfect for enjoying the Archipelago and the island atmosphere.
Bird breeding reserve No public access from 1 March to 15 July Marked with shading on the map Shelter
Tourism: Many come to Skarø in
www.bookenshelter.dk
their own boats and the harbour has approximately 50 visitor berths. In addition you can find B&B, a summer café, campsites together with good opportunities for swimming and fishing.
A challenge! Who can build the highest tower?
On the beach there are many stones that are perfect for building with. How high can you stack a tower? If you are a group you can compete for who builds the highest. Or even better you can make a tower together by taking it in turns to stack the stones, then when it topples, you have to take a forfeit or accept another challenge! Remember! If you play against your parents do not taunt them when you win. It’s mega-embarrassing when they stand there crying!
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Strynø Information Strynø Size: 5 km Population: 182 (2018) Grocery: Yes Number of harbour berths: 35 www.strynoe.dk 2
Ferries ”MF Strynø” Rudkøbing-Strynø Sailing time: 30 min Tel:+45 62 51 51 00 (weekdays 09-10) www.langelandkommune.dk Shelter www.bookenshelter.dk
Catch a crab You can catch a crab by tying some string to an ordinary clothes peg. You could attach this string to a long branch or a stick. Put a mussel or a snail firmly in the peg’s clamp and wait for a crab to grab it with its claws.
You’ll need: Nylon string, a long branch or stick, a heavy stone with a hole in it, bait –a mussel, a snail or a piece of sausage. Tie the stone on the string so the peg is held down in the water. The crabs can smell the meat that’s in the peg will come forward to grab it with their pincers. Lift up both the crab and the peg and be ready to catch it with a net or hoist it all the way up into a bucket of water. Look after your crabs – they should be in good shape while you are in charge of them. Release them when you have finished looking at them.
Strynø’s highest point is approximately 10 metres above sea level and the low coastline has dykes on almost all of it. Towards the east lies the island Styrnø Kalv (45 hectares) which has been uninhabited since around 1970. In the middle of Strynø is the village which was replaced in 1810 and then moved in 1840. Today the village consists mainly of small, brick houses built in the 19th century for the island’s many seamen. Today many of the houses function as holiday homes. In the village stands one of the island’s landmarks – the maypole – which really is a pole. Strynø’s “may tree” is painted and decorated every year according to an old tradition. From the ferry port at the end of the Greve jetty there is a connection to Rudkøbing.
History: Originally people were employed in agriculture and fishing, but since there were more islanders than available farming land the residents began to make their money at sea. Maritime development in the 1800s also prompted a group of seamen to settle on the island. Their houses still dominate the scene in Strynø village. The harbour is filled with history from the time steamers took care of freight and small ships transported goods to and from the islands. Strynø’s former owner, the Tranekær estate built grevens bro (the Count’s jetty) leading to the ferry dock. The population peaked in 1906 with 787 inhabitants but a fall in numbers set in during the 1960s. Today there are approximately 180 permanent residents of which around 40 are children, which means that Strynø is the only small island in the Archipelago where there is still a school (but for 18 the younger pupils only).
Nature: On Strynø there is now farmland and tidal meadows with protection around the coastline in the form of dykes. The forest no longer exists. Around the island there are several smaller islets like little fertile spots in the low water. You can often see harbour seals lying down and resting on the sandbanks here. In these vulnerable natural areas there is abundant bird and plant life and on several of them there is no public access from 1 March to 15 July. This applies to Græsholm, Bredholm and Grensholm, just 3 km west of Strynø, which is a breeding sanctuary under international bird protection. In particular, Bredholm is one of the archipelago’s most important resting places for several species of geese.
Tourism: There is a campsite at the harbour, B&B, a summer café, a bathing beach, a beautiful, old and listed mill, as well as the Archipelago’s Smack and Nature Centre. The centre’s exhibitions are based on the nature and cultural history of the Archipelago. In addition they offer Kiss the Frog activities and you can also learn to sail a smack.
Nørrestænge Bondeholm
Information Øksenæbbe Svelmø
Hundsøre Odde
Size: 1,5 km2 Population: 32 (2016)
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Kirke Båker
Strynø Mølle
Strynø By Badestrande
Havn Grevebroen
Kaffeplet/Picknick
Vigen
Shelter Fiskepladser
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Hagerne
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Svelmø
Information Svelmø Kidholm
The island consists of a 15 m high knoll with partially overgrown cliffs, two isthmuses or tongues of land, Svelmø Trille to the south and Little Svelmø (3ha) to the north, which is the starting point for the low tide crossing to Nab on Funen. The population peaked in 1921 with 15 people making a living from farming, based at the island’s double farm with a common courtyard. This burnt down in 1976 and was replaced by a smaller house where the island’s inhabitants lived. Today the island has no permanent residents.
Skålholm
Size: 27 ha Population: No permanent residents Number of harbour berths: 0 www.svelmø.dk
Ebbevej
Nature: One of the Archipelago’s largBremerhage est colonies of Arctic terns, common and black-headed gulls is found here. Sand martins are in the cliffs on Store Svelmø. The coastline is popular for kite surfing due to the large, shallow water area.
