Saturday morning June 23rd Inga, Carsten, John, and I went for a weekend trip to the island of Læsø, and to visit our dear friend Inge-Merete who was in her summer house there. The weather was a bit windy, but otherwise perfect, and we enjoyed the views on our way, and appreciated the luxury of being pilots. Djursland peninsula:
Djursland is a 44 km × 33 km hilly lowland peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides. It is a popular place for recreation during summer. Two major towns are Grenå and Ebeltoft. A couple of years ago I stayed in Ebeltoft together with the crew from our Danish DC-3. We were on our way home to Roskilde from the Telemark airshow in Notodden, Norway. The weather in Denmark was so bad, we had to land in Århus and find a hotel. On the following morning the weather was good again, and we had a chance to see a bit of Ebeltoft, and its marina before flying home. It is a beautiful old town.
On the photo below is the Limfjord, a waterway separating the North Jutland from the rest of the Jutland peninsula. It is about 180 km long, and has several islands. The deepest part is 24 m. The Limfjord is known for its delicious mussels and oysters.
Soon the island of Læsø was on the horizon. We flew Socata TB-20 Trinidad which we rented from Copenhagen Air Taxi. We were supposed to fly a Piper PA28 Dakota from Roskilde flying club, but that aircraft got grounded the evening before our tour. Carsten, our pilot-in-command, did everything he could to get an aircraft, and in the last moments of morning 23rd the Copenhagen Air Taxi managed to re-arrange their flights so that we could rent one of their aircraft. We were grateful for that, and talked about their remarkable service several times during the weekend.
Læsø is located 19 km off the northeast coast of Jutland. It has an area of 101 km2, and a population of approx. 1800 people. It is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat. Together with Anholt, another island in the area, Læsø belongs to the “desert belt” of Denmark; there is very little rain during summer.
The aerodrome on Læsø is in the middle of the island, about 3 km north of Byrum. The runway is 928 m asphalt; it is possible to rent bikes and cars right there (needs to be arranged beforehand).
When we landed, Inge-Merete was already at the aerodrome, waiting for us with her car. Inge-Merete and Carsten:
We quickly left our stuff in Inge-Merete’s summer house, and went to the Vesterø harbour for lunch. The harbour is a ferry port and a fishing port. Ten fishing boats catch Norway lobster, cod, scallops, and plaice every morning for about 6.5 million DKK a year. We enjoyed this view of the harbour and the Kattegat from Havnebakken restaurant:
The Norway lobster was delicious. Apple juice was served in a beer glass:
The food was excellent. John and Inga:
After the lunch we drove around and saw some of the island’s attractions. We stopped by the Vesterø Church that is closed for restoration, and visited the graveyard. The church is mostly known for its unique Gothic frescoes from the beginning of 1500’s.
The next stop was Strandgaarden, a nice hotel and a restaurant from 1727.
They have a spacious green garden with trees where we had our afternoon coffee and cakes:
Højsande is a protected area on the northern half of Læsø. It is the oldest part of the island, and also the highest. In the 17th and 18th centuries this area was exposed to a devastating sandy escape that created the landslides we see today. Like so many other places with sandblasting, there were human reasons for this natural disaster. On Læsø, it was linked to the island’s long-lasting production of salt, with which huge amounts of wood were taken. When the trees were gone, both the heather and the peat were used to seething of salt, and eventually the wind and the sand had free play. At the end of the 19th century, a plantation of Højsande began, and a few decades later the state of Læsø Klitplantage founded.
We went up and down the Læsø’s large sandy landscape with deserted dunes up to 24 m high, which is very much for this flat island. From the top we could see the ocean around the island.
It was the Midsummer Eve in Denmark, and we knew there was going to be a bonfire on the beach. The Swedish Midsummer Eve was celebrated the day before, and the maypole was still there. Normally people would have flowers in their hair, dance around the maypole, sing songs, and celebrate with the grand party. Midsummer is one of the most important holidays in the Swedish calendar.
On Saturday there was a football match between Sweden and Germany. Many yachts from Sweden, Norway, and Germany were in the harbour. In a restaurant where we had drinks, the match was followed closely on the big TV screens.
We didn’t watch, just enjoyed the view, and our company.
This summer has been unusually dry, and bonfires have been forbidden in many places, especially for the Midsummer, but not on Læsø. It was a rather cautious bonfire:
A short walk on the beach, and on the road again!
Læsø is also known for the very special houses on the island where the roof is made of seeweed. We visited one of those – The Hedvig’s House from 1675 (photo below).
For a long time there were neither straw nor trees on Læsø. On the other hand there was plenty of eelgrass and driftwood on the beach. The wood was used for timber framing in houses and the eelgrass was used for the roof. In fact, this wasn’t as unlikely as it sounds: both the seaweed and timber had been impregnated with saltwater, and a seaweed house could therefore stand for several hundred years.
In the old days, after a storm an inhabitant of Læsø would crawl up onto his seaweed roof and scan the coast for shipwrecks. The ridge was so wide that he could even take a chair with him up onto the roof. Shipwrecks on Læsø were a lucrative business for the locals in the form of timber and the money they received for salvaging any goods.
I was told, Læsø is the only place where one can find these houses today.
The day full of exciting experiences was going towards the end, and we finished it with the dinner in Inge-Merete’s summer house. Hygge when it’s best:
