Klitmøller , "The Cold Hawaii" at the North Sea.

Welcome to a tour around Klitmøller and Thy!



Klitmøller is a town and an earlier landing place in Thy about 10 km southwest of Hanstholm and 17 km northwest of Thisted, with ab. 825 inhabitants, the number increases in the summer season with many guests in the holiday houses and on the camping sites. There is a varied range of shops and boutiques.

The town lies in the northwestern part of Jutland with the waters of Limfjorden to the east, the North Sea to the west, Hanstholm to the north and the National Park Thy to the south. Here is an experience of the great force of the North Sea, when the strong Atlantic swell from Iceland and the Faroes drifts against the coast. Here is fresh air, clean bathing water and large areas of virgin nature.


The large reserve - the distance from where he walks and further into the area is much, much longer than you imagine, and the moist terrain makes a heavy walk.......


a lake with no name in the dunes, here might be cranes, but they were out visiting somewhere that morning.....

If you drive north from Klitmøller, you arrive at the Hansted-Reserve, the largest nature reserve in Denmark. From 1. April till 15. July is here no access for the public because of the birds' breeding season. Inside a distance of 2 km are the prettiest dune plantations in the country and good possibilites for mushrooms experts and bikers. There are maps with informations about biking routes etc.

In 2007 was 244 km2 of the Thy-district appointed "Nationalpark Thy" - Denmark's first nationalpark. It stretches from a 12 km long belt along the North Sea coast from Hanstholm to the north and Agger Tange to the south. Here are the large dune-heaths and clean nutrient-poor lakes. The old fishing villages Klitmøller and Vorupør lie like small oases at the North Sea in the middle of the national park.

more info nationalparkthy


The Cold Hawaii
Klitmøller is famous for being a surfing paradise.

Klitmøller has a fine bathing beach and high white dunes. The western wind has formed small hollows in the sand creating lovely shelters on a sunny day. After special wind- and stream conditions you can find amber on the beach.

There are fine opportunities for bathing and surfing. The town is often mentioned as The Cold Hawaii, and it is especially in the discipline Waveperformance inside windsurfing and surfing that has exceptional conditions here. Klitmøller hosted the Danish masterships in waveperformance up through the 90s, EM in 1996 and WM in 1998. The relatively new sport kitesurfing has also attracted many practitioners from Denmark and abroad to Klitmøller with the strong wind and the large waves.

There are good overnight-possibilities, i.e. holiday houses, rooms and authorized camping sites, several restaurants, cafés and grillbars, mostly open in the summer season. Each year in the first week-end of June is the summer feast celebrated.




Earlier was Klitmøller a landing place for the coast fishing boats. The boats were pulled up and out with a winch. The landing place is still preserved and the fishing continues from small dinghys. Each day, when the weather allows it, the small boats come in with various fish, lobsters and crab's claws, the local delicatesse. For sports fishers are good opportunites for catching fish from the fishing cutters in Vorupør and Hanstholm or from the shelter-mole in Nørre Vorupør.



Nors Sø, a fine area with osprey and lots of geese and other birds and a varied flora.

The name Klitmøller origins from the 1600s, where 3 mills were placed close to the North Sea, surrounded by dunes. The mills were used for corn grinding, and the corn exported to Norway in special flat-bottomed boats, which could be drawn up on the sand. The boats came back with timber from Norway. At that time Klitmøller was the most important trading town in the area. Several boat captains grew immensely rich. Some of the success was caused by that Agger Tange was closed - it was impossible to sail into Limfjorden. This boat trade went on at several plaes along the north western coast of Jutland, but Klitmøller was the most important trading place. The town had its great period between 1600 and 1819, but it lost its central importance, when the North Sea broke through Agger Tange, making the passage free for sailing. The lifeboat station in Klitmøller was established in 1847 and abandoned in 1979. From 1852 till 1954 were 57 rescues and 543 people were saved.

In the sand dunes by town are i.e. lyme grass, heather, crowberry, sea holly and marsh-gentian, which is also found in the dune-heaths. Upon the heath breed i.e. the sandpiper and the crane. To the east are great coniferous plantations with two large lakes Vester Vandet Sø and Nors Sø.

new biking route

A photo collection from the area:

heather and honeysuckle (click to enlarge the small photos)

Lotus and bell heather with a red Admiral

Family at the beach and sweet gale

Kestrel and knotweed in a small lake with no name

Scabiosa and Peacock butterfly

Tømmerby church and a fishing village

chessboard Hillerslev church and forest after fire in dry summer

Common Blue and lovely horses

sea holly and small lake in the dunes

The nature in the nationalpark in Thy is so rich, and it is a joy just to take a walk there from one of the many parking places in the area. In many places are maps to inform people what is special exactly here as to flora and fauna, but also maps of biking and hiking routes etc.

Never give up without a fight!

It was exciting to see how the surfers fought the waves. I have never tried surfing, but it must be difficult just to get on the surfboard. This guy went on and on like the other surfers, and at last he succeeded in flying across the water. It looks so amazing - and it must be a wonderful feeling.

Hanstholm light tower

photos Thy August 2007: grethe bachmann

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