Stage 8

The first stop on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route Stage 8 in Næstved is Karrebæksminde. This little fishing town that lies on Smålandsfarvandet - the Small-Land Channel - has a lovely atmosphere with an active harbour and beach community. Take a detour to Enø! Continue your journey from Karrebæksminde going west along the coast through luxuriant landscapes and farmlands. Stop for a minute to jump in the deep blue sea at one of the stunning beaches along the way, such as Bjørnebæk or maybe Bisserup.

At both of these, you will also find a lovely harbour community. As you carry on along the route to Skælskør, you’ll pass Holsteinborg Castle and Borreby Manor and feel the wings of time gentle caress you as you pass by. Travelling along, you become part of the stunning countryside, see beautiful farmhouses and notice a very active farming industry.

Stay in the atmospheric harbour of Skælskør before moving on to Korsør and the Storebælt Bridge. Korsør is all about the quaint little fishing huts in an array of colours. Steeped in maritime history, it still bears the mark of greatness as a former fortress, where even today the canons still point protectively towards Storebælt.

Holsteinborg Castle is approximately 25km from Næstved and 13 kilometres from Skælskør. The Trolle Family built the castle between 1598 and 1651. It has, since 1707, been in the Holstein Family - 12 generations. The main building is an impressive 4-winged installation on two levels, surrounded by a moat. A large, beautiful park with a superb view across Smålandsfarvandet, Storebælt and the idyllic small islands of Glænø and Ormø, surrounds the castle.

The world-renowned Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’, among other well-known works, spent much time at Holsteinborg. He visited the castle primarily in May 1856 and subsequently visited every year until his death in 1875. The castle was his home from home. He wrote, on a photograph from 1870, ‘It was at Holsteinborg castle that I first noticed the sun because it was here that sunshine was placed in my heart’. The park is open to the public, and there are guided tours of the house on Wednesdays and Sundays