Category: All

Amsterdamse Bos, Amstelveen

While the majority of people seem to walk their pups at the very convenient but leash-only Vondelpark near the centre of Amsterdam, just a bus ride away brings you to the Amsterdamse Bos, a huge area with massive off-leash pathways and wide open fields for running, playing or training in. Don’t forget, dogs travel for free on busses in the Netherlands!

Start at the bus stop “Amsterdamse Bos” and walk towards the Bosbaan, a wide canal famous for its rowing events. If you are coming by car then there is a large car park near the restaurant De Bosbaan (lovely lunches…) but of course you pay Amsterdam parking prices to park there.

There is a pleasant pathway to the side of the Bosbaan, but it is leash-only, and therefore not covered in these pages.

From the restaurant, we walked past the Bosbaan towards the Klimbos (children’s climbing area), and then veered south, following the main pathways. This point is still leash-only, until you come to a painted sign on the floor which marks the start of the loslopgebied. From here on, just follow the extensive labyrinth of pathways, walk around the Kleine Vijver lake and wind your way back, that alone will be around a 7-8 km walk. To the right of the main pathway is a dog free zone which allows dogs on-leash between October and March. It’s up to you if you want to explore them, we didn’t because we were having too much fun running free in the fields!

One thing you need to know, this is not a secret spot by any means. It can be busy. Even on cold winter days on a late lunchtime walk, expect a mixture of private dog walkers, large pack walkers (blatantly ignoring the signs of 3 dogs per person), office workers taking a lunchtime stroll and, surprisingly, horses crossing your path. Having said that, this area is so large and with so many wide open spots, you can find a way to avoid uninvited attention.

There are many cycle paths throughout the areas, but it has been nicely planned in such a way that these paths run parallel to walking areas, separated by grassy banks or trees so that walkers and cyclists rarely cross paths, even over the little bridges in the park.

The Amsterdamse Bos is also a location of several events throughout the year, some of which will close large areas of the park. If your plan was a long, calm walk in the woods, then check the calendar before setting out.

Pros:

  • Huge area with wide open spaces
  • Easily accessible from Amsterdam via public transport
  • Lots of watery areas for hot summer days

Cons:

  • High parking fees if public transport is not an easy option for you
  • Can be busy
  • Hosts a number of large events

Location:

Hondsbossche Zeewering, Camperduin – Petten.

There is a huge and very historical dyke running between the Camperduin parking place near Schoorl, which runs about 5.5km along the coastline to Petten. This version of the dyke has stood since about 1880 and has been widened and enhanced many times since then to protect the land from sea surges. Stand on the dyke and look at the level of the road and the land below, then compare to the sea level on the other side of the dyke, you can see how far below sea level the land is, and can really appreciate the need for coastal protection in the Netherlands. It’s quite an “oh” moment!

This whole dyke is almost like a double-dyke, with one side next to the road which is not paved, and the paved bike/foot path on the beach side and both are separated by an artificial valley. Pretty much the whole of the valley area is protected, or part of a construction to reinforce the dyke structure and it is fenced off.

History and engineering aside, this dyke is a little gem of a stroll and with the popular Schoorl dunes close by, this spot seems to be mostly overlooked. With over 5km with no traffic lights or crossings, it’s also an excellent place to go for a long and uninterrupted run if you are so inclined.

Running next to the footpath is a cycle path, which splits away now and then, but when it is next to the walking path then it is also separated by tufty grass which was enough to keep my off leash pup on the right side of things. There are two cycle paths and the one next to the foot path is more or less the scenic route, the high speed/high traffic path is well out of the way.

You don’t have to walk the entire dyke and back in one go! As you drive on the Hondebosseweg towards Camperduin there are several parking bays with steps up to the dyke. We parked at a parking spot called De Putten (Schoorl) and walked up to the dyke on entrance 21, then northwards towards Petten.

Along the way you will find a lovely little pier overlooking a wider, watery part of the valley, which is a detour of just a few metres and makes a lovely picture opportunity.

Continuing on northwards, starting at exit 17F you will start to have connections down to the beach, which is open to off leash dogs from 1 October to 1 April. You can come back up to the dyke at 5 or 6 other exits between here and Petten.

If you don’t fancy the beach then you can walk the whole way back on the non-paved dyke next to the road where you can really see the differences in ground levels between sea and land, and where you have a lovely view of the Harger and Pettemerpolders, which is off limits for dogs but still lovely to look at from high up.

Pros:

  • Very few people walking dogs
  • Choice of three paths to choose: beach, pathway or grass
  • Long enough walk to the next town to make it a day trip

Cons:

  • No water, take your own for your pup
  • No shelter at all
  • Can get pretty windy up there

Location:

Het Twiske, Oostzaan

Situated just north of Amsterdam, Het Twiske is an excellent spot to take a break from the city and give you and your pup some down time.

The park has a paid entrance fee of €3.50 for the first 3 hours, and if you stay longer than 3 hours then the parking fee jumps to €6.00, payable as you exit. But once you are inside the park, you can drive everywhere and park in any parking bay at no extra cost, which is useful if you want to explore all the walking areas and cafes without having to walk between them.

We parked at first near the Klimpark/Pannekoek De Appel, where there is a large parking area. Pretty much directly opposite the car park exit to De Zuiderlaaik is the start of a large loslopgebied which is clearly marked with a sign on a blue circle.

