This weekend in April marked our second wedding anniversary, and we wanted to celebrate it in a special way. So, we got on our bikes and set off on a bike packing adventure that took us to the islands of Sylt and Rømø. The sun was shining all the time and the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, but unfortunately, we also had to contend with fierce gusts of up to 50 km/h. In addition, Jana's gears broke down after only a few kilometers, which meant that she had to ride the entire tour in only one gear. Nevertheless, we didn't let it get us down and stuck to our goal. In this blog post, we share our experiences with you and reveal how we finally prevailed against the odds.

First stop: Morsum cliff

Early in the morning we took the train from Hamburg-Altona to Sylt and got off in Morsum after almost three hours on the train. Our first stop on this day was the Morsum cliff, which we had wonderful memories of from our last visit to the island. We wanted to have our second breakfast there and enjoy the view. During the short ride there, we already noticed that it was going to be a windy day. But we didn't let ourselves be deterred and set off. After all, we had just arrived and still had a lot ahead of us that day. When we finally arrived at the Morsum cliff, we were once again amazed by the beautiful view we had. We briefly ate a snack and then set off again.

There's nothing worse than a headwind, in Jana's opinion. Headwind is her nemesis. Therefore, we hoped that the wind would still turn that day. We set off along beautiful but bumpy dirt roads and then rode through Keitum, which is always an eye-catcher with its beautiful old Frisian houses. Just as we were leaving the Sylt airport next to us, our tummies spoke up. Unfortunately, the snack at the cliff had not been enough to satisfy our cravings. Actually, we didn't want to include Westerland in our route, but it was the closest place at that moment. We still had a score to settle with Sylt and wanted to try fries again. Maybe you remember our Sylt circumnavigation, where we had been looking in vain for a portion of fries. This time we were more successful and found what we were looking for at the "Münchner Hahn". Of course, why not eat fries on a North Sea island at a snack bar with a Bavarian reference? Anyway, full and satisfied, we set off again.

We continued on our way along the west coast, when suddenly Jana's gearshift stopped working. She had already noticed that something was wrong before, but now it did not shift at all. We had had problems with the Di2 and the connection to the battery at home before, but we thought we had it sorted out. We were wrong. And of course, we didn't have the right tools with us. There it was, our first learning for the next tour. So now Jana was left with only one gear, but she wasn't giving up. We had planned a short stop at a beach, which was beautiful on the one hand and had a clean toilet trailer on the other hand. Unfortunately, at the dune that stood between us and the beach, Jana then had to push, since the ramp and the surface, with the luggage on the bike and the wrong gear, were so unrideable for her. I could have saved myself the "Who loves their bike, pushes" saying when riding past, but sometimes I first speak and then think.

Cycling on Sylt is always a highlight for us. It allows you to get to the most beautiful spots on the island, places that you might only be able to reach by bike or by foot. Of course, the island is always full of tourists, including e-bike tourists. But hey, we are tourists too, so we have no right to complain. After all, we also want to see and enjoy the beautiful places. So, what makes us "better" tourists than others? Nothing. So let's stop complaining and be happy that so many people aim to discover the island and its beauties.

Unfortunately, we had to change our actual route a bit because we were not quite in timing anymore. The headwind and the broken gearshift were not really helpful. We therefore decided to skip the Ellenbogen, the northernmost point of the island (and Germany), this time, even though it is beautiful there and the north of the island is our favorite place. Instead, we wanted to take a ferry earlier at the List harbor and thus have more time on Rømø. Jana has never been to Rømø, but I always rave about it so much that she was very excited. We already knew Sylt, but Rømø had so many secrets in store for us. So, we made our way to the harbor and looked forward to our next adventure island.

The Sylt ferry was already waiting in the harbor and was about to depart. Perfect timing! With the ferry, you only need 30 minutes from Sylt to Rømø. A ticket for one person including the bike costs 12 euros. Unfortunately, there were no really good places to leave our bikes on the ferry, or we overlooked them. So, we decided to stay with them and hold them. As a result, we regrettably saw nothing of the landscape during the crossing and were also annoyed by the alarm systems of the cars next to us set off by the vibrations. But after all, we were soon at our destination and were looking forward to exploring Rømø.

The ferry docked on time in Havneby (the port might look familiar if you've seen the Roman Polanski movie "The Ghost Writer") and we were cleared to ride off the ferry after all the cars. We were farewelled by obviously high-spirited, singing sailors and made our way towards Sønderstrand. Rømø is a beautiful island that somehow manages to captivate people. The sandy beach is endless and the sky is so infinitely blue. We were lucky that the weather was on our side and the sun kept shining. All of a sudden, the wind was gone, too. How great! This is how we liked it to stay.

