Titel: Sensory Hiking for adults at Lildstrand

The aim is to find peace in nature, that you focus on the senses, getting new experiences and impressions of what is already known - get a mindful experience and find peace by just being, and enjoy the experience totally naturally. 

Feel free to use this description as a "self-instruction with inspiration guide".

This description is based on a short walk from the parking lot at the beach landing site, around Strandkærvej, past the church and out along the coastal rescue road towards the outer parking lot, where you can walk over the dunes, down onto the beach, and back towards the beach landing site. 

This walk can be done in approx. 40 min, depending on how many stops you take and how many stones you stop to collect. There are benches on the way by the church, by the car park, and at the beach landing site. If you want a longer walk, you can easily find another route, or extend your walk out along the coastal rescue road towards Glæde, or take the trip to Bulbjerg and return along the beach (approx. a 2 hr hike). 

To get the full sensory hiking experience, it is recommended that you take the time to stop and pause along the way, and therefore the trip may well take longer.

If you are at Lildstrand for several days, we can recommend that you go on the same walk several times, and preferably at different times of the day - each hike is completely unique and presents different experiences. Try it at sunrise, at dusk, in the midday heat, in the dark, in wind and rain. The sounds and scents are completely different.

Guide

Focus on your senses.

• Pat the big stone fish by the church, feel the smooth and rough surfaces. Sit on the church bench and feel you have taken shelter.
• Walk past the church. At 08.00 and 17.00 you can hear the ringing of the church bell.
• Continue out of town, feel the transition from asphalt to gravel, and breathe in. Is it heather, rosehip, or the sea you can smell?
• Stop and listen. Can you hear the birds in the heath or the buzzing of insects? Maybe a crane trumpeting in the background or a seagull screaming?
• At the car park, you can sit down at the picnic bench. Close your eyes - listen and smell.
• Follow the path up to the top of the dunes, sit in the sand and look out over the sea while you feel the sand with your fingers - is the sand cold, hot, cool, or wet? Maybe the grass pricks you when it's blowing in the wind, and maybe you're lucky to see paths in the sand made by insects and reptiles that are busy taking care of their tasks as you wander around. Breathe in and let yourself be present. Let yourself be blown through by the wind, baked by the sun, or soaked by the rain.
• Go down to the beach and start the trip back towards the beach landing site. You can walk down by the water’s edge where the waves wash in, or further up on the beach where you can walk in sand and rocks.
• Find a good stone you can have in your pocket for your hikes, maybe a rough one or a smooth one. Look for hollow stones and beautiful driftwood. If you want to know more about the stone on the beach, you can search for facts on the National Park Thy’s education page: https://undervisning.nationalparkthy.dk/media/174414/faktakort_om_sten_21a.pdf
• Sit down on the beach - smell, listen, and feel where you are.
• Back at the beach landing site, you can take a break on one of the benches by the fish houses, or you can take shelter in the packed lunch house, maybe buy ice cream in the kiosk, or enjoy your packed lunch.

At the beach landing site, you can fill your water bottle in the packed lunch house, and use the toilets by the Spilhuset.

Lildstrand Røgeri (smokery) sells freshly smoked fish and hot dishes and the many galleries in the area have coffee and cake.

Sensory Hiking by Dorte Krøyer, August 2020, in conjunction with a development project with funding from the Ministry of Rural Business Fund. In collaboration with Thy Tourist Association and Support Fund Hannæs and Østerild, the residents and tourist attractions from the area have contributed to the project through many workshops. The result represents carefully selected locations and recommendations where your visit contributes with a positive effect.

We call it sustainable tourism.