Denne side på dansk

LAND 34 Dawn at Aarsballe. The thick fog of last week was gone, revealing an undulating agricultural landscape with dark, heavy soils. The pewter grey skies were almost imperceptibly tinged with the subtlest rose, the only hint of the sun rising behind the thick layer of clouds.

I headed down the hill towards Almindingen, the central forest, for one last time. Turning off the road into the sopping wet grass, I followed lightly trodden deer paths through tangled scrub and dense stands of beech and oak. The forest was almost silent, the atmosphere still and secretive. Some trees were already yellowing, and the humid air was thick with the scent of rotting mushrooms and overripe berries.

I meandered onwards through the forest, sometimes walking on tracks, but often going off-piste and stumbling through thick undergrowth, brushing leaves, branches, and strands of spider silk out of my face. Every now and then, I came across some of the lakes that are now mostly hidden by the forest. Mosquitos and ticks were my companions.

Around noon, the sun came out and I tried to capture the dappled light shining through the beechwood.

I continued my meandering path through the woods, stopping at Langemose where some twisted old oak trees overlooked the wildly overgrown edge of the swamp. When these oak trees were young, Langemose must have been a lake surrounded by an open heather moorland. Now it is concealed by the spruce and beech plantations that were planted around it.

I crossed the road into Hestehave bakke, following old overgrown paths, all new to me. The sun was long gone now, replaced by a fine mist. My eyes were drawn to signs of life in the otherwise still forest. A kestrel in flight, a lizard in repose, a spider hiding under a leaf.

Deep in the tangled forest by Gammelmose, I walked alongside the dry-stone wall built by labourers nearly two hundred years ago to mark out the first forestry plantations. Now moss-covered and largely hidden from view, it is slowly being consumed by the very forest it was created to protect. I thought about how each and every stone had been carted and transported, lifted and placed by invisible hands.

I was attracted to some cracking mud on the path, the patterns of which reminded me of the dry stone wall somehow.

I carried on, exhausted now from all of the cross-country tramping. Close to the road, I tried to draw some sheep grazing in a large paddock.

A little later on I passed close to a large pond where, to my surprise, a Great white egret stalked amongst the reeds. Hiding behind some trees I managed to get some good views, and with my binoculars managed to make some quick and energetic studies.

Completely energised by my chance encounter, I carried on with my spirits lifted immeasurably. A poorly waymarked path took me through a wood and over a small hill and into a secluded valley with a lovely small lake. Another new place for me, and definitely one to return to. As the day drew to a close it started to rain and I finished the day, back on the main road and less than a kilometre away from where I had started over fourteen hours earlier.

LAND 34

WEATHER REPORT – Cloudy with some sunny periods, mist in the afternoon. Temperature 16 – 22 degrees. Wind 2 – 5 m/s, changeable. Hours of precipitation: 0.5 hours. Hours of sunshine: 2 hours.

STOPS with the BIVVY – 0

KILOMETRES WALKED – 20.06 km

DAY LASTED – 14h and 13 m

PEOPLE TALKED TO – 0 (all visitors to the church)

BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 28 species! (1 new, great white egret) = 126 species

LESSONS LEARNED – my phone uses just under 5% of battery every hour with the GPS running – it had not properly charged overnight and I was terrified of my battery running out and not being able to record my ‘red line’

IN MY HEAD – Henry the VIIIth

Denne side på dansk

LAND 30 Dazed and confused I welcomed the new dawn at Bjergbakke. Six hours earlier my family and I had finally arrived on Bornholm after a quick three-day visit to England for a big party. I was exhausted and unprepared – and annoyed that I had pushed the LAND Day again. I could feel the project unravelling, the parameters keeping it all together were beginning to dissolve. In my rush I had forgotten to pack several key items and, once again, I was forced to focus on the walk, the experience, and the ‘red line’ – and not the painting.

From Bjergbakke I walked down the hill, pausing to record the stunning sky and some sunflowers.

I walked on, skirting around Vestermarie, following some old bridle paths that I knew well, through rain-soaked beech woods and onwards through the fields. I ended up at Søgaard, a derelict old pig farm, currently utilised by ‘Hardball Bornholm’ as a venue for their military simulation battles. Lookout towers, piles of pallets, barriers, and sandbags were spread amongst the crumbling remains of the farm’s outbuildings. I walked around examining the old barns and equipment, recalling the sounds and smells of the old farm, home to generations of farmers.

From here it was a long drizzly walk through the flatlands between Vestermarie and Rønne, where I paused a while and looked back towards the central forest.

I continued all the way to Blemmelyng – another area of common heathland that had been enclosed and planted with trees in the 1800s. This forest was one of the first areas I got to know after moving to Bornholm, and I wandered around my old running routes, admiring several newly dug ponds and diving for cover every time the rain got too much.

