Road Trip to Klitmøller, Blokhus, and Løkken in Denmark
Fishermen on the beach in Klitmøller, Denmark
A Road Trip Through Vendsyssel on the Danish West Coast
In the Northwestern part of Denmark, you will find the region named “Vendsyssel”. This is only about an hour’s drive north of where I grew up in Lemvig, and yet there are many parts of Vendsyssel I had never seen or places I hadn’t visited since I was a kid.
When we found ourselves in Lemvig last summer we decided on a one-day, one-night road trip up the West Coast to Klitmøller, Blokhus, and Løkken.
A sure sign that Klitmøller is a surf town
When I was a young boy our summer vacations would take us to Løkken to the fabulous beach, arguably one of the nicest in Denmark. At the time we had friends who lived in the nearby small town of Vrå and each summer we would make day trips to the beach in Løkken.
Klitmøller
Klitmøller, also known as “Cold Hawaii”, is a popular surfing town on the Danish West Coast and this was our first stop of the day. According to the friendly fishermen (see feature photo above), Klitmøller is one of the fastest-growing towns in Denmark due to the popularity of surfing.
Property prices have gone up and people flock to this small town to catch the waves. Growing up on the West Coast I can attest to the fact that it is almost always windy in this part of the country.
Klitmøller, Denmark
Our visit to Klitmøller was brief with a short walk along the beach but from what we saw this could be a cool place to hang out if you have more time. Especially if you want to give surfing a try. There is a surf school and several shops and restaurants near the beach and Klitmøller that cool surfer’s vibe to it.
Surfers at Klitmøller, aka “Cold Hawaii”
Building with rocks in the sand
Blokhus
We had booked a one-night stay at Strandhotellet Blokhus (Beach Hotel Blokhus) and paid around $200.00 which included an amazing breakfast buffet and free mini-bar in the room.
We took advantage of the indoor pool and sauna and enjoyed a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. For the area, Strandhotellet Blokhus is a fairly high-end accommodation choice and the rooms and decor were tastefully done and very fitting with the surroundings near the beach.
On our arrival in Blokhus, it was raining but this didn’t keep us from walking the short distance to the beach where you can see the long line of small cottages located right on the beach near the sand dunes.
The tiny cottages along the beach at Blokhus
Model sailboat
The cottages are quaint and iconic for this area of Denmark as you will see them scattered along the coast when you drive north towards Løkken.
On the following morning, the rain cleared and was replaced by a windy day and it was mostly sunny. It was interesting to witness how quickly the weather can change along the coast.
After checking out from the hotel we spent some time wandering the cozy streets of Blokhus with a wide choice of artisan, souvenir, and coffee shops.
Blue and white curtains
Two surfers on the beach in Blokhus
Løkken
The beaches in this part of Denmark are very flat with compact sand which means you can drive along the beach from Blokhus to Løkken. You can also travel this distance along the main road which is about a 20-kilometer stretch or about 13 miles.
The journey along the beach is a tad shorter but may take longer as you give yourself time to take in the amazing views of the North Sea on the left and sand dunes on your right.
It will also take you longer if you get stuck in the sand with your vehicle. I was very aware of this risk and was careful not to slow down too much or weir off the main tracks in the sand. At one point, however, we pulled over ever so slightly to the side to take photos of the sand dunes.
Two surfers headed for the waves in Løkken, Denmark
A windy day along the beach in Løkken
When we attempted to start up again we dug ourselves into the soft sand and were stuck. Now what? We were in a Toyota RAV 4 which I thought was four-wheel-drive but this was not the case.
We lucked out as almost immediately after we got stuck a big backhoe loader drove by and we flagged him down. He told us people get stuck all the time, especially larger RVs. The guy was super friendly and had us pulled out in no time.
We are glad we took this route but as soon as we had an option to hit the main road we did so thinking that we may not be that lucky if we were to get stuck again.
LN 49 and the tiny cottages on the beach in Løkken
LN 49
Final Thoughts
This was a tremendously rewarding trip for us. The nature along the Danish coast varies from march to sand dunes, hills, and finally serene beaches. You can cover this part of the world in a day or two or take as long as you like.
Ideally, we would have had more time to dig a bit deeper and relax in these beautiful surroundings, and yet we still made time to smell the wildflowers in the fields and to gaze at the countless windmills in the wind-swept flat landscape of Denmark.
If you find yourself in this part of the world, we can highly recommend "Vendsyssel”.
Hiking in Vendsyssel
Vendsyssel Wldflowers
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm GFX 50R, GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR, and Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC. (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I have used Fujifilm film simulations for the photos in this post.
