LAND 32 Crimson and orange flecks in the highest cirrus clouds promised an exciting sunrise as I arrived back at Knuds church at dawn. It was a little chilly, but I found some shelter from the wind and tried to capture the kaleidoscope of colours as they continually altered in hue, value, and intensity.
It was such an intense and colourful beginning to the day that the white daylight felt rather ordinary and bland in comparison. From the top of the hill ‘Snurrebakken’, I looked down towards the town of Rønne. It was a very familiar view; the red roofs of the old town mixed together with trees, industrial buildings, and the gigantic offshore windmill elements standing in the harbour.
I walked along the crest of the hill, and then down towards one of the many lakes that surround Rønne. These were once huge clay pits where kaolin was extracted – first for porcelain and then for other products, and some of them were still in use as recently as the 80s. Since filled with water and now covered in greenery, they form part of the ‘Green Ring’ encircling Rønne and are used for recreation: fishing, jogging, dog walking and so on.
The day soon warmed up. Exhausted, I enjoyed a quick snooze on the damp grass. For several weeks Bornholm’s weather has been atrocious with storms and flooding and I felt very thankful that the wind had dropped and the sun finally came out again on a LAND Friday. I continued walking around the lakes, noting how the high-water level had submerged the sandy ‘beach’ around the lake’s shore.
By the northernmost lake, I enjoyed the rich habitat around the lakes – it never ceases to amaze me how quickly nature returns once given the opportunity. A fat sand lizard sunning itself in the scrub was a lucky find.
I carried on northwards, following the cycle path, which had once been the Rønne to Allinge railway line. As the path swept eastwards it passed through the Almegaard military area, which I decided to explore a little – once I had checked that there was public access. I had never been there before and enjoyed tramping around the mixed woodlands and incredibly insect and flower-rich meadows, bisected by the Blykobbe stream and the deep rutted tracks of military vehicles. Definitely a place I will be returning to.
For the remaining few hours, I walked along the narrow roads towards the town of Nyker. The drone of combine harvesters and tractors mixed with the sweet smell of straw, while overhead a turret of screaming swifts twisted and coiled furiously.
When I eventually arrived at Ny church, another of Bornholm’s round churches, I managed only to make a few quick pencil sketches before my lift arrived. Next week I’ll be crossing my fingers for another spectacular sunrise.
LAND 31
WEATHER REPORT – Mostly sunny but cloudy in the afternoon. Temperature 14 – 17 degrees. Wind 2 – 4 m/s, from the W. Hours of precipitation: 0 hours. Hours of sunshine: 9 hours.
STOPS with the BIVVY – 0
KILOMETRES WALKED – 17.85 km
DAY LASTED – 15h and 16 m
PEOPLE TALKED TO – 2
BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 46 species (1 new: moorhen) = 125 species
LESSONS LEARNED – That moorhens are incredibly good at hiding themselves
IN MY HEAD – Funeral, the song by Phoboe Bridges.. Dropping my daughter off at Kastrup Højskole. Raskalnikoff and Razoumihkin…
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