I walked onwards, zigzagging through the woods and working my way back to Nylars church, the evening’s destination. I misjudged the time and the distance and had to rush the last section of the walk, tramping eastwards as an absolutely stunning sunset played out behind me. As I neared the church the heavens exploded into an impossibly complex kaleidoscopic cloudscape of bright orange, salmon pink, yellow gold, electric blue, gunmetal grey, and deep crimson. No pencil, no good brushes, colours missing from my palette, and no time to sit and paint – I swore to myself I would be better prepared next time.

LAND 30

WEATHER REPORT – overcast with rain in the afternoon. Temperature 15 – 19 degrees. Wind 1 – 6 m/s, from the SW. Hours of precipitation: 4 hours. Hours of sunshine: 1 hours.

STOPS with the BIVVY – 1

KILOMETRES WALKED – 19.70 km

DAY LASTED – 16h and 10 m

PEOPLE TALKED TO – 0

BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 42 species: 0 new = 123 species

LESSONS LEARNED – folded waterproof trousers and a water bottle make a good pillow.

IN MY HEAD – The party, all the intense fun and games of the last three days. Nicotine. Being with the kids as adults – mixed with early memories of exploring this part of Bornholm with the kids when they were still small, and everything was new and exciting.

Denne side på dansk

I unpacked my things in the rain, underslept and underprepared – thunder and lightning having woken me earlier from my fitful sleep. Crouched over my painting to protect it from the rain, I looked down towards the lake Åsemyre.

Later, after several hours sheltering under the tarp in a foul mood, I began to question the whole LAND project. I felt imprisoned by the rules and structure I had imposed on myself. By Lilleborg, an old castle ruin situated deep in the forest, I made a quick painting of the forest reflected in the moat, before the rain returned.

Later, in another short break from the rain, I made a few quick sketches of the damselflies skimming back and forth across the lake.

Eventually the rain passed, and with it my negativity. A bashful sun returned, and the forest felt renewed, the colours, sounds, and smells intensified.

I walked through the woods heading west, at one point exploring an overgrown but fascinating arboretum. Later, in an overgrown granite quarry, of which there are many in the area, a large stand of thistles was covered with bees, moths, hoverflies, beetles, and butterflies.

A little later still, close the edge of Grankule lake, I tried to paint the light in the trees again, this time a little more loosely.

From here I crossed the main road and headed once more into Bornholm’s fieldscape. The narrow road was unmetalled and snaked through pea fields, filled with wildflowers, and visited by bouncing charms of goldfinch. I joined a larger road and enjoyed, for the first time during the LAND project, a view west, over rolling fields all the way to the sea – my LAND home for the next many months.

I headed south for a while, and then back into the forest – on a bit of a mission to find ‘Bobbastenen’, a huge granite erratic boulder deep in the forest. It was not signposted, which made it all the more special when I finally found it, gargantuan and nestled between the boughs of the trees that had grown up around it.

From here I walked to the old quarry at Bjergebakke, one of my favourite places on Bornholm and the venue for many paintings and installations. All the more irritating then that my painting of the dynamited granite walls was so unsuccessful.

A short walk then took me to my final destination, the standing stones at Store Bjergbakkegård. I managed to make a quick sketch before the day was done – and so was I.

LAND 29

WEATHER REPORT – rain in the morning, then sunny periods. Temperature 14 – 19 degrees. Wind 1 – 6 m/s, from the W. Hours of precipitation: 3.5 hours. Hours of sunshine: 6 hours.

STOPS with the BIVVY – 1

KILOMETRES WALKED – 16.85 km

DAY LASTED – 16h and 31 m

PEOPLE TALKED TO – 1

BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 41 species: 0 new = 123 species

LESSONS LEARNED – I learned how to make a fork out a twig (forgot my ‘spork’)

IN MY HEAD – My week teaching at the højskole filled my head. Also relationships – especially a long and wonderful one.

Denne side på dansk

LAND 27 Less than four hours after returning from a short and intense trip to Paris, my phone alarm dragged me out of my slumber. I was exhausted and underslept and wondered if I would last the day. The first several hours were spent in and around my home, preparing for the trip and walking around our property. The first drawing I made with my feet.

I sat in our small wood and tried to get my eye in.

I trained my telescope on the nesting swallows in the eaves above our doorway. Close up, they were strange and reptilian looking.

Eventually I set off, heading north towards Udkæret: my local patch. For once I was not alone – my youngest daughter had decided (voluntarily) to accompany me for much of the day. For this I was very glad, and I concentrated on enjoying the day with her and getting through my tiredness, instead of stressing about my painting.

It was very windy and there was vigorous energy in the day. Bornholm had finally been blessed with rain and felt renewed. The verges were full of rosebay willowherb and meadowsweet, the air fragrant with the scent of lady’s bedstraw. Absolutely a summer’s day.

We stayed and painted the geese and gulls at Udkæret. The light was fantastic, and I could have spent all day there.

Ida walked home and I carried on, trudging along very well-known roads. I headed south towards Klint. Here I looked back towards the central forest.

