Salt, smoke and seaweed roofs on Læsø

Læsø has a long history of boiling salt from the brine that lies just under its meadows. For centuries the island supplied salt to the mainland, and the forests were cut down to feed the fires. Today a small saltworks keeps the tradition alive, and you can stand in the warm, smoky shed and watch the crystals form in wide iron pans.

The other thing you notice on Læsø is the roofs. A few old farmhouses are still thatched with thick layers of eelgrass, piled so heavily that the roofs look soft and alive. They are a reminder of how people built with whatever the sea washed up.

Bring a bike. The island is flat, the roads are quiet, and the distances between the harbour, the saltworks and the beaches are just right for a slow day.