During winter season every flying hour is a gift. Even if the weather is good, the days are short, and there is often fog in the mornings. Then you need to work – to earn money for flying. Life of a pilot is not always easy!
It can be quite boring to fly over the same landscapes, though one would always appreciate the gift of being airborne. This time, I decided not just fly over the Stevns Klint, but also see some manor houses there from air, and prepared a route:
There are around 730 manor houses in Denmark. I thought, it could be an adventure in itself, to see just some of them from air. I could even pick up the ones, I would later visit on foot (when the weather is not for flying).
Bregentved was my first waypoint. I spotted it’s beautiful building from far away:
You need to go all the way back to the beginning of the 14th century to find the first mention of Bregentved. The estate has been owned by kings and several noble families. Among others, the estate was a stable-house for the King Frederick IV in 1718, and served as a barracks with a staff and 250 horses. Since 1746, Bregentved has been owned by the noble family Moltke. Today, it is one of the largest estates in Denmark. The park with its beautiful lakes, fountains and sculptures is open for public, free admission.
Meanwhile, the air traffic was heavy due to good weather, and I had to keep an eye on all those aircraft the air traffic controller warned me about. Many pictures of manor houses didn’t turn out to be good, also because of the sunlight and my photographing skills, so I’ll bring in this blogpost only the ones that were ok.
Vemmetofte Kloster and its gardens looked so impressive from air:
Vemmetofte Kloster is a former manor house, first mentioned in 1320, turned into a convent for unmarried women of noble descent in the 18th century. Today, the monastery runs modern businesses like forestry, agriculture, hunting, rental of the many houses it has. Entry requirements for living in the monastery has changed with time. Now ordinary citizens – singles or couples – can move in and live in the Kloster’s community.
I continued to Stevns Klint, a white chalk cliffs of up to 40 metres height, stretching 17 km along the coast:
The cliffs of the Klint reveal sections that are around 70 million years old, and the site is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Stevns Lighthouse on the photo below. There are actually two lighthouses – an old one from 1818, and a new tall one from 1878.
The first lighthouses in Denmark were built around 1750. When it was decided to build a lighthouse on Stevns, it was built on Stevns Klint, whose height ensured that the lighthouse’s signals could be seen from a long distance at sea. Therefore, the first Stevns Lighthouse was not one built as a tower, but simply as a semi-circular extension at the end of the official residence that was built for the lighthouse keeper.
During the Cold War times, this area was a part of the Copenhagen’s Air Defence, and had HAWK batteries with radar systems placed there. Special attention was paid to ships passing by from the Soviet Union. Today, there is a Cold War museum 18 metres under the ground, in the former underground fortress.
The chalk quarry at Stevns Klint, where 200,000 tons of chalk are extracted a year:
The quarry measures about 500 times 500 meters, and the excavations start 32 meters above sea level. Where the excavation is deepest, it is 28 meters below sea level. Chalk is transported by sea – around 70 ships sail out of Stevens Klint a year. It is being sold to mainly paper and building industry.
Gjorslev Castle, the largest and best preserved medieval castle in Denmark, was my next viewpoint:
According to historical records, Gjorslev, which is named after a no longer existing village, belonged to the gunsmith Rane Jonsen at the end of the 13th century. He was accused and convicted of being behind the murder of King Erik V of Denmark in 1286, and was executed in 1294. Today it is a peaceful place though, and its park is open for public.
And then it was Vallø Castle, one of my favourites:
It is a very nice place to visit. The castle existed since the 14th century; it was owned by Kings and Queens, and nowadays it is a home to unmarried, widowed and divorced women. Its English-style landscaped gardens are so lovely any time of the year!
I still had the time to fly around before the sun went down:
All in all, it was a very enjoyable local flight. I’ve seen new places I want to visit, and old favourites that brought some nice memories. The sunset was beautiful, and I was happy.