Fur

Fur sits in the Limfjord north of Skive, reached by a five minute ferry, and is made largely of moler: a pale, extremely light diatomite clay laid down on a sea floor around 55 million years ago and streaked with hundreds of dark volcanic ash layers. The cliffs at Knudeklint on the north coast show that banding clearly, tilted and folded by later ice. Fossil insects, fish and birds come out of this clay in exceptional condition, and the island museum both displays them and runs digs where visitors split their own slabs. Away from the cliffs, Fur is farmland, small harbours and quiet lanes, easy to cover by bicycle in a day.

What you actually see

• Knudeklint - banded moler cliffs where dark ash layers stripe the pale clay.
• The fossils - insects, fish and birds preserved in the diatomite and shown at the island museum.
• Digging your own - supervised sites where you can split moler and keep what you find.
• The coast road - a flat cycle circuit of harbours, small beaches and fjord views.

When to go

May to September, when the ferry runs frequently, the museum is fully open and the fossil digs operate. Summer weekends push Danish holiday traffic onto a very small ferry, so expect a wait with a car. Spring and early autumn are quieter and just as good for walking the cliffs.

Honest expectations

The island is small and there is not much beyond cycling, the museum and the cliffs, so a full day can stretch thin. The cliffs crumble and are roped off in places for good reason. Fossil hunting takes patience and usually yields fragments rather than showpieces. Accommodation is limited and books out for July well in advance.

Nearby

Skive and the Limfjord shore are on the mainland side; the island of Mors and its own moler cliffs lie west.