National Park Thy in Northwestern Denmark

If you are ever wanting to find the best natural places in Denmark, you should visit Nordjylland (northern Jutland) and the National Park Thy. Here, you will not only find trees, grasslands and prairies, but you will also discover heaths, sand dunes and beautiful coastlines. If you want to find variety in Denmark’s natural beauty, this is the place for you! Spanning over 50 Kilometres along the northwestern Danish coastline, National Park Thy is one of Denmark’s largest national parks and offers some of the best hiking paths in all of Nordjylland. If a day out in nature is what you seek, you’ll agree that you can find it in this Danish national park. 

Come along as we have yet another fantastic day finding the best things to do in Denmark for families.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I may make a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

Vestervig Kirke (Church) 

When we were camping on weekend in Struer, we thought it would be fun to explore the area of the National Park Thy on the northwestern coast of Denmark. We weren’t far from the southern most part of the park, so we thought we would make a day out of exploring northwestern Denmark. We knew that the day would be spent outside in nature, but we didn’t want to pass up on seeing a couple of historical buildings in that area. Adding a bit of history to our day trip in Northern Denmark would help us explore all the very best places this area had to offer.

History of the Vestervig Kirke

We started our tour at the Vestervig Kirke (Church) in Vestervig, Denmark. This was one of the oldest churches in Denmark dating back to 1059 and was also quite large for a church in this remote area. In fact, it is Denmark’s largest village church. It is no surprise that Denmark is the home to many medieval churches, so if you are touring around Denmark to see some old, but interesting places of worship, you will have no trouble finding them. 

Forbidden Love Story

There is also a twisted love story with this church. Legend has it that Kind Valdemer the Great had a daughter, Liden Kirsten, who was in love with her half brother, Prince Buris. After she became pregnant, the king had her killed. Prince Buris was tortured and made to live chained in the church near her grave. They were both eventually buried in the graveyard here, and new brides leave their wedding bouquets on the grave of the two (inbred) lovers. This all happened in the mid 1100s.

Klostermølle (Abbey Mill)

Across the street from the church, you can find the Klostermølle (Abbey Mill). This mill was erected in the mid 1800s and was built in the Dutch style. It is now a museum that shows the history of the mill and the region. Though you can find such mills as this one in other parts of Denmark, they aren’t as common as one might think!

It was nice that we were only a short driving distance from the National Park Thy, so making stops to see some historical places seemed to fit in our itinerary quite nicely and easily. 

What else is there to do in this are of Denmark? Check out the Struer /B and 0 Museum to learn all about Denmark´s love of sound.

National Park Thy

It was nice to have started our day by looking at some interesting buildings, because it was then that the weather was a bit cool and cloudy. Being inside on days like those were better in my opinion. It was when we reached the southern part of the Thy National Park that the weather seemed to improve. The temperature was still a bit on the cool side making it necessary for us to wear our jackets, but it was nice to see that the sun was starting to come out.

We were able to enjoy the scenery outside of our window of the prairie lands of the park called “the plantation of National Park Thy”, and we were very hopeful for good weather on our hike.

Lodbjerg Fyr (Lighthouse) at National Park Thy

The first place we visited in the National Park Thy was the Lodbjerg Fyr (lighthouse). This lighthouse gave us stunning views of all the different types of nature that the National Park Thy had to offer. I loved how my view of the landscape seemed to change as I walked around the top of the lighthouse.

Do you want to know what it is like to go on an Oyster Safari in Denmark? Check THIS POST out!

You could see a forested area along the road that led us to the lighthouse, but then there were also areas around the coastline that were surrounded by large hills that seemed so out of place compared to anything I had even seen before in Denmark. The colors of the plants and grasses also seemed to change depending on which direction you were looking. It was very hard to believe that all these views existed in the same place.

Overall, the view was really jaw-dropping to see, and the thought that we were about to explore all of these different natural features in Denmark during our hike was quite exciting.

Nature Museum at National Park Thy

Before we left the museum, we decided to check out the small museum that was at the bottom of the lighthouse. Here, you could see all the different types of animals that lived in the area. In the 4 years that I have lived in Denmark, I hadn’t seen many different animals, so I liked that the museum told us which animals to be on the lookout for! It was also very well-designed and very informative with many displays that caught our eyes.

A Slight Issue with Our Hiking Gear

I should say that I had dressed my boys in proper hiking attire, since that is what any European mother would do. Unfortunately, I am not as European after my 4 years living in Denmark as I had hoped, so not only were my kids NOT totally prepared for the hike, my oldest son was also wearing sandals.

I have to say that it wasn’t my fault. We figured that we would get by with just regular tennis shoes for the day. We were praying that it wouldn’t rain and that our shoes wouldn’t be covered in mud. This would have been good enough in my mind, but when I discovered that my oldest son had left his shoes out in the rain the night before and that they were too wet for him to wear for the day, sandals were his only option. They weren’t even good sandals either. They were the type that would have made hiking difficult. 

So, he did as any European kid would do and put on a pair of socks with his sandals, and we were on our way. I hoped that there wouldn’t be any major issues or that he wouldn’t whine about it all day! Only time would tell!

