Day 21 Smidie to Randers then to Kolding by train.
Distance 76.8km Average 16.2km/h.
We awoke to a heavy dew and sunshine. Both of us had slept fitfully due to not being used to silence. Our bit of Utrecht albeit quiet at night is not silent. We both woke up in the night thinking there was something snuffling around outside. Thinking about it later we realised that it was probably the sound of our Thermarests creaking as we lifted our heads up to listen.
We carefully extricated ourselves from the tent, trying to avoid a cold shower. Damae was relatively full of energy and was first out. The tent was terribly wet as was everything else around us. When I emerged I made sure I put on my waterproof socks which kept my feet dry (our sandals not providing much protection...).
Breakfast made, we ate it and cleared up. We were not sure how far we could get today. It was by now clear that we were not going to make Kolding under our own steam, and the question was then did we want to get to Grena and then take a train to Kolding or try to push on to Århus. We were not able to take a decision either way.
We were I think a little fatigued. I certainly remember struggling a little to get going. We packed in and signed the guest book. Even though it was not compulsory to pay we did so anyway as it had been a lovely experience staying in Smidie (despite the intrusive silence). Next trip to Denmark we expect to make more use of this network of camping spots.
The best bit of the day was in the morning. For maybe twenty kilometers we ran along a disused railway line that had a nice new tarmac surface on it. The wind was a bit favourable and we made good time. It was easy cycling as the gradients were not steep and we passed a number of villages and hamlets on the way, just as the train would have all those years ago. Some sections were wooded whilst others ran through the green rolling farmland quite different to the parched farmland we had passed through the previous evening.
We stopped a couple of times, once next to an old church. The style of the gable end interested me as the same style is found in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It was one of those interesting links you find as you do more of the NSCR. Despite the differences there are cultural similarities that pop up in sometimes unusual settings.
This took most of our morning but after the terrain became rolling again or should I say the route. We ran through some hilly terrain and then at one point through a forested area close to the water. At the end of this we had a sudden descent on to a Y fork junction onto a minor road.
We were getting a little tired and started to doubt that we would be able to hit Grena let alone Århus. For the first time we came up with the idea of cycling to Randers and taking a train from there. It was all a bit uncertain except that Damae wanted a rest and day being a tourist, preferably in Kolding.