Summary of a Camping Holiday in Denmark

Denmark is a lovely place. The people are very friendly and generally, English is spoken very well. The total journey time at either end of the trip was far too long and I would recommend either camping somewhere closer to Esbjerg or taking at least a 2 week holiday and breaking the journey.
Check the camping seasons. We went to Denmark to experience a Camping Holiday - Danish style, but we don't really feel we achieve that as the campsite was virtually empty until the last night when people started arriving, and consequently, most of the facilities were not operating. We also didn't really feel welcomed on the site. We arrived late, were told our pitch, given rough directions to get to it, and when we arrived, it had not been tended to and had long grass, at least 20cm long and brambles growing all over the pitch. I had to clear the brambles away with my sons beach spade. It was also very small - so confirm exactly what you are getting. We asked for a pitch to fit our large trailer tent, a gazebo and expected space for our car and a little space for my son to play. We pitched as far over one side as we could, but with the guys, it left no space front or back and about 1m on one side - no room for our car or the gazebo if we had decided to take it.
Cost of Living is high. We took a lot of things such as cakes, crisps, biscuits and much of our menus were planned so we could take rice and pasta, etc with us. If not it would be expensive. A salami was about £4, small pack of sandwich meat £4, small piece of cheese (250g) £4, ice creams (e.g. magnum) £3. Eating out is very expensive also - you will have seen some examples in my Blog, but for a family of 2 adults and 1 child of nearly 4, we would allow between £25 and £50 depending on whether we were having basic sandwiches or a 1-course basic meal. We never had a starter or dessert.
There were plenty of things to do. The beaches were fantastic (if deserted this time of year), but where we were, North Jutland, be warned, the winds could end up sand blasting you, but with both East and West coast easily accessible, if the wind is blasting one coast, you should be able to find a favourable beach on the other coast. Within reasonable reach are many attractions - Zoo's, Aquariums, Theme Parks, Gardens, and many more. There is also plenty of walking and biking to be done over there.
The roads were very good and I found driving on the right no problem. They are very deserted compared with the UK. The top speed on the motorway is 80mph, but is much less when towing (50mph). Diesel is cheaper than petrol. Petrol is about the same price or a little more expensive as the UK, but diesel seemed to range from about 80p to 105p. We didn't try public transport. The Ferry across was very comfortable, but we did have virtually wave-less crossings both ways. There isn't much to do on the boat and drinks are expensive (about £6 for a can of Guinness). Take a travel kettle (and travel plug) if you would like to make a drink in your cabin as there are no facilities (at least not in the inside cabins).
Windmills - there are loads of them - puts the UK to shame. In the first 100 miles of the journey from Skiveren to Esbjerg I counted 249 easily viewable from the road. They certainly seem to have taken to wind power.

Would I go again - I think so, but would plan it better so we were either closer to Esbjerg (and maybe Legoland) or went for longer so I could afford a stop on the journey each way.

Back in the UK - Sun 31st

We woke about 8am and after showering, headed for another lovely breakfast. Then, we spent most of the morning up on deck, enjoying the scenery and sunshine.

Very soon, we were surprised to find ourselves off the Norfolk coast – and gradually recognising local landmarks – The Lighthouse at Southwold, Sizewell Nuclear Power Station, etc. Before we knew it, we were at Landguard again. We docked at 13:00 and very quickly, we we off the boat an on our way home.
We picked up some shopping and then it was straight off to a Birthday Party for Cameron whilst I went home and unpacked the car and tent.

Packing to go home - Sat 30th

We woke early and it was another sunny day. After breakfast we started to break camp. After getting most of it done, with Cameron being most helpful, Julie and Cameron went off for a last blast on the Go Carts to leave me to get the actual tent down. We had completely pack everything away by about 11:45, and we headed for the Strand Café to experience it before we went home. We had a lovely meal there – shame it wasn’t open earlier in the week.
At about 13:00, we set on our long journey to Esbjerg. Progress was slow, and it was difficult stickingto the 50mph speed limit. We made a stop for a quick coffee, ice cream and to let Cameron have a play, and then got on our way again. It was going to be tight to reach check-in on time, and I had to break the speed limit at times to ensure we made it. We are talking of at least a 5-6 hour drive including 1 break.
We got to Check-in at 17:50 and Cameron was very excited to see Jack the Pirate wandering around – he came over to see Cameron. We didn’t have to wait long, and very quickly we were on board – this time, we went up with the cars instead of the Lorries. We made our way to the room and then onto the Sun Deck to see us depart.
We stayed on deck for a while as we headed out to sea and ate our tea. Then, we went to see the kids show – but it was a Pirate Treasure hunt – not suitable for a 3 year old. Cameron played in the small play area for a while and then it was time to go back to the cabin.
Once asleep, I went back on deck to see the sunset and then it was back to the cabin.

