Helgoland June 2027

Day 1:

We gather at Brutus's place in Höör no later than 10:00 AM. There is plenty of parking space for cars here. Pick-up from Höör station for those who take the train. When everyone has arrived, we travel by Fokus bus VW Caravelle (extended model to accommodate lots of luggage) from Ågerup towards the harbor town of Büsum in Germany. At 5:30 PM we check in at our hotel. We are served dinner at the hotel.

We have booked double rooms with toilet and shower. With early booking we may be able to arrange single rooms both here and for the three nights on Helgoland, preliminarily 3,600 kr surcharge for Helgoland and 850 kr for single room in Büsum respectively. Check with us! The last night when we've returned to Brutus's farm there's only "dormitory".

If someone has difficulty arriving at Brutus's farm at 10 AM, up to three participants can arrive the evening before and sleep over at no extra cost. Yes, Brutus serves breakfast.

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Day 2:

We eat breakfast at the hotel at 7 and drive to the parking at the harbor in Büsum so we're there at 8:00 AM. We walk the approximately 100 meters to the ferry, which departs at 9:30 AM. No cars are allowed on Helgoland, those who work in service professions use electric cars, except ambulance and fire truck which run on fossil fuels.

The crossing takes about 2.5 hours so we arrive around 12 noon. When we go ashore we arrange transport of suitcases to the hostel located in the northern part of Helgoland but we walk through the village and up to the hostel, then we get to familiarize ourselves a bit with the island, the walk is just over 2 km. No private car traffic is allowed on the island.

Lunch is paid for by each individual, we find a good place in the village.

Dinner at the hotel.

The gannets are best photographed in the evening and if the sun shows itself there are good chances for gannets with the setting sun as background.

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Day 3:

Early morning for those who want. We go up on the cliffs and continue with the gannets. Lunch around 11:30 AM

After lunch we take the boat over to the neighboring island Dûne. There we find both grey and harbor seals and much other seabirds. Here a distance of at least 30 meters to the seals applies, if you come closer a friendly guard will come and ask you to back away.

Back at the hostel we eat dinner and then head up to the cliffs again to the gannets.

 

Day 4:

This day we take as it comes, if someone wants to go back to Düne, continue with the gannets or just walk around the island, these are free activities.

During daytime one of the days Brutus will have a small workshop about image processing on computer.

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Day 5:

Free activities again. We check out from the hostel and in the afternoon we head towards the ferry again to go back to the mainland.

During the evening and night we travel back to Höör. We are expected to be home at Brutus's place at 1-1:30 AM.

Bedroom/dormitory is available at Brutus's so you can rest before heading home in the morning.

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Day/morning 6:

Breakfast at 7-8 AM at Brutus's - for those who wish. Then journey home by car or ride to train.

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As always, the daily program is preliminary, we change what we do also according to weather - and if something special should turn up.

Time:
June 15-21, 2027
6 days incl. travel/5 nights

Trip leader/photo leader:
Brutus Östling

Price (regular) 1.380 EURO

Early-booking price: 1280 EURO
(Valid for booking before September 25, 2026)

Registration fee is 400 EURO

Number of participating photographers

Max 4/Minimum 4 participants

With a lower number of participants, a smaller surcharge applies, see below.

The trip starts and ends:

at Brutus and Agneta's farm. Latest arrival time is 10:00 AM

We return home with the bus at midnight. Sleeping place in multi-bed room included, and breakfast is served before journey home by car or train.

Included in the price

Travel to and from Höör. Hotel in double room with toilet and shower near the ferry harbor in Germany. Breakfast. Ferry crossing round trip. All meals at the hostel. We are served a good breakfast at which you can make a lunch package to bring along, and in the evening we are treated to dinner. Bring thermos and a box for sandwiches. At the hostel we stay in twin rooms with private toilet and shower. Breakfast at Brutus's home on the last morning. We return at midnight, shared accommodation last night at Brutus's home, before each person heads home after breakfast.

Review, guidance to good places on Helgoland. Participation with advice and tips.