At the start of our walk we thought we might be disappointed because the route seemed to be concrete pathways set in a grid pattern, albeit nicely lined with high plants and grasses and some trees, but the dog seemed happy so we followed his nose. And I am glad we did because we ended up in a huge walking area that took us to the football club at the other side of the park, and back through some open fields and wonderful waterways.

There are a couple of signs warning about grazing cattle in one of the fields, but while we were there (in September) we didn’t see any. Even if there were a couple of cows in the field, it would not have been a major issue as we just needed a short hop across the corner of a field to get back to our pathway.

We pretty much walked a loop to the Ringvaart and back, then went over the bridge to the other side of the waterways, almost parallel to the Polderweg and back, and with a coffee and a quick snack in between we just about made it out of the park within the 3 hour price limit.

We encountered a range of park styles, from the concrete grids we mentioned earlier, to huge lakes, wonderful forest pathways, some wide open fields, there were even a few fields with open gates along the side which seem to be open to walkers, at least there was no sign on them to say otherwise, so we gave them a sniff too.

Not all areas are off leash areas, but there is plenty of space for you to let your pup run free, and any other area is simply a leashed zone, I don’t believe I found any area where dogs were completely forbidden. Of course the restaurants are dog friendly.

The entrance fee makes it a little unattractive if you just want to do a quick half hour walk, but if you have the time then it is definitely worth a visit.

Pros:

  • Extensive walking areas
  • Can drive between different walking areas or cafes and easily re-park
  • Variety of landscapes, lovely and watery for hot days

Cons:

  • Entrance fee regardless of how little time you spend there

Location:

Noorderneg/Het Maalwater, Heiloo

There are two parts to the walking areas in Heiloo that we tend to visit. Noorderneg is essentially a long pathway or two that runs parallel to the water ways and this is a lovely spot in summer to cool off, and the other area is Heilooërbos, which is more of a forest area.

Noorderneg is a section of the Heiloo park, close to the children’s play areas and in summer it is popular with children swimming and playing in the park. However on the south side of these water areas is a long pathway with where dogs are allowed to run off leash all year. These pathways are mostly a simple pathway through a park, but there are some open grassy areas and trees alongside the pathways which makes it pleasant to walk and sniff. The lack of shade in summer is compensated by the enormous number of swimming opportunities.

The off leash paths start at Het Maalwater and running pretty much parallel to De Omloop up to the Zeeweg. You can either walk back the way you came and stay off leash which makes the distance you walk more flexible – you can simply turn around and go back if you are short on time – or cross over to the north side of the water and walk your leashed pup back to wherever you started from, but do note, you may encounter the odd sheep in fields very close to the pathways.

You can park for free at the open air swimming pool Het Baafje, or if you want to make it a longer walk, then park at the Wandlestartpunt Nijenburg just off Stetlaan, then walk along Belieslaan until you reach Het Maalwater. If you feel so inclined, once you have done the water round then you can continue into Heilooërbos by walking on past the Stetlaan parking area and really tire your dog out!

The handy thing about this area is not just the fantastic water scenery but the pathways are mostly maintained or even paved, so in winter when everywhere else is too muddy to enjoy, then this is still a good option.

In contrast to the limits in dog numbers per person in Heilooërbos, you can walk here with more than 3 dogs and this is therefore also a choice for dog walkers, but the pathways mostly have grass areas to the side so it is easy enough to make a little deviation if necessary.

Pros:

  • Beautiful watery area, perfect for hot days
  • Firm, non-muddy pathways
  • Good spot also for a short walk if you don’t have time

Cons:

  • Not much shade for people

Location:

Heilooërbos, Heiloo

There are two parts to the walking areas in Heiloo that we tend to visit. Heilooërbos, which is a lovely forest north of the Belieslaan, and the other area is Noorderneg and this does have an off leash area but is more of a maintained park. They are connected by pathways and although it is not exactly a short hop from each other, you can walk easily between both areas if you want to.

Heilooërbos is a fairly large forest area just off the Alkmaar south ring road and has a decently sized, all year round off leash zone in the middle of the forest.

Park at the free parking area off Stetlaan which is just a few minutes of leashed walking before getting to the off leash area.

Right at the exit of the car park is a board showing you a map of some walking routes. On this board, you want to aim for the right hand side of the railway track, this is where the off leash area starts and is marked on this map in a green dotted line – which are actually cycle paths, so it’s easy to orientate yourself.

You will need to cross the railway which is an unmanned crossing. A bell rings if a train is coming so keep your dog on a short leash here just in case he is startled by sudden clangs!

You can go anywhere inside the leash free zone, zig-zag along all the pathways and you will easily walk for an hour in this area alone. If you want to extend your walk to include the surrounding areas then you can do that but it is a leash only area.

The forest itself is a little labyrinth of naturally trodden pathways – no paved areas or artificial surfaces and is a fantastic snuffle route. There is a decent forest canopy in summer to keep cool on a hot day or to give some shelter if it rains. If you decide to follow an official pathway then these are fairly clearly marked, but we generally just followed our nose because the official routes are for hikers and take you into the leash only areas.

The nice thing about this area is that dog walkers are limited to a maximum of 3 dogs, so large pack dog walkers are forbidden. Also a lot of the pathways are wide enough so that, even if you did meet a walker with 3 dogs, you have enough space to avoid them, but mostly during the day you will encounter people just walking their solo dog.

In this forest area there is no water at all. If it is so hot that you want to dunk your dog then either walk or drive to the watery areas in Noorderneg.

