Holiday apartment in Terschelling: Nature, Trails and Island Culture

De Boschplaat has been a Dark Sky Park since 2015. Natural darkness is preserved there, and at night visitors can experience, among other things, the Milky Way. Terschelling is an island bordered by the North Sea to the north and the Wadden Sea to the south. The smaller villages on Terschelling also include Hee.

Nature

The special combination of a beach ridge and the salt marshes behind it creates a diverse landscape on Terschelling. About 80 percent of the island consists of natural areas, including forests, beaches, dune valleys, salt marshes, polders and heathland. The polder is a vast, open agricultural landscape where human use and nature conservation values are coordinated; at the same time, it is one of the Netherlands’ richest bird habitats.

De Boschplaat lies in the east of Terschelling. It is a European nature reserve with a wide beach, extensive salt marshes, important bird populations and the Berkenvallei natural forest. The Noordsvaarder comprises wet dune valleys, salt marshes and extensive beach areas. It is an important resting, breeding and wintering area for birds.

Most nature areas on Terschelling 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.

For people with physical disabilities, there is a 2.5-kilometre wheelchair path in the forest and dune area northwest of West-Terschelling. It starts at Paviljoen de Walvis and partly follows a cycle path.

Getting around

Terschelling has more than 200 kilometres of hiking trails, extensive beaches and unpaved paths. In addition, there is a 70-kilometre network of cycle paths. On the Noordsvaarder, a nature guide from Staatsbosbeheer leads an approximately two-hour discovery tour on foot.

Several cycling routes connect the landscape with the island’s history. The approximately 40-kilometre “Sporen in het Zand” route leads to historic sites on Terschelling and is signposted with characteristic Terschellinger Stoeppalen. The 38-kilometre “Kunst en Monumenten” route starts in the harbour of West-Terschelling and leads to statues, memorials and works of art in the landscape, as well as to the island’s stories, culture and past.

The 36-kilometre Juttersroute crosses the entire island, leading to places, small museums and stories that bring Terschelling’s history of beachcombing and plundering to life. The 33-kilometre “Route van het Rode Goud” cycling route runs through dunes, forests and heathland on Terschelling, where cranberries have been growing since 1868.

Water and Island Experiences

On Terschelling, you can go kitesurfing, surfing, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, horseback riding by the water and take seal-watching tours. The landscape ranges from open beach areas to the protected habitats of salt marshes, dune valleys and forests.

Culture and History

The Brandaris is the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands that is still in operation; it acquired its present form in 1594. The Wrakkenmuseum Terschelling displays objects salvaged from historical and modern shipwrecks, as well as numerous items found on the beach. The museum is located in an authentic Terschellinger farmhouse.

The bunkers of the Bunkermuseum feature, among other things, exhibitions about Terschelling residents who lost their lives during the Second World War, the only Jewish family that lived on Terschelling, and Terschellinger forced labourers in Germany. At Museum 't Behouden Huys, you can discover the studio of the painter Anthon van Rappard, the history of the ship Lutine, and the stay of Willem Barentsz and his crew on Nova Zembla; for the Lutine, 9 October 1799 is given as the date of its sinking.

The Oerol Festival combines theatre, art and celebrations with the island’s unique natural environment on Terschelling.

In the Wider Regional Area

The wider regional area around Terschelling includes Noordoosthoek Beach, Beach Ameland and the island of Griend. This wider regional area also includes the historic site of Sterne Slotland (It Sjûkelân), the Eise Eisinga Planetarium as a historic site, the De Stenen Man monument and Boswachterij Ameland park.

Other village pages on Terschelling: Kinnum, Oosterend Terschelling, Hoorn Terschelling, West-Terschelling, Lies, Formerum, Midsland.

To the higher-level travel overview: Terschelling.