Theodor Storm called Husum the grey town by the sea, and he meant it kindly. The poet and novelist, who was born in the town in 1817, wrote about the dykes, the fog and the wide, grey skies of the North Frisian coast, and the phrase has stuck. His house is a museum, and his novella The Rider on the White Horse, about a dyke-builder fighting the sea, is the great story of this coast.
The town, with about twenty-one thousand people, has a pretty harbour with old warehouses and fishing cutters that still land North Sea shrimp, and a market square with a fountain and a tall church. In March, the park around the castle is carpeted with purple crocuses, a spectacle that draws visitors. Fuel and food are easy here, with petrol stations, supermarkets and a number of fish restaurants along the quay. Try the Krabbenbrötchen, a bread roll with fresh shrimp, which is the quintessential Husum lunch.
The riding out here is flat and open, with long, straight roads across marshland, often on top of a dyke, with sheep grazing on the grass. It is not twisty, but the landscape is huge, with an enormous sky and a horizon that curves. Wind is the main factor. It can be strong, particularly from the west, and a crosswind on an exposed stretch can be tiring. Keep your speed steady and your grip relaxed.
In summer the days are long and bright, but the weather is changeable, and a sudden shower can sweep in from the sea. Autumn brings migrating birds, and in the winter the geese arrive in large flocks. The Wadden Sea, the tidal flats of the North Sea, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a short ride from the town will take you to the dyke, where you can watch the tide come in.