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

You will find the region named “Vendsyssel” in the Northwestern part of Denmark. 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.

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.

A sure sign that Klitmøller is a surf town

Klitmøller, Denmark

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 Denmark's fastest-growing towns due to surfing's popularity.

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.

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 try surfing. There is a surf school and several shops and restaurants near the beach, and Klitmøller has a cool surfer’s vibe to it.

Surfers at Klitmøller, aka “Cold Hawaii”

Building with rocks in the sand

Blokhus

We booked a one-night stay at Strandhotellet Blokhus (Beach Hotel Blokhus) and paid around $200.00, which included an amazing breakfast buffet and a 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 reasonably high-end accommodation choice, and the rooms and decor were tastefully done and very fitting with the surroundings near the beach.

It was raining on our arrival in Blokhus, but this didn’t keep us from walking the short distance to the beach, where you can see the long line of small cottages 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.

The following morning, the rain cleared and was replaced by a windy but mostly sunny day. Witnessing how quickly the weather can change along the coast was interesting.

After checking out of the hotel, we spent some time wandering the cozy streets of Blokhus, which have 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, 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 dunes on your right.

It will also take longer if your vehicle gets stuck in the sand. I was aware of this risk and was careful not to slow down too much or drive off the main tracks in the sand. 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. 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 with 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 the 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

LN 49 and the tiny cottages on the beach in Løkken

Final Thoughts

This was a tremendously rewarding trip for us. The nature along the Danish coast varies from marsh to 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, yet we still made time to smell the wildflowers in the fields and gaze at the countless windmills in Denmark's wind-swept flat landscape.

If you find yourself in this part of the world, we can highly recommend "Vendsyssel”.

Hiking in Vendsyssel

Vendsyssel Wldflowers


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.