Outdoor Recreation

In the northern Netherlands, there are plenty of wide open spaces to explore.

Walking and cycling are popular activities in the countryside, which varies from forests and fields to plenty of inland waterways. The Dutch landscape may be mostly flat in this part of the country, but it’s full of charming villages with medieval churches, winding roads, grazing cattle and sheep, and even the occasional windmill.

Mudflat hiking (wadlopen) is also a unique outdoor activity in the Wadden Sea. At low tide, you can walk from the northern coast to one of the Frisian islands – but only under the supervision of a professional guide because of the risk of unexpected tide runs. Good starting points include Pieterburen and Holwerd.

Enjoying the many bodies of water in the region is a common past time. Boating and sailing are tremendously popular on the extensive network of waterways and the Wadden Sea to the north. Good places to start tours of the Frisian lakes include Sneek, Grou and Lemmer, but virtually every village on the water has boat rental options.

Throughout the northern region, ice skating is a big deal in the winter. Because the area is a bit colder than the rest of the country, the first outdoor skating on natural ice often happens in the north. Indoor ice skating season begins in September when the two ice rinks in the North (Kardinge in Groningen and Thialf in Heerenveen) open to the public. Both venues have an ice track (ijsbaan) for speed skating and a rink for ice hockey (ijshockeybaan). Even if you’re not planning on any ice skating for yourself, watching one of the competitions is a fun way to experience Dutch culture.