It is a popular place, a large dog park in a highly residential area means there is no chance you will have the park to yourself, so if you want to limit the amount of people you will meet, avoid the prime walking times – mornings, lunchtimes and weekends.

Pros:

  • Lovely natural pathways, great for sniffing
  • No large pack walkers
  • Free parking in a close-to-town area

Cons:

  • No easily reachable water

Location:

Texel – Forests

For a general overview of Texel and how to get there you can go here. This post is only covering the beach areas, if you want to know more about the beach areas, then check out the page on Texel – Beaches.

Once you are in the forest, either follow any of the marked routes, or just follow your nose and work your way through the maze of footpaths down south towards the viewing towers and the nature preservation areas where the leash free area ends. You can easily walk a couple of hours around the forest without re-walking the same pathways.

The dunes between the forest and the beach are restricted for off leash dogs to off season only (September to March), but you will find plenty of other areas to run around in, but once they are open for off leash running, you can extend your walk by another hour if you want to! Just note, depending on your route, at some point you will probably need to walk through a camp site to get to the paths that go over the dune areas. It is a public pathway but you do need to leash your pup when you go through this. Only for a few minutes until you are back outside the camp grounds.

This is one of the few areas where I have seen a “Ruiter-Menpad”, differently to whatever Google translate may tell you, this is not a horse and person pathway, it is a horse and cart pathway, don’t walk down it!

The forest areas have little in the way of water. There are some drainage trenches at the side of the pathways which can dry out in summer, in winter I daresay any water there will be standing and not very pleasant. The only water body we came across was actually in a bird protected area so we unfortunately had to skip it. There is plenty of shade though so if you just bring a small bottle for your pup then you should be OK on a hot day under the trees.

There are a few cycle paths running through the forest that you need to look out for and some paths run fairly close to the road or cycle paths, just make sure you have your pup under control in these parts.

There are some areas with grazing animals (i.e. cows) in one or two fields. You need to walk through a gate to get to them but you can take a detour and walk around this field and avoid them if you don’t feel comfortable. Also keep watch for electric fences around these areas, these have bright yellow tabs on them to make them easy to spot.

We usually park on the car park just off the Ruislaan, close to the Ecomare. Opposite this car park is the Natuurpad Alloo, and in summer this is a leash only area until you get into the forest itself, but it becomes a leash free zone after 1 September the whole way. After September, you can use this path to get into the dune areas next to the forest as well. Alternatively, in summer season, you can turn right along the road and walk along the side of the road towards the forest areas. They are all clearly marked, you will spot the leash free zones after about a 5 minute walk along the roadside.

Of course you can avoid the roadside walk and park in spaces further into the forest and already in the leash free zones, like the one on Monnikenweg but the spaces are limited here to about 10 cars. If you want to be sure of a spot, then go for a larger car park.

Interestingly, even in high summer there are very few people wandering along these paths, you can expect a lovely relaxed walk on a busy, highly touristy island.

Check this out for an overview of the dog areas on Texel. Dark green areas are leash free all year round and the pink area next to the beach is the dune area that is leash free from 1 September to 1 March. The light green areas are nature reserves and dogs must be leashed here.

Pros:

  • Large shaded area in summer
  • Few other walkers around even in summer
  • Easy to combine with beach walks and cafes

Cons:

  • No water to drink or cool off in
  • Avoiding cow areas can be a large detour

Location:

Texel – Beaches

For a general overview of Texel and how to get there you can go here. This post is only covering the beach areas, if you want to know more about the forest and dune areas, then check out the page on Texel – Forests.

There are a number of all year round dog beaches on Texel where you can let your pup spend whatever energy he has. Technically you can walk your dog from the lighthouse at the north, all the way down to the south of the island to around Paal 9. It’s probably about a 25km walk in total and you can make your way back to the starting point using the Texelhopper bus service. Well behaved and leashed dogs are allowed on the busses. Note, you have to reserve the Texelhopper bus in a similar way that you would use an Uber, click here for more information.

FYI, the term “Paal” is not the locals being friendly and neither does it refer to a physical pole that Google translate suggests, it is an entrance to the beach. So Paal 9, Paal 17 etc, are referring to the number of a specific beach entrance. In Texel they start numbering from Paal 6 at the south up to Paal 33 at the northern tip of the island.

Our favourite spot is right at the north near the lighthouse (Paal 31). This is a vast beach, the tide goes out to a point that you can barely see it and half the beach is often covered in edible kelp which makes it interesting to sniff both for pups and people. It has so much space to play frisbee and run around and just get a fantastic feeling of open space and fresh air – enough to blow out the hardiest cobwebs from your head.

The other spot that we tend to visit is the beach next to Pal 17, another wide and sandy beach right next to a large car park, but it is also just a slight detour on the dunes walks so you can slip onto the beach for a coffee and a quick beach stroll before walking further into the dunes or forests, great if it is a hot day and you think your pup needs to be cooled off with a quick dunk in the sea.

Both of these areas have large car parks and a good beach cafe, both of which are very popular in the usual lunchtime or early evening slots so grab a coffee and a snack outside these hours and you will be able to find yourself a lovely cosy terrace spot.

Check out the official map of the dog areas on Texel for the dog beach areas. The sandy coloured beach zones are off leash areas for dogs. The blue spots are leash-only areas in summer but after 1 September and up to 1 March, you can let your pup run free in these areas too. Red is a no-go area.

