When someone thinks about Denmark, the first thing that usually comes to mind is Vikings and perhaps beautiful Scandinavian nature. Deserts and sand dunes are typically not associated with any Nordic country. So you can imagine my absolute surprise and fascination when I was first heard about a couple of sand dunes the size of small deserts roaming around the Danish countryside destroying anything in their path.
For over 120 years the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse (Rubjerg Knude Fyr in Danish) has been perched on a high cliff looking over the North Sea along the northwest coast of Denmark. And unfortunately for all those 120 years coastal erosion has threatened to topple it into the sea and a drifting sand dune has threatened to completely bury it.
I visited the lighthouse in 2003 when I first moved to Denmark to live for a year, and since then I’ve dragged my family back there several times. Each visit is a unique experience because the landscape is always changing. It’s a must-see if you ever find yourself in northern Denmark!
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A Brief History of Rubjerg Knude
Construction of the lighthouse began in March of 1899 and was completed in December of 1990. At that time the 23 meter (75-foot) tall lighthouse stood 60 meters (200 feet) above the sea and some 200 meters (650 feet, roughly 2 football fields) inland among lush green fields. Light from the lighthouse could be seen 26 miles away.
However, over the years constant high winds blowing sand up from the cliff creating a sand dune and coastal erosion caused by powerful waves crashing into the cliff soon became a big problem. On average, the cliff eroded away at an average of 1.5 meters (5 feet) a year.
The sand dune eventually became so vast it covered the light of the lighthouse, meaning sailors couldn’t see the light from sea and so it ceased operation in 1968. Some time after, the buildings were converted into a museum (about drifting sand) and cafe. But again, the shifting sand dune only grew larger and started to cover the buildings until they were abandoned in 2002. By then it was calculated that the lighthouse would topple into the sea sometime after 2020.
Visiting and Exploring Rubjerg Knude
Today the lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction with about 250,000 visitors a year.
It’s always windy along the Danish coast, but some days are windier than others. No matter what the conditions, after a visit to Rubjerg Knude and walking along the dunes you will be cleaning sand out of places on your body you never thought sand would find it’s way into.
From the parking lot it is about a 15 or so minute walk to the lighthouse, first along a trail with tightly packed sand where you pass fenced in areas with sheep. Then the trail ends and you have to make the journey to the lighthouse across the dunes. At this point the sand is much softer and walking gets a little strenuous. You would be forgiven if you thought for a moment you got lost and ended up in the Sahara desert. Definitely doesn’t look like the land of the Vikings!
However, once you reach the top, you get an amazing view of both the lighthouse and the sea, and you can literally see the sand being blown up, creating small sandstorms across the dunes.
My First Visit in 2004
My first visit in February of 2004 was just a couple of years after they closed the museum for good. You can see why they had to close it.
And yes, that is frost on the sand.
Our Second Visit in 2006
My second trip to Rubjerg Knude was a memorable one, as it was the first time we went there as a family, including my in-laws.
It was so cool to see how the dune and buildings had changed in just two years!
This is my absolute favorite photo from our day there. For a moment I could imagine that we were walking around Tatooine.
Our Third Visit in 2013
It had unfortunately been 7 years between visits, so I was super excited to see how things had changed. And WOW had they! I mean just look at the view from the parking lot compared to our visit in 2006!
It was also not as windy of a day, so were were able to spend more time exploring and photographing both the lighthouse, the dunes and the views from the top of the dunes.
One of the first things we noticed is that you could no longer see any of the out buildings and that the coast was creeping awfully close to the lighthouse!
Our Fourth Visit in 2017
Our fourth visit to Rubjerg Knude was my most favorite of all. I’ll tell you why in a minute, but first, the obligatory photo from parking lot.
But anywho, as I was saying, this trip was by far my most favorite of all. For one thing, the lighthouse had been restored and was open to visitors!
Second, there was a company offering helicopter tours around the lighthouse! We did not know this before going, and as soon as I saw the helicopter I didn’t think twice. I grabbed my camera and hopped in, leaving Peter behind to pay the fee. I think I even surprised the pilot and ground crew with my enthusiasm, but I didn’t care.
Once we were up in the air I was just so giddy! But the view was absolutely gorgeous. It really was one of the best things I’ve ever done in Denmark.
This view gives you a really good idea of how long of a walk it is from the parking lot (the circle of cars middle right of the photo) to the lighthouse.
And this view gives you a really good idea of how long of a walk it is across the sand dune!
But as I was saying, it wasn’t windy at all, so we were able to spend a considerable amount of time here exploring the dunes, lighthouse and watching the paragliders.
It was also cool to see that over time a lot of bricks and other materials from the buildings had been revealed by the wind.
Then we went up into the lighthouse! The views at each stop on the way up get more impressive!
Take view from the top was simply amazing! You can see for miles all around.
As we left the lighthouse that day, I was sad thinking this would probably be the last time I ever saw the lighthouse, as it was predicted it would topple into the sea within a few years. However, as luck would have it, there were people in Denmark that wanted to save the lighthouse, so in 2019 the lighthouse was put on rollerblades and moved 80 meters (260 feet) inland in hopes that it would be decades before they would have to think about moving it again.
Take a tour of the lighthouse with us!
Our Most Recent Visit in 2024
This was of course our first visit both post COVID and post moving day for the lighthouse, so I was again excited to see what changes had taken place in 7 years. Again, obligatory photo from the parking lot!
The wind on this visit, however, was brutal. After making our way to the lighthouse we quickly make our way inside to get some protection from the sand.
However, it didn’t get any better inside the lighthouse. The wind only got gustier, blowing sand into the stairwell and our eyes. So our time here was short. By the time we go back to the car we were shaking sand out of our hair, ears, clothes and crunching sand for days afterwards every time we ate something!
Now I hope it’s not seven more years before I see the lighthouse again!
Practical Information About Rubjerg Knude
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is open 24 hours all year round and it’s free to visit.
There is a large parking lot with bathrooms and a picnic area.
Unfortunately, it is not handicap friendly, as you are walking a long ways over sandy and uneven terrain.
Check the weather before you go and make sure there aren’t any gale force winds!
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