Westerhever Lighthouse

Westerheversand went into service in 1908 on a mound raised above the salt marsh, with two keeper's houses tucked at its foot, and it has become the image most people picture when they think of this coast. Getting there is half of it. You leave the car at the edge of the polder and walk out along the dike, sheep on the slope, the marsh flat and enormous on the seaward side, until the tower stops being a red dot and turns into a building. Tides govern everything here. Twice a day the water pulls back to expose the mudflats of the Wadden Sea, and guided walks go out onto them from the coast nearby.

What you actually see

• The dike walk - the approach across grazed marsh, with the tower growing slowly ahead.
• The keeper's houses - two small brick buildings at the base, used now for nature work and events.
• The salt marsh - creeks, sea lavender and large flocks of waders on the seaward side.
• Sunset from the mound - the reason most people time their walk for the end of the day.

When to go

May to September for warm enough weather and for the guided mudflat walks that run along this coast. Late summer brings migrating waders in large numbers. Wind decides the day more than temperature, and there is no shelter anywhere on the path. Tower interior visits are limited, seasonal and have to be booked in advance.

Honest expectations

There is nothing at the lighthouse itself: no cafe, no shop, and toilets only back at the car park. The walk is flat but fully exposed, and in wind or rain it is a slog both ways. Sunset draws a crowd of photographers onto one small mound. Ticks in the grass are a real nuisance in summer.

Nearby

The wide beach at St Peter-Ording with its stilt houses, the Eider barrage, and the harbour town of Husum.