Anholt

Anholt lies alone in the middle of the Kattegat, roughly halfway between Jutland and Sweden, three hours by ferry from Grenaa, and it has around a hundred and fifty permanent residents in a single village at the western end. The rest of the island is the Ork, a large plain of sand, lichen heath and stunted pine that was stripped of its forest for fuel centuries ago and became one of the largest areas of its kind in northern Europe, walked across on marked paths and often compared to a desert. At the eastern point, Totten, is the largest seal colony in Denmark, with several thousand harbour and grey seals hauled out on the sand, viewable from a marked distance. There are no cars for visitors.

What you actually see

• The Ork sand plain - a lichen desert covering most of the island.
• The seal colony at Totten - several thousand animals on the eastern point.
• A single village - the whole settled population at the western end.
• Complete isolation - three hours of open sea in every direction.

When to go

May to September; the ferry runs a reduced winter timetable and weather cancels it. Two to three days, since the crossing eats a day at each end. The walk to the seals and back is a long day in itself.

Honest expectations

The ferry is long, exposed and cancels in bad weather, which can strand you. Accommodation is very limited and books out for the summer. There are no shops beyond a small store. The walk to the seal colony is about ten kilometres each way over soft sand with no shade or water.

Nearby

Grenaa on Djursland is the mainland port; Laeso lies north in the same sea.