It was then that my husband and I vowed that next Christmas would be the year we all would get new outdoor gear! We didn’t want to have this issue again, since we knew that we would be finding not just more things to do in Nordjylland, but also in the rest of Denmark!

Thy National Park: Hiking

When we reached the main Thy National Park map just outside the Lodbjerg Fyr, we had to decided which of the many hiking paths to take that would be the best for us. We knew that we wanted to see other areas of the park and the region of Thy, so we didn’t want to take the longest path. We also wanted to be able to walk to the coast if we didn’t run into any issues along the way. The black path seemed to be the best choice for us!

Experiencing Different Types of Nature in One Place

I loved how the path started out in the woods. There were so many pine trees that I had a feeling that I was in northern Wisconsin in the USA, where I had spent many camping trips in the past. I loved the “at home” feeling it gave, but that feeling was very short-lived, since it didn’t take us long to enter a completely different landscape on the path. 

It felt as though Dorothy from Kansas had stepped out of her black-and-white world into the magical and colorful Land of OZ when we reached the part of the path when the forest ended. It was so different. Here, we were somewhat at the top of a small hill that led down into a heath of various types of plants, and the landscape was very bumpy with plant-covered sand dunes spread out as far as the eye could see. We knew that the coastline was to the left of us, but we couldn’t see if past all of the hills that seemed to sporadically pop up here and there. 

Paths That Were Even Fun Enough for a Kid in Sandals

The boys seemed to come alive at this point in the path. They wanted to run up and down all of these hills, and they couldn’t get there fast enough. Luckily, the sandals were holding up, and we heard no complaints out of our son as he climbed and slid. Both boys acted as if they were in a playland, where they wanted us to see and experience everything with them! I love how nature always seems to bring us together!

You can also check out the town of Thyborøn, Denmark if you travel south along Denmark’s west coast.

Coastline at the National Park Thy

Since the boys were having such a great time on the hike, they didn’t realize that we were nearly at the point where we were at the coast. Originally, they complained at the sight of how long the path would be on the map, but this changed after we started walking. Getting to the coast was just another adventure for them.

They loved the much larger hills that were along side of the coast, and I loved walking on a deserted beach. It was amazing not to see anyone else on that beach in either direction. We were truly alone with the waves, and the nice surprise at that point was that the weather was getting warmer. What a treat to find one of the best beaches in Denmark! The waves were so full of life and looked beautiful as they hit the shore. It wasn’t easy to leave such a spot.

The Road Not Taken

As we walked back to the path, my younger son wanted to explore down another path, so his dad followed him, while I took big brother back the way we came. There weren’t any trees in this part of the park, so we were able to keep an eye on each other for the most part. It was also quite funny to see that we all met again when our paths crossed leading to the forested hill and the lighthouse.

Quick Tip for Sandy Places

As any mother in Denmark would tell you, sand has a way of getting into the most unlikely places. Most of the playgrounds have sand at the base, and you can’t go many places without being in close proximity to a beach for the coast or a river/lake. Denmark has lots of sand! This is why we had to take a break at the car to dump out our shoes, take off our socks and wipe off our feet before getting in the car. I could just imagine that we would have taken one of those sand dunes with us the way that my boys were climbing. I thought it was best to leave the sand behind for this trip!

Small Fishing Village of Nørre Vorupør

We were ready to hit the road and see more of the beautiful scenery of the National Park Thy as we drove north to the next destination. A little over 20 minutes later, we arrived in the town of Nørre Vorupør.

To be quite honest, we didn’t plan on stopping in this town. It was past lunchtime, so we were all starving at this point, and we were hoping to find something in Nørre Vorupør that would be pleasing to the 4 very different people in our family. We didn’t know that we were about to discover one of the most unique places on our trip in northwestern Denmark.

A Great Place to Find Fish: Nørre Vorupør

The town of Nørre Vorupør was very small, and though my boys hoped to find a McDonalds nearby, I was secretly praying for a great place to get some fresh fish and seafood! Luckily, the town had no McDonald’s that we could see, so we parked our car in what seemed to be the town’s main parking lot. It was across the street from a restaurant / ice cream place and what looked like a fish store.

The boys were really impressed with the live animals in the fish store, but they seemed to be a bit confused when they saw the dead fish on ice! Perhaps, they thought it was something more like an aquarium instead of a place to buy a meal! I guess, they weren’t as exposed to fish stores as much as I thought! 😊

Walk on the Beach of Nørre Vorupør

The beach in Nørre Vorupør was like none I have ever seen before. There were many fishing boats that sat on the beach since the town didn’t have a proper harbor. The history of this small village had centered around fishing for many years, and you could see that in their fish stores, smokehouses and restaurants.

Getting Lunch at Vesterhav’s Caféen in Nørre Vorupør

We decided to get our lunch at the Vesterhav’s Caféen on the beachfront. Sitting by the window looking out at the sear, we thought that the restaurant was in a perfect location, and though the weather was improving, we decided to avoid the wind and eat inside. I absolutely loved the variety they had in their very large menu, and we were so happy that we had found such a great place to eat so unexpectedly. The décor of the restaurant was also very quaint with nautical pieces on various walls to give you the feeling that you were in a coastal place.

