Blavand Beach

Blavands Huk is the western tip of mainland Denmark, a low sandy point where the open North Sea coast turns and the tidal Wadden Sea begins. The beach is wide, flat and hard enough to walk on for kilometres, backed by a dune belt and pine plantation, with the white lighthouse of 1900 standing on the highest ground behind it. Concrete blocks from old coastal works sit half-buried in the sand, and a few were turned into sculptures in the 1990s. Seals haul out on the banks off the point and can often be picked out with binoculars at low tide. Behind the dunes, Blavand is a summer house town that empties in winter.

What you actually see

• Blavands Huk - the point itself, where the North Sea coast turns towards the Wadden Sea.
• The lighthouse - a white tower of 1900 with a stair up to the gallery and a wide view.
• Seals on the sandbanks - hauled out off the point, best seen at low tide with binoculars.
• The dune belt - marram, pine plantation and sandy paths behind the beach.

When to go

June to September for water warm enough to stand and for long days; the town is at its fullest in July, when Danish and German families fill the summer houses. May and September give you the same beach with a fraction of the people. Wind and blowing sand are normal on this coast in any season.

Honest expectations

Blavand is a summer house resort first and a nature spot second, so expect holiday shops, queues on the approach road and packed car parks in July. The North Sea here is cold and the currents deserve respect. There is no shade on the beach. Out of season most of the town is shuttered and the wind makes long walks hard work.

Nearby

Ribe and the Wadden Sea centre are south; Esbjerg and the ferry to Fano are north.