Boat trip to the neighboring island Düne with grey and harbor seals and many birds.

Accommodation

Very centrally located apartment up on the cliff shelf, so it's at most ten minutes' walk to the nearest nesting places for the gannets. We stay in two very good apartments with two bedrooms each. The apartments have a well-equipped kitchen, we can choose to buy together and/or eat lunch/dinner in one of the island's many restaurants/pizzeria. We have a favorite pizzeria! Breakfast all days included, arranged by Fokus. There are also all types of shops on Helgoland, it's a large tourist resort.

First night when we arrived at the harbor town we have booked double rooms with toilet and shower. Good breakfast. We return to Brutus's farm in Skåne at midnight, simple accommodation last night at Brutus's home. Generous breakfast before each person heads home by car or is driven to the station in Höör/Hässleholm.

Not included in the price

Travel to and from the meeting point Höör. Insurance and other private matters. Alcoholic beverages. Any snacks, etc.

Don't forget cancellation protection.

Single rooms

Surcharge preliminarily 3,700 kr on Helgoland, only subject to availability.

Last night at Brutus's home before journey home not possible.

At present it looks like we can arrange a couple of single rooms in Büsum (extra cost 850 kr),

Camera equipment

We get very close to the gannets so there everything from wide-angle to telephoto works, good is a 70-200 mm zoom (preferably with converter) or a 100-400/500 mm is perfect. When we photograph incoming gannets at a bit longer focal length, preferably a 100-400, 100-500, 200-600, 200-800, 400-800 mm zoom or a fixed 400 mm telephoto with converter or 500/600 mm. Having only a 200-600 mm or 400-800 mm zoom becomes too long at some nesting sites.

Tamron's 35-150 mm or 28-200 mm are useful for landscapes and at nesting sites. Or 24-70 plus 70-200/100-400 mm.

For other birds it's telephoto lenses, from 400mm and up, this also fits well for the seals where it's important to respect the 30m distance.

If you have wide-angle zoom and telephoto zoom it fits excellently. Tripod can be good to have but not necessary, it depends a bit on what type of telephoto lens you have or if you want to photograph when it gets dark.

If you have a fast long telephoto it's useful for beautiful portraits with nice bokeh background.

Clothing

In evenings and during early morning it can get chilly with the proximity to the sea, but during the day it can become summer heat. Rain-resistant clothing is of course good to have, possibly other according to own preference. Comfortable shoes/boots as there will be quite a bit of walking. The cliff we walk up is 80 m high, nearest road from the hostel goes through sand dunes but good surface and then stairs up to the cliff. In the village there's an elevator for those who want to ride up a bit but it's a detour and costs ten kronor.
Suitcase or wheeled trolley is recommended for the walk from the ferry to the hotel.
A simple three-legged sitting stool, foldable, is available in outdoor stores and at Biltema. Very nice to sit on something low when photographing at the colony.

Accessibility/disabilities

Good walking paths, however stairs for a bit, but elevator exists to the cliff shelf where we live. The apartments are probably the ones that are worse on accessibility for example wheelchair. We walk on paved or gravel walkways up to 1.5 km.

Elevator from Helgoland's lower center exists. Otherwise stairs or road respectively.

Visa/Passport

Swedish citizens need passport. In these times everyone must keep track of special rules, and we will of course check everything extra carefully and inform as much as we can.

*Payment terms

Payment terms differ from our general travel terms.

The registration fee is 400 EURO. The remainder is paid 30 days before the trip begins. Upon cancellation later than 30 days before, neither the registration fee nor the final payment is refunded. Note therefore that upon cancellation later than one month before the trip begins, the traveler is obligated to pay the trip's full price.

If we become fewer than 4 participants we must charge 150 EURO extra per participant. The above applies regardless of the price at which booking was made.

Our Swedish price is calculated based on an euro exchange rate of 10.90 SEK.

Insurance

In cooperation with Europeiska ERV we offer a complement to your home insurance and cancellation protection. All to make you as secure as possible on your trip. Read more about what the insurance covers and