Pros:

  • An extensive all year round range of dog friendly beaches
  • Easy parking everywhere, especially with the Texel Vignette
  • Excellent dog friendly beach cafes

Cons:

  • Pick your beach, the blue zones can be busy in summer

Location:

Screenshot

Texel

Texel is the largest of the string of islands at the north of the Netherlands. Known for its brewery and beaches, it is a popular holiday resort for both dutch and visitors from over the border. It has to be one of the most dog friendly areas in a busy holiday location that you can wish for. It is a large and diverse island offering some extensive forest areas and, of course, lots and lots of beach. However, it is still within a reasonable distance from North Holland towns to make a day trip.

Texel is about a 20 minute boat trip from Den Helder and TESO ferries leave every half an hour in peak times, every hour when it is quieter. Check the TESO website for the latest departure times – they have been known to adjust last minute depending on how busy they are! We advise anyone making this trip to buy a return ferry ticket online and in advance.

The other thing we would recommend is to buy a Texelvignet parking ticket. It has a fixed daily cost that allows you to park anywhere on the island for the whole day. If you plan to be longer than 4 hours on the island and/or want to drive around and park in different spots during the day, then the parking vignette is not only more convenient, it also works out a little cheaper. Buy it online in advance or on the day you travel.

In addition to the lovely nature on Texel there are also some towns that are worth seeing. De Koog has a nice little high street with many dog friendly cafes and restaurants, and some fun souvenir and home decoration shops. Den Burg is larger and busier, with more of a proper town feeling but an equally interesting array of shops and cafes. With your Texel Vignette, you can also park in any of the shopping area car parks and walk into the town centres.

There are many parking areas to choose from. De Koog is at the Northern part of the park and you can walk easily to the forest from there, Pal 17 is pretty large, it is further south and close to the forest and the also beach. We parked in De Vogelzang, a pretty large car park with only a short street walk to Den Burg town centre, plus there is a pretty neat dog treat shop there! There are smaller car parks dotted around the middle the forest, for example the one on Monnikenweg, but there are only spaces for about 10 or so cars there. You can give it a try or just play it safe in one of the larger parking areas.

There is so much to write about for dog friendly walks in Texel that we have separated it into two posts, one for Beaches and one for Forests.

This is probably the clearest map of the dog areas on Texel we have found. In addition to this, pretty much all restaurants and cafes are dog friendly.

Pros:

  • Diverse island with forests, dunes, beaches and cafes
  • Extremely dog friendly island all year round
  • A full and interesting day out for both people and pups

Cons:

  • Keep an eye out for spontaneous ferry time adjustments
  • Very touristy island, can get busy in some beach areas in summer

Location:

Oudorperhout, Alkmaar

Oudorperhout is a park in the north part of Alkmaar, inside the ring road, so very close by for anyone staying in or visiting Alkmaar. It is a well maintained and quite picturesque little haven within the city limits. It is quite a diverse park with a huge range of waterways, some forest areas and wide open fields, so there is something for everyone here.

Having said that, it does mean there is a large range of visitors sharing the park including dog walkers, hikers, people on lunch breaks, families with small kids and cyclists. It can get busy at times especially close to the road or college, but the further you go towards the forest areas, the less people you will encounter.

Also it is not a leash free zone for the whole of the park, just keep an eye out for the information signposts, they are not very clearly marked in all directions. If in doubt, follow the locals.

These vast waterways and natural surroundings are very much favoured not only by dog walkers but also for water birds. For that reason, there are areas that are protected during the breeding season between 1 March to 1 July, and dogs must be leashed at this time. I would even recommend leashing your dog on heavily populated bird areas even after this period if your dog is a proper little hunter because there are some less common birds breeding here – it is the only place I have ever seen a real live godwit (grutto in dutch).

Park at the Van der Meij College, then take the path away from the road to the Hoornsevaart river, turn right and then turn left over the wooden foot bridge. Alkmaar Noord train station is literally on the opposite side of the road to the college if you prefer to use public transport.

The windmills make the park very photographic but do note, there is a large Rottweiler living in the windmill closest to the bridge and he doesn’t like it when you walk too close! Don’t worry, he is fenced off but there is no need to antagonise the poor guy…

Once in the park, it doesn’t matter which way you go round, so just follow your dog and try to walk every pathway there is. The park is not so extensive that you can get truly lost in it.

The quieter small forest area is to the south east of the park near the skateboard park where you will find a small network of paths and bridges to explore in the shade of the trees. There is an official dog ‘beach” nearby at the south side of the Slotgracht for your pup to cool off in on a hot day, which is useful because most of the waterways have banks that are too high and too full of birds for dogs to get into the water.

Pros:

  • In town and easy to get to
  • Wide range of landscape
  • Clean water to cool off in

Cons:

  • Can get busy
  • Large number of water birds to watch out for
  • Shared pathways with cyclists

Location:

Groengebied Purmerland

This is a relatively large area of watery fields, combined with a kids play area. It is somehow not so busy for dog walkers and I don’t understand why because it is just a 20 minute drive from Amsterdam, but it just seems to be one of those places that only the locals know about. Until now…

Park at the Brasserie De Jutter (Weidelandpad 3, 1448 MB Purmerend), and walk over the little wooden footbridge to the back of the restaurant and into the fields. This short walk is a leash only area but as soon as you are into the fields then you can release your furry ball of energy.

