Camping For Free in Denmark
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
- IT DOES HAVE WATER - See pinned comment.
Denmark has an absolutely amazing system of free to use camping shelters scattered across the whole country. Not only are they free but they are well built, fantastically maintained and often better than expensive campsites. This video is about my experience of using them and a few tips so you can get the most out of them as well.
Ud I Naturen
A map of all camping options in Denmark. It's in Danish but use the menu to select different options and go from there.
udinaturen.dk
Shelter (Android app)
play.google.co...
OpenCycleMap
opencyclemap.org/
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It does have water. The tap is located near the exit from the site close to the gravel road.
You know this spot? It's a great one, I have such good memories of my night here :)
I did actually find the tap you mention the next day - I literally spotted it as I was leaving but by then the video was already done so it didn't get a mention.
@@JethroJessop I'm actually going tomorrow with my son.
@@jayceekali4317 very nice. I'm quite envious of you. I really wish we had stuff like this in the UK as it just makes little trips so easy.
Have a great time, I hope you get some good weather
Do all of these sites have watertaps?
@@IvarTheBonerless most of them do. Some of them are shut off in the winter season though.
What a Lovely little love letter to the Danish shelters 😊
Thank you. They are worthy of love letters. Such a fantastic resource!
WOW, they sure know how to make people feel welcome over there so they can enjoy the country, take care.
They really do. I've enjoyed it so much here, it's been a great ride.
We are headed to Denmark on our bikes - going to bring just sleeping/cooking stuff and maybe a mosquito net and a tarp. Thrilled to not have to lug the tent along.
I also didn't find the bugs particularly bad. I didn't use a net while I was in any of the shelters and I got away unbitten.
Dunno if it was the time of year or the fact that I was fairly close to the coast, or maybe the bugs just aren't as bad in DK.
Have a great trip!
When i watched this video in 2019 i had no experience touring/bikepacking, and in fact i had not even owned a bike for 10+ years.
I bought a bike for commuting the prior year that i exlusively rode to university and the supermarket, 6 months later i was traveling from Copenhagen to Fredrikshavn on my super basic bike with two panniers. All i brought was a sleeping bag and some clothes.
It was probably the most transformative experience of my life. I had never enjoyed camping and didnt even really enjoy being outdoors, i even hated exercise (i still do) I just wanted a challange and to experience something i had never done.
Since then i have gone on a long trip every other year or so and i use my bike every day.
I got a new outlook on life and generally became a much happier person.
That's awesome! You are one of the lucky ones to have found something that fulfills you in that way.
My first tour was also pretty eye opening so I absolutely know what you mean.
It isn't about exercise (I also have no interest in that) it's about freedom.
Long may you keep peddling with a smile on your face! 😃
0:43 You actually can free-camp in a lot of forrests, as long as you're not visible by cars and buildings, and as long as you use a designated fireplace / a firestove that has protective shielding for the fire, so it's not "open". They recommend Trangia stoves.
As I understood it (and I could be wrong) - free camping is allowed for hammocks, tarps and bivvy bags but not tents. These must be on designated sites. There are quite a lot of area of forest that allow wild camping but it is far from the norm.
Dude thanks! this was really useful! i'm currently in Denmark and im willing to find one of these places! Gracias!
Glad to be helpful. How are things in Denmark? It's not a great time to be traveling right now
These shelters are amazing. Great idea. 👍
I wish we had them in the UK. Such a fantastic system and an amazing way to encourage people out into the countryside
My favorite type of road too.
I've never been to Denmark, but a cycle holiday, using those shelters is now on the cards. Another great video, thank you. By the way, I have helped you towards your UA-cam millions by subscribing.
Thank you for the sub, I really appreciate it. And I definitely recommend a trip to Denmark, its a great country to cycle around and if you are after some wilder terrain its an easy and cheap ferry ride across to Sweden and some of the best cycling I have ever done.
welcome to Denmark buddy :)
I felt welcome indeed and had a really great time there
Great video!
