A Visit to a quiet Peninsula............

There is a pretty hilly landscape on a little, broad peninsula east of the town Skive. It has no name expect the old district-name; Fjends herred - and now Ørum parish. The first place for our visit one of the last days in the windy and cold April was the old manor Staarup Hovedgård, which is now a center of antique furniture and artifacts from the 1700s-1900s. I had visited the main building before, this time it was the gatehouse-wing with antique Chinese furniture. I didn't buy anything, they were rather expensive. No wonder! They have been laquered and laquered "a thousand times". I saw a little red (low)  cupboard. I loved it. I would like this in my home.
In the summer period there is much more life here with a well-visited cafeteria and restaurant and many concert arrangements etc.

The peninsula is surrounded by the waters of Skive fjord and Hjarbæk fjord, both are parts and corners of Limfjorden. The landscape is hilly and pretty and marked by being a socalled herregårdslandskab, a manor-landscape, which only makes it better. You are driving through small villages and passing fine churches and you are close to a fine view from the old winding country roads everywhere. 

 

Here is also an old kloster, Ørslevkloster, where I had to do a stop for I wanted to get a photo of a chessboard ashlar on the church wall. I was told they had found one. I didn't find it, but there was no access to the south side of the church, and I later discovered that the chessboard was there of course.
Since the last time we was here there is now public access to the kloster garden with an old lime avenue leading down to a fine little water stream.

bikes outside the refugium

The garden is now being renovated and here will be a perfect place for people to visit.

The kloster itself is now a  refugium for students and artists, authors etc. who wish peace and quiet.
In my blog Church and Manor is an article about Ørslevkloster. 

yellow farm

Strandet

Two Good Friends 

Again a drive through a pretty landscape. I love it. It is such a rest for the eye and a joy for the mind. The next place was also a manor, called Strandet. Two horses walked next to each other in the field downside the manor, a big heavy horse and a very little cute one; they followed each other step by step.  I don't think a horse likes to be alone in a field. They are social like everyone else.
The whitewashed manor Strandet lies upon a hill close to Jordbro Å-river, a fine fishing river with sea trout, trout and rainbow trout. Strandet is from the 1400s, but was rebuilt after a fire. Opposite upon a hill in the meadow lies the Romanesque church Nr. Ørum. Close nearby was a harbour in the Middle Ages.

Am I boring you? Then stop reading and start something else, for the next place to visit is also a manor. Tårupgård, situated close to Hjarbæk fjord. Access to the fjord via a nature path. History about this manor is also in my blog Church and Manor. Both Staarupgård and Tårupgård were during the Middle Ages owned by the family Kaas, a family who owned a big part of North Jutland. The church lies close to the manor with steps from the yard up to the entrance - everyone had to go to service, it was  really a duty at that time. No excuses I suppose. The little son probably tried  "I have a stomach ache, daddy!". -  "WHAT? Off you go".  -  And off he went and up all the steps on his small legs to listen to the thunder sermon of the priest.

But we'll leave Tårupgård and continue along the beautiful scenery to the fishing village in the corner of Hjarbæk fjord.

    

Hjarbæk port was once the sea port of the town Viborg, when the church was rich and powerful the bishops of Viborg guarded zealously the fishing and sailing in Hjarbæk fjord. The Viborg bishop's ship lay at Hjarbæk harbour,  but also the rich aristocracy used the port at Hjarbæk in the Middle Ages.
There was furthermore a constant sailing with salt-barges to and from the island of Læsø. (you can still buy the Læsø salt in shops). The salt extraction was a very good business and the clerics in Viborg controlled both the production and the transport. 648 barrels salt were sailed to Hjarbæk each year in the late 1400s.

Today Hjarbæk is a cosy little fishing village with a lively tourist life in summer. Each year is held a VM in sailing with boats, called "slægts", the boats similar to the fishing boats from the old days.
 
Hjarbæk Fjord is an International Nature Protection Area, under Natura2000 Project, and it is both a Bird's Protection Area and EU-Habitat Area. 

