A sunset bike ride to the geological wonder of Klintebakken

Two days ago, I arrived on the rocky island of Bornholm for three weeks of archaeological excavations at Vasagård near Åkirkeby. For those three weeks, we’re staying at Åkirkeby Camping. I have many trips around the island planned, as there’s a lot that I want to see, but today, it was too windy for a bike ride after work. Instead, I decided to wait until the evening and go for a short bike ride in the neighborhood, on the lookout for a great sunset spot.

On our way to and from Vasagård, I had spotted this protected nature area called Klintebakken. That’s where I decided to go this evening. It’s located under a kilometer from the camping site, and it holds many exciting secrets, just waiting to be discovered.

A geological pearl

Klintebakken is one of the most geologically interesting areas on Bornholm, because it lies on the border zone between the Northern Scandinavian bedrock area, consisting mainly of granite and gneiss, and the Central European lowering area, where the bedrock is covered by thick layers of sandstone, clay and limestone.

Here, you will find 1,700 million year old gneiss and 500 million year old sandstone.

The area is hilly and steep, with the peak of the terrain consisting of the gneiss formations of Klintebakken with dwarf bushes and various types of trees. There are many large rocks that were moved to the area via the glaciers during the ice ages.

A fossilised seabed

To the south of Klintebakken, next to a sandstone quarry, lies probably the most interesting geological phenomenon on the island; a 540 million year old fossilised seabed. The seabed contains rare traces of waves and jellyfish, which are only seen in a few other places in the world!

You should’ve seen my face when I discovered this place. I had no idea that it existed before I started walking down the path towards it. Bornholm is definitely full of secret gems!

The sunset

When I was done exploring the fossilised seabed, it was almost time for sunset. I wasn’t at the highest point in the landscape, but it was a good spot. I watched as it disappeared slowly below the horizon, leaving the sky bathed in orange and purple colours. It definitely won’t be the last time that I’ll be viewing the sunset from this spot!

By now, it was time to head back to the camping place. I biked along the gravel path, past the interpretive center NaturBornholm, dedicated to the geology and natural history of Bornholm, which I’ll be visiting sometime during these three weeks, and then back home to the cabin that I’m staying in with Lula.

Now it’s time to hit the bed, as we have another early start at Vasagård tomorrow. Good night!