From this point on, simply follow the pathways. Some are obvious and paved with gravel, and some are simply trodden. You will find yourself curving around fields, over little bridges and if it has been raining then you will walk past a lot of muddy pools! Essentially what you will be doing is walking parallel to a large and long water body in a route that can be as indirect as you like. Note, there are a lot of ducks and geese in some spots here but they can be avoided by crossing bridges or doing detours over the fields.

At some point you can go over a bridge where you will come across a children’s play area. Leash your pup to go past this area and you can re-release him when you are well out the way again. You can turn around here and follow the water back to the restaurant where I recommend you stop for a tasty lunch or at least a coffee as a thank you for them letting you use their car park for free.

Pros:

  • Very few other dog walkers
  • Large and mostly natural landscape, perfect for sniffing games
  • Tons of water

Cons:

  • A lot of ducks/duck poop
  • Can get really wet and muddy

Location:

Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen is a lovely little town and well worth the trip, and even if the off leash zones are limited there is simply something quaint and cosy about this town. Situated just at the end of the inner dyke that spans the IJsselmeer/Markenmeer, it’s a convenient place to make a break if you are travelling to or from Germany.

It is a fairly small town with some gorgeous old and historic buildings, excellent pedestrian shopping streets with boutique shops and some lovely little cafes, an enormous yacht harbour, a grassy dyke to walk along and a small park just off the waterfront that allows dogs to stretch their legs. Spend at least a couple of hours if you are only passing through, or make a full day trip out of it.

The park that we usually visit for a little leg stretching is just off the Immerhornweg, between the Oosterdijk and the see. There are a range of parking spaces in or around Enkhuizen and the town is small enough for you to walk through town to the park and enjoy the town on the way.

Pros:

  • Interesting and historic town with many dog friendly cafes
  • Small and with many green spots for sniffing
  • Clean water to drink and swim in

Cons:

  • Not a huge off leash area but nice enough for a little leg stretch

Location:

Scheveningen

This is a stretch of beach about half an hour from The Hague by car. Scheveningen is famous for its pier (De Pier) and promenade, which is wide and full of bars, restaurants and shops. If your goal is to spend a day browsing in the shops, lunching in any of the restaurants and cafes on the enormous promenade, strolling along the pier and then relaxing in a dog friendly bar alongside the beach with a cocktail in your hand then this is the place to be!

The entire promenade and the beach right next to the pier it is a leash-only area in summer, and the beach is only off leash between 1 October and 15 May.

But! There are two all year dog beaches in Scheveningen:

  • Zwarte Pad Parking area
    Right at the north end of the Zwarte Pad car park is the start of a dog beach zone where you can reward your patient pup after a day of shopping and restaurants with a decent beach run around all year round.
  • Zuiderstrand Beach, entrance 2
    We have no personal experience of this section of beach but according to this website, dogs should be allowed all year round. If anyone gives this area a try then please feel free to update us!

There is also a park just behind the car park (Oostduinpark) which you can also let your pup sniff around in, but this is a leash-only area. It’s not a massive area but it does have some nice views from the top of the hill.

Leashed dogs are also allowed on the pier, the top level is open and you can look out to sea, the lower level is under cover and with the usual holiday resort entertainment of pinball machines, slot machines, a few shops and some fried food booths.

If you are coming by car then get here early, the parking spot gets really busy in the afternoon with people going for the beach-side bars and restaurants.

The rest of Scheveningen is not particularly special to walk through, we walked through the pedestrian high street to the fish harbour which is pretty industrial. There are a couple of nice shops on the way, and of course several fish restaurants in the harbour area (we went to the Dagvisser – nice terrace).

Pros:

  • Lots to do for both you and your pup for the whole day
  • Clean beach with lots of space to run around
  • One of the few beaches allowing off leash dogs all year round

Cons:

  • Parking costs for spending the whole day here
  • Beach can get busy in high summer
  • Need to be there early for a parking spot.

Location:

Manteling van Walcheren and Berkenbosch Beach, Zeeland

De Manteling is a large expanse of forest area that stretches along the coastline of Veere, a province of the island that houses Zeelands capital, Middelburg. Although Zeeland is well known for its summer towns and beaches, there are also extensive walking and hiking areas on all of the islands. De Mantling is, as with most coastal landscapes in the Netherlands, a mixture of dunes and forest path but one of the best parts of this walk is a dip into the all year round, dog friendly Berkenbosch Beach! (leash free outside the summer months)

As with most of Zeeland, since it caters primarily for tourism, there is limited access to the beaches, and nearly everywhere dogs are banned from the beaches during the day and need to be leashed through pretty much all dune and forest areas. So although this is not really a “loslopen” area, just the fact that it has an all day beach for dogs makes it worthwhile adding.

We parked at Car park, Domburgseweg 59, 4356 NA Oostkapelle, right next to the Terra Maris museum. Walk towards the public toilet block and follow that pathway into the park. Here it is also signposted for the Strandpaviljoen Berkenbosh – your pups ultimate goal! Every now and then you will also see signs for shortcuts the beach (Strand), or of course you can ignore these signs and take the scenic route there.

You can of course just take a direct line towards the beach, which will take you perhaps 15 minutes or so, or you can make the most of being here and wind around the mixture of open dune pathways and lesser used but much more shaded forest pathways. All on leash but it’s still an interesting walk. Many areas and pathways are open and exposed to the elements but you will find parallel pathways hidden between the shady trees.

