In Alkmaar or close by – Loslopen.net

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:

Het Maalwater, Heiloo, Netherlands

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:

Stetlaan, Heiloo, Netherlands

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:

Van der Meij College

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:

Breelaan 132, Bergen (NH), Netherlands

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:

Waarderhout Parking

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:

Geestmerambacht, Koedijk

North of Alkmaar, close to Heerhugowaard, is the Geestmerambacht park. This is a very popular summer area for children and is close to a Europarcs centre. For that reason, dogs are only allowed off leash in this part of the park from 1 October to 1 April. For the year-round off leash area in this park check out Vlasgat.

There are 2 main car parks/ entrances into the walking route

Wagenweg, at the north of the park, close to the Europarcs
Nauertogt, at the south of the park

The whole walking area is a set of pathways forming a circular route around the Zomerdel lake. You can simply stick to the maintained pathways around the lake, which is very much appreciated in wet, muddy winter months! This alone will take you roughly an hour to walk around. Alternatively, if you are feeling a little more adventurous, then pull on the waterproof boots and take on some of the muddy paths, walk along the numerous waterfronts, take some of the pathways behind the main pathway, climb up the viewing points, wander into the forest areas and generally just meander around. You can’t get lost, it’s basically a big circle.

And if you happen to get your dog super muddy in your trip, there is a “Sponge Dog” dog washing booth at the south end of the lake right next to the southern car park.

If for some reason you find your walk needs extending then you can walk over the bridge on the north-west side into Vlasgat and continue for about another hour.

There are horse stables nearby that give riding lessons, so be on the lookout for horse riding groups (and fresh horse deposits).

There are 2 restaurants on this route, both near the 2 car parks: Lovers and Hunters at the south which seems to be open all year round, and El Chiringuito at the north, which is closed during the high winter months.

This walk is pretty popular so if you stick to the paths, then be prepared to meet a lot of walkers and pups. If you prefer a more solitary walk then I’m afraid you will probably need to be trudging through the wet areas…

Pros:

Clean and tidy park, lots of seats and poop bins
A very welcome solid/hard path in winter!
Varied terrain: water, forest and some open spaces

Cons:

Very muddy if it has rained even just a little
Popular, can be busy on the paths
Some cycle paths, MTB paths and horse paths to watch out for

Location:

Zomerdel, North Holland, Netherlands

Vlasgat, Koedijk (Geestmerambacht)

Vlasgat is a part of the overall Geesmerambacht park where dogs are allowed off leash all year round. This area is only partially maintained on the walking paths but not in the dog sniffing areas and there is a lovely kind of wild feeling to the place, without it being too overgrown.

Park at the “Parkeerplaats: nabij Vlasgat (losloop gebied voor honden)”, as stated in Google Maps, which is on the crossing of Wagenweg and Groetpad. Walk away from the wooden bridge which crosses the canal and towards a large, yellow, concrete bridge, with the big mound to your left. To the left of this part is a big open play area, this is a leash free area and many people seem just stop at this. However, if you walk almost to the bridge and then turn left after the canal turns into a kind of small pond, you will find a pathway that leads you to the waterways and open areas that are a dog paradise. You can either walk directly after the canal turns to the left, and wind your way through the woody area and overgrown pathway until you get to the side of the canal, or you can walk just a little further to a paved path that runs along the back of the park, and take a left turn about 100m or so from here, this will meet the canal pathway but save you having to go through muddy woody areas if it has been raining a lot.

From there on, just follow your nose! It is an unmarked, circular route, walk as far as you can go and then go left, cross over the bike path, walk right up to the little white bridge at the end of the road, cross that bridge and then return to the car park at the top of the dyke. And if you feel adventurous, zig-zag around all the canals and waterways.

There are a couple of events here that you need to look out for, the Indian Summer Festival is held in the open area next to the dyke, and there is also a parcours event that takes place in the back of the park and although they don’t really interfere too much with the dog walking areas, you will find the parking full. Check the calendar for the events in this area.

