Skagen Odde

Skagen Odde, also Skagens Odde, sometimes known in English as the Scaw Spit or The Skaw, is a sandy peninsula which stretches some 30 km (19 mi) northeast and comprise the northmost area of Vendsyssel in Jutland, Denmark.

Skagen Odde is reported to be one of the largest spit systems in Europe, created by a continuous process of marine sand and gravel deposition, moved in a north-east direction by longshore currents. The width of the spit varies from 3 to 7 km (2 to 4 mi).

Contrary to common belief, the northmost point of Jutland and Denmark proper is located on the beach of Nordstrand and not on the sandbar of Grenen.

Skagen Odde covers the narrow peninsula from Ålbæk in the south, to the area around Grenen in the northeast where the Skagerrak meets the Kattegat. It comprises the towns of Skagen, Hulsig and the holiday resort of Kandestederne. At Kandestederne, the coastal cliff is noted to be raised with marine deposits. Protected areas of the peninsula include Grenen at 350 ha (860 acres), Hulsig Hede at 2,170 ha (5,400 acres), Råbjerg Mile at 1,620 ha (4,000 acres), and part of Bunken Klitplantage at 670 ha (1,700 acres).

Still in a state of flux, the peninsula was formed some 15,000 years ago when the ice melted around Vendsyssel creating a coastline stretching south to Frederikshavn. It was formed by sedimentary materials drifting from Jutland's west coast. The northernmost point is located on Skagen Nordstrand, where currents bring sand to the Skagens Rev reef, causing it to grow (20–25 ft (6.1–7.6 m)) in an easterly direction every year while the western side is slowly eroded. This explains why the summer houses built on the coast around 1900 are now some 500 m (1,600 ft) from the beach. The sand spit is reported to be extending at the rate 4 m (13 ft) per year. The spit's evolution has been "influenced by isostatic uplift (causing a drop in relative sea level) and eustatic sea level change."

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