Dutch coastal path – the Netherlands
We had big plans for the May 2021 holiday, but then COVID-19 happened. This forced us to choose our travel destination close to home. Our requirements: something active, with beautiful wide open nature and absolutely no cabins in a barrier-fronted holiday park. As our usual suspects in the Netherlands – the Wadden Islands and Zeeland – were fully booked and unaffordable, we looked for an alternative programme.
We chose to hike part of the Dutch coastal path. In one week, we covered a fair portion of this beautiful walking path, from Hoek van Holland to Zandvoort, via Scheveningen, Katwijk and Noordwijk. Without luggage transport, so with backpacks on our backs, from hotel to hotel. Hiking about 15 kilometres a day sounds like a breeze, right? Well, it wasn’t, it turned out to be a bit harder than we thought. Maybe it was because of our lazy COVID muscles, but we struggled at times. We ploughed through heaps of loose dune sand, fighting rain and thunder, which resulted in huge blisters on Teun’s heels, total exhaustion and a back hernia for Ellen. So physically, it was not an overwhelming success. But despite all the setbacks, it was a true Dutch experience and it was stunning.