There is one major bike path going through this area which can get pretty busy in summer, but you only need to cross over it, so not a big deal but do keep your dog close when you are walking near it, some of the cyclists here can be pretty speedy.

And of course there is so-oo much water, making this a haven for hot summers. The water seems to be clear all year, clear enough for people to fish in it. There is however, very little shade, so although your pup will be fabulously refreshed, you may need to take sunscreen and water for yourself!

The area is excellent if you want to avoid all other pups and just focus on training or solitary walks, and even if you do come across other dogs, the spaces are so wide you can easily avoid them, even up on the dyke.

In all you can walk about 45 minutes if you just go around the edge and of course you can shorten that if you need to, but you can also extend it by taking all the little extra paths, or walking over the wooden bridge and along the other side of the canal which can easily stretch it out to 1-1.5 hours.

When it is dog season, you can connect to the walk around the lake at Geestmerambacht (about 5km around) just by walking over the wooden bridge and then take one of the paths to the left, in total making this walk a good 2-2.5 hours.

Pros:

Lots of fresh water for hot days
Wide open areas
Not very busy, even at weekends

Cons:

No shade for people
No poop bins, even at the parking area
Busy bike path going through the park

Location:

Vlasgat, Koedijk, Netherlands

Obdammerweel, Obdam

Although this is not an extensive walk, it is highly rewarding for pups, particularly in summer. The park goes about 2 thirds around a lake so it is not circular, but you don’t necessarily have to come back completely on the same path.

This park is not maintained really, there is a pathway towards the seating area near the lake that does seem to have some grass cutting, but the rest of the area is left to grow and bloom however it wants to, which is what makes it so great for dogs to sniff around in, and there are so many spaces where you can throw training dummies in the long grass for your pup to search for.

It is rather popular, also with some dog walkers or groups meeting up for lunchtime walks, so there are occasionally packs coming your way, but in most parts it’s wide enough to avoid them.

De Weel is a fantastic cooling off spot for hot summers, the lake is pretty much clean enough for dogs all year round, with a couple of sludgy areas in the forest part but nothing you can’t avoid. Your hot dog will have dunked himself about 5 times to cool off before you reach those areas…

Walk around the lake until the park branches off, to the left you have a tree area with 3 paths, one at the side of the lake, one through the middle and one maintained path following the canal on the outside. Follow either one to the end and then just pick a different one to come back. When you get back to the original path, ignore it and go straight on to the path that runs on the other side of the wooded area closer to the road, and follow it round to the beginning again. All in all, it’s a cosy little area.

There can be quite a lot of foxtail grasses so be careful in hot, dry summers where these large seeds can get stuck in your dogs nose and give you a good excuse to visit your friendly vet again…

Free parking bays are in front of the allotments on Dobber, about 500m walk from the park entrance. It looks like a cycle path but yes, you can drive there! Just put Dobber into your Navi and continue walking the direction you drove. Note, the only poop bin in the entire area is in this parking bay.

Pros:

Excellent summer cooling off spot
Unmaintained areas make for great snuffling experiences
Free parking

Cons:

Can get busy
No poop bins
Foxtail grasses in summer

Location:

Dobber, Obdam, Netherlands

Dunes, Egmond aan Zee

Egmond aan Zee is, like most of the beaches in the Netherlands, closed to dogs during the daytime in the summer months. However, you can still snap a little sea air in a section of the dunes adjacent to the beach.

The Dunes at Egmond aan Zee is surprisingly large, simply walking the perimeter will take you a good 45 minutes if you follow the fence line. Dogs are not allowed in the entire dunes area, the boundaries are marked with a regular wire fence, and where there are pathways that go outside this area, there are information boards showing you that’s as far as your dog goes. But this area is large enough for a decent stroll, if you zig-zag over the dunes in the middle you can easily add another half an hour to the perimeter tour. The parking nearby suggests this area is popular but I rarely see more than three or four other dogs being walked right into the dunes.

There are a number of garden allotments in the area, you can walk past them off leash but do keep your dog out of them, they are private grounds.

This is a true dune area, there are some plants and shrubs (including some heavenly scented rose shrubs) but only one small section with trees to speak of and very little shade. There is no really clean flowing water but a few large ditches fill up with water when it has rained enough and these can get a bit greasy looking after a while, so take some drinking water with you if it is hot.

The good thing about this area is, when it rains (and even if it rains for a whole month), because it’s predominantly a sandy ground it doesn’t get too boggy. Even if some of the allotments tend to get totally flooded, the surrounding ground drains pretty well.

The only poop bins are on the neighbouring streets rather than in the dunes directly. One is right on the corner of the dunes where the Boulevard meets Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan, the second is at the parking just off Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan close to Zwartendijk, and the third is at the end of a little pathway halfway around the dunes – there is a high open area with a seat on it, just to the side of this is a small pathway, and about 20m down is a poop bin/poop bag dispenser.

There are two parking areas, either directly on the Boulevard itself and walk into the dunes at the corner, or along the pathway at the side of the beach. I tend to park on the other side of the dunes in Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan, it often has spaces in summer even if the entire Boulevard is fully parked. There are parking fees in all areas in the summer months, but outside the summer period during the week, unless there is a special holiday or event, parking is usually free.

Pros:

Beach feeling in summer when the beach is closed to dogs
Not very busy, even in peak season
Wide open spaces to run or train in

Cons:

No clean water
Poop bins are few and far

Location:

Dr Wiardi Beckmanlaan, Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands

De Hulk, Scharwoude

Who knew that the Hulk was Dutch! But joking aside, this is a lovely little park close to Hoorn, with waterways, sniffy grass routes, play areas and very few people, what more can you want?

Situated between a major road and the train line, De Hulk is a decent sized park with clearly marked pathways. There are two extra loops you can make to extend your walk and these are not paved or maintained in any way, so if you want to do this, then be prepared to fight space with brambles and nettles, and the occasional mud patch. Your dog however, will love you for making the effort.

There are two exits to walk in this car park. One is at the back on the left as you drive in, near the notice board and this just takes you to a camp site. The one you want is the long pathway on the right as you drive in. It’s a small parking space, probably maximum 20 cars so you can’t miss the path.

There is a right turn close after the first bridge, this takes you to a little dead end kind of picnic area that is just full of duck poop. I tend to ignore it but feel free to check it out.

To walk the perimeter, walk up to the bridge from the car park, then go to the open space on the right, follow the lake round until you meet a bike path. Go left along the bike path for a while until you get back into the footpath areas. After this it’s difficult to loose your way. If you want to avoid a bike path then just continue on the path from the car park.

Further along you will see an unpaved pathway to the right which does have grass mown (not the little one with the gate near the path, but just after that), it does not look like much but this is a nice little extension – you can weave in and out of these little parallel paths and then come back on yourself to carry on. It will add a good 15 minutes to your walk, more if you stop and sniff everything :). But it is not maintained, there are nettles and brambles to get caught up on.

Cross the larger bridge over the river/canal to the other side of the park, and walk all around it up to the main road, zig-zag a bit through the pathways in a big loop and when you come back to the bridge, instead of following the same paved pathway that you came on, go to the right and walk right next to the railway line. It’s a bit wild there but in summer they do cut the grass about twice in the year. I only ever met one other person on this side of the walk in the last year!

Before you go over the last bridge back to the car park, on your right is another little bridge taking you to a small island, it’s another little loop you can do to extend your walk. I usually take it, my dog seems to find it interesting enough.

If you add both loops you can extend the whole walk to a little over an hour before you run out of new paths to take. But the good thing is, if the weather is terrible you can cut this short easily and run back. Alternatively there are plenty of trees to shelter under…

Note there is only one bin for poop bags and that is right by the car park.

Free parking is at the Parkeerplaats aan de Zesstedenweg (1634) De Hulk, Zesstedenweg, Scharwoude.

