Råbjerg Mile

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in large sand dunes. These sand drifts may have occurred for several reasons: Firstly, there was a period of cooler climate (called "the little ice age"). It meant that the sea pulled back a little, resulting in more sand beach area. Secondly, the period had a more intensive use of livestock and peat. Unfortunately, it meant that the sand drifts destroyed farmland, roads and drove people away from their homes. Interestingly, “The Buried Church” (“Den tilsandede kicked”) still stands as a testament to the time when most of the associated houses and farms disappeared. To stop the sand drifts, the state bought a large proportion of the surrounding area and planted various coniferous trees from the end of the 18^th century that were able to tackle the difficult growing conditions. But even though the plantation helped to stabilize the sand drifts, it ultimately meant that some magnificent natural areas disappeared. It led to protests from such prominent locals as the writer Jeppe Aakjær². The discussion ended when the state in 1900 bought the area around Råbjerg Mile so that it could remain a natural area but more importantly a monument and reminder to future generations to what damage the sand drifts had caused earlier.

Photo: Skagen Turistforening

Over time the sea has deposited huge areas of sand north of Skagen, increasing the size of Jutland considerately. To keep ships from hitting these massive deposits of sand new lighthouses has had to been built every one hundredth year, because the old lighthouses over time, ended up far in land.

These deposits and lighthouses stands today as a testimony of the changes of the landscape of northern Jutland.

2 Jeppe Aakjær: 1866 – 1930. Very famous and beloved Danish poet and novelist. He was a keen Jutlandish and dialect writer with a critical voice to the established society.

139 The Sand dune itself

The dune covers an area of approximately 2 square kilometres and is up to 35 m high. Therefore, Råbjerg Mile is one of the biggest sand dunes in Europe, containing about 3.5 million m3 of sand, thereby forming a "mini desert". On a hike through Råbjerg Mile, there might even be a risk of moving into quicksand. Interestingly, on several occasions international film companies have actually entered the desert scenes of Råbjerg Mile to film what could look like Sahara or a "western desert".

Råbjerg Mile is a migrating coastal dune, which means that the wind moves it about 15 meters annually in the east-north-easterly direction. The dune thereby leaves a low, moist layer of sand behind it, trailing back westwards from Skagerrak, where the dune originally formed more than 300 years ago.

The top of the sand dune is a good vantage point, making it a unique view over the beautiful nature surrounding Skagen´s top. In fact, more than 6000 acres of dune and dune heaths are preserved in one of Denmark's most distinctive natural areas. Also, behind the sand dune itself you can, among other things, see skeletal pines that have been covered by the dune for more than 40 years and have now come into view after its passage.

Råbjerg Mile has u-shaped mounds of sand with convex noses trailed by elongated arms, which makes it a parabolic dune. This is due to the fact that the wind keeps the sand in the middle of the dune dry, because there in this part is far to the groundwater, while the sides are wet because these are close to the groundwater. Vegetation therefore grows easily along the sides, while the dune (made of sand) moves faster in the middle, leaving quite a spectacular sight from the top.

Fascinatingly, deserts are formed in the exact opposite way, since these are far away groundwater, making the arms come forward instead.

The size of the sand dune has been nearly constant over the past 100 years, which is partly due to the material from the old sand dunes which it is now eating its way through, and partly due to the fact that the terrain in front of the mile is higher than the mile.

Conservation of the sand dune

Through conservation the sand dune´s continued voyage has been secured, although it has not yet been taken into account that in 100 years it will actually bury the main road to Skagen. In fact, everything indicates that the sand dune will continue its journey towards Kattegat, so if no other initiatives are taken it is estimated that it will reach the road in the year 2200 and end its days in Kattegat by the year 2230.

While the majority of all sand dunes have been stabilised by planting, Råbjerg Mile has been left to allow future generations to understand the adventure of drifting sand dunes (see later parts). The central area of the sand dune was purchased by the State in 1900 (to secure free passage for the

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dune), and after the Conservation of Nature Act in 1917 further surrounding areas were purchased.

The sand dune is, however, now drifting out of the government-owned area and discussion over further conservation legislation is taking place.

Plants and Wildlife in the Area of Råbjerg Mile

The sand dune itself is free of vegetation but the area in front of the dune with its many temporary ponds and wet areas contains a large number of uncommon or rare plants that are adapted to the particular environment. Amongst other plants, 10 species of the genus Juncus and Denmark´s smallest plant Crassula aquatica can be found here.

