Fjellerup Strand was one of those places where very little needed to happen for us to enjoy being there. After crossing the quieter interior of Djursland, reaching the sea again felt immediately different, with the road ending among low dunes, summer houses and a long sandy beach facing the Kattegat. We looked at a couple of possible places to stop around Hemming Nielsens Vej and found the area particularly convenient for a motorhome because the beach was only a few steps away. One possibility was on gravel, with a clear view towards the dunes and the sea, while another was on grass with a more partial view of the water. Neither was an equipped motorhome area and there were no real services, but that was not particularly important here. This was much more a place for the location than for facilities. The beach at Fjellerup is broad, sandy and generally shallow, very different from the stonier coastline we had seen around Balle and Glatved. It stretches for several kilometres along the northern coast of Djursland, backed in places by low dunes and holiday houses, and even in summer it was possible to find quieter sections away from the busiest access points. Fjellerup has been associated with fishing for generations, and close to where we stopped there is a tiny local fishing museum housed near the beach. It is easy to miss and its opening times are rather irregular, but it suits the village perfectly: instead of a large attraction, it is simply a reminder of the small coastal community that existed here long before Fjellerup became a popular holiday destination. Fishing is still part of the character of the place, although today the beach, summer houses and holiday atmosphere are much more immediately visible. A short walk along the waterfront also leads to one of the distinctly Danish pleasures of these small seaside settlements: ice cream and waffles close to the beach. There is no grand promenade and Fjellerup Strand does not feel like a developed resort. Most of its appeal comes from precisely the opposite — the low buildings, the dunes, the open horizon and the ability to reach the sand almost directly from the road. We also liked the fact that the sea lies to the north here. Because of the shape of the Djursland coast, summer sunsets can stretch across the water rather than disappearing behind the land, and towards evening the whole beach becomes much more atmospheric. The parking places themselves need to be treated simply as parking: no camping behaviour. That seemed entirely reasonable in a place where the parking is woven into an ordinary residential and holiday area rather than separated into a formal motorhome site. Fjellerup Strand was therefore not a stop we remembered because of a particular monument or attraction. We remembered it because it was easy, peaceful and uncomplicated: a place where we could leave the motorhome, walk straight onto the sand, spend some time beside the Kattegat and watch the evening arrive over the water. After several days of moving between towns, harbours and different parking possibilities around Djursland, it was exactly the kind of simple coastal stop that made us want to slow down.
