Cycling Sundruten: Along the strait between Lolland and Falster

On a cloudy morning in mid-October 2022, I embarked on a cycling journey along a route known as Sundruten (‘the Strait Route’) on Lolland and Falster, two Danish islands I’ve gotten to know pretty well the past two years.

I woke up feeling lazy and not really up for adventure, but with my time living on Lolland soon coming to an end and a list of adventures still to be had, I forced myself to go. My plan was to explore the area around Guldborg, a small town on both Lolland and Falster with a bridge connecting the two sides. I brought my bike along, got off the train in Grænge and started biking north. I soon realized I was on the established route, Sundruten, so I decided to keep following it. The scenic route is 44 kilometres and follows the banks of the strait between the two islands. I took a few detours and ended up biking 49 kilometres, and returning home with a very painful butt!

Upon getting off the train in Grænse, I cycled along country roads hugging the two large forests of Grænge Skov and Storskov. It was at the edge of these forests that I saw the sign for Sundruten and realized I was actually on the route. I looked up the brochure for the route online and decided to take all the detours to places it mentioned.

The first place was Hjelm Strand, an adorable little marina with a shelter that I definitely would’ve missed had it not been for the brochure. The sun finally showed its face as I explored the little marina.

Further along, I realized I was headed towards the highway where it goes under the strait in a tunnel connecting Lolland with Falster. The cycling route followed a dirt road over the entrance to the tunnel.

I biked alongside Majbølle Vildtreservat, a nature reserve which is home to thousands of waterfowl and migrating birds. I walked up a bird-watching tower to see a view over the nature reserve, but I saw hardly any birds. October might not be the best time of year for bird-watching!

Further along the coast, I stumbled upon another cute little marina, Majbølle Norvej Havn, where I stopped to enjoy my lunch with a view of Falster across the calm waters of the strait.

A little detour into Majbølle town followed, past its 13th-century brick church to the local windmill, a smock mill built in 1896 on the site of an earlier post mill.

Back on the route, I headed towards another forest called Storskov (this literally means ‘Big Forest’). I had the entire forest to myself and enjoyed the solitude and its beautiful autumnal colours. I entered the village of Soesmarke and soon after arrived in Guldborg, a very cozy town with many restaurants and a small harbour. I’d driven through Guldborg several times in 2021 when I worked on a preliminary excavation close by on Falster, and I’d wanted to return ever since for a proper visit. I found a bench to linger for a while and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.

It soon got too cold to sit still as the wind picked up and the sun hid behind a thick cloud coverage. I biked through the forests of Nordskov and Sønderskov, past the Vennerslund Manor from the early 13th century, and along the forests of Egeskov and Dronninghave to a primitive campsite at Klodskov by the shore. Another cozy, idyllic spot along the route!

I biked through the tiny rural village of Klodskov where the sun came back out in full force, and soon reached Ny Kirstineberg Manor, which dates back to 1867. This was my last stop before reaching Nykøbing Falster, the largest town on both Lolland and Falster.

I decided to end my trip there as sunset was approaching, so I cut the route short a little but still ended up biking 49 kilometres due to my many detours. The part of the route that I didn’t do goes through Storskov and past the Medieval centre, an open air museum that I’d already been to two times before, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything by skipping this part. That being said, if you do fancy doing this bike ride yourself, I would recommend paying a visit to the museum as it’s one of my favourite open air museums in the country!