Romo

Romo lies on the Wadden Sea side of southern Jutland and is reached by a ten kilometre causeway straight across the tidal flats, so no ferry is involved. The west coast beach is the island's headline: at Lakolk and Sonderstrand the sand runs so far out at low tide that you drive onto it and park, and there is still room left over for kite buggies, land yachts and horses. Behind the beach lie dunes, salt marsh, heath and small villages where thatched captains' houses recall money made from Arctic whaling. The east side faces the mudflats, where seals rest and enormous numbers of migrating birds feed.

History

Rømø, part of the historic region of Southern Jutland, is the southernmost of Denmark's Wadden Sea islands, a distinction once held by the small uninhabited Jordsand, which sank in 1999. In early February 1644 Swedish forces under Carl Gustaf Wrangel captured the island, and on 21 March a Danish force under Heinrich von Buchwald took it back. From 1899 to 1940 a horse-drawn tram ran from Kongsmark across the island to Lakolk (Wikipedia, Rømø).

Highlights

• Lakolk beach - sand wide enough to drive and park on, with kite buggies and land yachts.
• The causeway - a ten kilometre crossing of the tidal flats with birds on both sides.
• Kommandorgarden - a preserved thatched captain's farm from the whaling era.
• The mudflats - seals, waders and guided walks out onto the tidal floor at low tide.

When to go

May to September for warmth, though the wind here makes even August feel brisk. Spring and autumn migration fills the flats with birds, and the starling murmurations of the southern marshes fall in the same weeks. July is the German and Danish holiday peak, when the beach car parks are at their busiest.

Things to know

The beach is huge, but sharing it with cars is not to everyone's taste and soft sand traps a few vehicles every summer. The water is shallow, cold and slow to deepen, so swimming means a long walk out. The wind is relentless. Shops and places to eat cluster in a couple of spots, and much of the island shuts down out of season.

Nearby

Ribe and the Wadden Sea centre are north; a ferry from Havneby crosses to the German island of Sylt.

Key facts