Summary

For the first time we venture into northern waters with a Cruise and Cycle holiday on the Flying Dutchman of Kapitän Klaas (click on the Other Information tab above for more details of the boat). The Danish South Sea (dansk Sydhav) is the Danish part of the Baltic Sea situated south of the Little Belt and the Great Belt.

Together with our tour guide we will discover the Islands of Ærø, Langeland, Funen and Als as well as the varied landscapes on the Nordic fjord. Scenes of magnificent manor houses, cosy villages and farmhouses with reed rooves will be enjoyed as we cycle by on mainly level or gently undulating trails. Discover prehistorical dolmen and barrows, watch the wild horses on Langeland and marvel at the fairytale world which inspired Hans Christian Andersen – during a break the world famous Danish waffles should be tasted!

"The first thing to say is that it was a fabulous holiday - full of new experiences, and great company. One major point to note is that unlike the 3 other on-board weeks we have been on, it was a real sailing lugger. It was as much a sailing experience as a cycling one. Annika, who captains the ship when Klaas is not there, guided us in hauling the right ropes etc to raise the sails at the right times, and once we had caught the wind, the engine was turned off. This gave the holiday an extra sense of adventure - especially the final leg from Marstal to Kiel when we were going at about 8 knots with a force 6-7 wind.

As a consequence of being on a sailing boat that was dependent on the winds and the weather, we were not able to stick very closely to the advertised programme, we went clockwise, and missed out a couple of sections. This was not a problem since we had a briefing / discussion each evening or in the morning when the Capt would explain what was possible in terms of where we could reach, and then the 2 guides (who were both very good/friendly/professional) would sort out an appropriate cycle ride for us - including maps. For us it was a wonderful holiday. It is worth warning people about the sailing aspect, since some people may find choppy seas cause sea-sickness. So long as they come prepared with sea-sickness pills I am sure they would enjoy it as much as we did. We would definitely consider going on the Flying Dutchman again." (Peter Bussy June 2011) To see Peter's full testimonial click here