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The Ø-dyssey
PART IV

SOUTH FUNEN: Across 17 islands and one of the most beautiful island groups in Europe

The South Funen Archipelago is a cluster of small Danish islands and islets in the waters between Funen Island and Germany. It stands out as one of the most beautiful island groups in Northern Europe where small cultural enclaves exist in untouched nature.

 

During the last ice age, the landscape was flooded and formed by the ice melting, thus creating 55 islands with a particular hilly landscape; The archipelago is the world's largest flooded ice age landscape. Going to one of the islands is quite a gear change down from the higher pulse on "mainland Denmark". People are more relaxed and operate on island-time. They spend time on local produce and to maintain their old beautiful farm houses. For these reasons the story of Denmark is told best by visiting one of the small islands South of Funen.

 

The South Funen islands are very different, each one of them having unique traits. Another feature is the weather, which is often mild and better than rest of Denmark. We have visited several dozens of islands and islets in this archipelago, and based on size and uniqueness 17 islands stand out and has to be included if we were to make a Top100 list of Danish islands to see in a lifetime.

Hiking and camping excursions to 17 islands in the South Funen Archipelago in Denmark

 

Bjørnø is perfect for day tours, with its rolling green hills and small size. Lyø has the Bell Stone, a dolmen chamber from between 3500-3100 BC. Avernakø is laid-back and has fantastic nature and during Pentecost the locals rise the strange Mai rod to celebrate the coming of Summer. Linked to Avernakø by a dam road is Korsholm island with some of the beast beaches in all of Denmark. ​Drejø has a population of white deers and Hjortø is exceptionally beautiful and remote with only three inhabitants.

 

Skarø has great local food and a festival, and Strynø holds a number of in-land lakes full of frogs and snakes. Svelmø is uninhabited and great for day visits with a dinghy or kayak. Halmø, Store Egholm, and Birkholm are low-lying islands completely off the radar which are great for fishing trips, and Thurø has its old fishing houses. Finally, the Helnæs Bay area incl. its three islands of Illumø, Horsehoved and Vigø is a stunning place for weekend excursions to isolated beaches and forests where one can spend a time in the raw nature without meeting anyone and live by foraging and picking blue mussels from the sea bed.

As we both grew up in this area of Denmark we have explored the archipelago since childhood and never stopped. These islands simply go straight to heart for all visitors, be it first-timers as well as repeaters.

Background information about the Ø-dyssey project and our selection of 130 islands to be visited in total can be found here.

 

Check out our other Ø-dyssey travel sites:

PART I: Tip of Denmark & offshore islands

PART II: Islands off Central & Southern Jutland

PART III: Islands in the Belts, North Funen, Ærø & Langeland

This part

PART V: Islands off Zealand & Bornholm

PART VI: The South Sea Islands

Selected pics from all islands - part IV:

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