For pub quiz aficionados, Grenen, just outside the small Danish fishing town of Skagen could be a name worth remembering. While Cape Horn in South America is well known for the place where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet, Grenen is where the Baltic Sea and North Seas meet, colliding on the northernmost peninsula of Denmark – worth filing away for that pub quiz bonus point!
It’s a little-known fact outside of the country and it sums up Skagen itself – a popular tourist destination in Denmark, but little-known overseas.
Perhaps that’s its charm – this unspoilt corner of the Jutland peninsula is far away from your traditional tourist trail – but visitors to Skagen (drop the g and pronounce it Skayen) are in for a treat.
There’s no direct route to Skagen from the UK, which itself adds to its sense of adventure, the occasional cruise ship docks here from the UK for a day trip, otherwise, it’s a flight to Aalborg from Stansted Airport followed by a train or drive to Skagen itself.
Once in the town though drop the car and the bike is the perfect option – this flat peninsular is the perfect location to embrace the Danish love of bikes and the town sits at the end point of a 590 Kilometre cycle route, the West Coast Route, stretching along the Jutland peninsula to the German border. Visitors don’t need to worry about covering such distances here, though, Skagen is compact, little more than a large village, with all attractions within easy access.
For a small town those attractions are surprisingly numerous and varied, the aforementioned Grenen is a great starting point, located just north of the town, Denmark’s most northerly point is surprisingly beautiful. Rolling dunes give way to a wide expanse of almost Caribbean-like white sand, an ever-shifting spit shaped by the collision of the North and Baltic seas. The spit has grown by over 1km in the past 100 years and while the thought of swimming in two seas may seem appealing, the strong currents that form the spit make swimming prohibited, although of course the obligatory paddle, with one foot in each sea, is the must-have tourist selfie. The walk from the car park at Grenen to the point where the seas meet takes around 20 minutes, but you can catch the tractor-driven Sandormen (Sandworm) trailer to be driven to the point instead.
There’s more to Grenen than just the seas; a small visitor centre and café in the car park the starting point for numerous walking and cycle trails. Nearby the Skagen bunker museum allows access to a genuine German Second World War bunker, part of the infamous ‘Atlantic Wall’. From the subterranean to a more lofty view, Det Grå Fyr (The grey lighthouse). Visitors are able to climb to the top of the lighthouse for panoramic views of this busy shipping lane but also visit the Skagen Bird Observatory, a key resource for this highly designated Nature Reserve.
The lighthouse’s panoramic view shows how precarious this strip of land is – the meeting points of the seas constantly shifting its coastline, it is an area of sweeping sand dunes across the otherwise almost pancake-flat landscape. That sand, though, is constantly shifting, with the Råbjerg Mile, the largest migrating dunes in Denmark. 1km wide, 1km long and up to 40 metres high, this vast expanse of sand moves north towards Grenen at a rate of 15 metres per year.
The sand has claimed its victims over the years, with one of the most photogenic spots in the region being the buried church, Den Tilsandede Kirk. Buried regularly by sand from the dunes of the area, the congregation had to dig out the entrance each time a service was to be held. They eventually gave up the battle with mother nature and the church was abandoned in 1795 and later demolished, leaving on the tower left standing, emerging part buried in the ever-shifting sands.
It’s a typically Danish approach to the environment, rather than fight nature find a way of living alongside it and embracing the ever-shifting landscape.
That landscape not only provides plenty for adventurous tourists to explore, it’s also a landscape that has inspired artists through the centuries, its bug skies and clear light being a magnet for painters keen to capture this part of the Jutland peninsula. You’ll find prints of these artists work in souvenir shops but to see the real deal a trip to the Art Museums of Skagen, Skagens Kunstmuseer, three venues that between them house over 9,000 works by the Skagen Painters community from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Once you’ve exhausted the natural environment of Skagen, the town itself also offers plenty. One of the first things you’ll notice is the conformity of buildings. The famous golden light that so appeals to artists is also reflected in the town infrastructure with houses painted a uniform golden yellow, which together with their red tile roofs create a picture-perfect view wherever you look. This isn’t some theme park though, this is a working fishing harbour with, not surprisingly, a thriving seafood restaurant scene and a busy commercial heart.
Fish dishes aside, of course, no visit to Denmark is complete without the Danish delicacy of Smørrebrød (don’t call it smorgasbord – that’s Swedish!) The famous open sandwiches may have been copied worldwide, but for an authentic taste of Denmark it’s hard pressed to beat the real deal on home soil. Diners at Dit Smørrebrød Skagen, on Østre Strandvej in the town centre may find themselves spoilt for choice when handed a menu with a wealth of options of 20 sandwich types to tempt the hungry tourist. Freshly made and deceptively filling, one, two or three of the sandwiches make the perfect lunch sat in the sunshine with a cooling glass of what else but Carlsberg – perhaps Denmark’s even more famous culinary export.
After a pit stop for lunch, take a stroll down the pedestrianised shopping streets and you’ll find everything from handmake local sweets, Danish fashion and handicrafts. Don’t expect any of the big chain stores here, the focus is very much on local traders.
Skagen may yet be somewhat of an undiscovered gem outside of Denmark, and in many ways it should stay that way, its unspoilt natural surroundings and genuine warmth from the residents, unspoilt by mass market tourism is one of its key charms. For those looking for some Danish Hygge though and the chance to dial the speedometer down a few notches and embrace the shifting sands of Northern Denmark.
Fancy a visit to Skagen or include it on a trip to Denmark? Head to the Visit Denmark page to learn more or head over to Magnetic North Travel who can tailor make a trip for you!
