Bovbjerg
The steep sand cliffs at Bovbjerg Beach in Denmark
Bovbjerg Beach, Denmark
Bovbjerg and the 41-Meter High Sandhill Bluffs
Growing up in Lemvig on the Danish West Coast we have paid countless visits to Bovbjerg, Ferring, and the Lighthouse which sits majestically on the hills above the beach by the North Sea.
As a child, I would play in the sand dunes, run along the beach and eat countless ice creams at the kiosk located right at top of the hill.
Swimming was limited to the edge of the water as it was and still is, too dangerous due to high waves and the risk of being swept away by the undertow. I remember horror stories of tourists going missing in the waves.
Bovbjerg Badehotel (swim hotel). Photo credit: arkiv.dk
Bovjerg Badehotel
I especially recall Bovbjerg Badehotel (swim hotel). It was sold by local artist, Kristen Bjerre in 1974 and left in decay hereafter. Coincidentally, I also lived on a street in Lemvig named after this artist (Kristen Bjerre’s Vej).
The hotel was eventually torn down and new holiday rental units have been built in the same location
Bovbjerg, an All-Season Playground
Bovbjerg is a splendid nature and landscape hiking/biking destination any time of year. You can walk along the top edge and take in the view of the North Sea or take the stairs down to the beach in order to explore the shoreline and jetties.
More tourists and locals visit during the summer months but it is not uncommon to see people in windbreakers and rain jackets walking during a storm during the fall and winter months.
The waves crash in on the jetty. This was a couple of days prior to Storm, Urd, moving across Denmark with hurricane-force winds. We felt the build-up.
The fresh air is invigorating and we play the same game every time we visit. We stand near the edge of the 41-meter-high sandhills and lean into the wind. Disclaimer: Be careful not to stand too close to the edge.
The winds are usually strong enough to keep you from falling even when leaning in with your full weight. You will find several WWII bunkers along the Danish west coast and Bovbjerg is no exception.
A Family visit to the beach at Bovbjerg Strand, a 15-minute drive from Lemvig, my hometown in Denmark.
History of Bovbjerg
The name Bovbjerg stems from Bov and Bjerg. Bov is the front of a ship and Bjerg is a Mountain. The steep hills at Bovbjerg were used to navigate from the ocean before modern navigation equipment was available.
A fun fact from Bovbjerg: The danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen visited in 1859 and wrote: The water has eaten away at the shoreline, like a man with big teeth taking a bite of a piece of Smørrebrød (Danish open-face smorgasbord).
Bovbjerg Lighthouse (Bovbjerg Fyr)
The main attraction besides the spectacular nature, is the lighthouse, which was built in 1877 as one of the first along the Danish west coast to help ships navigate the dangerous North Sea.
The 41 meter high sand hills, bluff, at Bovbjerg Strand
Family Time in Lemvig
We were spending the Christmas holiday season in my hometown of Lemvig, about 15 kilometers from Bovbjerg. It was a treat having both our kids, Mik and Emma with us. Mik had brought his girlfriend Courtney from Canada for her first visit to Denmark.
Unfortunately, Emma’s boyfriend, Simon, couldn’t join us on this fabulous day as he was spending time with his family for the holidays. Please road the captions in the following photos.
Looking north. Fun fact: Denmark is a small country but has more than 7,000 kilometers of coastline, about a meter and a half per Dane
Mik suggested this plot and it was not hard to convince Emma to join in. This was my first day of shooting with a new camera so I did not mind it one bit :)
Bovbjerg Lighthouse, Denmark
Bovbjerg Lighthouse
The lighthouse at Bovbjerg stands 26 meters tall at the top of the 41-meter-high sandhills along the North Sea on the Danish west coast.
Today the lighthouse serves as a center for culture, arts, and events, and has a nice cafe. Check out the official website here: bovbjergfyr.dk
Set the self-timer. Hurry hurry back to the group. Mind the edge. Best company in the world!
Hideout in an old WWII bunker near the Bovbjerg Lighthouse. In order to get the right angle, I extended the camera (mounted on a full-length tripod) above my head and used a 10-second self-timer. Mik guided me to get the correct angle.
Bovbjerg, the rolling hills, and the roaring North Sea
Looking south you see the church of a small town called Trans. And the windmills on the left are busy producing clean energy.
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Lightroom. I have used of Fujifilm film simulations in some of the photos.
