14 kmBørsmose Church
A solitary church space amid heath and military terrain, ideal as a cultural stop on the same trip
Ho Klitplantage lies just north of Skallingen, where the forest meets heathland, salt marshes and Ho Bay. This is not a forest that tries to hide its harsh origins: drifting sand, poor soil and westerly winds have shaped the trees and the open dunes between the stands.
Scots pine, Austrian pine and mountain pine characterize the plantation. Look for the long dark-green needles of the Austrian pine and the reddish trunk of the Scots pine; these are small identifying features that make a walk through an otherwise uniform pine forest easier to read.
One of the distinctive places is Jens Jessens Sande, a large parabolic dune in the northern part of the plantation. From here, the landscape opens up towards the plantation, the North Sea, Ho Bay, Skallingen and the Wadden Sea. The parabolic dunes are traces of sand that the sea deposited on the beach and that the wind later carried inland, until the dunes became overgrown.
The southern edge of the plantation roughly follows the medieval coastline. At the southwestern corner lay the fishing hamlet of Sønderside, but after the storm flood of 1634 there are no visible remains left. Today, the absence is almost the most tangible thing: forest, sand and views on top of a vanished fishing hamlet.
In the southern part of Ho Klitplantage, there is a primitive overnight site near Skomagerhuset and the road towards Skallingen. The site is sheltered by the forest, but with approximately 2 km to both the beach and Ho Bugt.
Access is via the area by Ho Ellipsen, which is a couple of hundred metres away. There is no firewood at the site, and waste must be handled by visitors themselves. The toilet is listed as open during the winter half of the year.
Ho Ellipsen is a covered barbecue and picnic area, sheltered in the forest and easy to reach from the car park on Skallingvej. It serves both as a place to stop and as a starting point for trips in Ho Klitplantage.
From here, the yellow hiking route of just under 8 km can be started. The route passes through most of the plantation and continues past Sønderside, views towards Skallingen, and the parabolic dune Jens Jessens Sande.
