Sand dune with fine sand, green grass, and a red and white lighthouse under a cloudy sky. A wooden path winds through tall grass leading to a small house with a red roof under a cloudy sky.
Germany

Amrum: A Lesson in Sand

A Boardwalk Through the Dunes.
 Amrum, Germany, July 2022

For me, Amrum was, above all, dunes. At first, gentle hills with tufts of grass swaying in the wind. Then, more and more sand. A lot of sand.

The first few kilometers were easy—I walked comfortably along a wooden boardwalk that wound its way through the landscape. But then, I took a wrong turn.

The boardwalk disappeared, and suddenly, I was trudging through fine, soft sand. It was exhausting, almost absurd how difficult each step became. But I have to admit, the dunes around me were breathtaking. The vastness, the silence, the soft whisper of the wind—everything was wonderful. Or it would have been, had I not just become an unwilling participant in an extreme fitness program for directionally challenged hikers.

At some point—after what felt like a full desert expedition—a path finally appeared. And shortly after, civilization. Exhausted but triumphant, I made my way back, armed with beautiful photos and the certainty that the struggle had been worth it.

But next time, I'm definitely going to stay on the boardwalk.

Map of Amrum
A wooden path winds through tall grass leading to a small house with a red roof under a cloudy sky.
A wooden boardwalk winds through Amrum’s dunes, protecting the fragile ecosystem from erosion.
Sand dune with fine sand, green grass, and a red and white lighthouse under a cloudy sky.
Amrum’s iconic lighthouse rises above the shifting dunes of the North Frisian coast. Built in 1875, it still guides ships safely through the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea.
A sandy path between dunes under a cloudy sky leading to the sea, with green grasses growing in the dunes.
A sandy path leads through Amrum’s dunes to the vast North Sea beach. The island’s shifting sands are in constant motion, shaped by wind and tide.