Dunes – Bloemendaal/Zandvoort Circuit

I am sure everyone has their favourite part of the dunes, but we are limiting our information to just two spots: the section next to the Zandvoort Circuit , and Zandvoort.

The Bloemendaal dunes are part of the Zuid-Kennemerland Dunes and the dog section is a large area of rugged sand-scapes and beach grasses, with a large water spot – depending on how much it has rained lately.

There are so many ups and downs and rounds in this area, I don’t think I have ever walked the same way twice. If it is windy on the beach then the dunes can offer a little more shelter but it is lovely to scale one of the peaks and look over the whole park.

Some sections of this area is covered with gorse bushes which can give you a decent scratch if you are not careful, so either stick to the wider paths or wear long trousers!

Near the watering hole there are some open areas to have a good run around, and in some spots amongst the hills and dales there are open areas that look a little like abandoned agricultural spots. In fact I have seen some people doing some kind of small scale farming there.

At some point you will probably meet the cycle path that links Haarlem with Zandvoort and in summer this can be busy, but you can pretty much keep away from it, it just runs along one side of the dog area.

There are no seating areas or picnic areas, and since it is so close to the beach you very rarely get people without dogs there. Sometimes you will see hikers, but they usually follow the yellow route which takes them into the no-dog zone.

There are a couple of horse paths in this area as well, I have never seen horses walking there but have seen their leftovers. In fact although you can expect the occasional dog-pack walker now and then, there are many times when I don’t see any other walkers there at all.

Apart from horses, depending on the time of year you can expect rabbits and an array of little critters that live in holes in the sand. I have seen foxes there too. These are mostly confined to the areas with dense shrubbery. Most of the area is fenced but in some areas that fencing is a bit leaky. I have personally never seen deer in this part of the dunes but I would not like to guarantee their absence.

The easiest spot to park is on the Boulevard Barnaart, right next to Bernie’s Beach club – there is a sign for it in the parking area. The entrance to the dunes is directly opposite this spot. You can also take the 81 bus here, bus stop Zandvoort Riche.