Rabjerg Mile

Rabjerg Mile is a migrating coastal dune between Skagen and Frederikshavn, Denmark. It is the largest moving dune in Northern Europe with an area of around 2 km2 0.4 mi2 and a height of 40 m 130 ft above sea level. It is also the only major stretch of migrating dunes in Denmark. The dune contains a total of 4 million m3 of sand. The wind moves it in a north-easterly direction up to 18 metres 59 ft a year. The dune leaves a low, moist layer of sand behind it

, trailing back westwards towards Skagerrak, where the Mile originally formed more than 300 years ago. Over 250,000 people visit the dune every year. In northern Jutland in the 16th and 17th centuries shifting dunes were a problem for the population: huge dunes, some stretching up to 7 km 4 mi inland, drove them back from the coastal areas, but in the 19th century the government acted to alleviate the problem.