Lille Svelmø Lille Vejle Græsholm
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A 5 km trip around Store Svelmø is a way to experience the natural environment for the beach visitor who wants “a feeling of emptiness”.
Tourism: In Åstrup, 7 km east 300
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of Faaborg there’s a sign showing the way to Nakkebølle. Follow Østergyden towards Svelmø. To get out there you must wade approximately 500 metres along the low tide crossing, where the water can come up to your thighs. The trip is at its most comfortable in the late summer. Then, from the Little Svelmø continue to the big Svelmø.
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Today Svelmø is a private area. A visit to the island has to be agreed with the owners.
Svelmø Trille
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Book a shelter in the archipelago At bookenshelter.dk you will find a long list of shelters and campsites. Book directly or find information about booking. In most places it costs something to stay overnight. The money goes to the landowners to cover operational and maintenance expenses. Take good care of the environment – amazing outdoor experiences are waiting for you out there.
You may set foot upon the islands In Denmark we do not have an “every man’s right” as is known in Sweden and Norway, but a more complicated set of rules. For the islands in the Archipelago specially the following rules are worth noting:
Overnat i en shelter, übernachtenten Sie im Freien, sleep in a shelter:
BOOKENSHELTER.DK
• You must travel on foot along all the coastal stretches. Short stays and bathing are allowed on all beaches. The distance from the nearest building must be at least 50 metres. There are exceptions in those places where there is no public access in the breeding season 1 March – 15 July. • Dogs must be kept on a lead from 1/4 – 30/9. • In uncultivated areas you can walk anywhere from 6 in the morning until sunset. • You can certainly travel on foot, for example in your hiking boots, outside the footpaths on uncultivated land, both in private and public areas. • If you are on a cycling trip you have to wheel the bike, if you want to take a shortcut across uncultivated land. • Uncultivated areas on the islands include tidal meadows, sand dunes and commons. • In uncultivated public areas keep a distance – 24 hours round – of at least 50 metres from residential and operational buildings. • You may certainly sit and take a little water or eat your packed lunch in public areas that are not farmed. • But you have to find a place to rest at least 50 metres from houses or buildings.
Bike Friends In the South Funen Archipelago we have developed a locally-based service concept called Bike Friends. The idea is a simple one, that many in the local areas are ready to welcome you as a cycling visitor. Have you had a mishap on your trip, a flat tyre, an empty water bottle or perhaps you’re lost?
Cykelvenner Øhavet
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Then look for the Bike Friends sticker at the local grocery store, café or overnight accommodation. The Bike Friend has both pump and puncture outfit but will certainly also want offer much more. The service is of course, free.
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t e s a of the arc t A hi p e l a g o from rotting seaweed. You can pick it from July to October. Go for the younger, soft and juicier parts of the herb. Be careful not to rip the plant up from the roots.
Make your own herb salt Three herbs that are easy to find along the coastlines of the archipelago are tall white top or pepperweed, sea beet and sea rocket.
Tall white top tastes a bit like wasabi or horseradish and is therefore a strong element. This green herb is best picked between May and August. From August until September the plant produces small seeds which you can also use in cooking.
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Dry the herbs that you find on the beach and mix them with, for example,
Sea beet is best from April to June, when the leaves are completely spicy and full of flavour. It grows primarily on the beach, usually close to seaweed. You can dry the herbs by putting them in the sun or on a windowsill. Remember to turn them regularly until they are completely dry. Sea rocket grows along the breadth of the beach where it gets its nourishment
a gourmet salt or other good salt that you have bought in the local grocery store. Mix well together and you have your own delicious herb salt ready for mealtimes.
Seaweed crisps Seaweed can be used in innumerable ways, both in the kitchen and as a material for creative projects. Bladder wrack is easy to find along the shoreline. It’s best to collect it between March and June but in principle you can harvest it the whole year round. The wrack is easy to recognize with its large nubbly, heart shaped fruit bodies. You will need: 1.
Freshly picked seaweed such as bladder wrack
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Corn or sunflower oil
Wipe the seaweed dry with kitchen roll. Tear it into small pieces approximately 4 X 4 cm and fry until crisp in the oil. Let them drain on a piece of kitchen roll until they are ready for eating. They have already been salted by the hand of nature.
Kiss the Frog, Find the Tadpole and Cuddle a Crab These are experience outposts in the South Funen Archipelago. Here, as a family, you can sample a lot of activities that reveal something about the natural world or cultural history. At the various outposts you will find all the equipment necessary for crab sticks or catching shrimps for example. A Kiss the Frog display offers a variety of activities from which you can choose. Find the Tadpole typically provides between 1 and 4 tasks.
Kys Frøen Station 1
PS: There is no prince guarantee for the frog kissers!
24 Published with support from LAG, SĂ˜M, LAG Small islands, FLAGLLSÆ and the four South Funen local authorities together with Destination funen
Design: Streich.dk
Book your personal Island-hop in the South Funen Archipelago on www.o-hop.dk. To make it easy and manageable for you as an island-hopper you can read more about the islands, the ferries and the attractions as well as booking your own personal island-hop on www.o-hop.dk.