Thank you. Glad you liked and hope you found it useful :)
So helpful thanks a lot!
My pleasure. Denmark is a great country to wander through. If you are planning a trip then I hope you enjoy it 😀
I first came across the videos from this trip during lockdown. They provided the perfect escapism for me, and inspired me to become a cycle tourist. Nearly 3 years later, I’m planning a big (ish) trip in Denmark next summer and can’t wait. One question; would it be possible to plan a trip using these shelters and not need to use a tent?
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
That's awesome! If I played even a small part in inspiring a bike adventure then I am super pleased :)
In terms of availability I think you could definitely plan a route that would end you at a shelter every night.
The only concern would be turning up to find no spaces available. I never encountered this but I generally stop quite early so when I shared with others I was always the first to arrive. Depending on time of year, location and your preferred arrival time it is possible (though unlikely) that you could get crowded out.
I suppose you could take a lightweight tarp or a bivvy bag as emergency shelter just in case.
The other consideration would be showers. I only found one of these that had a shower so if you are on the road for a long while and want to be better than baby wipe clean you might struggle.
What route are you looking at doing?
@@JethroJessop More than a small part, I’d say finding your videos was the catalyst to me getting into bike touring at all. I’ve since purchased a touring bike, done several multi-day tours in the UK, but next summer will be my first trip abroad.
Very useful to know! I’m planning to ferry to Hook of Holland, cycle to Amsterdam, train to Flensburg, and then follow the EuroVelo Route 10 to Copenhagen before flying home. Very excited indeed!
@@ollieking3538 That sounds great. I've just been looking at the route.
Its always nice to have a trip planned for the future, I hope you have an amazing time and it fires you up for more. From there its only a short hop to Sweden and Norway and enough touring options to keep you busy for the rest of your life!
Keep me posted, I want to hear how it all goes!
Good chap
Hey Jethro! I hope this comment finds you well... My girlfriend and I are just about to embark on a month long camping trip around Scandinavia, and we come across this video. Along with a bit of internet stalking, I managed to find out exactly where it is! - the internet is a crazy thing. Anyways, we are going to head to that area of Denmark later next week, and will hope to stay in the shelters in your video! Safe travels, and we'll be keeping up with your travel videos
I'm really glad you found what you wanted. As I said in the videos the shelters are amazing, you won't be disappointed. Every one I tried was a good experience. Have a fantastic trip!
Where can I find this shelter? :)
Thanks for the video!
My pleasure. I hope it was helpful :)
Thanks so much for this video, it's inspired me to go on a bike packing tour around Southern Denmark next summer (assuming we're allowed by then). Have you ever been worried about the safety of your bike whilst in Denmark/Scandinavia generally, either at night or when you visit supermarkets etc?
Really glad to hear this, thank you! I couldn't ask for more than to inspire a bike ride. I always throw a lock on the bike when I'm camped or in a shop but this is more from habit than anything else and other than phone, wallet and passport I always leave everything on the bike when I'm in shops. I never had any problems and figured it has to be done so you just have to do what you can and trust people. Of all the other cyclists I've encountered in that part of the world I've only ever heard of one theft and I think that was in Germany in a larger city (which I always try to avoid anyway - large cities I mean, not Germany :).
I really hope the world is back out and touring again by next summer! If you do get to do your ride then let me know how it goes. Also, keep in mind that depending where you are in Denmark it is cheap and easy to get a ferry to Sweden where there is also some amazing cycling to be found!
It's nice to see someone take such a relaxed approach to touring. It's easy to find stuff online where people are fixated on gear and routes and stuff, but I guess the important thing is to just get your arse in the saddle and pedal. The idea of being able to do this with a rough idea of where you're going and be able to pitch up for free pretty much anywhere is very attractive indeed. Would you recommend bringing a tent, or are there enough of the shelter plads about that you don't need to bother? That's really good to hear. I'm a little nervous as I'll be touring on a Brompton, but if it's as safe as that then maybe I shouldn't be (will take usual precautions, of course).
