Written by Michelle Dale
I took a Friday afternoon flight from Newcastle to Copenhagen, taking just 90 minutes for the flight, and with only hand luggage for three nights, I was straight out of Customs and herding my way with many others towards the Metro.
Taking the Metro from the airport to Nørreport Station only took about 15 mins on Metro Line M2 (yellow line) and cost me kr30 (about £3.50), it’s a trust based system, no one checked my ticket, getting on or off. Nice and easy! It was a super hot week in late July and like everywhere else, the temperature and humidity was skyrocketing – there was no aircon on the Metro, so the 15 minute journey felt like it stretched on for way longer than necessary!
Once in the centre, I walked the rest of the way to my hostel to start getting my bearings for the city. The journey took me through Ørstedsparken, and with it being the start of the weekend, it was lovely to see groups of friends and families enjoying the sunshine, playing games and relaxing on the grass. I loved the vibe of the city.
Having a choice of three parkruns in Copenhagen, Amager Fælled being the first one to launch outside of the UK in 2009, I decided on Amager Strandpark because of the opportunity it offered to spend the day by the sea, with a variety of public bathing options further along the waterfront. Amager Strandpark parkrun is a two lap event, all on tarmac paths, some through sand dunes and is right on the Øresund strait.
Saturday morning, I was up early to cycle from Steel House Hostel to Amager Strandpark (I was informed by a local that it’s pronounced merely ‘Ama’ – not just the English language with its little quirks, then!) I rode the 4 miles from the centre to the beach, via a bakery to pick up a ‘kardemommesnurrer’ for later in the day. A ‘kardemommesnurrer’ comes highly recommended and is a must try in Copenhagen, it’s a cardamom bun and they’re amazing – I might have had more than one over the weekend! Denmark is the best place in Europe for cycling, the infrastructure makes it so easy to navigate, and if you’re ever unsure, just duck behind a local cyclist and follow them, the left turns aren’t straightforward but very logical once you get the hang of them.
I left the main road and cycled over a bridge towards the sea and an area with huts and low lying buildings, all used for outdoor and water activities. I parked my bike up near the start. The only sign it was a parkrun was a tall flag at a large wooden beach hut, I was shown to an area inside where I could leave my bag safely, it would either be locked or have someone near it all the time. Toilets and showers are so close to the start, a 15-20 metre walk from where the welcome brief took place. The first timer’s brief was for about 90% of the gathered crowd and was delivered in English, with visitors from as far as Australia. When the RD started with the brief and described it as ‘low key’ he wasn’t kidding! This ‘low key’ parkrun only had the RD present at the brief. Volunteers turned up to funnel manage and scan by the time they were needed. In fact, I think I only spotted about 5 or 6 in total, another one being the tailwalker. The RD said there would be no marshalls on the course, only KM signage that I spotted the tailwaker collecting. The relaxed atmosphere and attitude to parkrun was a change from what I’m used to but the RD said it worked well for them, and it really did. In the spirit of low key parkrunning, we didn’t set off until a good few minutes after 9am. The group were walked from the beach huts along to tip of the promontory, where we would start, then run one loop, by going across the bridge I came over, along the pavement, back over another bridge, through some sand dunes (with paved tracks), back to the promontory to run around a small monument and then, something I’ve never known in all my parkrunning days, we ran back the way we came! Instead of doing another lap, we retraced our steps, and instead of being lapped from behind, the faster runners were coming towards us!
In total, at the Amager Strandpark parkrun on 26th of July, there were 102 finishers and I estimate that about 30 of us were tourists. It was, yet again, a hot and humid day, there wasn’t much of a sea breeze to cool us all down. There was a celebration cake at the finish, someone was celebrating their 100th parkrun. During the first timer’s brief, the RD acknowledged the wooden structure built over the sea behind us, where he encouraged people to visit. It’s a public swimming/sea baths that we could access for free. I’d already planned my swim spot for the day, so once I’d hung around to chat to other visitors and have the obligatory photo with the parkrun sign, I hopped on my bike and cycled a couple of more miles up the coast to Kastrup Søbad (Sea Bath). The water there was clear and warm, and not at all salty. In the distance, you could see the Øresund Bridge that joins Sweden and Denmark.
I booked my flight to Copenhagen primarily for some parkrun tourism, but honestly, I was blown away by the city, the sights, the people and most of all, the opportunity for outdoor living that it offers. I spent my Saturday cycling, running and swimming and absolutely could not have loved it more.
Oh, and the kardemommesnurrer, after my swim, was the best thing I’ve ever tasted!!
If anyone wants any information or guidance on booking a trip to Copenhagen, I’m happy to share my experiences.