Tip of Denmark - Fri 29th

A beautiful, sunny day, with little wind and nice and warm. We were heading for Grenan today – the northern tip of Denmark. We took the Sandorman Tractor Carriage to the tip – Cameron loved it – being towed by a great big blue tractor. It was a bit bumpy in laces, but a very enjoyable ride. Cameron got to sit on the tractor when we got to the tip – that has made his day !!

We did the touristy thing –walked to the very tip, and stood with a foot in both the Skagerrak Sea and the Kattegat Sea. It was a bizarre experience – seeing the waves from the two seas’ collide. We spent about an hour on the beach playing in the sand before returning on the Tractor again.

We then drove into Skagen for some lunch – we thought we’d treat ourselves today. The sun had brought everyone out – and places were busy. We found a popular restaurant, and found seats in the sunshine. The food was very enjoyable – especially the beer (but it should be at £6 a pint!!). We only had 1 course, and nothing special – Skagan Burger for us, Chicken Club sandwich for Cameron, and the total bill came to just under £50.
After lunch, we went back to the beach at Aalbæk and had a very relaxing couple of hours there – even managed a paddle in the sea!!
Next, was the highlight of the day – we headed for Räbjerg Mile – a constantly migrating sand dune – all that is left of sand dunes that once migrated from East to West along the whole of the penisular. Much of it has now been stabilised by grass and tree plantations. It was spectacular and photo’s just doesn’t do it justice. It was huge hills of sand to climb and they went on forever.

Then, as the day came to a close, we headed back to the tent for some tea and to start packing ready to go home tomorrow.

The evening ended with a spectacular sunset.

Skagan & Aalbæk - Thu 28th

We woke to a nice sunny, if still windy day. We decided to drive to Skagen today and make a visit to the Tourist Information bureau – it was the first chance we’d had. The people in the office were very helpful and spoke very good English. However, they were quite embarrassed that there was very little literature in there available in English – especially when looking for informative leaflets on the area, such as the Plantations, Rabjerg Mile, etc. They said it was rare to get English tourists – they normally only get German and Italien.
We also noted that nearly all the signs were in Danish and German only – rarely did we see anything in English.
We took a drive to a reconstruction of the Vippefyr - one of Denmark's earliest lighthouses, built in the 15th Century. It was fascinating, and we decided to use the hill that it was situated on to shelter from the wind to have our lunch. After lunch, we had a brief walk on the beach – but it was far too windy to stay there long.On Tourist Information advice, we then drove to Aalbæk. We first went ot a lovely beach and again, sheltered in the dunes for about an hour.

Next, we headed for a special market that had been recommended. In fact, it seem to be a semi-private 25th Anniversary celebration of the owners having the Aalbæk Gl. Kro hotel/pub in the village (http://www.aalbak-gl-kro.dk/). We felt we had gatecrashed it, but were made most welcome and Cameron enjoyed baking traditional bread over hot coals, free hog roast, traditional Danish food and drink and Jazz music – all in beautiful sunshine. It was a lovely afternoon and we must thank the owners for their hospitality.

On returning to the campsite, we decided to go for a walk into woods, coming back along the dunes in the evening sun. It was alovely end to a lovely day.

Going to the Zoo - Wed 27th

It is still very windy, but dry. After breakfast and adjustments to the tent, we headed in land in the hope of getting away from the worst of the wind – the sea was wild!! We headed for Aalborg Zoo. It was an hours drive, but one of the closest attractions off our list of possibilities. We arrived at 11am. Cameron loves the zoo, and although many of the enclosures are much smaller than we are used to in the UK, but all of the animals were in tip-top condition. Our favourites were the Giraffes, Sea Lions and of course, the Polar Bears.

Once again, take food with you, or prepare for it to be expensive – 2 coffees and a bottle of water cost £10. We headed back to the tent and after tea, we went to the indoor play area and TV room – it was raining heavy by then. I watched the Champions League Final (as best I could as it was on a channel that the campsite did not subscribe to)

Nordsee Oceanarium - Tue 26th

Woke to rain – was forecast showers all day. We headed for Hirtshal and the Nordsee Oceanarium. This was very enjoyable and well worth the entrance fee. There was something of interest for all ages and Cameron loved the whole day – especially the very bizarre Sunfish and the Seals.
We took lunch in the café – again, a bit pricey - £25 for a couple of sandwiches, a bowl of chips, banana, cake, 2 coffees and an apple juice. We unfortunately didn’t experience the play area as it was raining heavy.



