Randkløve Skår

A wild granite cleft on Bornholm’s east coast

Randkløve Skår is one of the most striking natural formations on Bornholm’s rugged eastern shoreline. Here the otherwise solid granite cliff is split by a narrow gorge that cuts deep into the rock, dropping towards the Baltic Sea in a steep, shadowed slit. The contrast between the dark, vertical walls and the open sea beyond creates a sense of drama that feels far from Denmark’s softer mainland landscapes. Bornholm’s granite has withstood millennia of wind and waves, but at Randkløve Skår ancient ice movements and persistent erosion have exploited weaknesses in the rock, slowly prising it apart. The result is a jagged corridor of stone, where blocks have tumbled to form terraces, ledges and boulders underfoot. Even on calm days you hear the distant surge of the sea echoing between the rock faces.

Botanical contrasts between forest and shore

Approaching the gorge, you pass through a mosaic of coastal forest, scrub and heathland. Birch, pine and gnarled oak hug the upper slopes, their roots gripping the thin soil between slabs of granite. In summer the ground layer bursts with ferns, grasses and wildflowers, while hardy shrubs cling improbably to cracks in the rock, softening the cliffs with green. Closer to the sea the vegetation thins and the landscape becomes more austere. Lichens paint the stone in shades of rust, silver and mustard, and salt-tolerant plants find footholds just above the spray line. This sharp transition from leafy woodland to almost barren rock over only a short distance is part of what makes Randkløve Skår so visually compelling and rewarding for nature enthusiasts.

Geological story written in stone

Randkløve Skår offers an open-air lesson in Bornholm’s deep geological past. The granite here is part of a bedrock formed in the Precambrian, later sculpted by repeated glaciations. During the last Ice Age, ice sheets moving across the island exerted immense pressure, exploiting fractures and joints in the rock. Over time, meltwater, frost and wave action widened these lines of weakness into the ravine visible today. Look closely at the rock faces and you can see angular patterns and vertical joints that hint at this process. Some surfaces are smoothed and polished, others rough where slabs have broken away. The scattered boulders below testify to ongoing slow collapse, reminding visitors that even seemingly immovable cliffs are still changing on a geological timescale.

Walking, viewpoints and moments of stillness

For visitors, Randkløve Skår is as much about atmosphere as scenery. Trails in the surrounding area undulate over rocky ground, with short steep sections leading to various vantage points above the gorge and along the coast. From these natural balconies you can gaze east across the Baltic, watch seabirds ride the updrafts and, on clear days, trace the line of the horizon far out to sea. Down near the water’s edge, the soundscape shifts to the rhythmic boom of waves meeting stone, punctuated by the clatter of pebbles as the swell recedes. Many travelers take time here simply to sit on a flat rock, feel the texture of ancient granite under their hands and listen to the echoes in the cleft. The mix of movement and solidity, sound and silence, makes this a powerful place for quiet reflection as well as exploration.

An enduring motif in Bornholm’s identity

Randkløve Skår has long captured the imagination of artists and writers drawn to Bornholm’s wilder corners. Nineteenth-century painters recorded the gorge as a remote, almost treeless chasm above a restless sea. Today the surrounding slopes are more vegetated, yet the essential drama remains: a sudden rupture in an otherwise continuous coastline. As part of a wider chain of cliffs and rock formations along the island’s east, the gorge contributes to Bornholm’s reputation as a Baltic landscape of unexpected grandeur. Whether you come for a short coastal stroll or as part of a full day among the cliffs, Randkløve Skår offers a concentrated dose of that character. It is a place where Denmark feels almost Nordic in scale, where the meeting of rock and water takes center stage, and where even a brief visit leaves a lasting impression of granite, sea air and wind.