On our last day on the island of Sylt we had planned to visit the Morsum Cliff. Morsum is the eastern-most village on the island, and the Morsum Cliff is one of the most important geological monuments of Germany. The cliff is unique in its geological structure throughout Europe, and consists of various layers of soil, dating up to 7 million years back!
The cliff and the nearby heath-covered area have been a nature reserve since 1923. This prevented the planned use of the sand deposits in construction of the Hindenburg Dam which is an 11 km long causeway connecting Sylt to the mainland. In 2006, The Morsum Cliff was declared a national geotop.
Breathtaking views of the mudflats and the thatched Frisian houses are repeatedly opened up to you during hikes through the wild heathland. Currently, the cliff is very much threatened by erosion made worse by tourists or fossil hunters leaving the designated paths.
We stopped in Keitum for lunch. Keitum is an old captain’ village that offers picturesque village idyll with cultural depth. Once Keitum was the most important place on Sylt with a long history of seafaring. A port was operated from here for 40 years. Today, it is a peaceful village with exclusive shops and art galleries.
We found a cosy tea-room with home-baked pastries, overlooking a beautiful garden. In the corner, there was a contemporary sculpture, and Vagn had to check out whether it was made of iron:
Before leaving for the airport, we had a final stroll in Westerland where we stayed on this trip. The city’s oldest building is the St. Niels’ church, built in 1634:
These cast-iron bells, that are exhibited in the church’s yard, were a substitute for the bronze bells, which were melted down in the First World War. They called for church services from 1924 until the consecration of the new bronze bells in June 2006.
“Travelling giants in the wind” is a landmark in Westerland. The four-meter-high bright green family was designed by the artist Martin Wolke:
It was time to leave Sylt.
We waited for a VFR window to take off.
But as soon as we were airborne, we realized the VFR was marginal. We terminated our flight plan, and landed in Tønder.
After briefly discussing our alternatives, and choosing the ones we could go with, we called Bo Rønnow. Bo ensured us that if we landed on Fyn – whenever it would be – he would pick us up, and we could stay over in his home. That was a real pilot talking! Then we called Erik of Revninge (the owner of the airstrip there) and got help with pre-arranging fuel in case we would need it. Our route back home was going to be different (and longer) due to weather conditions. There were several risks involved: running low on fuel, not be able to reach home before the end of civil twilight, and not be able to fly at all. After waiting a little for the skies to clear a bit up, we took off.
We could see that the weather was getting better – it was a big relief, and we began smiling again:
Årø Kalv nature reserve, off the island of Årø between Jylland and Fyn:
As closer to home we were approaching, as better the weather became.
And after crossing the Great Belt the most difficult challenges were left behind.
Landed safely in Kræmmersten:
After finishing the practical stuff, we had a debriefing in the club house. We warmed up with freshly brewed tea à la Kræmmersten and chocolates we bought on Sylt, and chatted about next trips, before we finally said goodbye to each other. We were grateful to Bo and Erik for being on stand-by for us in case we would need help. And I was also grateful to Vagn for helping me to realize one of my dreams – to have a long weekend on the island of Sylt.