paradise found

Meanwhile, I am still curious about something I saw today while out walking. Could it really have been a fig bush?

These thoughts I scribbled in my notebook while on the island of Bornholm, a little piece of Denmark which lies far out in the Baltic with Sweden to the north and Poland to the south. It is an island that excites the imagination and yet soothes and relaxes the mind with its natural and unsophisticated charms.

For years I had been trying to visit Bornholm. An uncle, who was a professional artist, had gone there to paint in the exceptional light conditions and the paintings showed a pretty attractive place. I suppose, having also read a little about it, I just had the urge to go and see for myself. My first futile attempt to get there was in the 1950s. A week before leaving Scotland I developed abdominal muscular pains. They got so bad I called a doctor. He diagnosed muscular pains, nothing else, and said they would go away.

A few days later the pains were still there and getting worse by the hour. The doctor called again. This time he was more explicit, in a frightening sort of way: ''It's Bornholm disease,'' he said, ''but it's not serious. Go on holiday.'' He didn't even know I was heading for Bornholm!

So I set off for Denmark and in a day or so the myalgia epidemica which had once swept Bornholm totally disappeared from my body. I thought it better to give Bornholm a miss, however, and stayed in Copenhagen. But a few months ago I decided the trip had to be made. It was now or, perhaps never, to discover the secrets of the island.

In my hotel room in Gudhjem (God's Home) I reflected on all this. How I wished I'd had

the courage to make the trip 40 years ago. By now I might have made many summer trips. Maybe, even, I would have forsaken all other holiday destinations. In a few days, I realised, I had been totally captivated by an island which provides miles of white beaches, a string of picturesque towns and villages each vying to be better than the next, magnificent cliffs, long woodland walks, dozens of fascinating little shops, exotic gardens and lots of restaurants serving the best in Scandinavian food.

Bornholm, with an area of 225 square miles, is the size of the Isle of Man, and has a population of 45,000 which more than

doubles during the peak summer months as holidaymakers flock in from Denmark, Sweden and Germany.

Despite its position in the Baltic, it basks

in more sunshine than any other part of Denmark. This, coupled with the heat reflected by the rocks and the five kinds of granite

which cover large areas of the island, are responsible for a wealth of plants more

often seen in Mediterranean countries. Grapevines, mulberry, fig and almond bushes are among them.

Its main income is from agriculture, with tourism and fish following close behind.

Getting there from Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, is not difficult. You can take a flight which lasts 30 minutes, or you can relax on the overnight ferry which leaves at 11.30pm and reaches Ronne, the main town, at six next morning. I chose the more interesting third way - by bus and ferry - which takes five-and-a-half hours and is good value at about #19 for the single journey (#15 if you're a pensioner).

You join the bus at 8am outside Copenhagen's central station and travel to the small port

of Dragor where the bus boards a fast ferry

to Limhamn in Sweden. Then it's an hour's journey through the farmlands and woods of southern Sweden to the port of Ystad where

you join the ferry for the two-and-a-half hour crossing to Ronne.

The town is one of those places that exerts its appeal even as you approach the harbour. Its neat houses are prominent, and dominating the skyline is the spire of St Nikolai Church and nearby the old lighthouse that sits between two houses on a main road. You discover an old town with cobbled streets and pastel painted buildings and a town centre with modern shops and restaurants.

Ronne has 15,000 inhabitants and is the largest town. It is a good base from which to explore the rest of the island but it has many attractions of its own. Bornholm Museum, near the centre, is one of the best small museums I have visited anywhere.

The island is also famous for grandfather clocks which it still makes and you will see examples in the museum and in shops. There is a working ceramics museum where you can watch potters at work. Worth seeing, too, is Erichsens Gaard, a merchant's home from 1806 which, with its large garden, has been preserved as a museum. In one of the old winding streets there is a little theatre, founded in 1823, which is Denmark's oldest. The Defence Museum is also of interest - the island was occupied by the Germans in the Second World War and bombed by the Russians to force surrender. They occupied it until 1946.

There's a wide choice of sporting activities

in the town. You can play golf or tennis,

go swimming or riding or visit the indoor

bowls centre. More than 20 restaurants and cafes can be found in Ronne and here you'll find some of the island's delicacies such as wild Baltic salmon - highly acclaimed - and Bornholm lamb. In one restaurant my choice was served on a sizzling hot granite plate and in another I had ''cod on a plank''. Once you've tasted fish served on wood, there's no other way that measures up.

The great dish which you must never leave Bornholm without tasting, however, is the plump, smoked Baltic herring. Served with rye bread, chives, onion rings and the yolk of an egg, it is called ''Sun over Gudhjem''. I've heard the suggestion that a century or so ago local fishermen might have learned how to make ''smoked Bornholmers'' from Scottish soldiers stationed on Christianso (Christian's Island), but it seems unlikely.

Buses bound for every hamlet and village leave the ferry terminal hourly and in addition there are tour buses for people with special interests - the Garden Bus, the Farm Bus, the Handicrafts Bus, etc.

Nexo, an important fishing centre, has many speciality shops and one of the best bathing beaches nearby. It has a splendid butterfly park (children admitted free if under 1.20 metres

tall) and a museum in the childhood home of Martin Andersen Nexo, author of ''Pelle the Conqueror'', later the basis for an Oscar-winning film. Another delightful town is Svaneke which is a hive of activity in summer.

Gudhjem, with its red-roofed houses and steep street (cycling forbidden on the steepest) has emptied the palettes of countless artists and stolen the hearts of holidaymakers without number. The hamlet (population 850) lies on a granite slope overlooking the Baltic and boasts two harbours and a smokehouse, one of many of the island, as well as small galleries and workshops. It is, arguably, the centre of arts and crafts on Bornholm and certainly the most charming of all the hamlets.

I alighted from the bus at the harbour - naturally the wrong stop. So I was faced with a climb up a cliff pathway to reach my hotel. But it was worth it when I saw the view from the top.

A few kilometres from Gudhjem is Bornholm Art Museum. I intended to give it an hour,

but stayed for three - as well as a magnificent collection of paintings, it has a good restaurant and a cinema. A short walk takes you to the spectacular Helligdommen (Sanctuary) Cliffs.

The island has more than 20 churches - two Catholic - but by far the most arresting are the four round churches, the best known of which is Osterlars and dates from 1150.

Cycling is an ideal way to see the island and there are at least 10 places where you can rent a bicycle. The authorities place so much importance on it you can obtain a 60-page booklet in English which gives maps, suggested trips and is an excellent guide book as well.

Bornholm has three golf courses, all in areas of natural beauty and all different in character. Again a booklet in English is available. About a fifth of Bornholm is woodland and Almindingen in the centre is Denmark's third largest forest. Woodland tour guides can be obtained.

l Carl Gordon was assisted in his visit by The Danish Tourist Board, 55 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9SY, and by Bornholm Velkomstcenter, Nordre Kystvej 3, DK-3700 Ronne, Denmark. He stayed at Hotel Fredensborg, Ronne, and Hotel Klippen, Gudhjem.