Artificial Plan Substitute, please check for stupid

		SLEEP	CYCLE
Sat 9 August	Take sleeper to Hamburg (via Brussels)	Train
Sun 10	Explore Hamburg	Hamburg
Mon 11	Explore Hamburg	Hamburg
Tue 12	Morning train to Copenhagen, day+evening there	Copenhagen
Wed 13	Hire bike, cycle to Roskilde, explore	Roskilde YH	32km
Thu 14	Cycle across rest of Zealand, Belt bridge (12-minute train leaves every 30 minutes), up a bit	Kerteminde YH	80km + 20km
Fri 15	Cycle across Funen	Fredericia YH	80km
Sat 16	Up half of Jutland	Aarhus YH	95km
Sun 17	Explore Aarhus	Aarhus YH
Mon 18	Cycle to Grenaa, ferry to Varberg	Varberg YH	65km
Tue 19	Cycle to Halmstad	Halstad hotel	70km
Wed 20	Cycle to Helsingborg	Helsingborg YH	95km
Thu 21	Cycle to Copenhagen, return bike	Copenhagen	55km
Fri 22	Explore Copenhagen	Copenhagen
Sat 23	1538 to Hamburg, sleeper to Brussels, get to Cambridge around 11am Sunday	Train

It's not the most natural circle, but it's impractical to get the boat from Harwich to Esbjerg (it seems intended as a cruise ship, at least one of the Web sites doesn't admit the possibility of sharing a cabin with unrelated travelers, and it would cost about six hundred pounds return). I think I'd rather hire a bike than deal with the fuss required to take my bike, unwheeled and wrapped in a box, on five changes of trains at inconvenient times.

No insanely long days, total cycle of about 400 miles, fairly flat bits of country though I am going against the prevailing wind at the end of the first week; the part along the Swedish coast is pretty much south-north. Three islands, two and a half major cities (sorry, Aarhus), six youth hostels, a ferry and a Really Big Bridge. No allowance for weather, but I'm not sure it's possible to allow for weather if you're cycling between pre-booked hostels.