Hillerød is the town where the Danish kings built their most ambitious castle, and the roads around it carry some of the best light in northern Zealand. Frederiksborg Castle stands on three small islands in a lake, a red-brick and sandstone Renaissance palace with towers, spires and a copper roof turned green. King Christian IV, who rebuilt it in the early seventeenth century, was a builder of grand projects and a lover of show, and he made Frederiksborg a stage for royal life. Today it houses the Museum of National History, and its gardens in the baroque style stretch away in terraces.
The ride from here turns toward Roskilde, where the cathedral, a brick Gothic building begun in the twelfth century, holds the tombs of Danish monarchs and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Danish roads suit a relaxed rider. They are smooth, well signed and usually quiet, with gentle bends and frequent roundabouts, and the speed limits are low, commonly eighty on country roads and fifty in villages. Police and automated cameras enforce them strictly, and fines are steep, so keep to the limits. Cyclists have their own lanes, and drivers are polite, but the weather changes quickly, and a clear morning can turn to drizzle by noon.
Hillerød is a town of about thirty-one thousand people with fuel stations, shops and cafés, and it makes a convenient base for exploring the north of Zealand. Try a smørrebrød, an open sandwich on dark rye bread with toppings of herring, roast beef or egg and shrimp, or a pastry from a bakery, which Danes do very well. May and June are lovely, when the beeches are fresh and the evenings are long, and September has a golden light. Winter is dark, damp and cold.