Last night, the fridge was sparking, puffing and blowing all night. Just before we went to bed Craig removed the outside grill and blew all around the jet area (as he has done for the last several days). Hoping to dislodge any pieces of dust or debris that may be blocking the jet hole. Initially it seemed to do the trick but within half an hour of settling in to bed it was back to tic, tic, tic, tic…boom. Arrrggghhh.

Morning arrived and the fridge survived! It was touch and go all night but thankfully all is well and the milk is cold….cuppa time!

morning stroll

Another glorious morning and today we were surrounded with lots of tweety birds. From the skylark and warbler to the cuckoo and rose finch, all tweeting away and enjoying the early morning sing song. From the end of March to beginning of June Denmark is a haven for bird watchers especially the birds of prey. Last night we watched two beautiful owls hunting and this morning, we spotted a white tailed eagle. This whole area is perfect for them with an abundance of tasty morsels from rabbits, mice and snake. That reminds me, Poor Mac n Tosh has a close encounter with a snake. They were whimpering to come in doors and when I popped my head out, there in the grass a blinking snake. Eeek. It wasn’t a big snake but none the less it was hissing at the dogs, so I scooped them up and took them inside Vin.

De Lorean & an awful pose

Just before lunch we packed up and headed to Frederikshavn to see the fridge doctor. We were slowly bobbling around on the country road when all of a sudden Craig let out one almighty scream. I had no idea what he said but I jumped out my skin. Vin ground to a sudden halt. Craig bolted out of his seat shouting “rare as rocking horse shit” “hehehe” “grab my camera”. With that he jumped put of Vin and shot over to a car…a De Lorean. Now it didn’t mean much to me but Craig provided a concise summary of how this car cost the UK government millions when the bailed out the Irish manufacturer several times. We had a look around and I cant say I was impressed and even less so when the owner (returning from a stroll in the forest) was in full grump mode. We tried to engage in polite conversation but he wasn’t having any of it. Grumpy sod.

The journey to Frederikshevn was smooth and relaxing, so by the time we arrived at then service centre we were well chilled. We were a tad early but we went inside to let them know we had arrived. Ula acknowledge and with a big smile, asked us to wait until 1pm. Good stuff, that gives us time to have a spot of lunch.

Le Camping

We drove Vin around the back of ‘Le Camping’ showroom to the service bay. An small chap named Kill signalled us to drive Vin in to a dedicated bay. We explained the problem to a young Swedish chap (who excellent spoke English) who translated everything to Kill, who then got to work. He removed the outside panel, had a quick look and then proceeded to blast the area with his air pressure gun. To be honest, he didn’t really look like he knew what he was doing. After several blasts and a couple of turn on and turn off the gas he was finished. We were slightly shocked that he did not check any of the parts, we assumed a simple inspection of the jet and ignition to make sure they weren’t cracked and still in the right place would be done as a matter of course. It takes minutes when you have the tools. Hey ho, we reversed Vin and returned to the front reception to pay our bill. We pondered over how much and when she presented the bill, we were pleasantly surprised when they only charged us the equivalent of £25. We know he didn’t do much and not as thorough as we would expect but still, we need to pay for his labour. Under normal circumstances we would probably ask then to check and confirm the jet etc but we did not feel it would add value. The chap did not give us the confidence that he knew what he was doing, so we felt we would wait and take it to a Dometic dealer in Sweden, if needed.

Craig paying the £25 bill

We had some spare Danish money, which is really cool by the way, the coins have holes in the middle like washers, so we decided to go for a final shop. First a stop at the fuel station to fill Vin with as much diesel as we could…it is cheaper in Denmark than Sweden. Then Craig spotted a camper service and tootled over. Next minute we were gathering all the dirty clothes and putting a wash on, scrubbing Vin etc etc. Our rule of just washing once a week on an aire or campsite soon went out the window!

Lidl presented us with its usual array of produce and we filled our trolley with all the goodies that we could. Tonight we are off to Sweden, yeah! Poor Vin was not impressed. His cupboards were bursting and he felt rather stuffed. The dogs kindly offered to empty in in a nano second until we patted them of the head and gave them a piggies ear…off like grease lightening to munch on their favourite snack.
The rest of the day was spent drying clothes, doing a few chores and generally passing time until it was time to proceed to the ferry terminal. After waiting for paint to dry we finally moved to the ferry terminal and checked in. The check in chappie checked our ticket and passports. To our surprise he never even checked or asked about the dogs? He asked if we had gas and with a nod, he handed us a sticker and some instructions then asked us to move to lane 5.

The 10.30pm Stena Line ferry to Gothenburg cost £69 for 2 adults, 2 dogs and 1 motorhome. Very fair price indeed. The gas sticker, was simple – turn off gas, open the gas door and place tape/sticker over the lock. With gas sorted we took the boys for a final stroll down the oil smudged lorry lanes before climbing back in Vin waiting for the call to board. We watched the security personnel check and double check all the lorries. Under the trailers with torches and making sure everything was as expected. Impressed with their thoroughness indeed.

Onboard, we tucked the boys in , locked up Vin and tootled on to the sundeck to wave good bye to Denmark. As we pulled away, the sky and the port was beautiful. The port bay was black and impenetrable and only the whooshing sound of water hinted at what was out there. But the town itself was wonderfully bright and snug-looking, a haven of warmth and light…thank you Denmark for a wonderful time.

Route: Hojen to Frederikshevn…ferry to Gothenburg

Weather, low 7 high 24. Another scorcher

Goodbye Denmark