Hiking the South Shore: The Dark Side of the Møn

Anyone who wants to hike is usually drawn to the Alps, to Nepal, to the famous Way of St. James, or at least to a famous long-distance hiking trail like the Swedish Kungsleden, which leads up to the North Cape. The way is flat

Starting a new chapter at Klintholm Havn

But the real adventures await elsewhere, where there are no wandering hordes. Where the landscape is unknown, the travel guide is in a foreign language, and the hiking trail is often not even signposted. Denmark is not a traditional hiking country, but the Danish Baltic Sea island of Møn is famous for its chalk coast - and is also a wonderful hiking destination for the curious.

The flowers of the dunes

On a circular route

There is now also a hiking route on the Baltic Sea island that has been awarded top marks: The Camønoen is a 175-kilometer long circular route around the island of Møn, but also leads over the islands of Bogø and Nyord and has the beautiful title of “friendliest hiking trail in the Danish Kingdom.” we're off the beaten path since a week and now on the southers shore of Mon.

A rough road

As the sun bathes the horizon in a kaleidoscope of gold and orange, our walk begins at the picturesque Klintholm Havn. The beach stretches out long, straight, wide, and yellow. The air is filled with the salty scent of the sea and the sound of the waves that later gently touch the beach at Oddermose. We follow the wide strip of sand that meanders along the coast like a silver lining, and with every step we feel freer from the worries of everyday life.

Me and my companion at the mirror

Along the dunes

The dunes provide natural protection from the breeze and are home to a variety of wildflowers that bloom in the warming rays of the morning sun. It is a rare silence here, interrupted only by the occasional call of a seagull or the hum of a tractor far away.

You can't sleep by the rich

At this time of year, the beach houses that hide in the dunes are largely deserted. But they look pretty, Denmark is a wealthy country and those who are doing particularly well have their homes here. We hardly see any people, a sign that this place is still a jewel untouched by mass tourism.

If you're in trouble, there is help

As we walk, deer cross our path, elegant and almost ghostly in the stillness of the morning. They watch us curiously but undaunted before turning back to their breakfast.

A danish church with typical painting

The encounter with the farmers who work the land is warm and down-to-earth. Their hands, marked by work, wave as they disappear between the fields. Then a boat lies by the side of the road, filled with rainwater. Who could have brought it here and then given up?

The lost boat

Flat path

The path is flat, the route is visible from afar. After days of hiking around Mon, the backpacks don't weigh so much anymore and you've gotten used to the load. And yet the organic farm Øristeriet is a welcome surprise. In the middle of nowhere stands the large farm, decorated with ice cream flags and beer table sets.

This is the agriculture supermarket dep in nowhere

They have built a real shopping center here, selling milk and tea, the unique Mon ice cream and even T-shirts with the farm's emblem. Cyclists stop here and, judging by what we have seen, everyone who is currently traveling around the island must be here right now.

The museum

Yes, the farm is another highlight of our trip. The ice cream parlor, a rustic paradise, offers us a sweet refreshment and a moment of peace. Here, surrounded by buzzing bees and the smell of fresh waffles, you feel like you are in another world.

Our "legeplads"

Megalithic tombs

But then we discover megalithic tombs, silent witnesses of times gone by, standing majestically in the landscape. They tell stories from a time that we only know from books.

Fruits

Next comes one of the old churches, built in the typical Danish island style. These buildings, all with an unmistakable silhouette, are not only places of faith, but also symbols of community and history that is deeply rooted in the stones and the people.

Inside the landman's house

Our path ends in Hjelm, a place that looks like it came straight out of a postcard. With a last look at the sea, now bathed in the soft colors of dusk, we feel grateful for the beauty and peace that we were able to experience on this hike. It is a farewell, but only until the next time, because places like these leave traces in the soul that always call us back.

The very old kitchen

A night at the museum

We spend the evening on a berth on an old farm that has been converted into a museum. Everything here is as it was 150 years ago. The stables show how hard the work must have been.

A room to live in

The kitchen is thick and covered in black soot. But the rooms in which the farmer's family lived back then shine as if they had been polished. The rooms are narrow but comfortable, all the furnishings are still there, even the clothes of the former residents are still hanging in the cupboards.

The clothing of the landsman, probably for winter times

Outside in the large garden we are alone, or at least again after another hiker comes, says hello briefly and immediately goes to sleep. We light a fire and watch the sunset.