In the North of Denmark, Vesthimmerland is one of the most diverse parts of the country with unique nature and stunning coastline. You can discover this beautiful part of North Jutland by cycling or hiking along the Himmerland Trail or by taking the Hærvejen, a walking and cycling route that runs from Løgstør to Aars. The winding lanes take you past many cultural and historic sites. After a day on the beach or hiking trail, you can enjoy the gastronomy of Vesthimmerland with locally grown produce and fresh seafood.
Find out more about the area at www.destinationhimmerland.dk
løgstør
Travel time: 20-minute drive
It takes 20 minutes to drive to the harbour town of Løgstør from The Danish Summerhouse. The town is known in the Vesthimmerland region as ‘Mussel town’ due to the bountiful mussels collected from the nearby coast.
The town has character, and the local VestHimmerland kommune are working hard to build a vibrant atmosphere in and around the city. There are old narrow streets lined with 19th-century fishermen cottages and Frederik the VII's canal that runs 4.4 km parallel to the coastline. Built between 1856-1861, the canal begins at the Limfjordsmuseet, a museum with exhibitions focused on fishing and boat-building. There are guided boat trips on the canal during the summer.
You can take part in guided snaps and bitter tours or fish in the bay to catch herring, oysters, and mussels. For hardcore hikers, you can follow the route Hærvejen on the path Himmerlandsstien, a 79 km trek starting in Løgstør.
The island of Livø
Travel time: 15-minute drive
Take the 15min drive from the summerhouse to Rønbjerg. Leave your car in the parking lot (there are no cars allowed on the island) and hop on the ferry for a 20-minute crossing.
Livø has been an organic island for the last 30 years, and you can visit Livø Avlsgaard, the farm at the centre of the Danish Nature Agency's organic farming initiative, between April and October.
Livø is owned by the Danish Nature Agency -Naturstyrelsen but is leased by Ulla and Jesper Lynge. They run Livø Feriecenter, which has cabins and a tent site for overnight stays. They also run Livø Café and Livø Kro, where you can taste the island's organic produce. You can find them on Facebook.
Herregården Hessel
Travel time: 20-minute drive
About a 20-minute drive from the summerhouse, heading south on the coast road overlooking the Limfjord, is the 600-year-old manor farmhouse, Herregården Hessel.
First built after the Black Death around 1391, the current buildings date from the 18th century. It's a small Jutland manor with a farmhouse that remains pretty much unchanged and decorated as it would have been in the late 1800s.
In the summer, they open up for activities; there's an old forge where you can make your own iron hooks, weaving, ropemaking and in the autumn, an 1800s harvest day. The museum is situated in stunning surroundings, with a small café. You can also bring your own food.
The Stone Age Center Ertebølle
Travel time: 15-minute walk, 5-minute cycle
The Stone Age Center Ertebølle is a museum focused on life in the stone-age period, with unique exhibits, including the Strandby exhibition, a collection of items from the Iron age, the Bronze Age and the entire Stone Age.
You can experience the Stone Age way of life in reconstructed period houses and boats in the open-air grounds. The famous Ertebølle kitchen midden, an excavated heap of oyster shells mixed with mussels, snails, bones, antlers and flint artefacts, was discovered here in the 1890s and resulted in the naming of this type of hunter-gatherer, fishing and pottery-making civilisation being known as the Ertebølle culture.
During the summer months, the museum hosts special activities such as archery and flint carving. You can also go out in Stone Age style dugout canoes on the lake. There are family-friendly tours of the large, outdoor area with illuminating stories from the Stone Age along the way.