Cycling: The Fruit Route

On this route near Svendborg, you follow the path of apples from South Funen out into the world.

The route follows the coast out to Skaarupøre, where small apple orchards successively appear. On Skårupørevej, you pass two farm shops and wine producers, namely Skaarupøre Vineyard, which specializes in the production of white wine, and Aqua Vitae South Funen, where exquisite fruit brandy is produced solely from South Funen fruits. On the way back to Svendborg, you cycle between fruit plantations along the abandoned Svendborg - Nyborg railway tracks.

The railway ensured that the increasing amount of South Funen fruit could reach the world. Before the railway was established, the fruit was transported by "pear boats," which were small hunting-rigged sailing boats that carried fruit and other agricultural products from South Funen to, among other places, Copenhagen. Pear boats were the small trucks of their time, and a couple of newly built examples of pear boats are Mitte of Fåborg and Muller of Troense.

Buy the guidebook: 17 Bike Tours around the South Funen Archipelago and see more tours (available at the tourist offices in the South Funen Archipelago and at BikeØhav: http://www.bike-ohav.dk/BUY.html