On leaving Hirtshal, we headed for Lokken. It was a very nice beach…if it were the mddle of the summer, but we didn’t stop as it was deserted. We headed for Lonstrup where we had an ice cream. We then headed for the beach, which was being replenished. Then, the dumper trucks and digger arrived and Cameron, who is obsessed by them, was very excited. We stayed for about an hour.
Next. on to the supermarket to top up the shopping and then it was back to the tent for Ham Carbonara for tea. Then, back to the Play area for more fun on the go-carts.As night drew in, the wind got stronger. We were buffeted all night by very strong winds and we got very little sleep – except Cameron, who slept through it all.

First Day in Skiveren - Mon 25th

We woke to glorious sunshine but a strong cold wind. After breakfast – al fresco, we went exploring – we decided to stay on the site today as we were tired from over 24 hours of travelling. We visited the very well stocked supermarket and got the essentias we were unable to bring with us. We then fancied a coffee, but the Strand Café was shut…all week – which was frustrating. We then headed for the play area and this was very good – especially the go-carts which we all enjoyed.

Next, we headed for the swimming pool. It looked great, but the water was very cold and not at all inviting. Not surprisingly, it was empty. Again, because the site was empty, the snack bar / café area was closed, as was the ice cream booth by the mini-golf. We felt we had come a week or two too early and that the season hadn’t really got going.

After lunch in the sunshine we headed for the beach. We found a spot in the dunes sheltered from the wind – otherwise it would have been too cold to stay. We had great fun making sandcastles, flying kites, beach combing and playing in the stream.
Back to the tent for a fabulous Risotto followed by more playing on the go-carts. We had hoped for ice-creams, but unfortunately, the shop closed at 18:00.

First Impressions

North Jutland is far to far to travel when you know you have a tent to pitch the other end and you effectively don’t set off until gone 13:00. The facilities were immaculate, but the site was virtually empty. There was very little lighting on the site.

The pitch we were allocated was too small for our tent and we were unable to get our car onto the pitch - luckily there were plenty of empty pitches for us to park. The site was a little untidy. The grass had not been cut and was about 20cm long - not good for camping.

Almost everything on the site is in Danish and German – but nothing is in English, however, the people all speak very good English.

Arriving in Denmark - Sun 24th

Woke early, showered and headed for breakfast. It was a bright, sunny and warm morning. We had pre-booked breakfast – saving us about 25% on the cost and Cameron ate for free (under 4). Breakfast was very nice and substantial. It plans to get there early as it got very busy later and some items were getting a little short towards the end of the breakfast.
We spent the morning listening to the wildlife talk, playing in the very basic play area. The rest of the reason was spent on the sun decks in the glorious sunshine. The crossing was very smooth, and we docked in Esjberg at 13:00, Danish time.
We then had to wait for all the other cars to disembark before we were allowed to move off – an annoying 30 minute wait when we had such a long way to drive.
Driving with a trailer means we are only allowed to travel at 50mph, and with 225 miles to cover, this was going to be a long drive. The roads were good and we made just one stop for tea at about 16:30. Food is, as expected, expensive. It cost about £35 for 2 basic meals, a plate of chips, 2 coffees and a soft drink.
We arrived at our campsite at 19:00 – thanks to Tom Tom navigation. We were told that we should have a Camping Card and that they should refuse to let us camp without one. We knew nothing of this !!! We found our pitch – tucked away in a corner, on the edge of the site. It was a little small, considering the size of our trailer tent when pitched, and it was a good job we had decided not to bring our gazebo as there was no room for that…or the car come to that. The grass was very long – about 20cm – which is never good on a campsite and there were a lot of thistles on the pitch. The pitch did have good privacy with high hedging all around. We finished pitching at midnight and settled down for our first night.

Day of Departure - Sat 23rd

We shipped Cameron off to Grandma’s to allow us to pack the trailer tent, top box and car and then finish off any odd jobs at home before we set off. This was finished by midday.
We left at about 15:00 and arrived at Harwich Parkstone at 15:50. After a short wait, we started boarding at 17:15 – we were one of the last on as we were placed with the lorries – I assume because of our trailer.
We dumped our bags in our cabin – an inside cabin. It was pleasant, but it would have been much more enjoyable if we had an outside cabin. Cameron was very excited and we soon headed onto the Sundeck to have our tea and see us depart at 17:45. We waved to Grandma and Grandad, who were watching from Landguard Fort.After tea, we went to watch the balloon show for the kids and had a coffee. Food and drink was a bit pricey – about £3.50 for a Latte. We headed back to our cabin about 21:30, as we were tired and I wasn’t feeling too well. There are no facilities to make drinks in the cabin, so if you want something and the bar/café is shut, you are stuck.