A spring day in Råbjerg Mile the air is filled with the sound of thousands of croaking beach toads (Bufo calamita), and in reality the area is where you can find the largest proportion of its kind in Denmark. Also, adders (Vipera berus) occur commonly in the terrain. Careful observation, however, is needed to explore the beautiful snake as it disappears at the slightest tremor in the ground. Here, the greatest chance of finding one is a sunny spring day, where adders are tanning on south-facing slopes. The area around Råbjerg Mile is also known for its migrating birds, especially during spring. The huge terrain west of the sand dune is often used as a resting place for migrating eagles and owls, just as roosting cranes can be seen at the small lakes. Rare breeding birds include tawny pipits (Anthus campestris), curlews (Numenius phaeopus) and cranes (Grus grus).

Key influences on the visitor experience at Råbjerg Mile

Råbjerg Mile is 16 km southwest of Skagen in Northern part of Jutland, Denmark. There are public busses that take you to the area from the surrounding towns, and it is easy to get there by car.

Skagen is, however, one of the furthest points away from the capital of Copenhagen with about five hours driving.

In the area of Råbjerg Mile itself there are possibilities of accommodation. There are two places, where it is possible to either sleep in a shelter or a tent if visitors bring one themselves. There is also a small camp for organised groups (with permission). Moreover, there is a camping site that is well designed and big, suitable for longer stays.

In the local tourist shops it is possible to get a hold of a brochure that contains a map with four different hiking trails throughout the dune, and at nearby places such as Hulsig and Bunken visitors can find beautiful beaches that are suitable for people of all ages.

Being part of nature, Råbjerg Mile is open year-round and free of charge. The best months to visit the sand dunes are June, July and August due to the weather conditions in Denmark. Råbjerg Mile is situated in the top of North Jutland with many beautiful sites nearby. For example, Skagen is known as the town with the most sunshine in Denmark, while it is also surrounded by unique scenery and many white sand beaches. There are also many exciting museums, monuments and castles in the area.

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Visitor characteristics of Råbjerg Mile

Råbjerg Mile is like the other Danish attractions not a partner in the AGORA 2.0 project. Therefore, they have not had the opportunity to collect data material and therefore it is not possible to describe the cliental that visits Råbjerg Mile.

Strategic choices for Råbjerg Mile

As earlier mentioned, Råbjerg Mile is not an official partner of the AGORA 2.0 project, and has mainly been taken in as a source of inspiration for the other attractions. Thus, the attraction serves as a best-in-class example of product development, which is why the recommendation part of this chapter is different from the others. Therefore, it will be a mixture of what the management has already done and what they plan to do, which is then combined with recommendations based on the experiences that has been encountered in the other cases.

Strategy on how to increase the number of visitors

Recommendations for product development: Management at Råbjerg Mile has taken many great initiatives in order to improve the attraction. However, there seems to be a need for still more activation of visitors in order to enhance the experience at Råbjerg Mile. This way, the attraction will become less dependent on the guides that are currently a large part of the success at Råbjerg Mile.

It is therefore recommended that two or three different routes are created. The routes can then be visualized in a brochure, which visitors can obtain at Skagen Tourist Bureau and other stakeholders (hotels, restaurants, other attractions etc.). This will be overall new product, and it lays the foundation for the rest of the products. For example, it would make sense to create specific viewpoints that are put into the route/map, and that have certain stories attached to them. QR codes that explain the place, viewpoint, plants, story etc. would also create a larger totality in the visitor experience. The attraction could also benefit from more signs to help and ensure that visitors get to experience all aspects of Råbjerg Mile. A small kiosk (at least, open during summer time) could also make the trip to Råbjerg Mile even more worthwhile. Lastly, it would make sense to start a larger international cooperation with e.g. some of the partners that have been taking part in AGORA 2.0, as these have many of the some challenges as Råbjerg Mile.

Recommendations for marketing development: Management at Råbjerg Mile should look more into marketing, as it seems that the current approach is not effective. Simply relying on the local tourist information is not sufficient. The attraction should make more use of local tourism actors to promote. The webpage should be updated with more information and pictures. Brochures and the internet should utilize more languages, such as for example Eastern European ones. It is also advised to look into smartphones technology, and maybe even combine marketing with product development.

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Recommendations for development of Baltic Sea Region heritage

There are very few sand dunes like Råbjerg Mile. The unique sand dunes and the flora and fauna surrounding it are a fantastic signature of the area and are marketed as such. By telling the story of the sand dune and the area the city of Skagen markets itself among other things through the sand dune. By doing so the local culture, artists and Danish heritage is displayed to all the visitors of Skagen town. This serves to an example for other attractions to be inspired from and learn from.

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