Trip to the lighthouse on the Rubjerg Knude shifting sand dune

The west coast of Denmark captivated me with its diverse, wild beaches, dune landscapes, and cliffs. While the surf washes away metres of the coast – up to 300 m in the last hundred years – the prevailing westerly wind blows the sand inland. Becoming and passing away as part of the erosion by wind and water. This also forms large, high sand dunes, which then migrate as shifting sand dunes from the west coast to the east coast of Jutland. This can currently be observed at the Rubjerg Knude shifting sand dune south of Lønstrup or the Råbjerg Mile near Skagen.

The Rubjerg Knude shifting sand dune lies above the 50-metre-high cliffs and rises another 50 metres itself. As a highlight, the historic Rubjerg Knude Fyr lighthouse also stands on the dune, which can now be climbed as a viewing tower. When it was built in 1900, the eroding coastline was still far away, and the dune was still flat. In the 1960s, the wind had piled up such a high sand hill on the seaward side that the light from the 23-metre-high tower could no longer be seen from the sea. Operations then had to be ceased.

The dune crest eventually moved past the tower and buried the associated buildings. The bricks from the walls of these buildings now form the raw material for the letters of messages left by visitors on the sand. When the eroding edge finally came too close and collapse threatened, the tower was moved or relocated in an elaborate project to its current position, about 70 metres inland.

The wind often whips the grains of sand so strongly across the dune that you have to protect your skin and head with appropriate clothing. This is also a challenge for camera equipment. However, paragliders love the strong updrafts of the cliffs all the more.

The entire dune is a nature reserve and can be reached via short hiking trails. From Lønstrup, the path leads past a holiday home settlement and the remains of the cemetery of the former Mårup Kirke church, which also had to give way to erosion. On the beach below the cemetery, human bones are occasionally found – spooky. Next to the cemetery, there is also a hiking car park, which is extensively occupied by campers. After another two kilometres through the vegetated dune landscape, the large sand dune is reached, the ascent in the fine soft sand is strenuous. The view of the sea and far inland is magnificent. The northern light, the sea air, the movement of the clouds create a special atmosphere here.