LAND 23 The Aa church sits like a beacon in the middle of the village, close to the middle of the island. Solid and unpretentious, its thick walls are made from granite, sandstone, and limestone, all sourced from local quarries. A physical manifestation of the island’s geology and culture, it is easy to imagine how Aa church was the spiritual and social hub of its surrounding community. I walked around the immaculately maintained graveyard, reading the inscriptions detailing lives long past – many grouped together according to the local farm they came from.
These were my thoughts as I wandered around, while around me the village slept. The dawn started off clear, but as I headed north away from Aakirkeby, the wind picked up and a cold fog settled over the lush green fields. I quickly regretted not taking more clothes.
My route took me up into central forest again, along roads and tracks mostly unknown to me. This area felt remote and somehow old. I thought of borders, visible and invisible, and had the sense that I had crossed into a new part of the island – or maybe I had crossed into a new season? The birdsong was tailing off, and squadrons of starlings and their newly fledged young were everywhere. It felt different.
At the edge of the forest, I stopped by a neglected barn standing alone beside a farm track. The sun was out now, and I spent far too long painting every detail, glad to be out of the wind.
I continued into the forest, passing briefly through the houses, vegetable gardens and workshops of a large eco-commune, and then past a huge motocross track. Both of which seemed empty of people, and both of which were completely new to me.
I carried on through the forest – sometimes monotonous plantations of fir, sometimes more diverse with newly dug ponds. I stopped by the edge of one pond for lunch, sheltered from the wind and serenaded by a non-stop chorus of croaking marsh frogs. They were scores of them in the centre of the pond, battling for the best spots, bashing into each other, and sometimes kicking jets of water into the air.
On the margins, smaller frogs waited their turn. Some stayed still long enough for me to try to capture their green brilliance, the reeds and their reflections and shadows.
I carried on through the woods. At one point following an old drystone wall – the old parish boundary. At a corner of the wall/boundary a large dead oak tree perhaps once stood alone and visible from afar – before the plantation was planted around it.
After more wandering I arrived at the entrance of the ‘bison wood’. In 2012 seven wisent (European bison) were released into a fenced enclosure of 200 hectares – partly to contribute to the survival of this threatened species, and partly to increase biodiversity in the forest. Since then, their numbers have increased, and they are one of Bornholm’s most popular tourist attractions. Firstly, however, I was fixated on smaller prey – the dragonflies sheltering from the wind along the forest pathways.
Drawing dragonflies is always incredibly rewarding – the intensity of following them, waiting for them to land, madly focusing the telescope and then getting to work before they fly off again.
I continued through the woods and then along the edge of Svinemose – a small marsh and wetland. No bison and in fact very little bird life. By now I was tired and the wind was really aggravating me. I had reached my destination early and I was too cold. A bullfinch cheered me up momentarily, but no matter how many star jumps I did, I just couldn’t warm up.
Still over two hours to go, I walked back into the forest as the low sun glowed on the fir tree trunks.
In the forest mosquitos attacked. Out on the paths, the wind blew the mossies away, but it was cold.
A red-necked grebe sat on its nest in the marsh. I came close to quitting early.
Eventually, the day ended and I walked towards the car park where I was being picked up. There, in the gloom, a bison grazed at the edge of the wood. I managed to get one quick sketch done before jumping into the car and turning the heating up to full.
LAND 23
WEATHER REPORT – Sunny periods most of the day. Temperature 10 – 17 degrees. Wind 8 – 11 m/s from the east. Hours of precipitation: 0 hours. Hours of sunshine: 10 hours.
STOPS with the BIVVY – 0
KILOMETRES WALKED – 19.60 km
DAY LASTED – 17h and 19 m
PEOPLE TALKED TO – 1
BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 47 species: 1 new (red-necked grebe) running total = 113 species
LESSONS LEARNED – Take much much more clothes than you think, if the wind is over 6 m/s
IN MY HEAD – keeping warm, finding shelter…
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