A very short transfer to the next overnight spot (two nights again), with two stopping sights along the way.
"Kalø Castle is a ruined castle constructed in 1313 by the Danish king Erik Menved (Erik VI). It was one of at least four similar strongholds in Jutland, constructed to counter the ongoing rebellions of the Jutlandic nobility and peasantry against the Crown. All were built by local peasants forced labor, with the goal of breaking their rebellious spirits. Kalø Slot was raised on the small island of Kalø, connected to the mainland by a 500 m long artificial embankment, rising 1.2 m above sea level. The embankment was cobbled; deep moats were dug and earth mounds heaped around the fortress. A port, outer ring walls and other fortifications were all built by hand, a colossal task in the early 14th century."
According to signs near the parking area to access the ruined castle, this area was inspiration for J.R.R. Tokien in writing his tales, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
According to signs near the parking area to access the ruined castle, this area was inspiration for J.R.R. Tokien in writing his tales, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Kalø Castle sits on its own island and we walk about a mile including a causeway to get there.
A 700-year old cobble path leads the way there...
Now almost to the castle...
Ah, we're there! Unexpectedly, they've even provided a way to reach the top.
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A Hobbit house ??
There has to be a geocache near here - yes there is!
Now just 6 miles south, but 4600 years further back in time from the era of the ruined castle, we arrive at Poskær Stenhus...
"Poskær Stenhus is the largest round barrow in Denmark, dating back to 3.300 B.C. It is located by the village Knebel on the hilly southern part of the peninsula, Djursland, at the entrance to the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Sweden in northern Europe. The central burial chamber is equipped with a capstone weighing 12 tons, surrounded by 23 slabs as tall as a person, forming a circle.
The capstone is the lesser half of a granite slab brought to Denmark from Northern Scandinavia by ice age glacial movements. The underside is remarkably flat, and possibly split from another half, by the Dolmen builders. The other possible half is a 21-ton slab 1.2 mi to the northeast, placed as a capstone on another dolmen, Agri Dyssen. How these slabs were transported and erected by Neolithic Stone Age people is not well understood."
The capstone is the lesser half of a granite slab brought to Denmark from Northern Scandinavia by ice age glacial movements. The underside is remarkably flat, and possibly split from another half, by the Dolmen builders. The other possible half is a 21-ton slab 1.2 mi to the northeast, placed as a capstone on another dolmen, Agri Dyssen. How these slabs were transported and erected by Neolithic Stone Age people is not well understood."
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We arrive at our humble abode in Tved for the next two nights...
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