I will do! I'm planning to ride from Flensburg to Copenhagen, following the Baltic coast - I'd love to carry on up the Swedish coast from Mälmo but I expect that'll have to be for another trip.
@@ollieking3538 for me it is all about the ride and seeing some places I've never seen before. I don't worry about riding fast or covering massive distances. The thing I enjoy about touring, is having no schedule and no pressure.
I would say that you could most likely do that route without a tent but if want to do a bit of research first if I was going to try it. You might decide to hit a campsite for a shower in which case you will usually need a tent or you may arrive at your chosen shelter to find people already in there.
I rarely used my tent but knowing it was there if I needed it was reassuring.
I'd also check your route for surface if you are on a Brompton as there is a bit of gravel in the cycle network I seem to remember. It's generally good smooth gravel but I dunno what it would be like on smaller wheels
And he was never seen again… Actually Denmark exported all their CHAVs in 1993. It does say a lot about the people’s respect for what they have. Well done Denmark 🇩🇰
For sure. We could learn a lot from them when it comes to valuing the outdoors.
Subbed, followed , liked. Now I'd like my fragrance resemble pudding, thanks
I will get right to work on that!
Hey mate, I quite fancy going to denmark. How did you get there? I notice there is no ferry from UK to Denmark.
I got the ferry from Harwich to Rotterdam then a train to Niebüll which is just on the German side of the Danish border.
I actually cycled from Rotterdam to Amsterdam to get my train so the journey took basically two days and two nights but could be done quicker I'm sure.
I booked my train ticket over the phone through bahn.de which was really quick and easy. You need to book the bike in advance and there was a small fee for that but all in all the journey was pretty cheap and very comfy.
Hope your dreams come true😄
Well thank you my friend, so do I!
And I hope yours do too, whatever they may be :)
Do you remember the name of the campsite? Looks amazing
I do, it was this one maps.app.goo.gl/zxNvxWqSKnTvhjd7A
Well worth visiting, it was a beautiful spot!
Most of these sites are safe from bored youth because they're somewhat out of the way. The sites in the middle of smaller towns can be pretty bad. Common sense really... Kids in towns with less than 1000 people and nothing to do. Something's gonna get messed up ;)
Forest allowing wild camping is pretty much all forests owned by the government. Thing is, 2/3 of the forested area is privately owned.
And lastly, these shelter sites are divided into big and small camps. Small camps are first come, first serve. Big camps (Usually those with more than 2 shelters) can be booked and are mainly made for schools, business team building and such. But you're of cause free to use them if there's nobody there ;)
That's interesting about the big and small. I didn't know that. And I did actually stay in one shelter in the very last night right in town. It was locked and I had to send an SMS to get the code to enter. In the eve some kids climbed on the roof but they were pretty quiet and had all gone home by 10pm. I enjoyed every shelter I stayed in and will hopefully do more very soon. So cool.
is it allowed to camp there with a vehicle? planning a 4x4 overland trip .
They look excellent shelters for touring round . Same idea as bothies i suppose only problem with bothies up here 🏴 is some do tend to get used and abused by wee neds as drinking dens 😡.
Yeah, I didn't see any of that in DK even when the sites where an easy ride from towns.
I guess it must happen but I found them to be 100% clean, tidy and maintained. TP in the loos, tinder and logs for the firepits, even pots and pans sometimes.
Sad to say that they wouldn't last 5 minutes in England before being set fire to or filled with rubbish.
Are there spiders inside the shelters? just curious. Going bike touring in denmark soon
There probably are if you search into all the nooks and crannies but generally they were incredibly well maintained and tidy.
They definitely aren't cobweb infested nightmares if that is your worry, more like sleeping in a newly built shed 😉
I loved them and can't recommend them enough.