 

And in the afternoon we were leaving Hjarbæk fjord and the little peninsula after a good day.

Some pretty clouds for you

A beautiful horse was running up and downhill in a very frisky manner with  some very elegant moves. And just try to look at this fine head and neck.  It's a noble horse.


photo April 2013: grethe bachmann

Læsø Sydesalt

 








 Here's a picture of the salt from Læsø(for sale in shops and supermarkets.

Gilleleje, a Fishing Port

Sjælland/Zealand is the largest island in the Danish archipelago with the capital Copenhagen on the east coast. The large population in Copenhagen needed seaside resorts, and they mainly found them at the northern coast at the waters of Kattegat. In the late 1800s wealthy bathing guests began visiting Gilleleje. In the beginning the fishermen rented their rooms for the tourists, while they moved out into the outbuildings themselves. Later came the bathing guesthouses and the holiday houses. Today are fine and popular seaside resorts like Tisvildeleje, Rågeleje, Udsholt Strand, Gilleleje and Hornbæk.




Gilleleje is at the northernmost point of Sjælland, Gilbjerg Hoved. At each side of Gilleleje are high dunes, now mostly grown with thickets, woods or herbs. Upon the steep dunes around Gilbjerg Hoved is a varied vegetation, and in the open glades in the woods is a rich herbal flora. Gilbjerg Hoved is one of the best bird migration places at Zealand from late March until the beginning of June. Yearly are seen ab. 10.000 buzzards and in one day ab. 100.000 finches. On a lucky day in April it is possible to watch large crane flocks.

The waves from Kattegat still change the beaches, the large stones stay, where they are, but the pebbles, grovel and sand are transported by the waves along the coast. The look of the beach changes from year to year, one year only a sandy beach, the next year a stony beach. In the middle of the area is Gilleleje fishing port.




The earliest permanent settlement in "Gyldeleye" = Gilleleje is from the early 1500s. An excavation in 1979 revealed a house site below some sand layers. The house was probably built soon after 1536 since a coin, dated 1534-36 was found at the spot. The cultural layer was according to findings of ceramics etc. dated to the late 1400s.

Gilleleje began as a fishing village ab. year 1500, and in 1588 lived ab. 70 families in the town. Besides fishing the population was allowed to cultivate some crops, like wheat, south of the town. They also had a pasture for cattle and sheep. East of the town was a brook coming from Søborg lake. Here was once Søborg castle , which is now a ruin.




From the 70 first families were only 18 families left in 1632 since many newcomers during the years made it impossible to catch enough fish, but the living conditions were stablilized, and in 1682 were according the Christian 5.'s archives 30 fisher families. Another and new problem was the drifting sand, which covered the fishing nets and delayed the work. Several houses in the eastern part of town were partly buried in sand and had to be abandoned.

The fishing town developed during the 1810s and 1820s and many houses were again built in the eastern part. A real port was built in 1873. This meant larger ships and more work and new families arrived. In 1890 were 865 households in Gilleleje - and 112 were fisher-families.




The outer port was finished in 1902 and Gilleleje continued the fishing work until 1940, when the Germans occupied Denmark. Like most other Danes people in Gilleleje were against the occupation and helped the jews by hiding them on church lofts. On 2. October 1943 wanted Gestapo to capture the rest of the Danish jews. The fishermen prepared for taking them across the sound to Sweden in their cutters. They could not leave immediately, though, because of the German patrols in the street. After several days of hiding, an informer let the Germans know where the roughly 75 Jews were hiding, and they were all captured, except a single boy who hid behind a gravestone in the cemetery. According to local lore, the priest was so mortified by the situation that he never really recovered from the experience. This was the largest "capture" Gestapo had in Denmark. After the occupation was over, several memorials have been put up in the town, both commemorating the Jews and the fishermen who lost their lives when colliding with seamines.

