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      Denmark is a Country made up of a large lump jutting north from Germany from the German border until it meets the Skagerrak at Skagen some 200 miles North.   Besides this large Peninsular known as Jutland, there are hundreds of Islands, but mainly no more than about a dozen with any significant population, and this numbers in total to about 5 million,   The easiest and most enjoyable way of getting there is via the North Sea Ferry service run by DFDS Seaways.
         The crossing from Harwich to Esbjerg takes about 19 hours and should really be regarded as a mini-cruise and certainly part of the holiday and not just as a means of getting from here to there.   There is a choice of accommodation on board ranging from a couchette up to a Commodore Suite with room service, proper beds and a large window
to watch your journey from.   Although you can go on a round trip with just a few hours ashore, it really is worth-while taking the car and exploring this Country more widely.
        A few miles from Esbjerg is the very old and half-timbered town of Ribes.   Everywhere is very flat, but not boring because of that.   The highest point is in Jutland at a small hamlet called Himmelbjergtarnet which is all of 147 metres high!!   This is actually situated right in the heart of the Danish Lake District which is centred around Silkeborg and Skanderborg, and there are lots of tiny hamlets here which look as though they belong in another time altogether.
         My wife and I have been going to Denmark on a pretty regular basis now for some 30 years, and it used to be necessary to take at least two ferry journeys to get from Jutland, across the island of Fyn (passing by the Hans Christian town of Odense on the way) and then onto the island of Sjaelland where the Capital, Copenhagen is situated.   Now, with new and very impressive road bridges, you can drive all the way, although be prepared for some hefty toll charges for using the bridges instead of paying for the Ferry!!
          Avoid the main towns if you can for accommodation, and instead look out for their local inns called Kro`s.   Except at the very height of their busy season, which is from mid-June to end of July (their Schools break up for their summer holidays a fair bit earlier than ours) there is probably very little need to book in advance.   You can always be assured of a warm welcome, because almost without exception, everyone speaks excellent English, probably better than you do!! There was a time when all Scandinavian countries were very much more expensive to stay than in Great Britain.   However, this is no longer the case and their prices now seem very reasonable, which is probably more a reflection on our high prices than on their more modest ones!

       Although a phrase book may be pretty much surplus for a holiday in Denmark, a detailed map is a must.   Although most places never seem very far apart, you will want to amble to appreciate the difference of the Danish countryside with more thatched, half-timbered farms and cottages than you will ever find in England.   Look out too on the top of the buildings for the Stork nests.   If you go around April time, you will almost certainly see the adult Storks taking it in turns to feed their offsping.   Their nests are invariably a very untidy mass of sticks and twigs which you would never imagine as offering any sort of comfortable nest for their young, however, each is lined with the soft down from the parent birds, and a Stork nest is considered by the owner of the chimney on which it is built to be very lucky indeed.
        Although Denmark spans the same latitudes as Leeds to Aberdeen, it always seems to have very much better weather.   Once the East to South-East winds have warmed up,the temperatures can soar into the 90`s.   A fact not lost out on the naturist lovers who flock to the west coast of Jutland from Hanstholm to Harboor (nearest large town Holstebro).    Here, the large beach acts as a coast road with cars allowed onto the beach with a 20km speed limit, and which runs parallel with the main road that runs some 2-3 kms inland.   Large sandunes separate the beach from the wealth of holiday homes and camp sites which abound here.
          Copenhagen deserves at least three days and possibly more to appreciate this proud sea-trading city, with its old harbour at Nyhavn being the Mecca for tourists with cafes and gift shops, and leading off from here is Strogert, one of the earliest pedestrian shopping precincts in existence, and where you can find the home of fine porcelain, at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Shop.   The prices will shock you but the design and variety of the pieces they produce will enthral.   The Danes have always prided themselves on innovative design and in their furniture and porcelain, they still excel.