Hjardemål: Plantation, dunes and church history

When planning a stay in Hjardemål, two distinct themes come to the fore: Hjardemål Plantation, with its dunes and cycle route, and the area’s church history. If you are looking for a hotel in Hjardemål, these themes can help you define the purpose of your trip more precisely. The landscape can be understood through its terrain, a named cycle route and seasonal wildlife watching; the church history through the building period, former function and art.

Plantation, dunes and wildlife watching

Hjardemål Plantation is large, flat and fairly uniform; it lies on raised seabed. Within the plantation, large dunes reach heights of up to 27 metres. This means an overall uniform landscape character sits alongside a distinct elevation feature. The figure refers to a maximum height, not a height that applies to all dunes.

The Vestkyststien, National Cycle Route No. 1, runs through Hjardemål Dune Plantation. If you are including cycling in your travel plans, this gives you a specific route through the plantation. This is a different way of experiencing the area from looking at its terrain: one focuses on the course of a named cycle route, the other on the plantation’s landscape and the height of its dunes.

During the rut, red deer can be heard and seen in Hjardemål Plantation from a respectful distance. Wildlife watching is therefore a seasonal counterpart to the permanent landscape features. If you plan to include this nature experience, you can time your trip to coincide with the rut.

Getting your bearings at Klitvej

There are two picnic table-and-bench sets in the car park at Klitvej. An observation tower about 100 metres from the car park offers views of two named sights: Hjardemål Plantation and the Wind Energy Test Centre. There is also a small rest area with a table and bench by the pond at Hjardemål on Klitvej.

Church history: architecture, art and organ

Hjardemål Church is a Romanesque village church; its nave and chancel date from around 1200. Its unusually tall brick tower dates from the 16th century and formerly served as a sea mark. The Romanesque parts of the building and the tower’s later maritime function thus represent different historical layers.

The altarpiece in Hjardemål Church dates from 1837; the paintings on it were made by Lucie Ingemann, the wife of the poet B. S. Ingemann. At Hjardemål Dune Church, the altarpiece is a copy of Carl Bloch’s painting “Christ in Gethsemane”.

Hjardemål Dune Church is located at the edge of Hjardemål Plantation. Its organ is said to be the only one of its kind still in use in a church; it was built by local organ builder N. Chr. Christensen of Snedsted. The grave of RAF Pilot Officer Murray Anderson Butler is located in the cemetery at Hjardemål Dune Church.

For your travel plans, the main difference between these themes is their relationship to time: red deer watching depends on the rut, while the church history focuses on building phases and works of art with historical dates.

Discover more destinations: Klitmøller, Stenbjerg, Nr. Lyngby, Kastrup, Nørre Vorupør, Hanstholm, Vangså, Sjørring

For the broader travel overview: Thisted Municipality.