Venturing home for the summer holidays, I set out with two friends, Daina from Latvia and Nadia from Russia, to some of my favourite spots back home in Denmark. Staying in my parents’ summer house located in Cold Hawaii, on the Danish west coast, we spent a short week sampling freshly caught seafood, cycling through the National Park Thy, enjoying water sports and relaxing like there was no tomorrow. The long light Scandinavian summer nights were enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the sand dunes, sipping wine, lighting up the BBQ and enjoying the simple pleasures of taking in the views and sounds of the wilderness around us.
Arriving in Aalborg Airport with a three-hour delay from London Gatwick, we met up with my parents who had kindly made a lunch box filled with my favourite Smørrebrød (the Scandinavian open sandwiches) After my parents had handed us the keys for the summer house and the car before we continued our journey alongside the Limfjord towards the wilderness of North-West Jutland. En-route to Nr. Vorupør we made a quick pit stop to buy groceries before arriving at the summer house in the late evening. Unpacked and settled in, we enjoyed our smørrebrød lunch box with a glass of wine on the terrace before going to bed.
On our first day in Denmark, we met up with our local guide in Klitmøller to participate in a small group introduction to Stand Up Paddling/SUP in short. As Daina is a bit (a lot) afraid of the open sea, we were taken by our guide to Vandet Lake where the conditions are perfect for all sorts of water sports and in particular well suited for beginners and people who are less comfortable in the open sea. Vandet Lake is located a stort 10-minute drive from Klitmøller, in National Park Thy. We joined our guide Rasmus, an experienced surfer from Århus, for our 2-hour session on the water. He went through safety and all the technical parts of SUP before we took our boards down to the water and started to get our grap with the board.
We all agree this was one of the highlights throughout the whole holiday, and I was not surprised to hear that SUP is the fastest growing water sport in the whole world. It was such a great laugh to fall into the water trying to maneuver the board in a 180 degree “surfer turn” and racing against each other on the water, getting out to the buoy and back first was a wonderful and fun active day out on the water. As the weather gods were on our side, the sun was out all day and the water was wonderfully soothing, clear and with high visibility. We made time for a short cycle through National Park Thy which, with its marked and segregated cycling and hiking trails, provides the perfect backdrop for a scenic and relaxed cycling trip or hike.
In the evening we enjoyed a lovely home cooked meal made by our designated chef, Nadia, on the terrace with some more wine and candles lit all around, while talking through the experiences of the day and laughing out loud about how much fun we had during the Stand Up Paddling.
After a good nights’ sleep we packed our lunch boxes with more smørrebrød, juice, water, fruit and snacks before venturing for a trek on the beach of Skagen. In Skagen, the northern/most tip of Denmark is known at Grenen (the branch). When walking towards the outer tip of Grenen, you can stand in two seas at the same time, as the North Sea and Kattegat Sea collide and create a ripple of waves stretching far out into the open sea towards Norway.
Skagen is well renowned for its local arts and crafts, small seaside hotels and colourful houses. Skagen has also been on Daina’s bucket list for some years now, and so, on yet another fine sunny day, we walked for hours on end in the white sand, dipped our toes in the sea and had a lovely seafood lunch sampling Norwegian lobster, fresh prawns and homemade butter.
On our way back home from Skagen we made a stop at the Sanded Church of St. Lawrence. Throughout the ages, the fleeting sand has covered most of this old church and only the tower is not covered by sand – yet! The Sanded Church is perfectly located for an afternoon hike and a packed lunch.
We also made a quick photo stop at Raabjerg Mile, the northern-most migrating sand dune in Europe.
In the evening we made a BBQ with different green salads, homemade potato salad and crab claws bought from the local fisher shop. The BBQ was, of course, enjoyed on the terrace with candle lights and a bit more wine. Our neighbour from Copenhagen, who has been a family friend for more than 25 years popped by with a bottle of chilled white wine as a thank you for the crab claws we had dropped off a bit earlier that day.
On our last full day in Cold Hawaii we had a lie in before we went back for a look around Klitmøller to see the surfers and windsurfers tame the wild waters of the North Sea. We enjoyed a healthy lunch back at the summerhouse before we decided to go down to the beach and pier in Nr. Vorupør for an ice cream. We watched the surfers in the water, went for a stroll on the beach and out on the pier. We stayed behind when we spotted a small boat on its way back from the Yellow Reef, hoping we would be lucky enough to see the local fisherman with the catch of the day and watch him pull up his boat onto the beach. Nr. Vorupør is one of only a small hand full of fishing villages in Denmark where the local fishermen still pull their boats out of the waters every day and it spreads great joy with both children and adults to see the fishermen working on their small boats.
North and West Jutland is, as most Danes, Germans, Norwegians and Swedes already know, the perfect destination for nature lovers of all ages and fitness levels. With outdoor activities running throughout the year ranging from hiking, trekking, cycling, surfing, wind surfing, paragliding, stand up paddling, fishing, marathons, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming and diving be this independently or with one of our local guides. If you are more into a seaside holiday with plentiful of relaxation, food and long light summer nights, you will be equally in for a treat in this hidden pearl of Denmark.
Written by Lena Nielsen. All images by Visit Denmark