Rabjerg Mile: What it’s like to hike across Denmark’s remarkable moving sand dune

An exuberant Golden Retriever wasn’t on my bingo card when it came to showing me how to behave in one of Europe’s most strange and wonderful natural landscapes. Confronted by a gigantic set of sand dunes set against a cornflower blue early evening sky, and with only the sound of my breath for company, I felt oddly immobilised by the sheer beauty and scale of the unique vista before me.

I padded slowly and tentatively towards the honeyed peaks – consisting of a colossal 3.5 million cubic metres of granules – that constitute Denmark’s Råbjerg Mile. All was still until a rogue pooch that had broken free from its owner tore into view. The dog’s flaxen fur was almost camouflaged among the gently rolling slopes. As it raced and rolled among the dunes with the enthusiasm of a toddler hopped-up on sherbet, I began to smile. Following suit, I started to run into the soft, virgin sand.

Denmark famously has no mountains to speak of, which makes the mounds that compose the Råbjerg Mile all the more unique. Situated in the far north of Denmark, these extraordinary drifts are the largest set of migrating dunes in Northern Europe, moving at a bewildering 15 metres each year. The dunes are formidable, with a reputation of consuming everything in their path, including plants, trees, and even buildings, with a farmhouse, a lighthouse and even a church swallowed up by this peculiar lunar landscape. Around a quarter of a million people visit each year to gawp and roam around the serene and majestic wonder, which tops 40 metres at its highest point.

While there are various trails surrounding and leading to the Råbjerg Mile, we elected to start our walking tour of the dunes from the backdoor of our hotel, Hjorths Badehotel, a chic, peaceful establishment best suited for those craving sublime seafood and stillness. Still satisfied from the previous night’s feast, we set out before 9am, passing a field of horses and catching the scent of sea salt in the air; Kandestederne beach is less than a kilometre away.

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As we approach the dunes surrounding the Råbjerg Mile proper, we’re joined by swooping swifts and wagtails. Here, the sands have a heavier covering of grass and we’re amazed at the extensive carpet of purple heather, lichen and…