On the way up to Klint quarry, I met the owner of the land who told me a little about the history of the quarry which had closed at the end of the 60s. With the exception of a few isolated concrete footings, all traces of industry have now been erased and the area is now a local beauty spot.

From the top of the quarry walls I enjoyed the fantastic view to the south and east.

I walked the last four or so kilometres to Vestermarie – past our much beloved old house – and painted as the last rays of the sun lit up the side of the church.

LAND 27

WEATHER REPORT – overcast then sunny in the afternoon. Temperature 16 – 19 degrees. Wind 6 – 8 m/s, from the SW. Hours of precipitation: 0 hours. Hours of sunshine: 7 hours.

STOPS with the BIVVY – 0

KILOMETRES WALKED – 17.18 km

DAY LASTED – 17h and 12 m

PEOPLE TALKED TO – 2

BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 57 species: 5 new (oystercatcher, curlew, ringed plover, ruff, peregrine), running total = 123 species

LESSONS LEARNED – washing my brushes in the quarry was stupid – they filled with grit.

IN MY HEAD – the lovely three days in Paris to visit my middle daughter, the impending visit of my parents and trip to Fanø

Denne side på dansk

LAND 26 Swathes of velvety mist lay draped low on the fields and valleys, while above the sky was clear. I positioned myself at the eastern end of Ekkodalen (‘Echo Valley’) and got straight to work. A pair of trumpeting cranes flew overhead, and the intimidating bark-screams of roe deer echoed between the valley’s sheer granite walls.

Ekkodalen was to be my venue for most of the rest of the day. Bornholm’s largest rift valley, it is a deep scar running through Bornholm, beginning at the beach at Saltuna – where I started LAND half a year ago. Here, in the centre of the island, the valley is at its deepest and most impressive, the mauvish-grey granite walls rising vertically from the narrow valley floor. Ekkodalen is a popular tourist spot on Bornholm, and the shouts of tourists calling for their echo accompanied me for much of the day. For now though, and for many more hours, I had all of the valley to myself.

I carried on along the valley, looking back to where I had started.

Before crossing the valley floor, I made one more study of the granite façade. The day was overcast but pleasant enough with an even and stable light.

I climbed the steep stairs up and switched back, walking through the tangled oakwood along the edge of the valley walls. At various points a break in the foliage enabled a clear view down to the valley floor and the path below. On the face of a large granite rockface, an ‘Ozymandius’ moment, as I struggled to read Bergsø’s rather faded poem to Hans Rømer, one of the island’s most celebrated sons, who was responsible for founding, fencing and planting huge areas of Bornholm.

I carried on through the forest and then back down to the valley, which I followed up to Gamleborg – ‘Old Castle’ – a fortified settlement built in Viking times. The stronghold was abandoned long ago and only some granite walls remain – Bornholm’s oldest stone structure. I stopped here and rested under the shelter of my tarp as it had started to rain.

Now I switched back again and walked in the forest parallel to the valley, through mature beech forest and huge fir plantations. These familiar paths have been incised into my very being through countless walks and runs and I felt completely at ‘home’.

I sat on ‘Dronningesten’ and looked across the valley and further still, across the newly diverted Læså, over fields and all the way to the distant Baltic sea.

I walked along the edge of the valley and then switched back once again, descending to the valley floor and walking along paths very familiar to me, but seeing them with new eyes. The dark forest in the rain is a magical place and the immersive surround-sound of the falling rain seemed to concentrate my vision.

Time was running out and regrettably I picked up my pace. I waded through the long soaking grass of Egeholm, ending up on the edge of what had once been a huge lake, and later still a wetland area, before being drained for agriculture. This huge area is now being rewilded – the drainage pipes destroyed and the Læs stream returned to its original course. I looked out over the fields at the cranes, geese, roe deer, and hare, and felt encouraged.

From the birdwatching tower at Kjærgård, I looked back towards the Ekkodalen and the forest. Overhead, recently fledged marsh harriers chased and gambolled in the wind. From here it was just a couple more kilometres to my house, where I arrived just as the sun set behind the clouds, exhausted and elated, half through the year, and half way through Bornholm.

LAND 26

WEATHER REPORT – overcast most of the day, raining in the afternoon. Temperature 16 – 19 degrees. Wind 2 – 6 m/s, from the SW. Hours of precipitation: 6 hours. Hours of sunshine: 1 hours.

STOPS with the BIVVY – 2

KILOMETRES WALKED – 13.30 km

DAY LASTED – 17h and 17 m

PEOPLE TALKED TO – 0

BIRDS SEEN and HEARD – 44 species: 1 new (spotted redshank), running total = 118 species

LESSONS LEARNED – the Yr weather app is rubbish

IN MY HEAD – I was thinking a lot about the wonderful week teaching watercolour at the Højskole, about the fantastic students, the things I said to them about painting (value, colour, intensity, etc) and the Højskole itself – the singing and socialising.