Heatherhill and Rågeleje, North Zealand

A view across the sea



Heatherhill is a listed area with hills and valleys grown with heather, juniper and a fine flora - and sheep are grazing freely in the hills. The British tea-merchant Joseph Vincent gave the place its name Heatherhill and built around 1900 a manor in English style in the hills, which however was broken down in the 1950s. But the flowering hills are still here. All summer is Pasque Flower and Bloody Crane's-bill seen here among juniper and broom shrub. Butterflies like Glanville Fritillary and Burnets are seen in the area.Heatherhill is about 19 km northwest of Hillerød at the coast south of Rågeleje. Here is a parking place and information at the kiosk. The place is a few minutes walk from a lovely white bathing beach, which invites for coast fishing with good catch-possibilities. The characteristic hills and valleys are good for hiking and the hills are suitable for hang gliding.


Sheep are grazing freely


There are many fine viewpoints with benches


Parasol Mushroom Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) grows often in dunes and in beach meadows. The parasol mushroom may be eaten raw. It is popular soaked in butter. Only the cap of fresh specimens is considered edibel.
There is a few poisonous species which can be mistaken for M. procera:
1)Chlorophyllum molybdites, a species that causes the largest number of annual mushroom poisonings in North America due to its close similarity. Faintly green gills and a pale green spore print give it away. Furthermore this mushroom lacks the aforementioned snakeskin pattern that is generally present on the parasol mushroom. Its range is reportedly expanding into Europe.
2) Leucocopronus brunnea, also found in North America, slowly turns brown when sliced.
3) White and immature species of Amanita are also a potential hazard. To be sure, one must only pick parasol mushrooms past their button stage. A general rule of thumb with the parasol mushroom as compared to amanita species is that the parasol mushroom has darker flakes on a lighter surface, whereas amanita species have the opposite, lighter flakes (if there are any) on a darker surface, such as the Panther cap.
4)The Saffron Parasol Cystoderma amianthinum is very much smaller, and not often eaten. 5)Lepiota brunneoincarnata is a lepiota species known to have caused mortal intoxications in Spain.


Rågeleje seen from Heatherhill



Along the coast from Rågeleje to Heatherhill are holiday houses in the hills

Rågeleje is one of the wellknown seaside resorts along the northern coast of Zealand, but the inhabitants in Rågeleje were until ab. year 1900 fishermen. The charming fishing town is now a popular holiday resort in a scenic countryside with the beautiful listed area Heatherhill nearby. Rågeleje is probably identical to a disappeared town Roka, which was mentioned in the medieval Esrum Klosterbook. In the 1500s it was the largest fishing town along the coast of North Zealand, but caused by sand drift and the decline of the herring fishing the town was desolate in the 1600s - but in the beginning of the 1700s it was established again. It is today one of the most popular holiday resorts at the coast of Zealand with attractive white beaches and listed nature areas, which are open to the public. The long beach with the white sand has fine conditions for wind- and kite-surfers. The beach has blue flag and in the summer season a life guard.


photo Heatherhills & Rågeleje 2008: grethe bachmann

Skagen, Vendsyssel, North Jutland

The top of Denmark, Grenen, where two seas meet, Skagerak coming from the North Sea and Kattegat from the Baltic Sea.


Brøndum's Hotel

Skagen is one of the sunniest places in Denmark, a favorite place for a summer holiday, the town is pretty with the yellow houses, red roofs and cosy gardens with white-painted fences. It is a lovely mix of a fishing and tourist-town, and it is marked by the group of painters, who lived here around 1900. Skagen was "discovered" in the 1870s by poets and painters like Holger Drachmann, Michael Ancher and P.S.Krøyer, who appreciated the good light and climate. The town has developed into one of the most popular holiday places in Denmark, especially for rich people in the late 1800s and in the beginning of the 1900s, but the life of a fishing-town has continued as always, and Skagen is still an important fishing harbour. A great attraction for the tourists is the life in the harbour with the picturesque old fishing -houses. Skagen Festival: Music/Jazz/Folksong in summer. Many exciting boutiques and gift-shops in the city street.



Skagen town has narrow streets and pretty houses. Skagen Museum has an excuisite collection of the Skagen painters and close to the museum is the famous Brøndums hotel and the romantic and red-painted Michael & Anna Ancher's house with memorial rooms and Ancher-paintings and drawings. Holger Drachmann's house is in the other part of Skagen town with memorial rooms. Close to his house is a small open air museum with old fishing houses, a windmill and a memorial hall . Another pretty building is the town hall and on the same road Krøyer's House, which is a halftimbered building , a fine example of the old building customs in Skagen. (private owner)


Fishing shops and restaurants.