And because there are so many other holiday attractions nearby, there are not so many people just ambling through the forest, making the whole place quite relaxing to stroll through.

Very close to the car park is the Castle Westhove (how a hotel) which has some lovely waterways around it for a quick, freshwater plunge or two, but we did not come across any other water en route to the beach, so best to carry extra with you on a hot day.

Pros:

  • Not very busy on the forest walks
  • Interesting range of landscapes
  • The Dog Beach!

Cons:

  • It’s nearly all a leash only walk
  • Limited freshwater pools for drinking

Location:

Westenschouwen, Zeeland

On the island Schouwen-Duiveland, at the Kop van Schouwen (the outermost headland of the island) is a large hiking area that has a small off leash zone in the middle of the dunes.

As Zeeland caters mostly for tourists it is less open to free running dogs than other areas in the Netherlands. However although this whole dunes area may be mostly on leash walking, it is quite lovely so don’t skip it just because your pup prefers his freedom, the pathways and sniffing opportunities are so extensive that your pup will come out feeling very enriched even without running free, and you can always reward his patience with a little leg stretch at the off leash zone. It’s not a big off leash area but there is enough space to throw a frisbee around and have a little fun.

We parked in Westenschouwen, there is a large enough car park there right next to the Brasserie Zeelust (Steenweg 15, 4382 RL). Walk to the roundabout at the car park entrance and then along Kraaijensteinweg for about 10 minutes, and you will come across a kind of large rust coloured barrel with a pointy lid next to a sign saying “Duinen van Schouwen”. Walk up here, past the little cafe and keep going into the park.

The off leash area is north-west of where you start, and can be found in Google Maps, if you just search for “MPJ6+C7 Burgh-Haamstede”. It is clearly marked from all sides. We took a very indirect route there and just enjoyed the lovely shaded walk on a hot day.

Surprisingly, although Zeeland is a hugely touristy area, we met about 2 other people and only 1 other dog on the whole walk in the middle of July. It seems most people aim for the town, or the beaches and cafes which leaves this lovely walking area very peaceful.

There is no water here at all, so do bring a bottle or two with you for both you and your pup.

Pros:

  • Peaceful and extensive walking area
  • Shady on hot days
  • Labyrinth of paths, make it as long or as short as you like

Cons:

  • Mostly it’s a leashed walk
  • No water at all

Location:

Bergerbos, Bergen

Bergerbos is a lovely mixture of dunes and forest and is on the edge of the popular tourist town, Bergen. A huge part of the park allows your dog to roam off leash pretty much all year round, the only exception is during the bird breeding season which is 15 March to 15 June when you must leash your dog everywhere.

When you first walk into the park from the parking space, turn right and go a little way until you see a set of wooden stairs. You can walk around these to the right and meet up with the top of the stairs if you want to but you will come next to the road, but after just a few minutes the pathway kind of stops and suddenly opens up to a wonderful expanse of white dunes From this point onwards, you can simply follow the fence around the park. If you want to explore a little more then you can walk through the middle of the park along the labyrinth of little pathways, which seem to get narrower and more untended the further into the middle you go.

At one point, I believe along the Jan Willemlaan, you will come across a canal that runs through the park. There are several crossings over this canal and your dog can easily access the water here, and in some spots you can walk along the canal and breathe in some lovely cool damp air.

The dense forest in the middle provides plenty of shade on a hot day, but in winter when it has rained a lot then these can get pretty muddy and in some areas, large pools of water will collect.

The dog park is adjacent to another dune area where dogs must be leashed all year round and if, for some reason, your dog is not powered out in the extensive off leash area, then you can always hook him up and walk the leash-only areas. This leash only area is just after you walk into the sandy dune area, to the right. It is clearly marked with signposts and a kind of wooden barrier, there is no chance of you walking into it by mistake!

There are some frequently used horse paths along the side of this park and mostly they are well separated by shrubs or trees but in some cases the path you are following may cross over the horse path. If you find yourself somehow stuck on the wrong side of the horse path, don’t worry, there are several spots along the way where you can easily hop over.

This is quite a busy park, and very popular with tourists walking the dune trails. However as it is such an extensive area, you do not often meet other walkers on the same pathway. Even if you do, there are plenty of little side paths that you can slip into to make space for each other.

Parking is free at the restaurant Duinvermaak (Breelaan 132, 1861GH Bergen), and the entrance to the park is on the opposite end of the car park. Incidentally, the Duinvermaak has a decent sized, dog-friendly terrace should you fancy a snack or a drink after your walk.

Although the car park is pretty large, it can get very busy. You have people parking for the restaurant, for the park and also for the Skiclub all in this one car park. In summer it is particularly busy – it is not uncommon to have to wait for someone to leave and a couple of times I have been here, the car park was completely full and I had to drive elsewhere for my walk. Best to avoid lunchtimes in the high tourist season.

Pros:

  • Huge off leash area
  • Variety of landscape to suit any weather
  • Labyrinth of peaceful pathways to discover

Cons:

  • No off leash during bird breeding season
  • Car park can get full

Location:

Waarderhout, Heerhugowaard

Waarderhout is a secret little gem of a forest just outside Heerhugowaard, a little north of Alkmaar. On first glance it just looks like a small park on the edge of town, and when you read that off leash dogs are only allowed on half of this park then you would be forgiven for thinking it is not worth the visit. But your pup would certainly miss out on a cool walk if you did so.

