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Texel is the largest island of the West Frisian and Frisian islands. The island largely consists of 30 km of beach and extensive dune areas. It is located only a few kilometres from the North Holland town of Den Helder. This makes it easier to reach than the other islands.

Nature & Landscape

Dune landscape
Texel’s soil is very rich in lime. The inmost belt of dunes between the villages of De Koog and Den Hoorn is the oldest. Here the lime has been washed away from the soil by the rain. The west coast of Texel has Younger Dunes, which came into being in the last 250 years. North of De Koog the dunes are extremely young. The areas of De Muy, De Nederlanden and tidal inlet De Slufter are part of this. North of De Slufter are the Eijerland Dunes, which were formed before the sixteenth century. Most of the dune area that is located near the North Sea coast belongs to the National Park. For more information, see www.npduinenvantexel.nl

De Slufter: this tidal inlet came into being after the bursting of the dunes in 1858. The people in that time did not succeed in impoldering the area. Nowadays it is a unique nature area with much influence of the sea. In summer, the sea lavender is in bloom, which gives the entire area a lilac colour. The Forestry Commission and the Department of Waterways and Public Works connected two dammed valleys to the area in 2002, so that fresh and salt water can mingle. Areas where fresh and salt water come together are extremely rare.
De Nederlanden and De Muy: the area came into being after the bursting of the dunes in 1858. After the sea barrier was repaired in 1874, only the lake recalls that this happened. It is an important area for birds; limited accessibility for hikers. Fresh water area.
Eijerland: uninhabited before 1630. In the island eggs of sea-gulls were collected for bakeries in Amsterdam and those surrounding the city. The name Eijerland, meaning ‘egg-land’, is derived from this. The Eijerland Dunes are Older Dunes with a lime deficiency. This can be seen in the overgrowth: many mosses and lichen grow here, and the dune pansies and bedstraw are found.
In 1956, asphalt concrete was placed on the roads around the lighthouse to prevent erosion, and the underwater bank was fortified with pieces of zinc. Later on, the erosion still appeared to be present, so from 1979 onwards the sand has been replenished. In 1995 the Eijerland dam Gatdam was constructed, which is 500 metres long.
Het Lage Land: grasslands and reedlands, with duck decoys and farms. The places Roggesloot and Molenkil have been cut off from the Wadden Sea during the impoldering process. Nowadays, they are important areas for the preservation of the wet nature.
De Zandkuil/Hoge Berg: one of the smallest nature areas in the Netherlands; it is a reserve for insects. About 40 species of mining bees and mining wasps live in the area. One kind of Texel mining bee is especially rare. Thousands of insects lives in the steep slopes. De Zandkuil is not open to the public.
Westerduinen: the dunes came into being between 1845 and 1890, after the sandy islands of Marsdiep and the island of Texel grew together. After this period there was erosion of the dunes; the sea bar had to be constructed several times in order to be able to preserve the dune valleys. From 1959 onwards 24 groynes have been constructed, which protect the dunes against erosion. Later on the beach was kept in its place by sand supplies.
Mokslootgebied: collective term for a number of (wet) dune valleys, including Grote Vlak, Pompevlak, and Bollekamer. After the ditch Moksloot was dug around 1880, the dune valleys were drained, impoldered and cultivated as grassland. Pompevlak and Grote Vlak were used as water reclamation areas between 1956 and 1993. After 1993, the Forestry Commission started a recovery program, which resulted in the return of rare plants and animals, including fen pondweed, bog pimpernel, various species of green algae, the kingfisher, the wood sandpiper, the ruff, and the spoonbill. In order to prevent the area to grow into an inaccessible forest, Highland cattle have been put out there.
Mokbaai: the area is surrounded by a dike and dunes, where avocets, sandpipers, oystercatchers, lapwings, and redshanks can be found. It came into being after the silting-up of a ditch that went in northwestern direction. Thanks to fresh water from the salt marshes the bulrush is common here.
Horspolders: came into being after World War II, thanks to the placement of rush mats and wicker screens. This caused the line of dunes to surround a sandy plain, which developed into a dune valley with dune lakes with much growth of green algae and pondweeds. The reed near the lakes is used as a breeding ground by the reed warbler, the reed bunting en the bearded reedling. Surrounding the lakes are also orchids, grass of Parnassus, Irish Moss and Fairy Flax.
Woods De Dennen: originally a production wood, planted in 1884. During the planting of the trees the drainage caused the nature landscapes and man-made landscapes to disappear. The Forestry Commission started the management of De Dennen as a nature area in the twentieth century. There are now fir trees and many other species of tree; open places in the woods are made and dead wood is left to rot there. The wood harbours breeding birds like the Eurasian woodcock, the long-eared owl, chiffchaff, and golden oriole. Part of the wood has been reserved as a recreational area where it is permitted to cycle or walk.

Brent geese
Every year five hectares of grassland in Texel are sown by four farmers, in cooperation with the Forestry Commission. This is done in order to give the brent geese sufficient grass to graze on, so that the damage elsewhere in Texel is reduced. In spring, 70 percent of the geese is being taken care of by the farmers. In alternate turns, they must make a piece of their land suitable to the geese. Farmers who make their land accessible to the geese are granted land by way of compensation by the grassland committee, which is represented by the Forestry Commission, a regional branch of the Dutch Organisation for Agriculture and Horticulture, and the agricultural advisory service. In the beginning of the growing season a farmer spreads fertilizer on his land, which is paid for by the Forestry Commission. Just before the geese arrive, fertilizer is spread again, which is now paid for by the farmer. In this way, the Forestry Commission pays for the food of the geese and the farmer pays for the food of his cattle.

Visitor centre
Ecomare, Centre for the Wadden and the North Sea; exhibitions and sanctuary for seals and sea birds. Not free. Ruijslaan 92, De Koog. Tel. +31 (0)222 317741, www.ecomare.nl.