SKULDELEV & JYLLINGE
For this cruise we were using a well-thumbed copy of Mark
Brackenbury’s Baltic Southwest Pilot. Brackenbury notes that
the southern reaches of Roskilde Fjord “are among my favourite
waters anywhere in Europe,” and we soon understood why.
At Skuldelev, we found a wonderful harbour out in the country,
with big skies and rich pasture fading into the distance. Lying
at a rickety pontoon, we were genuinely away from it all, with
no habitation in sight, no mobile signal and no WiFi. The largest
boat was a Princess 35. A low-key club keeps this mini paradise
going, repairing winter damage and replacing any rotten stakes.
We posted our coupon for dues through their letter box.
Jyllinge Havn was another tranquil retreat in glorious
surroundings, where local boats dodge between bird reserve
islands and patches of saltings. A yacht owner we met there
had cruised to England as far
as Dartmouth and knew one
of our regular pubs! An avid
Anglophile, he was particularly
fond of fi sh and chips.THE SOUTHERN SOUNDS
From Jyllinge, we skirted east of Eskilsø island and emerged into
a glittering lagoon dotted with sails. Punching a headwind, we had
a splashy ride across to the west shore, then curved south through
a magnifi cent sound towards Herslev Harbour, a popular dinghy
racing centre. In the spectacular outer bay, Lasers and Hobie Cats
were whizzing around in the lively breeze as we steered for a
conspicuous white beach. Herslev was a great place to stay, with
stunning panoramas and plenty of exuberant racing to watch.
The next day, we cruised right around the strangely shaped
Herslev peninsula and savoured a night at anchor inside a
boomerang-shaped islet called Sivholm. We had this wetlands
hideaway completely to ourselves, apart from two languid swans
and a fl otilla of grebes.ROSKILDE
This elegant old city at the head of the fjord is graced by the
soaring twin spires of an impressive brick cathedral, visible
from far out in the approaches. Various yacht harbours merge
along the shore, creating a delightful waterside walk. Roskilde
was the fi nale of our one-way charter and we arrived with time
in hand to visit the Viking Ship Museum and also enjoy a tourists’
day out in Copenhagen, less than half an hour by train.
The museum’s harsh concrete exterior might put you off going
in, but the exhibition is awe inspiring. To gaze upon these once-
powerful 11th-century cargo and warships that look so startlingly
real gives you an eerie perspective on time. The painstaking
operation to recover and stabilise these graceful hulls has caught
the imagination of millions of visitors.
After our Copenhagen city day, Sanne drove us back to
Holbæk where we’d left our car. We’d become quite attached
to our tubby little boat, which had carried us comfortably
around one of Denmark’s fi nest cruising areas at modest cost.
It was an enchanting week which gave us a vital Danish fi x.34TRAVEL
The awe-inspiring
Viking Ship Museum
in RoskildeRoskilde town centreBeautiful Roskilde
Harbour and sound