Walks that take at least one hour to complete, anything from just about an hour to half a day!
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…
Noorderneg, 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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 in winter it is a lovely little piece of the Spaarnwoude Park and apart from the beach area and cafe, it’s…
Geestmerambacht, Koedijk (winter only)
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…
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…
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…
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.…
Park 21 – Extended version, Zwaanshoek
I stumbled upon this hidden gem when the road to another area was closed for repairs, I drove on to find a spot to stop and figure out a different route and spotted a car park where two dog walking vans were parked and I thought to myself, this needs to be investigated. I’m glad…
De Boseilanden, Zwaanshoek
De Boseilanden is about a 3km long and narrow stretch of land alongside the N205. It’s a deceptively large area and, judging by the lack of dogs everywhere, it’s also not that well known. Keep this to yourselves… There are several entrances to the area, driving up pathways and parking in private housing areas, but…
Hulkensteijnsebos, Zeewolde
Hulkensteijnsebos is about a 25 minute drive from Almere, or 15 minutes from Zeewolde. It is a huge walking area with at least 2 off leash spots along the Slingerweg, which runs around the area. The first thing we did was park near the camping/glamping site De Parel where an app told us we could…
Purmerbos, Purmerend
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 tourist thing. Purmerbos is nearly all an off leash area, there is a section…
Nimmerdor/Zandbergen, Amersfoort
Nimmerdor is a decent sized off leash park just south of Amersfoort. While I would not really make this park the main theme of a day trip from Haarlem, it is a worthwhile stopping to let your pup stretch his legs if you are in or passing the area for any other reason. We have…
‘t Leesten, Ugchelen
‘t Leesten is a park and restaurant area in the vast Hooge Veluwe National Park, just outside of Apeldoorn. Although it is not a massive area, it is probably the most well thought out dog area within a national park that we have found so far. All walks start from the car park next to…
Bussloo
Situated just outside Apeldoorn, Bussloo is definitely not something close by. Bussloo is only dog-friendly between September and May, after which it is a haven for kids and families. The whole area is a Leisurelands recreational area. There are about 4 car parks (fixed fee of €3 per day regardless of how long you stay),…
Schoorlse Duinen
Update: This year the park has imposed a new restriction on dogs. From 1 March to 1 September, dogs must be on leash in the entire park. Schoorl is a year-round popular and slightly touristy area, but the walks through the dunes there are lovely. To start with, there is a massive parking area, so…
Zandvoort Dunes
A lovely little all-round area with street parking directly next to the start of the dunes, a range of mini hills to climb, sand pits to fall into, mice to chase and a grassy, forest area at one end. If you feel so inclined you could even walk to the beach from here. Park in…
Wijk aan Zee / Velsen Noord
Just north of the canal and ferry port, Wijk aan Zee is quite a cute little town with a dunes area and dog beach. It’s skyline is dominated a little by Tata Steel’s smoking chimneys and in some spots you don’t really want to breath in deeply, however on the shoreline and looking in the…
Bloemendaal aan Zee
Between 15th April and 1st October, dogs are only allowed on the beach between Bloemendaal aan Zee and Zandvoort before 9am and after 7pm. That means in summer, this is a lovely early morning walking spot, or a walk watching the sun go down, plus the photo opportunities are great! Coming by public transport is…
Krantje Lek & Dunes, Haarlem
Along the Duinlustweg towards Elswout, unless you knew it, you wouldn’t believe that there is an entrance to the dunes here. Directly behind the Krantje Lek restaurant is the start of the cycle path that goes all the way to Zandvoort! If you go up the sandbank on the left, past the little kiddies play…
Molenplas, Meerwijkplas, Poelbroek
Situated between Schalkwijk and Vijvhuizen, the large Molenplas and Meerwijkplas lakes are very popular in the summer for walkers, picnickers and families, and the main pathways around the lakes are busy with walkers and cyclists. I usually park at the car park by the De Molenplas restaurant, go over the white bridge and walk through…
Noordwijk Dunes and Beach
Update November 2022:The dog off-leash area has been drastically reduced, it is now only the southernmost part of the park, all other areas are leash-only areas. It’s still a nice spot to walk and there is a beach to play around on, but unfortunately the new limitation does rather reduce it’s attraction for dog walkers.…
Spaarnwoude/Houtrak
Houtrak is part of the vast Spaarnwoude network of recreational parks and is situated roughly halfway between Amsterdam and Haarlem. It is a popular place for picnickers, fishers, horse riders and, of course, dog walkers. That in mind, the park tries to provide a little for everyone. A large part of the park is an…
Parnassia Beach
You can’t live in North Holland and not love the beach! Parnassia is the closest spot to Haarlem where dogs are allowed all year round. The edge of the beach is lined with dunes which give your pup something different to sniff on your way back home. Because it is a dog area there tends…
Toolenburgergplas, Hoofddoorp
When we decided to check this place out, we originally thought it would be full of kids playing and screaming, and would find itself on our list of places to avoid. We were very pleasantly proven wrong! Toolenburgerplas is a large lake surrounded by park grounds. You can walk around the lake which is around…
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…
Schoteroog, Waarderpolder (Spaarnwoude Park)
Another one of those places that you can make your walk as long or as short as you like. Schoteroog used to be a landfill that got cleaned up and turned into a park and is popular with sunbathers and picnickers. Every now and then there are children events near the water but you can…
Groene Weelde, Vijvhuizen
About a 20 minute drive away from Haarlem, the Groene Weelde park is probably one of my favourites. It is a large park, completely off leash, with a maze of pathways or off-beat paths, waterways and beaches, open spaces and curiosities to interest the two-legged walkers. You can make this walk as long or short…
Groenendaal, Heemstede
A favourite place for many walkers, dog walkers and families. This is a fairly busy park offering wide pathways, lots of water areas, a beach and lots of shade from either sun or rain. You can wander aimlessly for a good hour here doubling back or going off in parallel paths, or you can follow…
Brouwerskolkpark, Overveen
A wonderful little spot on the border of Haarlem and Overveen, I don’t know why you don’t see more people here. The park spans the Brouwerskolkweg and offers hills, trees, pathways, sandy spots and a perfectly swimmable lake. There is one cycle path through the area which you can easily avoid if you want to.…
Caprera, Bloemendaal
Landgoed Caprera is a privately owned foundation and the dog park is an area with lot of variety and some undulating landscape just for a change. Based on 2 levels, the upper level is mostly concrete/ prepared pathways weaving around areas dense with trees and shrubs. The lower area, connected by two wooden/earthy stairways, is…
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