Also, a thing to note, is that there is a website, naturstyrelsen.dk, where you can book shelters.
Edit: The one you checked out "Ud i naturen" under "Lejrplads"
I did look at some REALLY nice shelters - more like proper little cabins - that were bookable but none of them were near my route.
I stayed at one or two that said scout groups or a local school had priority but the majority actually stated that they were available first-come-first-serve and must be shared with whoever else happened to turn up.
I love the system - I met some really cool folk in these shelters :)
@@JethroJessop That's nice to hear :)
@@MrNight-dg1ug I has toyed with the idea of the full Danish coast all the way round this summer but of course that went out of the window. Would love to visit again though
@@JethroJessop I personally don't see the appeal in Denmark, but that's just my opinion.
I prefer more forested areas like Germany or Poland.
@@MrNight-dg1ug I'm definitely a forest type guy. Sweden is probably my favourite if the countries I've ridden in so far.
But I just really enjoyed Denmark for some reason. I guess it's and easy option, it's pretty, the people all seemed really friendly and the shelter network makes it super simple and cheap. It's a good long ish distance ride that you could do in a not too massive chunk of time.
I've heard good things about Poland but have never been. One day!
Where's this shelter located? :)
It is the Blokhus Klitplantage about 1 km south east of Blokhus on the north west coast.
The what3words address of the exact shelter (there are 4 on that site) is databases.peanut.clergy
Great video ! I couldn’t find the app. What is it named ?
It's just called Shelter and there is a link in the video description. I don't think it ranks very high in search results so if you search you might have to scroll down a bit to find it. Logo is an orange circle with a white shelter in the center, developer name is Peter Gjoel
Where did you get the ferry from and to? I can’t see any Scandinavian routes from UK. If, wanting to do a Denmark trip but with a Morgan car instead of 2 wheels! 😆
As far as I know there are no UK/Scandi ferry routes anymore. DFDS used to do some foot passage on cargo ships but even that got canned because of UK immigration control changes I think.
I got the ferry from Harwich to Rotterdam, then a train to the Danish border. There is also a Hull to Rotterdam route.
@@JethroJessop Thanks for info. I looked it up and it was a bit conflicting. Some sites still said there were sailings. Hull to Rotterdam would be best option for me as I am in Scotland.
@@Grant0610 I'm fairly sure they have all been cancelled now but if you do find one let me know because it would amazing to have.
@@Grant0610 In the good old days there were ferries from Scotland to Norway and Denmark I think. It's a real pity they don't run any more.
Nice. In the USA that would be taken over permanently by a squatter and the ones that aren’t would be filled with used condoms, drug needles, and random hoarder trash and pee. I hate living in a third world country
Yeah, I don't think they would last long in the UK either except in the most remote locations. Such a pity because they are an amazing resource and apparently get lots of use in Denmark
@@JethroJessop indeed. These things would be a god send during long bicycle tours. Especially when the inclement weather hits.
is it allowed to camp there with an overland vehicle?
I don't know to be honest. The one in the video would have been accessible by car but I don't know what the status of those gravel roads would be.
At another site I shared with two lads who turned up in a car so I'd say it probably is at most of them.
You'd have to do your own research though to be sure, don't take my word for it.
@@JethroJessop thanks, I guess research with the locals works the best. I drive a 4x4 so the roads (or lack of them) don’t matter that much 😜.
@@limafive yeah, if I had to guess I'd say most of them you could definitely access by car. It would depend on the rules per site I guess.
Check the website and see if the specific sites list access rules there.
Boo overlanding boooo cars GTFO!
@@KandiKlover muh bad cars, keep crying.
Shelters for cyclists only?
For anyone who cares to stay. I have shared with other cyclists, some rowers, two chaps who just came out for a BBQ and a guy who I think was probably homeless.
Horseback riders and foot hikers too.