Hornbaek

Hornbaek sits on the north-facing coast of Zealand and has a beach of pale sand backed by dunes and by Hornbaek Plantage, a pine and oak plantation established in the eighteenth century to stop sand drifting inland over the farmland. It was discovered by painters in the 1870s, who came for the same light that drew their contemporaries to Skagen, and then by Copenhageners, and it has been a summer resort ever since, with wooden villas among the trees and a small harbour with a fishing fleet and a sailing club. The beach faces the Kattegat, so the water is cold and the surf is real when the wind is northerly. Out of season it is very quiet.

The landscape

• A wide dune beach - pale sand facing the open Kattegat.
• Hornbaek Plantage - eighteenth-century pine planted to stop drifting sand.
• The harbour - a small fishing and sailing port at the eastern end.
• Wooden summer villas - the resort architecture among the trees.

When to go

June to August for swimming; the water is cold before midsummer. A day trip or a weekend. July is busy with Copenhagen families and accommodation is expensive and booked. September is warm enough and far quieter.

Good to know

The season is short and out of it much of the town closes. Summer weekends fill the beach and the parking. The Kattegat is cold and there can be strong currents when the wind is up. Accommodation prices in July are very high.

Nearby

Gilleleje is west along the coast; Helsingor and Kronborg lie east.