Fur is a small island in the Limfjord in northern Jutland, reached by a short ferry crossing, and on its northern coast, the cliffs of Knudeklint show one of the most remarkable geological sections in Denmark. The cliffs are made of moler, a light, porous clay formed from the skeletons of countless tiny algae, diatoms, that settled on the bottom of a sea some fifty-five million years ago. Through the pale moler run dark bands of volcanic ash, around a hundred and eighty of them, from eruptions in the North Atlantic as the ocean opened between Greenland and Europe. The layers have been folded and tilted by the glaciers of the ice age, creating dramatic patterns in the cliff face.
The moler of Fur is also rich in fossils: fish, insects, birds, turtles and plants, preserved in extraordinary detail, sometimes with soft tissues intact. The Fur Museum, on the island, displays many of these finds, and you may find fossils yourself on the beach below the cliffs, though digging in the cliffs is not allowed. Fur is part of a geological area that Denmark has worked to have recognised internationally, and the cliffs are protected.
The island is small, about twenty square kilometres, with farmland, heath, small villages and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. The views from the hills, across the fjord to the neighbouring islands and the mainland, are lovely. The ferry from Branden on the mainland takes only a few minutes and runs frequently.
For riders, Fur and the surrounding area offer gentle, relaxed riding on quiet roads through farmland and along the fjord, with the island of Mors to the west, home of the cliffs of Hanklit, which also show the moler, and the Salling peninsula to the east. The roads are narrow and generally good, and traffic is light, but the wind can be strong, and the landscape is mostly flat. Ferries and bridges link the islands and peninsulas of the Limfjord, making for interesting routes.
Facilities on Fur are limited to a few shops, a museum, a brewery and some restaurants and accommodation; for fuel and more services, Nykøbing Mors, about eight kilometres away across the water, and Skive, on the mainland, are larger. Try a plate of fresh fish or mussels from the fjord, and a glass of beer from the island's brewery. And walk along the beach below Knudeklint, looking at the layers of ash in the cliff, a record of volcanic eruptions far away and long ago.