It only took a few minutes for a real vacation feeling to set in. I wondered what it would be like if we were to stay here for a little longer, maybe even a whole month. With our jobs, that's quite possible. The only catch is our cat, which unfortunately prevents us from doing so. But how nice it would be to go out by bike before or after work or for lunch break and lose ourselves directly in this beautiful Scandinavian landscape. It would be quite something to be able to work in such stunning surroundings. However, I also have to admit that Rømø is quite a small island and the rides would eventually perhaps always look the same. The well-known saying 'the grass is always greener on the other side' seems to apply in this case. Nevertheless, it was a really nice thought.

With these thoughts in mind, we rolled on towards Lakolk Strand. At the campground, we were a bit lost at first and couldn't find our site for the night. The grass overgrown stones with numbers on them were hard to see, and we had trouble finding our way around. Fortunately, other campers were able to help us, and we eventually found our spot. It was our first time using our tent, and we had to figure out exactly how to set it up. It's a breeze to set up, but when it's as windy as it was at that moment, it can take a little longer. It was at that moment that we must have been happy about the existence of SUVs because our neighbor offered to put his in front of our tent as a windbreak. That really helped a lot to have such a tank, as a windbreaker.

When the tent was finally pitched, we made our way to the beach. The sun was still shining, and it was windy, but the temperatures were still pleasant. Jana was completely impressed by the size of the beach when she saw it. It is 12 km long and 1-3 km wide, and the fact that cars are allowed to ride on it was something entirely new for her. We sheltered in the middle of the beach behind a mini dune and called my mother to tell her about our adventure. After the phone call, we made our way to the ocean. The sand crunched under our wheels and the wind whipped at our faces. When we reached the sea, the sky was still colored in different shades of red and the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately, it got cold pretty quickly, and we had to make our way back. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable evening, and we were already looking forward to the next day of our trip.

Back at the campsite, we made a quick meal with our small stove and then crawled into our sleeping bags. Of course, not without first securing the wheels double and triple. We have a great bike insurance, but you never know. ...

The first night in the tent together was exciting. We were both a bit nervous if everything would work out and if we would have enough space. But after a few minutes we had already gotten used to the confinement and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I was awake before Jana and woke her carefully. We had decided to explore the island a little again at sunrise, without our luggage on the bike. Unfortunately, the night had not been very restful. Sleeping in a sleeping bag is still a bit unfamiliar, and sometimes the noises made when someone turns around can seem quite loud. Regardless, we proceeded with our plan and discovered a lake in the middle of a small wooded area that looked beautiful in the morning light. I had been to Rømø a few times before, but the lake was also new to me. After we ate breakfast and took down the tent and packed everything, we headed out. The wind had died down a bit overnight, but now it picked up again.

During the morning ride, we had noticed that Jana's gears were suddenly working again. This made things a little better looking into today, as she hoped not to have to fight the wind again with only one gear. Especially not with the Rømø dam ahead. The dam connects the island with the Danish mainland, is just about 10 km long, and it only goes straight through the Wadden Sea.

Well, we had rejoiced a little too early, hardly had we attached our bags to the bikes again, the gears suddenly stopped working again. We were baffled and discreetly annoyed. But we did not want to take the ferry to Sylt again, but ride back over the Danish mainland. So we had no other choice but to keep on pushing. The ride on the causeway was a special experience, although it is questionable whether it was stunning. There are only two or three parking bays along the entire route where you can safely stop. You get passed by cars and RVs that don't pass too close, but then the wind slams in all the harder when it's been briefly blocked by a camper or a truck. It was a little scary, but we had no choice but to bravely hang on. I rode incessantly in front of Jana to at least give her some slipstream. I think my pulse got pretty racing there, we in terms of speed rather less.

After we had successfully passed the Rømø dam, left the main road and reached the first gravel road on the dike, we took a short break sheltering from the wind to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a huge protein cookie. Because as we all know, no munch, no fight! As we continued to ride along the beautiful gravel path along the dike, which is part of the North Sea Coastal Bike Path, we spotted cute baby sheep everywhere, watching us curiously. One of the sheep almost stumbled in front of our wheels. Fortunately, we were traveling slowly anyway to avoid the lambs, and we were able to brake in time. The strong tailwind made riding much easier, and we were on our way much faster than expected. As soon as we reached the German border, however, we immediately felt the stress of the motorists again. We wondered why the drivers in Denmark are so relaxed and prudent, while just a few kilometers away, suddenly everyone is driving like hell.

We stopped at a farm store with a self-service machine and Jana got us two bottles of Fritz-Cola to shorten the waiting time for the train to Hamburg. Since we arrived earlier than expected in Klanxbüll, we just saw the previous train leaving. So, we had to wait an hour, but at least we had the Fritz-Cola to pass the time.

Our first Overnighter was really a special experience, and we have many fond memories of it. We realized that we really enjoyed cycling in Denmark and will surely plan another tour soon. See you soon, Rømø!

Our vlog for this tour: