3x beautiful nature reserves in the Netherlands

This is my personal favourite, because as a little girl, I always went on holiday to Terschelling with my parents and found peace and quiet there, which is why we voted it one of the most beautiful nature reserves in the Netherlands.

The beautiful island of Terschelling consists of 80 per cent nature. This makes it the ideal island for nature lovers to visit. The Boschplaat, comprising no less than 44,000 hectares of nature reserve, used to be a separate sandbank to the east of Terschelling. The channel between Terschelling and the Boschplaat has silted up and they now form a single entity. When you’re here, you’ll feel as though you’re in a vast dune landscape with deserted beaches and perhaps the most beautiful salt marshes to be found in our little country. Fun Fact: ‘Kwelder’ is a Frisian word for an area that used to be a sandbank in the Wadden Sea region but has now become dry land.

De Boschplaat is renowned for the many birds that can be spotted there. Among the 65 species of birds that call De Boschplaat home, you’ll find large colonies of gulls, as well as 200 breeding pairs of spoonbills on the island.

As well as the many species of birds that roam this nature reserve, there is plenty more to see. During a walk across the Boschplaat, you’ll be cheered up by the striking colours of the flora that characterises this area. For example, you’ll come across purple lavender, which grows here in all its glory.
Please note that as many as 400 different plant species have been recorded here. So there’s plenty of flora and fauna to keep you entertained all day long.

• Stargazing at Dark Sky Terschelling

Once you’ve visited this stunning nature reserve, you can tick off your bucket list that you’ve been to the largest lowland peat bog area in the whole of North-West Europe. This landscape was, in fact, created by humans; the extraction of peat led to the formation of this marshland.

In this green maze in Overijssel, you’ll find yourself in an oasis of tranquillity. You’ll be spoilt for choice during a day out in the Weerribben. Wildlife enthusiasts are also sure to be in their element here. Countless birds can be spotted here, and if you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of an otter. Your journey of discovery will be complete when you see the large copper butterfly fluttering by. This butterfly is found nowhere else in the world. How special is that?!

For walkers and cyclists, there are various marked routes that wind their way past all the hidden gems of this area. This is certainly a lovely way to explore the area and make the most of all the beauty around you.

My tips:

• The Boot Trail

The adventurer can't believe his luck here. The Laarzenpad says it all, so put on your boots and come to De Weerribben! You start this blubbery adventure from visitor centre de Wieden. This trail goes right through the reed land and you imagine yourself on a whole piece of floating land here. It is great fun to walk this path with the kids, but for adults it is also a fun and special experience.

• Suppend through the Weerribben

The hippest water sport shows you all the beauty of the Weerribben in a unique way. Because now you can go supping on the Weerribben. A sport that is easy and quick to learn and suitable for all ages. You can hire a sup-board yourself or join one of the guided tours that have been set out especially for you.

At the Hondsrug, you can literally walk straight into the Ice Age. The ridges and valleys of this UNESCO site were formed during the Ice Age, making it one of the oldest nature reserves in the Netherlands. The rivers flowing beneath the ice created the hills (ridges) in the landscape, hence the name Hondsrug. It’s truly remarkable, of course, when you consider that mammoths once roamed the very ground you’re walking on now.

The Hondsrug is famous for the hunebeds found here. The stones of the hunebeds, which were eventually used for burial chambers, were carried here by the force of the ice during the Ice Age and can still be admired in many places across Drenthe, including, of course, the Hondsrug.

Various cycle and walking routes, marked by junction points, have been mapped out through the national park, allowing you to explore this beautiful area in an active way. If you’d like to take a leisurely look around the Hondsrug, you can, of course, also choose to organise a family picnic whilst enjoying all the greenery around you.

My tip:

• The tree crown path

This path (the name says it all) is located literally between the crowns of trees of De Hondsrug. The daredevil can't believe his luck when you have a wonderful view of the nature reserve at this height. Are you here with children? Then close to the Boomkroonpad you will find the "Speelbos Lorken", where the kids can let off steam while climbing all kinds of obstacles.