Yesterday we passed the Thyborøn channel and got to North Jutland – the land of heather, sand, and sun. On this day we wanted to visit the two most interesting nature places – Bulbjerg and the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse covered by a dune.
Krik Vig Camping
At night it was raining. In the morning everything was wet including inflatable balloons. Children asked us if they could play a bit. When they heard “do what you want,” we didn’t wait long for results. The inflatables were thoroughly wiped down by them. The amount of happiness from the children was priceless. Kids were totally wet.
After breakfast we did a quick reorganization of the luggage in the car and we hit the road again. Going north.
Bulbjerg rock
The first stop was Bulbjerg – a limestone rock situated on the edge of the land. The Bulbjerg rock was an island a long time ago. Over the years the land absorbed it and today we can see rock surrounded by land from three sides. From the sea side, Bulbjerg is a high cliff. Getting to Bulbjerg is possible from the village of Frøstrup. The road leads through beautiful pastures and forest. It is the only cliff in Denmark inhabited by birds. Three-toed gulls can be seen only here. It’s also the only rock formation in Northern Jutland. On top of the rock we found a large population of ladybugs, which are the food for birds. We never saw so many ladybugs in one place. They covered the path so we couldn’t walk without stepping on them.
We visited the top of Bulbjerg with nice viewpoint – this place is the highest location in the area, so we were able to get a nice view. During World War II, the German occupiers used this place to build a small fortification. Now it is a mini museum and is open to the public. On one of the walls inside the bunker we found a small nest with chicks.
Bulbjerg is worth visiting in two stages – at both the top and bottom. In both places there is parking, so there is no problem getting there by car. It is also possible to take the path leading to the beach. There, you can take a souvenir photo with the glorious limestone cliff. Access to the foot of the cliff is through a sandy beach.
From Bulbjerg we went further in an easterly direction passing through the quiet village of Fjerritslev and Aabybro. Traffic is so light that it is a pleasure to drive. Nobody is in a hurry and there is calm surrounding the drivers. Can’t imagine it? Look at this:
Rubjerg Knude lighthouse
We stopped near Lønstrup to see the dunes and the lighthouse Rubjerg Knude. This place is the highest part of the cliff on the North Sea coast of Denmark. Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was founded in 1900. The place has a very interesting history. The lighthouse was built on grassy terrain and was surrounded by gardens. Since its construction, a dune began to form around the building, which began to block the light and sound emitted by the lighthouse. In the 1960s the light of the lighthouse was not visible behind the dunes, and they stopped digging up the sand. As a result, in 1968, the lighthouse was turned off. Apparently, back in 1999 the café located at the foot of the lighthouse was still working. 5 years later the base of the building was completely buried.
Today, what you see is only the upper parts of the building. The interior is covered with sand to avoid the destruction of the building structure caused by the weight of the sand. Every year the sea eats more and more of the land, and considering that the original lighthouse was only 200 meters from the cliff – today the distance is much smaller. Who knows how long it will exist? The glacial cliff at this point has a height of 30 to even 90 meters. This lighthouse, disappearing year by year, is a unique tourist attraction in the area.
To get to the lighthouse you need to walk about 1km through pastures where sheep graze. The sheep herded by dogs were a great attraction for the children. On the way back, the biggest attraction was running and rolling down the dunes. The sand in our pockets was uncountable.
Hirtshals
This is not the end of the highlights of the day. Next we went to Hirtshals – the harbor city well known to travelers because of the ferry to Norway. In the city there is the Nordsøen Oceanarium. We got there quite late, just an hour before closing. At the ticket counter we got a nice surprise. The lady who sold the tickets said that visiting the entire exhibition takes about 2.5 hours – so she used a discount for us. That way we were able to get inside for half price. It was perfect, we saw everything in one hour because we did not watch multimedia presentations. Is it worth going to the aquarium?
You can see the seal aquarium and a huge aquarium with fish (4.5 million liters of water and 3,000 fish), in front of which there is seating similar to an amphitheater. We also saw a ship simulator and wind power simulator, the cockpit of the ship, a whole bunch of different equipment used to explore the North Sea. Kids were having some fun on the whale playground. We do not regret the time spent there. It was especially fun when one of the seals saw me walking by, jumped out of the water and splashed me. I regretted that just at that moment I had not turned on the camera.
After our visit to the Oceanarium we hit the road to the campsite. At the previous campsite we took a printed catalog from the DK-CAMP campground network. It was so full of offers that choosing another place to sleep was easy.
Skagen
The children chose the one with swimming pool. It was Skagen Camping, located in the northernmost tip of Jutland. It was a great place to stay nearby Grenen that we planned to visit next day. We spent the evening at the pool, but unfortunately the swim had to be short because of the winds on the spit (the width of the land here is only 3,5 km) and the setting sun. The water was very cold.
I went for a run, during which I ran from the campsite on the shore of the North Sea, continued towards the city on the shore of the Baltic Sea and further to the campsite. One of the more interesting workouts in my life. Small houses hidden from the wind on the dunes, wrapped bushes, small streets and complete silence. Beautiful nature, which encourages running. That’s the reason why this town is famous for its marathon race. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll start in this race there…
In Skagen Camping we found nice playground, swimming pool, kitchen and sanitary facilities. We had also access to electricity. During our stay we didn’t notice crowds here, we found it quiet. The night passed quickly, although it was a little cold. It was a sign that we needed to buy new, warmer sleeping bags for all.
Be sure to watch the video to illustrate this description: