Sailing along the Wadden Islands
In 2016, Texel was in Lonely Planet's travel guide in the top 10 top destinations in Europe for summer, and for good reason.
A sailing holiday on the Wadden Sea means:
- Sailing in a beautiful world heritage site
- Possibility to fall dry
- Seals on the sandbanks
- Mooring on one of the Wadden Islands
- Getting a breath of fresh air
Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is one of the smallest of the Wadden Islands, but has the widest beach in Europe. The island has a picturesque village. Schiermonnikoog has a bird-watching hut at the Westerplas, where various (water) birds can be seen for the bird lover. It is a very friendly island with various cycling and walking routes. Hotel Van der Werff breathes fifties and it seems as if time has literally stood still. You can have a cup of coffee there for €0.50. On the beach, you have a choice of two beach pavilions to enjoy lunch and experience the real holiday feeling during the summers.
Ameland
Ameland is a Wadden Island with four villages Nes, Ballum, Hollum and Buren. Nes is a village with many restaurants and shops. A visit to the Jong bakery is highly recommended. At hotel/restaurant Zee van tijd in the centre of Nes, you can enjoy a delicious meal. In Ballum, you can drink a Nobeltje (liqueur from Ameland since 1902) at Hotel Nobel. Imagine yourself in Ibiza at The Sunset beach pavilion in Hollum; Hollum beach has a beautiful view of the sunset. At beach pavilion ‘t Strandhuys in Buren, you can have a great time on a beautiful spring/summer afternoon. Besides plenty of nice catering establishments, Ameland has a beautiful nature reserve het Oerd that you can only visit with a guide. There are many walking and cycling routes on the island and there are also plenty of nice beach and forest rides for horse lovers.
Terschelling
Terschelling is a Wadden Island that consists of 80% nature. For young people, there are many places of entertainment on Terschelling. Terschelling also hosts an annual (in June) theatre festival Oeral. The island is very suitable for beach sailing, kite surfing and kite flying. Of course, there are also plenty of cycling and walking paths on Terschelling. For true nature lovers, the Boschplaat nature reserve (4400 ha) is highly recommended. At restaurant De Zee in West-Terschelling you can enjoy local dishes.
Sailing holiday Vlieland
Vlieland is a quiet island with beautiful nature. Tourists are not allowed to bring a car; only islanders are allowed to own a car on the island. Vlieland is the smallest inhabited island of the Wadden Islands. About 1150 people live on Vlieland. The island counts more than 100 bird species and has more than 300 hectares of forest. On Vlieland, you can really find peace and quiet due to the beautiful nature and the few cars that drive there.
Texel
Texel is the largest Wadden Sea island and offers a lot of variety. The island has 7 cosy villages, all with their own atmosphere and characteristics. The island has an awful lot of nature reserves and has as many sheep as people. Den Burg is the largest village on the island and, with its round street patterns, is reminiscent of a small town. Many different shops can be found in Den Burg.
What to consider when sailing on the mud flats:
- Take into account commercial shipping.
- At high tide, the current runs across the flats. At low tide, there is a lot of current and it follows the channels.
- Falling dry. When falling dry, the vessel sails above a sandbank at high tide. As the water sinks, the ship comes to rest on the sandy bottom of the Wadden Sea. You can then disembark and walk across the seabed.