Fresh Fish from the North Sea for Me, Please!

My boring kids (as mentioned in my post on our trip to the Danish island of Fur) decided to get burgers, which was, of course, NOT FISH. I don’t know why they don’t see the excitement of getting the food of the locals!

My husband and I, however, only wanted to get the best fish and seafood in Denmark, so we chose to go a different route. My husband ordered one of the “fish platters” which we later learned was really for two people! I believed it since the meal was fish patties (fiskfrikadeller), herring (sild), shrimp (reje) and flounder (rødspættefilet) with bread, salad and an egg! Holy guacamole! It was a good thing that he was hungry!

I went with a classic dish of fish (rødspættefilet) and chips with salad. YUM!! Of course, no meal would be complete without a local beer to wash it all down!

Walking on the Pier at Nørre Vorupør in Nordjylland

Since we were able to see the water and pier from our spot in the restaurant, we knew that we had to get a better and more up-close view of the waves after lunch. The boys needed to be held back…literary. The waves hitting that pier and the neighboring shore were intense, and the boys took them as a challenge. They wanted to get splashed, but I didn’t want them to get washed away. We needed to keep them close on this walk…at least my husband did. I wasn’t about to get soaked! Are you crazy?

I had heard that this area of Denmark was known as “Cold Hawaii” because of the gigantic waves and strong winds that were very common here. By the look of those waves, there was no doubt in my mind that we were in the center of “Cold Hawaii” in Denmark!

Do you want to see the waves in motion? Check out my video on the National Park Thy!

As we made our way down the pier, we could see that much of the end of the pier was wet. We didn’t want to be in the “danger zone” of getting soaked, so we didn’t go all the way to the end. The boys were happy with the few splashes that they got from the waves, but if I have to say who got the most wet, it had to be me! Lucky me!! I wasn’t even trying to get wet!

An Amazing View in Nørre Vorupør

The view of the beach at Nørre Vorupør was so spectacular on that sunny day. We enjoyed watching it as we walked back to shore. In the far left was a group of people in wet suits going out to push their luck on surfboards and wind surfboards. To the right, we could also see a section of water that was for swimming and away from the powerful waves. It was nice that Nørre Vorupør had a place that was safer for people to swim, and it seemed that there were quite a few people who were looking to get cooled off in the water that day!

Klitmøller and the Best Surfing in Denmark

If you love the water and you want to find the best place for your Denmark travel itinerary, you want to check out Cold Hawaii in Klitmøller. Though the town of Klitmøller may be close to 1000 people, it is the best kept secret for surfers in all of Denmark. Here, you will find not only great waves for surfing, but also a really cool surfing school.

The trip up to Klitmøller from Nørre Vorupør was only about 15 minutes. The boys were really tired by this point with all of the fresh air, hiking and yummy lunch, so we told them to try and rest a bit before we got back to the campground. We weren’t anticipating that it would take them a total of 2 minutes to pass out, but we were glad for it. We knew they needed a rest!

Driving up to Klitmøller was really just for our curiosities’ sake. We had come all this way, so we knew we couldn’t go back without having a look at the main part of “Cold Hawaii”! It was very easy to find the beach because of the signs on the road. It was also nice to find a parking lot in between the beach and the surf shop. You had all you needed right there. 

Hanstholm Bunkers and Bunker Musuem

My curiosity was still fully charged, and I was ready to take the next short drive from Klitmøller to Hanstholm. However, I knew with two sleeping kids, I wouldn’t be able to explore as much as I wanted. On the way to the town, we could see some abandoned army bunkers from the German occupation during WWII. The entire west coast of Denmark was still full of these reminders of Denmark’s dark past.

We drove to the Bunker Museum to see the very large cannon that was pointed out towards the North Sea, and I was so sad that we couldn’t go into the museum. This would definitely be on our list for another visit! It was just too late in the day to do any more walking. We were all pretty tired. 

Overall Thoughts on the National Park Thy and Northwestern Denmark

This is a great area to spend a weekend or 3-day trip to Denmark. During your visit, I would highly recommend that you spend your time exploring the National Park Thy has to offer. Spending a few hours at the Bunker Museum and visiting the town of Thisted are on our list for next time, so I would suggest you add them to your list.

There were just so many things to see and do in Northwestern Denmark, that it was hard to get to see them all. It is also best to see these places if you visit Denmark in the summer. The winds on the coast of the North Sea can be very chilly and nearly blow right through you, but they were pretty much perfect on this day in June. You can see that we did have our windbreaker jackets on most of the time, because of the wind, though.

If you are someone who decides to see only Copenhagen when you visit Denmark, you will be missing out. Northwestern Denmark has some of the best natural places that Denmark has to offer. Nordjylland is definitely a nice place to relax in Denmark. You may want to consider making it one of your extended trips from Copenhagen if you are coming from far away.

Nature lovers and history buffs will love the fact that Northern Denmark is actually one of Denmark’s largest islands! With all of the beautiful natural features and connections to Denmark’s past, you’ll find enough here to find reasons to extend your stay. We are ready to go back!

Pin it, Save it and Share it!