Denmark’s peninsula of Jutland is bordered on one side by the Skagerakk in the North Sea and on the other by the Kattegat in the Baltic Sea. At Grenen, a long spit off the northern tip of Jutland, you can walk out the end and stand with one foot in each body of water.

Excellent bicycle paths lead to Grenen from Skagen, with stops along the way including historic lighthouses, one that can be climbed, and a migratory bird center. On our second and third days in Skagen, we cycled north to Grenen and walked the beach to the tip, biked south of town to visit an old 14th-century church that had been inundated by sand, and twice enjoyed live music at the Skagen Bryghus.

Below are trip highlights from September 27th and 28th 2019 in Skagen, Denmark. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

9/27/2019

Smoke Position: 57°43.13’N, 10°35.32’E Cold diesel engines can smoke. It’s also common to smoke as load is applied. But this large recreational diesel engine appears to have a deeper problem smoking badly as it pulls away from the dock.

Pipe Connectors Position: 57°43.17’N, 10°35.73’E We stopped in the local marine store to have a look around. They carried the typical recreational fare, ranging from rain gear to anchors to electronics. But given the location in Skagen’s commercial fishing harbour, they also had some unusual items, such as these very large pipe connectors.

Clipperton Position: 57°43.21’N, 10°35.50’E The 206ft (63m) pelagic trawler Clipperton, that we saw on the marine ways yesterday, departing the Port of Skagen.

Skagen Bryghus Position: 57°43.35’N, 10°35.02’E When we stopped by the Skagen Bryghus microbrewery for a pint the place was packed watching Nellie B.M. and Soren Ahlgren playing the blues. The band was great and we ended up staying for a couple of hours enjoying the show.

Firenze Pizzeria Position: 57°43.28’N, 10°35.36’E Another great meal in Skagen, this one at Firenze Pizzeria.

Dirona Position: 57°43.14’N, 10°35.33’E Dirona moored at Skagen Marina inside the Port of Skagen.

9/28/2019

Bascule Light Position: 57°43.61’N, 10°36.49’E The bascule light at Skagen, originally constructed in 1627, was the open-fire-basket bascule light in the country. when the basket, filled with combustible material, was lit and raised high, it was visible for miles.

Pilot Boat Position: 57°43.61’N, 10°36.48’E Pilot boat returning to the Port of Skagen viewed from the hilltop perch of the bascule light.

Skagen White Lighthouse Position: 57°43.75’N, 10°36.43’E The Skagen White Lighthouse replaced the bascule light in 1747 and was the first brick lighthouse in Denmark.

Bicycle Path Position: 57°44.09’N, 10°37.54’E Skagen has excellent bicycle paths. Here we are riding north towards the Skagen Grey lighthouse.

Traffic Light Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.82’E The Skagen Grey Lighthouse is open to the public, but can get busy in the summer. So a traffic light limits how many can be inside the light at once.

Climbing Lighthouse Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.82’E Climbing the steps 150ft (46m) up to the top of the Skagen Grey Lighthouse.

Skagen Grey Lighthouse Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.81’E Looking west to the North Sea from atop the Skagen Grey Lighthouse. Built in 1858, it was the tallest lighthouse in the country until 1952, when the Dueodde Lighthouse on Bornholm was built one meter taller.

View South to Skagen Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.81’E Looking south to Skagen from the top of the Skagen Grey Lighthouse. The lighthouse was originally built in the middle of the peninsula, but due to coastal erosion it is closer to the Kattegat coast now.

Bunkers Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.81’E Ruins of World War II bunkers on the beach between Skagen and the lighthouse.

View North to Grenen Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.81’E Looking north to Grenen, at the northern tip of Denmark, from the Skagen Grey Lighthouse. A steady stream of people are visible walking the beach to Grenen.

Center for Migratory Birds Position: 57°44.13’N, 10°37.83’E Skagen is a major stop for migratory birds. After climbing the lighthouse, we spent some time viewing the excellent displays in the Center for Migratory Birds at the base.

Bicycles Position: 57°44.33’N, 10°38.09’E Our bikes locked at Grenen for a walk to the tip of Denmark. Those Giant FCR 2s have served us amazingly well over the past decade, requiring surprisingly little service given the amount of use they get.

Beach Position: 57°44.43’N, 10°38.41’E Walking the beach north to Grenen.

Grenen Position: 57°44.77’N, 10°39.10’E Standing at Grenen at the north tip of Denmark. On the left is the Skagerakk in the North Sea, and on the right is the Kattegat in the Baltic Sea. Standing barefoot in the water off the tip is very popular, but swimming is not allowed due to the strong currents.

Sandormen Position: 57°44.78’N, 10°39.05’E If you don’t want to walk the beach to Grenen, you can ride in a tractor-pulled wagon.

Dunes Position: 57°44.49’N, 10°38.40’E Looking north across grass-covered dunes as we return from Grenen.

De 2 Have Position: 57°44.38’N, 10°38.06’E An excellent lunch overlooking the dunes of Grenen at restaurant De 2 Have, mainland Denmark’s northernmost restaurant.

The Sand-Covered Church Position: 57°42.83’N, 10°33.04’E From Grenen, we rode south past Skagen to the Sand-Covered Church. The church was built in the 14th century and was the largest in the region. Sand migration that started in the 16th century reached the church two centuries later and the congregation had to dig their way into the church to attend services. The church was closed by Royal Decree in 1795 and currently only the tower of the church is visible above the sand.

Skagen Bryghus Position: 57°43.35’N, 10°35.02’E We had such a good time watching the Nellie B.M. and Soren Ahlgren play the blues at Skagen Bryghus that we returned the next night for the more rock-oriented band that would be playing. The place was completely packed with standing room only.

Back, Larsen and Thrane Position: 57°43.35’N, 10°35.02’E Shortly after we arrived at Skagen Bryghus, a large group near the stage left and we snagged front-row seats. Back, Larsen and Thrane did an excellent job and we really enjoyed the show. We spent some time talking the bass player, Michael Back Jensen, who was playing a brand of base we didn’t recognize. It was a Morch that’d he’d had custom-made by the Danish company.

Black Sabbath Position: 57°43.34’N, 10°35.02’E Back, Larsen and Thrane did a great rendition of Iron Man. A short video of the performance is at https://youtu.be/fC8hIPvLdCs.

Firenze Pizzeria Position: 57°43.28’N, 10°35.36’E An excellent meal over a wonderful bottle of Barolo at Firenze Pizzeria in Skagen.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.