TRAVEL - MOTORING IN DENMARK

In search of something different, I decided on Denmark - a forgotten choice but a surprisingly rewarding one. Unlike most of the rest of mainland Europe, it's not actually on the way to anywhere; that means lightly trafficked roads and a generally calmer atmosphere.

Mind you, that has changed a little since the fixed link was completed between Zealand in NorthEast Denmark and Scania in Southern Sweden. This 16km tunnel and bridge complex connects the Scandinavian peninsular and continental Europe. In theory, overnight, Denmark - and more specifically its capital Copenhagen - has been transformed into a halfway halt from the South of France to the Arctic Circle.

In practice however, it's a little different. For the time being, Denmark remains Europe's best kept short-haul motoring citybreak secret. Getting there is a lot less stressful than travelling to one of the main European capitals. You simply find your way to Harwich in Essex for one of Scandinavian Seaways crossings to Esbjerg in the extreme West of Denmark. The port is on the main Danish Island of Jutland.



Travellers to Copenhagen simply cross to the central island of Funen and then, via a huge, recently completed bridge, to the island of Sealand, where the Danish capital sits on the East Coast. It's a fast 21/2-hour trip with dual carriageway all the way.



More importantly, perhaps, you start out upon it completely relaxed. As a colleague of mine recently remarked, “there's hardly a more relaxing way of travelling than going by sea. Time is on your hands. You've got no traffic jams to worry you. You are virtually forced to relax, lie back and enjoy it.”



Scandinavian Seaways calls short motoring trips like this 'Cruisebreaks', a name intended to portray the 'big ship' atmosphere now found aboard its vessels. I have to a...