The north half of the park is an off leash area. As soon as you leave the car park you can let your dog off straight away. I usually turn right at the first opportunity (about 5 metres after the car park) and this looks like an overgrown and lesser trodden pathway, and it probably is, but follow this path around and you will wind up in a lovely forest with a lot of winding paths leading you who knows where for at least an hour. Mix it up with the prepared pathways if you want to, go over the bridges into more forest and generally just follow your nose, looping around the park as you go.

The canopy is quite dense so on a hot day it provides a lovely shade, but you only need a little rain for some of the pathways to turn muddy, and because there is so much shelter these muddy pools do not dry out as quickly as other areas. In winter it is a bit squelchy to walk through and you may want to stick to the stony pathways instead after a wet period.

There are so many waterways for your pup to explore. It seems that every turn you take there is a canal running nearby or next to you, and the water seems to be clear all year round. There is also, interestingly, a low number of water birds here. Presumably that is because the grass and plants are so tall on the banks of the canals, but it means less distractions for a pup and therefore is an excellent spot to do some training if you want to.

On the west side of the park not far from the off-leash boundary, there is a dog agility area with ramps, tyres to jump through, hurdles to jump over and poles to weave around. Add this into your training walk or just for fun. Right next to this area is a kind of beach where pups can cool off after a tiring agility session! On Google Maps this area is marked as “Stormbaan voor honden”.

Some parts of the forest pathways are beautifully overgrown, but it does mean you need to be in intrepid explorer mode in a couple of spots! Be sure to wear clothes that protects your legs and perhaps even your arms when holding branches out of your face.

Free parking can be found just off Beukenlaan, opposite house number 17. Unfortunately there are only 8 parking spots here and if this is full, there is no nearby public parking on Beukenlaan. If you are really keen to try out this forest then perhaps you could come with public transport (Bus 160 from Alkmaar – dogs travel free on busses) or use a bakfiets. Otherwise try outside busy times (i.e. early mornings, lunchtime). If you don’t find a spot to park and need to replan your walk, then Park van Luna is about a 5 minute drive away.

Pros:

  • Variety of landscapes
  • Lots of water and shade
  • Not many water birds

Cons:

  • Limited parking spaces
  • Can get very muddy

Location:

Diepsmeerpark, Oudkarspel

Diepsmeerpark is a decent-sized, well maintained park just north of Heerhugowaard and Alkmaar. It is a little maze of canals and open areas and if you walk up and down all sides of these canal “islands” , you can stretch your walk up to an hour or so.

Technically the leash free zone is only at the north of the park, but I have to say it is not clearly marked, and most people just use the whole park to let their dogs run around. There is a kids play area and football field and I would definitely leash my dog in these areas, otherwise, just follow the locals.

At one point there is a cycle path which runs though the park north to south, but to the side of this, just by the Bee Valley hut, there is a small slope with a rarely used (and often overgrown) path that takes you behind the trees overlooking all the fields next to the park, and out of the way of everyone else. You can walk along this makeshift pathway right up to the road where the car park is, and then go back into the park for further exploring.

There are some fun elements in the park too, there is a little pyramid with steps to the top, where there is a circle of stone seating and a sandy play area, and you can get a lovely view of the whole park from up here. Also dotted around there are large concrete tunnels and doggy play areas which you can use to just have fun with.

The whole area is very watery, so after heavy rain then it is a bit squishy, but that is mostly only around the canals, if you stick to pathways you will have a firmer, dryer walk. Albeit rather short.

It can get a bit busy, especially during lunchtime – even during the week. If you wanted a solitary stroll then this is probably not the place for you, however there are plenty of turnarounds and wider areas to give oncoming walkers space.

There are two free parking areas, use the one to the north of the park just off of Hopmansweg, this takes you straight into the leash free zone.

Pros:

  • Lots of water to splash around in
  • Clean and tidy park
  • Play areas and bushes, great for fun and training

Cons:

  • Can get pretty busy
  • Wet and a little swampy after heavy rainfall

Location:

Strabrechste Heide, Heeze

Just outside Eindhoven is a lovely large hiking area that is predominantly a leash walk area, but also has a 4km long leash-free zone. Combine the two and you can have a full day of hiking with your hound in this beautiful heathland area.

But since this website is all about leash-free areas we will focus on that. The path you want to take is the Heideroute, marked in yellow on the pathway signs. It is a long narrow circular route that runs almost parallel to the motorway.

After a short, leashed walk from the car park, the little orange sign for “honden loslopgebied” opens up the heathlands to your pup. We visited in March when the weather was sunny and warm but not too hot. Even so, the range of watering holes along the way were very much appreciated by our furry friend.

There is a large lake that you encounter on your way which, depending on the direction you take on the circular route, is the first large water area you come across, however this is fenced off to everyone. But no worries, there are many more smaller lakes, puddles, canals and watery swampy areas for your pup to cool off in if necessary.

The walk does take you through some woodland areas that would offer you shade when the trees have leaves but in March there was very little of that. The heathlands are of course open plains full of lovely long grasses and shrubs that my pup really enjoyed jumping through.

There are a few pathways that are shared with horses and mountain bikes, although I saw neither. There is however a rather busy cycle path near the large, fenced-off lake that you share or walk close to for just a short period, after which you are back to walking in soft pathways again for the rest of the way.

At some point there was a very marshy area with stepping stones to walk and keep your feet dry at the same time. I can only assume after a lot of rainfall, this would be difficult to get through. Also some paths in this area were pretty squelchy so I would recommend waterproof boots even though most of the pathways are pretty sandy and dry.

