It happened on October 12, 1634: A superstorm reached the Danish west coast and caused the sea at Blåvand to rise to six meters above normal. The entire area was devastated, many villages disappeared from the ground overnight. One of them was the harbour town of Sønderside - one of the largest and busiest fishing villages in Denmark.
The story of Sønderside inevitably triggered our detective instinct: where exactly was the village? Is there anything else to find? What is it like there today?
So let's go onward! From the German-Danish border it is only two hours to Blåvand. The crosswind assist from our HYMER B-Class MasterLine I 780 ironed a stormy west wind that made the tree tops dance. In the meantime, we are enjoying the luxurious space of the over eight meters in length. The mountain bikes are stowed in the spacious rear garage - we didn't even have to remove the pedals, that's how we like it!
Although the summer is slowly coming to an end, the sun is showing its best side again. No problem for us, the HYMER B-ML I 780 has two air conditioning systems, one in the cockpit and one for the living room. We have already reached Blåvand and are changing for the bike tour in the comfortably tempered motorhome.
The area around Blåvand is one of the oldest and most popular holiday resorts in Denmark. Around 40 kilometers of the finest sandy beach to be explored. The nearby lighthouse "Blåvandshuk Fyr" is the westernmost point of Jutland. We start from the car park on sandy paths in a dense mixed forest that leads us to the dunes.
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In front of us lies the Skallingen peninsula in the south, behind it on the horizon the sea, to the west of us the lighthouse - it is an astonishing scenery. But we roll on, uphill, downhill over the trails and again into the forest until we come across an expansive marsh landscape. It's hard to imagine that this huge long line didn't even exist 400 years ago.
Sønderside must have been somewhere in this area. We drive up and down the former coastline - but there is absolutely nothing to be found, no trace, nothing at all. The destruction appears to have been overwhelming.
During a later visit to the landmark Tirpitz Museum, we learn that the remains of a small house were discovered during excavations in 1996. Buried under a meter-thick layer of flying sand, this "house of the tailor" is the only and last proof of the lively past of the fishing village.
We spend the evening in Vejers Strand, a neighbouring town of Blåvand. Here we enjoy the sunset from the seats of our HYMER B-ML I 780, with which we were allowed to drive to the rock-hard beach. As the red ball slowly sinks towards the horizon, we are already planning the next few days.
After all, the area around Blåvand is a real paradise for cyclists of all kinds. And who knows - maybe we will find evidence of the legendary fishing village Sønderside somewhere between forests and dunes?
The Danish coast has some surprises in store. Are you dreaming of the endless dunes around Blåvand? The area is made for motorhomes: close enough for a relaxed journey, perfectly developed and packed with many interesting destinations. Explore the beautiful area in a relaxed manner with the HYMER among the motorhomes: the HYMER B-Class MasterLine I.
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