When you see the huge pipes of the steel plants, you wouldn’t image that a vast expanse of nature reserve - the North Holland Dune Reserve - was hidden here. Set your legs to work and go on a delightful cycle ride through the rolling dunes and the adjoining forests.
Covering an area of 5,300 hectares stretching all the way from Tata Steel at Wijk aan Zee to the Schoorl Dunes, the North Holland Dune Reserve is one of the largest nature reserves in the country. A good place to set off on your tour pedalling over dunes and through forests is the PWN visitor centre, De Hoep, where you can learn all about the formation of the sand dunes and water purification. You can rent bikes at the neighbouring restaurant, Johanna’s Hof.
Hey, did you know?
The North Holland Dune Reserve between Castricum and Heemskerk is where some of the Dutch drinking water is filtered. A 52 km pipe brings the water from the IJsselmeer to Heemskerk, where it is filtered through the dunes to remove any bacteria and viruses. After at least thirty days, the water is pumped back up again ready to drink.
| Noordhollands Duinreservaat | |
| Address: | Johannisweg 2, Castricum |
| Open: | view website |
| Online: | www.pwn.nl/bezoekerscentrum-de-hoep |