A route from N to S The Limfjord North Sea coast of Jutland

A route through Denmark

Chart of DenmarkA note of caution: this page does not even pretend to cover Denmark - a very large pilot book would be needed for that. Instead, it outlines a route from north to south - Rügen to the Limfiord. Each are within an easy day's sail of the other.

I have made this journey twice - once on 2007 and back again in 2008.

The chart gives the route, and seven harbours are described.

Caution – this was written a few years ago now, and is now probably out of date here and there. However, as far as I know, there have been no major changes.


Hals harbour

Hals harbour office

Above is Hals, just inside the Limfiord. The harbour has been there for some centuries - there are the remains of an old fort in the town. Now the harbour is mainly an artificial construct, and used mainly by the pilot boats who guide ships up the Limfiord to Aalborg.

There are a large number of box moorings to the left of the top photo, mainly for locals. However, there are various bits of wooden quayside which are pressed into service by visiting yachts. There is also some quayside in the far corner to port.

The harbour is well sheltered. Free wifi is provided from the harbour office. There is also a large and well stocked supermarket about 100 metres away - something always welcomed by the cruising yachtsman - and a small chandlery near the harbour master's building.


This seems entirely artificial, with two breakwaters projecting out at right angles to the coast, and then curving together to form the entrance. As a result, there is an intricate system of baffles (or so it seems to the first time visitor) which lead you, slalom-like, to the yacht harbour. The simplest rule is to keep to the right! The most conspicuous objects at a distance are the seven wind turbines.

There are four jetties with box moorings - the hammer heads at the end are a convenient place to tie up. There is not a lot of room for manoeuvre, and the harbour can become very full in the season.

There is fuel, and some mechanics ashore, but little else apart from a fast food/ice cream kiosk. Wi-fi is extra.

Bønnerup may be a convenient overnight stop, but not a place in which to linger.


Lighthouse at Fornaes

Lighthouse at Fornæs just north of Grenaa

Grenaa is a large industrial harbour/ferry terminal. The yacht harbour is further to the south, and is obvious from the plethora of masts. Hard right after the entrance is some staging to tie against, but there is a notice: 'Reserved for boats >12m'. However, there are plenty of pile moorings.

The yacht harbour is some way from the town, although there are a few shops not far away, including a small chandlers. Next to the yacht harbour is a large aquarium, the 'Kattegat Centre'.


Ballen (Samso) harbour

Ballen is a very attractive little harbour, but it can get extremely full in the summer (in the photo above, about twenty or more latecomers had to anchor off the beach!).

The approaches from the north can be slightly tricky: there are quite a few shoals some way offshore. It would be possible to go outside of all of them, but it would make something of a detour, and take you close to the shipping lanes. It is worth noting that in Denmark the lights on the end of the quay marking the entrance are fixed, not flashing. Approaching somewhere like Ballen in the dark can be tricky, since it is difficult to pick out exactly which red light marks the way in.

Inside, there are the usual boxes opposite the entrance, and a long wooden staging to starboard. There is a small grocer's shop on the quayside, but little else. There is not a lot in the town itself.

The Storebælt Bridge

The bridge across the Storebaelt

The Storebælt is the channel between the islands of Sjælland and Fyn, and is spanned by the The Storebælt bridge. The section above is the western section, and is, apparently, 6,790 metres long. More importantly for yachts, the height for the span marked for boats is 18 metres (there are buoys marking the approach to the specified span). This section runs to the small island of Sprogø, then there is 6,611 metres of suspension bridge (see below). All the major traffic passing further down into the Baltic goes under the bridge.

And, apparently, at 254m above sea level, the east bridge's two pylons are the highest points in Denmark.

Although there are no tides in this part of the Baltic, there can often be quite strong currents - 2 to 3 knots - in the channel by the bridge.

The suspension bridge across the Storebaelt


Nyborg harbour

Nyborg is rather hidden away - it is about three miles from the entrance to the fiord, just south of the bridge, to the town itself. The approaches are quite straightforward, although not terribly prepossessing - there is a chemical works to port near the town. However, it is all worth it once you get there.

There is a large yacht harbour to port beyond the chemical works, but as a visitor, you will probably be better off going into the inner harbour (photo above). Again, this is not terribly obvious - the answer is to keep on going in as far as you can.

As you can see there is a pontoon in the centre of the basin, or alternatively, you can tie up against the quayside - and there is a lot of it. Finding somewhere should not be a problem.

There is electricity on the quayside, but the circuits can only supply a limited current - a kettle tripped it out.

There is no internet in the harbour, but there are free terminals in the library (bibliotek) at the top of the town. There is a Netto supermarket about 200m away. It is about ten minutes walk to the yacht harbour, when there are mechanics, a fuel berth, and a reasonable chandlery.

Nyborg was obviously quite an important settlement in mediaeval times, and there are some impressive ruins of an old castle at the top of the town. It was obviously a major port, although probably killed by the coming of the railway. there was also a ferry service across to Sweden, but with the building of the bridge over the Storebælt, this was closed down.

As you can see from these pictures, the town is still quite impressive, even if slightly faded, and certainly well worth spending some time looking round.

Nyborg town

Nyborg town


Stubbekobing harbour

Stubbekøbing has two harbours: the leading line takes you to the industrial harbour; to reach the yacht harbour you have to turn 90º to port, and keep close to the breakwater, before a 180º turn takes you into the harbour.

The only user of the industrial harbour seems to be a large sand dredger, and the conveyor belt and heaps of sand rather dominate that part of the quayside. You can tie up in other parts of the harbour, but it doesn't really cater for leisure craft, and you may be moved on if your place is needed. It might come in handy for an overnight stop.

The yacht harbour (see above) has the usual box moorings - visitors can take the moorings to starboard as you come through the entrance. This is more suitable if you want to stay a day or two.

The town is quite pleasant, if a little shabby. There is a useful and well stocked DIY shop on the High Street, which has odds and ends which may be useful on board. There is a small chandlers close to the quay. In addition, there is a supermarket a little further down the High Street, which is adequate though nothing special. Internet is available at the library, and all of these are within easy walking distance.

Stubbekobing harbour

The industrial harbour. The entrance and approach channel can be seen in the distance.


Klintholm harbour

Klintholm is an attractive harbour close to the chalk cliffs of Møns Klint - visible in the sunlight for twenty or more miles away. It has a fishing harbour as well as a yacht harbour.

As you come through the entrance, you will see the fuel quay ahead of you, and turn to port for the yacht berths - fairly evident from the masts.

This is, apparently, a very busy harbour in the season. As you can from the picture below, it also has the Danish equivalent of a 'marina development', in the form of lots of holiday homes. There is little else in the place, however, other than a Spar grocer.

Klintholm is a good jumping off point for several places: Germany, Poland and Sweden are all within a day's sail.

Klintholm harbour

