North Zealand is the part of Denmark where kings went to relax. The coast road runs up the Øresund from Copenhagen to Helsingør, past beach villas and harbours, and inland, behind the first ridge, lies a quieter country of beech woods, lakes and rolling fields around Fredensborg and Lake Esrum. Grønholtvangen is a stretch of open land and woodland north of Grønholt Vang, a name that suggests an old common, in a landscape that was shaped by royal hunting and by the great beech forest of Gribskov, one of the largest in Denmark. The ride belongs to Kronborg Castle, the Renaissance fortress at Helsingør that Shakespeare turned into Elsinore, the home of Hamlet.
Fredensborg, two kilometres away, has its own royal connection. Its palace, begun in the early eighteenth century and inspired by Italian villas, is used by the Danish royal family in spring and autumn, and the palace gardens are open to the public in summer. On the shore of Lake Esrum, a few kilometres north, stand the ruins of a Cistercian abbey, founded in the twelfth century, with a monastery garden and a small museum. The lake is clear and long, with forests along its banks, and boat trips run in summer.
For motorcyclists, the area is a quiet pleasure. The roads are narrow and smooth, with gentle curves between hedgerows and beech trunks, and the traffic is light apart from Sunday drivers heading for the coast. The landscape is gentle, with hills only a few dozen metres high, so this is not a ride for dramatic bends but for smooth surfaces and green tunnels. Danish speed limits are strictly applied, and automatic cameras and mobile patrols are common. Weather comes in from the west and changes quickly, with showers and sunshine in the same hour. The best months are May, June and September.
Fredensborg is a town of about eight thousand people, and you will find fuel, bakeries, cafés and a supermarket, with larger stations in Hillerød and Helsingør. Try a cheese and rye bread sandwich, a Danish pastry in the bakery, and a cup of strong coffee. Parking near the palace is easy, and the nearest signage for the lake is clear. Respect the signs about camping and fires in the Gribskov woods, which are protected. Carry a waterproof layer for the sudden showers.