Stevns Klint
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17. Juni 2017 um 21:46.
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This hike report is somewhat different than what I usually publish here on Hikr. Mostly because there are no mountains to be found here. But this hike reminded me of the fact that you don't necessarily need mountains for a stunningly beautiful landscape. (Living in Switzerland, you risk getting a little prejudiced about that...) Moreover, Stevns Klint has not featured on Hikr yet, so it's about time to rectify that.
The Danish island of Zealand contains two cliff areas along its eastern shores: Møns Klint and Stevns Klint. The former has taller cliffs, but I ended up visiting Stevns Klint instead. There were several reasons for this, such as easier access by public transport from Copenhagen, UNESCO World Heritage status and the Stevensfort cold war museum.
The Stevns Klint Trampesti is a 20 km long singposted hiking path that follows the cliffs from Bøgeskov in the north to Rødvig in the south. Most of the path is directly along the top of the cliffs. Often trees and bushes obstruct the views directly down the cliffs, but there are frequent viewpoints as well and the landscape is just lovely in general anyway. Due to limited time, I only did part of the Stevns Klint Trampesti, from Højerup to Rødvik.
Højerup is the most famous place along Stevns Klint. It is is ca. two thirds of the way from Bøgeskov to Rødvik. The old church of Højerup sits directly on top of the cliffs. Part of the church already fell victim to cliff erosion and collapsed into the sea back in 1928. There is now a viewing platform at the back of the church. Next to the church, a staircase leads down from the top of the cliffs to the beach below.
Neither the natural beauty nor the iconic church are the main reason why Stevns Klint is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The real reason is the geological interest, in particular the layer of "fish clay" in the cliffs. The chemical composition of this layer is the best evidence on earth that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid strike. To the untrained eye, it is not obvious which of the many visible layers in the chalk and limestone cliffs is this famous "fish clay" layer. Visitors with a special interest in geologic might want to do some research ahead of visiting, or at least allow for more time to read the various information panels.
Halfway between Højerup and Rødvig, there is still another completely different attraction. The Stevnsfort cold war museum. You might not immediately associate Denmark with the cold war, but any Soviet invasion via the Baltic Sea would have had to go through Danish waters. Stevnsfort used to be the centre of the Danish defence line against such a scenario. The Stevnsfort museum tells about this history and shows which weapons were installed at the base. The outdoor area of the museum can be visited with an audio guide. If you join a guided tour (reservation recommended), you will also get to visit the underground bunkers, which are very worthwhile. The guided tour is only available in Danish, but foreign visitors can also join and listen to the audio guide while following the guide. However, I don't think that the audio guide covers everything the guide tells, especially during the underground part of the tour.
Travelling by public transport from Copenhagen to Højerup takes about two hours, with a connection every two hours. You take an S-Bahn from Copenhagen to Køge, a local train from Køge to Hårlev, and a bus from Hårlev to the Højerup bus stop (ca. 10 min walk from the bus stop to the old church). Everything is very well-organised, except for the fact that the bus driver did not now which ticket to give us: "Højerup? Do you know how much you have to pay? Four zones maybe?" At least he knew the correct route to drive!
The return journey is even easier, with a train every hour from Rødvig to Køge.
Useful link:
The Danish island of Zealand contains two cliff areas along its eastern shores: Møns Klint and Stevns Klint. The former has taller cliffs, but I ended up visiting Stevns Klint instead. There were several reasons for this, such as easier access by public transport from Copenhagen, UNESCO World Heritage status and the Stevensfort cold war museum.
The Stevns Klint Trampesti is a 20 km long singposted hiking path that follows the cliffs from Bøgeskov in the north to Rødvig in the south. Most of the path is directly along the top of the cliffs. Often trees and bushes obstruct the views directly down the cliffs, but there are frequent viewpoints as well and the landscape is just lovely in general anyway. Due to limited time, I only did part of the Stevns Klint Trampesti, from Højerup to Rødvik.
Højerup is the most famous place along Stevns Klint. It is is ca. two thirds of the way from Bøgeskov to Rødvik. The old church of Højerup sits directly on top of the cliffs. Part of the church already fell victim to cliff erosion and collapsed into the sea back in 1928. There is now a viewing platform at the back of the church. Next to the church, a staircase leads down from the top of the cliffs to the beach below.
Neither the natural beauty nor the iconic church are the main reason why Stevns Klint is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The real reason is the geological interest, in particular the layer of "fish clay" in the cliffs. The chemical composition of this layer is the best evidence on earth that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid strike. To the untrained eye, it is not obvious which of the many visible layers in the chalk and limestone cliffs is this famous "fish clay" layer. Visitors with a special interest in geologic might want to do some research ahead of visiting, or at least allow for more time to read the various information panels.
Halfway between Højerup and Rødvig, there is still another completely different attraction. The Stevnsfort cold war museum. You might not immediately associate Denmark with the cold war, but any Soviet invasion via the Baltic Sea would have had to go through Danish waters. Stevnsfort used to be the centre of the Danish defence line against such a scenario. The Stevnsfort museum tells about this history and shows which weapons were installed at the base. The outdoor area of the museum can be visited with an audio guide. If you join a guided tour (reservation recommended), you will also get to visit the underground bunkers, which are very worthwhile. The guided tour is only available in Danish, but foreign visitors can also join and listen to the audio guide while following the guide. However, I don't think that the audio guide covers everything the guide tells, especially during the underground part of the tour.
Travelling by public transport from Copenhagen to Højerup takes about two hours, with a connection every two hours. You take an S-Bahn from Copenhagen to Køge, a local train from Køge to Hårlev, and a bus from Hårlev to the Højerup bus stop (ca. 10 min walk from the bus stop to the old church). Everything is very well-organised, except for the fact that the bus driver did not now which ticket to give us: "Højerup? Do you know how much you have to pay? Four zones maybe?" At least he knew the correct route to drive!
The return journey is even easier, with a train every hour from Rødvig to Køge.
Useful link:
- Public transport planner: https://www.rejseplanen.dk
- Stevns Klint tourist information in English: http://kalklandet.dk/english/stevnsklint-en
- Stevnsfort cold war museum (online guided tour reservations in Danish): http://www.kalklandet.dk/attraktioner/koldkrigsmuseum-stevnsfort/besog-os
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