Hoorn Terschelling: Holiday Rentals Between Nature and Island Culture

Hoorn Terschelling combines the island’s natural and cultural highlights in an unusually diverse way. Between dunes, woodland, beach and mudflats lie nature reserves, historical traces, museums, cycling routes and regional specialities that showcase Terschelling from many different perspectives.

Nature

In the east of Terschelling, De Boschplaat is designated as a European Nature Reserve. The area includes wide beaches, extensive salt marshes and fields of sea lavender that turn purple in summer. The landscape also includes the Berkenvallei, the largest natural woodland in the Wadden Islands. De Boschplaat is an important breeding ground for birds and serves as a resting area for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. In 2015, the area was designated by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) as the Netherlands’ first Dark Sky Park; visitors are welcome there at night to experience the darkness.

Terschelling’s natural areas are accessible almost all year round. However, parts of De Boschplaat and a breeding area near West aan Zee are closed from March through August inclusive because of breeding birds and resting seals. In the west, the De Noordsvaarder nature reserve features a varied landscape of extensive sand flats, salt marshes, shifting dunes and green valleys. Noordsvaarder can be explored by bicycle from the cycle path at De Walvis, along the dunes and through the woodland towards the North Sea beach at West aan Zee.

Liesinger Plak is a wet dune valley where visitors can observe waterbirds, natterjack toads and various plant species. The Formerumerbos is home to numerous bird species, and the woodland is also rich in fungi.

History and Culture

During the Second World War, the Tiger Position was a central radar post of the German occupying forces and is considered one of the best-preserved positions in the Netherlands. The Bunker Museum Terschelling explains how it functioned and how the Second World War affected life on the island. The 7-kilometre bunker route leads to Atlantic Wall bunkers in the dunes, bomb craters in the woodland, as well as former radar positions and lookout posts.

The ’t Behouden Huys Museum covers Anthon van Rappard, the wreck of the Lutine and Willem Barentsz’s expedition to Nova Zembla. The museum also addresses the destruction of almost all the houses in West-Terschelling by the English in 1666. The 38-kilometre Art and Monuments Route also begins in the harbour at West-Terschelling. It leads to places connected with the island’s history, culture and creativity. Another landmark is De Brandaris, the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands that is still in operation. Every year in June, the Oerol Festival takes place on Terschelling for ten days as a site-specific arts festival.

Things to Do

Dellewalbaai is considered the only natural bay in the Netherlands. At Baai Dellewal, a guided mudflat walk crosses the exposed seabed at low tide. The Wadkanutocht to the seal bank starts at Groene Strand in West-Terschelling and reaches a sandbank between Vlieland and Terschelling.

Horse-drawn wagon rides take visitors through dunes, woodland and across the beach, as well as through the European Nature Reserve De Boschplaat.

Several routes with different focuses are available for exploring the island by bicycle. The 33-kilometre Route van het Rode Goud passes through dunes, forests and heathlands where cranberries have been growing since 1868. The Juttersroute runs across Terschelling from west to east, linking special places and stories. Various excursions with a forest ranger depart from the Natuurschuur Lies, while changing exhibitions there provide information about Terschelling’s distinctive natural environment. The excursion "Wakker worden met de natuur" is a forest-ranger-guided walk through and around the Formerumerbos.

Food and Drink

The island’s regional character is also reflected in its special products. The farm shop at the organic sheep farm De Zeekraal sells various hard and soft cheeses made from sheep’s milk, as well as ice cream with island flavours such as cranberry, sea buckthorn and elderflower. Cranberrywinkel offers tastings of cranberry products from Terschelling, including cranberry jam, cranberry liqueur and cranberry sweets.

Getting There

Bicycles can be taken on the regular ferry service between Harlingen and Terschelling, but not on the fast ferry. Trains from Leeuwarden stop at Harlingen Haven station, which is about a five-minute walk from the ferry terminal; several buses stop near the terminal.

More Local Pages

For more locations to choose from on Terschelling: Kinnum, Oosterend Terschelling, Baaiduinen, Terschelling, Lies, Formerum, Midsland, West-Terschelling.

To the overarching travel overview: Terschelling.