A story of sand – 3 beautiful nature attractions in North Denmark

You don’t have to travel all the way to Africa to find desert landscapes and wild animals! In North Denmark you will find some of the most stunning nature attractions in the country. Hundreds of years with strong wind and sand blowing in from the coast, has created the most distinctive landscapes. If you ever find yourself in the northern parts of Denmark these three spots are absolute must-sees:

1. Grenen

Grenen is the name of the northern-most tip of Denmark. Watch the Baltic Sea meet the North Sea at one of the most popular nature attraction in Denmark. It is quite a special experience to stand here on top of Denmark!

Walk the 2 km to Grenen from the parking lot or take the passenger tractor Sandormen all the way to the tip. It operates from April until October from 10am-4pm or as long as there are passengers.

A huge bonus experience is that Grenen is also the best place in Denmark to spot seals! The seals are used to the many people that visit here ech year and are not shy at all. The chance of seeing them up close is better than anywhere else in the country.

Read more about the cute seals at Grenen in my blog post here

2. Rubjerg Knude

1.5 km from the cozy beach town Lønstrup is one of the most beautiful and distinctive places in Denmark. In the midst of the greenery, a giant golden mountain rises along the coast. Here lies the abandoned Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse as a ghost building in the middle of a desert. Take the stairs to the top of the lighthouse and watch the rugged coast and the turquoise waters from above. But the lighthouse is, due to erosion, expected to crash into the ocean in a not so far future so don’t be too long! Update: In fall 2019 the lighthouse was saved by moving it 70 meters inland on giant rollerskates! Watch this video if you want to see how it happened.

Walking across Rubjerg Knude is like visiting a completely different world. There is a fantastic view across the landscape from the top of the sandy mountain, where the wind makes the landscape ever changing. The sand quickly erases all signs of human footsteps and leaves the most beautiful wavy desert formations in the sand. I almost felt like I was visiting the Sahara Desert or was on another planet! Rubjerg Knude is simply one of the most beautiful places I have experienced in Denmark!

3. Råbjerg mile

Sand and more sand – as far as the eye can see. An entire square kilometer of desert landscape. Like Rubjerg Knude, Råbjerg Mile is a migrating sand dune that moves about 15 meters per year. In the 15th and 16th century the water level was lower than today and the exposed sand from the coast blew inland and destroyed villages, farms and fields. Since then, the shifting sand has been stopped with plantations, but Råbjerg Mile was fortunately protected. A walk across Råbjerg Mile is an amazing experience. From the top of the dunes you can see the sea on both sides and you realize how narrow the land is here on the top of Denmark!

 

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