The northernmost restaurant in Denmark, named "De 2 Have" (The two Seas)

Skagen is the northernmost city in Denmark - and when to go 5 km northeast is Grenen, Denmark's northernmost point. Along the road, which runs on the east side to Grenen you can see a reconstruction of an old vippefyr from 1561 and Skagen Fyr ("Lange Maren"), which is the highest lighthouse in Denmark. It takes 210 steps to get up in the top and look across the beautiful landscape towards Skagens Odde (Grenen), where two seas meet, Skagerak from the west and Kattegat from the east. Grenen grows with about 8 m each year, caused by the addition of material from the stream, but the point itself changes form all the time. The tour out to Grenen is a lovely ride with the blue and red tractor-train "Sandormen".


The German bunker from WWII is still there


The most wonderful blue sea, do you recognize Krøyer's blue sea?

P.S.Krøyer: Sommeraften ved Skagens Strand. Krøyer and his wife Marie
Peter Severin Krøyer, born 23 July 1851 in Stavanger , died 20 November 1909 in Skagen, was a Danish painter and one of the Danish Skagen-painters He was born in Norway but grew up by his aunt in Copenhagen. He early showed his talent as a drawer, and in the year 1864-70 he studied at Det kongelige Danske Kunstakademi and achieved in 1873 a gold medal and a scholarship. He went to Germany and France, where he worked and studied for several years. In 1878 he went to Spain and Italy where he visited Firenze, Siena and Rome. He met Michael and Anna Ancher in Paris. They lived in Skagen and this caused Krøyer to go to Skagen for the first time in 1882. He went there each summer and the concept of the Skagen-painters was created with P.S. Krøyer as the centre. As one of few Danish painters he had a selfportrait taken in at the Uffizi-museum in Firenze.
In 1889 he was married to the love of his life, the beautiful Marie, in Germany. In 1894 the married couple took over a house in Skagen plantage, named Krøyer's house. Some of his most exciting paintings were painted here, like various motives of summer evenings at the beach of Skagen. He also painted a flood of portraits, which made him a wealthy artist. Marie Krøyer left her husband and daughter in the beginning of the 1900s , and Krøyer was hospitalized several times as mentally disordered. Anyway he finished a magnificent painting "Skt.Hansblus på Skagens strand" in 1906. (Midsommernight fire). His illness grew worse and he died in 1909 at Skagen and was buried in Skagen cemetery.


The two seas which surround the land creates golden and blue shades in the dunes. The special light and a magnificent nature on all sides. The surroundings can be tough or gentle, but they are always fantastic and impressive. A high sky, lots of light, water and fresh air.


Gammel Skagen, holiday houses in the dunes


Jeckel's Hotel

Skagen is actually two towns , the little Gammel Skagen (Old Skagen) to the west by the Skagerak-coast and Skagen itself to the east by Kattegat - and from Skagen north along the coast to the northernmost point of Denmark, named Grenen, and from Grenen down south to Gammel Skagen on the western side is an about 50 km fine bathing beach. Gammel Skagen is also characteristic with the yellow houses and red roofs, but most of the old bathing hotels have been changed into time-share apartments, like the famous Jeckels Hotel .


South of Skagen is the listed migrating dune, Råbjerg Mile, a desert landscape - eternal changing and large enough to lose one's way in there, "Jutland's Sahara". During ab. 300 years it has been moving about 5 km - and deep under the giant duvet of sand are forests and villages buried; they will emerge gradually when the sand masses have moved enough eastwards. This happens with a speed of 20-30 meter a year.


Skagen, Flagbakken, bird-watchers in May 2008

A beautiful red kite.

Skagen is also a paradise for ornitologists/bird-watchers. there is a great bird-migrating in , especially in the month of May. Here are some birdwatcher upon the hill "Flagbakken" , south of Skagen. Various birds of prey arrived all day, hovering in the wind-current above the hill.


And at last we saw a small viper down the hill. I thought it was so cute, but was told that it bites just as bad as a grown-up viper. Can you see it? The little triangular head is raised at the left! (evt. click to enlarge)


photo Skagen 2003/2005/2008: grethe bachmann