Pros:

Free parking
Varied terrein, lots of interesting things to sniff and places to swim
Lots of space or detours to keep out of each others way

Cons:

No poop bins except at the car park
Can get pretty muddy on the unmaintained pathways
Water is prone to green algae in summer

Location:

De Hulk, Koggenland, Netherlands

Park van Luna, Alkmaar

Ever been to Alkmaar with visitors to see the cheese markets, or just to see a different town for a change? If you have taken your four legged friend with you, then why not give him a treat after hours of sight seeing, and take him to stretch his legs before you head back home.

Park van Luna is a huge area, however only about a quarter of it is an off-leash dog park. But it is enough space for a good hour run-around. The dog area is shared with a few mountain bike trails and a “disc golf” course, which looks more like frisbee throwing rather than actual golf! So if you want to treat your visitors (and your dog) to something a bit more unique, then check it out here: https://discgolfnoordholland.nl/home

If you are not inclined to be so sporty, then take a slow amble around the park instead. There are a few pathways crossing over each other that take you through lovely muddy and smelly spots for your hound to roll in. Some of it is wide open, there are shaded areas, and long grassy spots for a good sniff. There are about 3 reasonably sized ponds there that tend to dry out into sludge in the summer, and the rest of the water areas are really irrigation canals and not a through flowing water. But the ponds are clean enough to house frogs…

The park can get a little busy at the weekends but it’s spacious enough not to really get under each others feet. Walk around the perimeter of the park instead of sticking to the open play areas if you want to have a more solitary stroll. The canals around the edge of the park are a little cleaner for swimming and duck chasing.

In winter, if you do not stick to the paved or prepared paths, then the off-path areas can turn into an enormous mud pool, and you can find yourself ambling down what seems to be an okay path and suddenly you are almost knee deep in general wetness. Walk with wellies!

Parking is free next to the sports centre, and the foot path into the park starts right from that parking spot.

Pros:

Very clean park, lots of bins and the dog walkers there seem to be pretty good at picking up
Wide areas for running and ball chasing
Can duck out of the open spaces and into forest like areas for more sniffing

Cons:

Can get really water logged in winter
Shared with mountain bikers and frisbee throwers
Water areas potentially not really drinkable

Location:

1705 PA, Heerhugowaard, Netherlands

Purmerbos, Purmerend

Purmerbos is about a half hour drive either from Amsterdam or Alkmaar, and if you plan a day trip in the areas of Edam, Volendam or Hoorn, then this spot is an excellent waypoint to stretch your pups legs and give him a treat for being such a good pup whilst you do your sightseeing.

Purmerbos is nearly all an off leash area, there is a section just after you enter the park which is very clearly marked as a no-dog zone for kids to play in. There are also a couple of kiddy play areas including a slide and some kind of adventuring paraphernalia where dogs are not allowed, but fortunately the rest of this huge park can give you a very decent run around!

There are a lot of waterways or canals which paved pathways weave around, and if you want to get off the hardened tracks, you can zig-zag your way between these on trodden pathways and over the canals on a quiet and less busy route. It can get a bit boggy on these pathways after rain.

There are two circular routes that you can follow, and it is pretty well marked but these seem to be mostly paved pathways which can get busy, so we tend to focus on the paths through the forest instead.

There is an official dog pool not too far from the entrance, which seems to be a bit of a meeting point at the park and probably the cleanest water in the area, which is very useful if your pup went belly deep in mud… The rest of the waterways were a mixture of mud and something else just a little too murky for some proper swimming but fine for a quick paddle to cool off the feet.

It seems the park is designed so horses and people/dogs don’t share paths, at least that’s what the signs indicate. I did not spot any kind of fishing activities to sidestep, possibly the waterways are too shallow to stock anything worth fishing but I haven’t been in summer to verify this.

Free parking is available on the Parkeerplaats De Populier. There are a couple of other parking spots but this one is the biggest.

Pros: