The deserted beaches of Kwade Hoek
Feel like giving your hiking boots a good workout? Enter the dynamic area outside the dike known as Kwade Hoek. Roaming through mud flats and dunes, you will pass countless species of bird. And should that become routine, you can turn your gaze to the sea, which has free play here. The shoreline is covered with pristine nature and features vast, deserted beaches. A section of the Dutch coast that is still growing. Where else do you find something like this?
Roam through mud flats and dunes
The subsoil in the low-lying areas of Kwade Hoek can be wet, which is why some parts are covered with planks. These planks make for comfortable walking, and you will see plenty of birds and plant species as you walk. You will also spot myriad birds in the salt marsh, including avocets and stonechats; Kwade Hoek is an important nesting site in the Netherlands.
There are also parts of the area that are always under water. Not as easy to explore, but certainly wonderful locations to observe natterjack toads, water frogs and dragonflies. The freshwater seepage and rainfall keep the Kwade Hoek area outside the dike from becoming too salty. Nevertheless, the area is home to plants and animals that are extremely common in dune valleys. Allow yourself to be surprised!
Relax undisturbed
If you walk through the dunes during your hike, you will reach the beach. Believe it or not, it is virtually always deserted. You can relax undisturbed. In the morning, there is a chance you will see roe deer; in stormy weather, you will experience the tide at its roughest and most stunning. In other words, there is always something to do in Kwade Hoek!
Please note: this website is in a foreign language.
A perfect view
You will find an observation point at the beginning of the walking route. From here you look out over a salt marsh, one of the oldest parts of Kwade Hoek. A salt marsh is an area outside of a dike along the seacoast. And even though this area is covered by water only during very high tides, the vegetation consists largely of salt-loving plants. You will find some 300 plant species on this 'Green Beach', including orchids. In the summer, grazing cattle dot the meadow; in the winter, thousands of geese fill their bellies here.
Please note: this website is in a foreign language.