Today Gilleleje is Zealand's largest fishing port with both big and small fishing boats, arriving early in the morning with heavy loads of fish. The cosy harbour with fishing auctions, cold store houses and tarred well boxes is also a popular place for yachts.

Evening at the Gilleleje beach

Coast fishing is popular.....


the evening light changes from a misty grey.........



.........into the golden evening light. The coast fishers are still there like birds in the water ..........



...........and the sunset is both dark mystery and golden promise , a promise of the weather tomorrow? An old saying is that if the sun goes down in a sack it will rise in a brook!

But it was a lovely evening in Gilleleje. Fish had been bought from the fishermen and we had fried plaice with parsley sauce and new potatoes - the perfect dish in a holiday house at the sea!


photo Gilleleje 2008: grethe bachmann

Thorup Strand, Jammerbugten, the North Sea

Traces from the boats

The fishing village Thorup Strand is situated in the southern part of Jammerbugten by the North Sea. (10 km northwest of Fjerritslev). There is no harbour and the fishing boats are drawn up on the beach after a day's fishing. Thorup stand is the largest coast landing place in Denmark with ab. 20 fishing cutters. Fresh fish can be bought and Fishing trips are offered.




Thorup Strand is surrounded by the North Sea and a beautiful nature area - and 6 km from the coastline is Lund fjord, which is a section of the large birds' sanctuary Vejlerne with a rich bird life - and by the coast west of Thorup is Bulbjerg, Denmark's only bird clif.

The fine bathing beach at Thorup turns north and has rough sand with few stones. It is sheltered by dunes grown with lyme grass. In Thorup plantation is a rich animal life. Here is also a fine nature-playground for the children.



Lifeboat Station

Svinkløv Plantation at Slettestrand has many good hiking paths and is a magnificent nature area with a rich flora and fauna and with the water stream Sletteå running through it.


Svinkløv Badehotel

In the area are fine camping places(i.e. Svinkløv Camping) and the exclusive Svinkløv beach hotel.

photo Thorup/Svinkløv 2006: grethe bachmann.

Stenbjerg Strand by the North Sea.

Stenbjerg Strand, Northwest Jutland by the North Sea 27 km southwest of the town Thisted

Stenbjerg is an old, peaceful fishing village, surrounded by the North Sea and magnificent plantation areas. The cosy village is sheltered from wind and weather by the lyme grass dunes behind the listed Stenbjerg Landingsplads. Here was earlier business fishing. The atmosphere by the landing place with the small white tool sheds, the lifeboat station and the old fishing houses is idyllic and lively. It is possible to buy fresh-caught fish from the local fishermen. In this area is peace, charm, fresh air, recreative, green surroundings and fine opportunities of bathing, fishing and walking in a unique nature area.

In the village Stenbjerg nearby are shops and a cosy inn.


Two retired fishermen keep an eye on the boat....


which is drawn out into the sea by a tractor.....


It came out allright and hopefully he'll return with some fresh fish!



Stenbjergs broad beach has a blue flag. There is sandy bottom, and the water is almost always clear. It deepens quickly and the stream can be strong. The wind gives good possibilities for windsurfing, and there are good opportunities for coast fishing at Stenbjerg and fishing in the lakes in the hinterland, in water streams and in Put & Take fishing parks - and a tour on a fishing boat for some deep-sea fishing.



In the old days were built a few fisherman's cottages around the life boat station at the beach, therefore the name Stenbjerg Landing Place. Stenbjerg is today famous for the small, characteristic, white washed cottages.


crabcake

There are many marked paths , i.e. Vestkyststien: a 80 km long walking/cycling path between Bulbjerg and Agger , which passes Stenbjerg. On the other side of Stenbjerg are green plantations with lakes, water streams, beech woods and pine trees , a varied and extensive landscape - and in the whole area the sky is immensely high, clear and blue. The light has been compared to the famous light at Skagen. Many artists come here to paint - and also the Skagen-painter P.S. Krøyer has stayed here.photo Stenbjerg: grethe bachmann