The Garden of Denmark (Funen)

Funen — or Fyn in Danish — sits at the geographical and spiritual heart of Denmark, a fertile island known since the 19th century as the 'Garden of Denmark' for its rolling orchards, abundant farmland, and gentle, pastoral beauty. It is also the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, the storyteller who gave the world The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and The Ugly Duckling, and who spent his formative years in the city of Odense. The connection between Andersen's imagination and the Funen landscape is deep — the fairytale castles, the thatched cottages, the winding lanes through apple-blossom country — and driving through Funen today is to enter the geographical reality of those stories.

The route begins in Odense, Denmark's third-largest city and a vibrant university town with an excellent old centre. The Hans Christian Andersen Museum — recently completely rebuilt as a world-class attraction — is the obvious first stop. From Odense the route winds south through a series of increasingly pretty landscapes, past manor houses and through thatched-roof villages that haven't changed much since Andersen's time. Faaborg, a perfectly preserved medieval market town on the south coast, makes an excellent lunch stop — its painted merchants' houses, smoked fish harbour, and views across to the small islands are quintessentially Funen. The finale is Egeskov Castle, one of the best-preserved Renaissance water castles in Europe, dating from 1554, built on a foundation of thousands of oak piles driven into the lake bed. The castle gardens include vintage car and motorcycle museums, vintage aircraft, and tree-top adventure courses that make it an excellent stop for all ages.

For VW T3 owners, Funen is Danish paradise. The roads are uniformly flat to very gently rolling, the surfaces are excellent, and the lanes are quiet except on summer weekends. The narrow country roads between villages are tight but not problematic for a standard T3. Fuel is available in Odense and Faaborg. One practical note: Egeskov has substantial parking for coaches and cars, easily accommodating any size of campervan, and the entry fee covers access to all the museum collections within the grounds.

The very best time to drive Funen is May, when the fruit trees are in full blossom and the landscape is suffused with pink and white flowers — genuinely one of the most beautiful spring scenes in Northern Europe. June and July are warm and long-eveninged, perfect for camping in the surrounding meadows. The harvest season in August and September brings farm shops to life with local produce. Funen is generally quieter than North Zealand and makes an excellent overnight base, with numerous farm campsites and small harbour hostels throughout the island.