Holiday apartment in Hoofdplaat: Nature, Trails and History

Hoofdplaat combines walks, nature observation, culture and history. If you are planning a holiday apartment in Hoofdplaat, you can shape your days around different interests: a walk around the village, a route between Hoofdplaat and Nummer Een, views of the Hooge Platen, or the historical themes of the church, memorial site and chapel. This allows you to combine exercise, nature observation and local history.

Hooge Platen and Inlaag Hoofdplaat

At low tide, the Hooge Platen cover around 1,800 hectares of mudflats and sandbanks. They are an important resting, feeding and breeding area for birds, fish and seals. The Hooge Platen themselves are not accessible, but they can be viewed from the dike, from the bird hide near Nummer Een or during a boat trip across the Westerschelde.

Inlaag Hoofdplaat is home to special plants, including zilt torkruid, zilte rus, zilte zegge, Groenknolorchis, vleeskleurige orchis and kleinbloemige salie. Because of the many shells in the former seabed, Inlaag Hoofdplaat has a calcareous character.

Hiking trails and special routes

“'t Ommetje” is a 6 km hiking trail around Hoofdplaat. In 2007, the route won the “’t Mooiste ommetje van Zeeland” competition.

A longer hiking option is the Bevrijdingsmars Hoofdplaat–Knokke, held annually at the beginning of November. It starts at the Oorlogsmonument Spuikom and is approximately 33 km long. If you want to plan the distance deliberately, this march therefore offers a considerably larger framework than “'t Ommetje”.

Outside the dike, a cycling and hiking trail runs between Hoofdplaat and Nummer Een and is used by visitors and residents for cycling and walking. The route between the two places thus adds another opportunity for outdoor exercise to the walk around Hoofdplaat.

Water views and days outdoors

The Steiger Hoofdplaat offers a good view of the Hooge Platen, where various birds and seals can be observed. The beach at Hoofdplaat is a man-made beach that is used by residents and visitors in fine weather. The water view and beach use therefore offer different ways to spend the day.

History in the village landscape

The village landscape also leads into history. The N.H. Kerk in Hoofdplaat was built from 1783 to 1785. At the memorial site at the Spuikom, there is also the sculpture “Vreemde vogel”, designed by J. Boekhout. After Hoofdplaat was spared from the storm of 1953, Catholic residents built the chapel “Onze Lieve Vrouw van de Zaterdag”. The church, memorial site and chapel thus provide concrete points of connection with history.

Holiday apartment or holiday home in Hoofdplaat

When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, you can weigh these destinations according to your preferred travel theme. For nature observation, the Hooge Platen and Inlaag Hoofdplaat are the main attractions; for exercise, “'t Ommetje” and the paths between Hoofdplaat and Nummer Een; for water views, the Steiger; and for history, the church, Spuikom and chapel. This allows you to distinguish between nature, exercise, water views and history when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations

You can also consider Breskens, Cadzand, Retranchement, Nieuwvliet, Sint Kruis, Oostburg, Eede and Cadzand-Bad.

To the overarching travel overview: Sluis.