Parking is free of charge at the Strabrechste Heide Mierlo parking spot, just off the corner where Mierlose Dijk meets Heezerweg.

Pros:

  • Long off leash area for a national park
  • Varied landscape
  • Lots of water

Cons:

  • No poop bins at all, not even in the car park
  • Some paths shared with horses and mountain bikes
  • Potential to get very, very muddy

Location:

Dwingelderveld, Dwingeloo/Ruinen

Dwingelderveld National Park is a huge park situated in Drenthe, between Ruinen and Dwingeloo. It is so extensive that it is not possible to walk the whole area in one day, and for that reason we stayed for three nights in a holiday home site in Ruinen, in the Vacantiepark De Wiltzangh – an Ex-Europarcs location which is now privately owned. We hired a “Sterrenborg Lodge”, dog friendly and plenty of distance from other cabins. Highly recommended!

The reason we chose this place is because it is literally situated at the edge of the park and all the walks we did could be started straight out of the front door, but if you don’t want to make a mini-break then there are several parking areas dotted around the park, for example opposite the Theehuys Anserdennen is a fairly decent parking area.

We visited in late March which was warm and sunny enough to want some shade and water. In high summer the trees will provide even more shade than we had but a large part of the hiking area is open heathland, it’s one of the most impressive views of the park and for most walks, it is pretty much unavoidable to be walking along open heath at some point. I am sure you could adapt your walk to stick to the shade, but we all really enjoyed the novel scenery. We plan to revisit in September but my feeling is that this area is probably most enjoyable outside the summer season.

I am not going to list the exact walks we did because there are so many walks and variations of those walks that you can follow. We used a combination of Komoot and Outdoor Active to select our walks but there are also signs that can be followed, or simply follow your nose/dog.

Not all areas are off leash and these zones are clearly marked, the pink running-dog sign on posts is the off leash sign, and outside these signs your dog needs to be leashed. Some areas have grazing animals, we did not see any in March (just the warning signs) but these areas definitely require you to leash your dog whether the animals are there or not. But there are plenty of off leash areas for you to let your pup properly stretch his legs.

Some of the pathways are shared with cyclists or horses (or both). They are clearly marked with signs, and differences in the pathway make it obvious who belongs where. It’s quite well thought out. Just be sure to keep your pup on the right part of the path!

There are some raised walkways over some marshland. In March it was only wet in patches but I still did not want to let my dog squelch through at the side of the walkway. The raised walkway is covered with a heavy wire, presumably to make it less slippery when wet and my dog was fine walking over it. No snagged claws and he could not see enough through the planks to make him hesitant. And if you are walking with kids as well as dogs, then look out for some fantastic frogs in these areas!

We walked past at least two large lakes with beautiful clear water. There are plenty of other watery areas or smaller pools or mini canals along the way, even in some of the vast open plains there are water pools. Some are inaccessible and only there for the grazing animals, so bring some drinking water for your pup just in case the water you were aiming for on your map turns out to be on of these.

On one walk we came across an enormous radio telescope from Astron, and at the base there are boards with some interesting information about the telescope and its work.

We only saw two potential cafes on the whole weekend, and unfortunately in March, both of these were closed. So if you are walking off-season for the whole day then I suggest you bring your own coffee and lunch! There are plenty of open areas or picnic tables to stop at en route.

It is not easy to just select a few of the 100’s of photos we took, but these should whet your appetite:

Pros:

  • Seemingly endless choice of walks
  • Plenty of stops to rest up and have a cosy snack or picnic
  • Lots of varied landscape, including fresh water lakes

Cons:

  • Some areas have no shade at all
  • Chance of meeting grazing animals
  • Will be at least a full day trip for most people

Location:

Veerplas, Waarderpolder (October – April)

Veerplas is a relatively small beach area, popular in summer as a play and swimming area for children. For that reason it is only open to dogs between 1 October and 1 April. However, even in winter it is a lovely little piece of the Spaarnwoude Park and apart from the beach area, it’s pretty much empty to dog walkers after 1 October.

Park at the Veerplas parking area just off the A. Hofmanweg. When you enter the park, the beach is ahead of you. It is not a circular route, if you go to the right, you can run around some fun areas and follow the lake side until you eventually run out of land. Turn back the way you came, and then go in the opposite direction, along the beach and open area, and to the left of the beach (Veerplas Noordzijde) you will find a little pathway just behind a notice board that takes you further around. You eventually get to a road (Veerpolder) which is very quiet, if you are unlucky you might see a couple of cars driving past, but keep to the raised mini-dyke to the side of the road and walk as far as you like. If you feel adventurous, you can walk pretty much around this area, but you will end up by the side of a train line and then you will be walking a bike path. It’s also quite a hike, we’ve not done it completely, so if anyone has then let me know how it is!

One lovely thing about this walk is how easy it is to couple it up with Schoteroog. After you are done walking around Veerplas, from the car park take the pathway (Karperpad) alongside the canal towards the windmill (Molen de Meer). Cross over the road and then just follow that one path from the carpark to the Mooie Nel/Schoteroog.

Pros:

  • Can be extended to Schoteroog and make a very long walk
  • Clean water
  • Maintained pathways means it is not too muddy in winter

Cons:

  • Large part of the walk is on a dyke next to either cycle paths or a road
  • No off leash walks in summer

Location: