Hiking in the Kennemer Dunes
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This hike through the dunes in the province of North Holland is my all time favorite. I walk this route for almost twenty years. The trail combines a beautiful dune landscape with the pleasures of the beach. It is a brisk walk, especially because of the climbs.
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Beach pavilion Parnassia
The effort is well worth it. Choose a nice day and plunk down halfway at Parnassia for a drink or a healthy snack (quite some organic and local stuff).
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Nudist beach at Kattendel
The nice thing about this walk is the variety of landscapes, great forests, beautiful and high dunes and a quiet, wide beach. The beach around Kattendel is nice and quiet. That's because you can’t reach this beach by car or train, only on foot or on the bike. And when this is your thing: you can take of all your clothes: it’s a nudist beach...
Parnassia: nice beach club
Near Parnassia it is somewhat crowded with sunbathers, dog walkers and kite flyers. Parnassia is a nice place to eat or drink something. In good weather you can sit on the large terrace overlooking the sea. Sunny Sundays can be crowded with screaming kids and dogs trying to eat your calves.
Superb Bird Lake
Walking through the Kennemer dunes is a bit different. After the fuss of Parnassia, these dunes feel quiet and intimate. You walk along the idyllic Bird Lake, a paradise for birds and bird watchers. That Bird Lake (in Dutch: Vogelmeer) with its two islands is truly one of the most beautiful dune lakes that I know.
Bride of Haarlem
Don’t forget to climb the high dunes just before Bird Lake. You’ll have an overview over the so-called ‘Bride of Haarlem’. This dune is named after the fireweed: the seeds have some resemblance with a bride veil.
Five beautiful walks
This is one of the walks in a series of five beautiful walks from railway station to railway station. Want to see more?
Tags: Netherlands, railway walks