Hanstholm

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Hanstholm-00h

Hanstholm:

Hanstholm is a faceless fishing- and harbourtown. Grey is the dominant colour. Ferrys to Norway start here and there are some warfts to repair fishing boats. The harbour is of some importance for the region which also realized the german troops in WW2 who plastered the dunes around town with bunkers which never could be destroyed. In town You find a couple of supermarkets and fast food restaurants, so it´s a important place when You´re hungry or have to fill up supplies. There is also the only 24 hour gas station in the area.

East of the harbour, at the end of the industrial complex You´ll find a stretch of coast with a couple of places to enter the water. The beaches next the harbour are littered with ugly stones and trash. If You have a good immunal system, here You can take advantage of some of the best wavesailing and surfing conditions in Denmark.

The first spot is at the pier in front of the industrial complex. It´s called fish factory and with winds from the south west You´ll find out, that the factory doesn´t produce fish boards..... The pier gives some much needed order to the waves in westwind conditions. With predominant southwest to west winds it stinks like hell. Water quality is very doubtable. But the waves make it worth to get wet here. A bit further east, there is a small jetty, that produces nice clean lefts in south west winds or in the calm after a storm. Very nice surfing than. A bit further down at the bunker is the next oportunity to water Your board. The sandbars and flat reefs here form rippable waves that are allways a bit bigger then at the jetty.

Just after the bunker the piste ends and the more east You get the weaker the waves become as they become bent too much by the coastline. Parking is somewhat limited as the area besides the road / piste is sand where You get easily stuck.

windsurf: This is usualy a high wind wavesailing spot. Strong westerly winds bring big waves and perfect sideshore wavesailing conditions. Waves easily get mast high and offer high jumps and frontside turns. On a typical day You´ll use a 4 to 4,5 m2 sail. This is about the best wavesailing that You can get at the whole northsea! When it´s big, it´s for experts only! Fish factory favours waveriding, bunker has very good jumping and rippable waves. Northwest comes side- to side-onshore and still is pretty good. Southwesterly winds come side-offshore. If they blew really strong for a couple of days You might get clean waves and side-offshore winds from the left which are a really good mixture...... Winds from the northeast to east bring small waves and sideshore conditions.

surf: strong southwesterly winds bring clean lefts at the jetty with side-offshore winds. With this wind direction the spot is the only surfing option in all Jylland with good wave quality. The only problem is, that with that wind direction the smell in the air and in the water is incredible bad. And the water here seems to be really polluted. I was once sick for four weeks after a surfsession here..... To get in the water You best go in west of the jetty and paddle around it.

When a low passed and the wind dies You´ll find nice waves around the bunker. The only problem are the strong currents.

kite: on a day with light or medium winds this is a good place for kitesurfing in waves. Especilly easterly winds offer fun kitesurfing conditions. It´s a bit difficult to start as the beach is very narrow and - as mentioned before - full of head sized stones which are very unstable to stand on.

More pictures in the galleries, (wall rides, epic summer sessions July 2016,June 2016, fish factory surf, fish factory windsurf, bunker windsurf, bunker kite, the place). For basic infos check the info board.

Related stories: Transition Times, summer of 2016 July 2016

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