Voornes Duin
“As an outdoor enthusiast living in a mostly urban area, it’s sometimes hard to find quietude and serenity close by. The southwest area of the Netherlands is mostly known for it’s big cities and large industries around the port of Rotterdam. But amidst this, there’s an unique area where I love to wander in the woods, stroll through the dunes and where I get my portion of sometimes much needed vitamin sea. It’s called Voornes Duin and it’s a natural gem worth a visit!”
Nature reserve Voornes Duin is located at Voorne-Putten, in South Holland. It is a special dune area on the coast, only half an hour away from Rotterdam. Voornes Duin is known for the different landscapes: you’ll find flowery grasslands, vast dunes, woodland areas, bogs and small lakes. More than half of all Dutch species of wild plants occur in this area, making it a walhalla for plant lovers. But lovers of critters big and small will not be disappointed either. Voornes Duin is home to many breeding birds, both endemic and migratory and Galloway cattle, Icelandic ponies and roe deer are roaming around freely.
There’s a great variety of hiking trails that connect in many places, making it easy to choose a route that suits you best in ters of length and what you’d like to see. Besides hiking trails there’s bike lanes and equestrian paths catering to the needs of those who like to explore this area in a different way. You can start your trip from the visitor centre Tenellaplas where you can park your car and there’s a restaurant where you can have drinks, lunch or diner after exploring the outdoors.
What I love so much about this area, is it’s ever changing appearance. No matter the season, there is always something wonderful to see and to me it’s the perfect place to unwind if city life gets to much of a grip on me. If you’re keen to get a glimpse of the beauty the west coast of the Netherlands has to offer, make sure to visit this place!
