Walks that either have a Haarlem postcode or are close enough to get to for a lunchtime walk.
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…
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…
Meester Enschedepark, Aerdenhout
Meester Enschedepark is a little hideaway on the road from Haarlem towards the dunes in Zandvoort, and is a section made available to the public at the bottom of the larger conservation area. This little park makes up for it’s lack of size by throwing you a tiny maze of pathways, all beautifully overgrown with…
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…
Het Naaldenveld, Bentveld
This is a small area with a single pathway through the middle (there and back), which seems to be a bit of a walk-through for the local walkers and cyclists, but with a little creative zig-zagging it can be stretched out to a decent foraging walk if you go off the track a little. Being…
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…
Blinkertpad, Haarlem
This is not an official spot, but on the corner of the Houtmanpad and Westerlikje Randweg, is a field that is pretty much surrounded by canals, making it quite a safe spot to play in. The Blinkertpad is the pathway that runs from De Beartrixschool down the middle of the two parts of the field,…
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…
Venneperhout, Nieuw-Vennep
We found this place by accident. It doesn’t look like much from the outside and is pretty close to a busy road, but on further investigation it is actually quite a pleasant little walk. It’s about a 20-25 minute drive from Haarlem centre. The off-leash area is large enough for a decent stroll, the leashed-only…
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…
Wethouder van Gelukpark (“Bokkedoorns”)
Everyone calls this walk the Bokkedoorns but that is actually the name of the restaurant on the edge of the park. This spot has the cleanest, freshest water and is perfect for hot summer days. The walk goes around the edge of two lakes that partially join in the middle. The path surrounding the water…
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.…
Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem
In the heart of the city this oasis is separated into a park for people and children, and a more natural dog walking area. There are entrances to the park from several sides which immediately take you into a safe, off-leash area. Plenty of paths crossing each other give you the chance of walking for…
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…
Duinvliet, Haarlem
Duinvliet is pretty much our backyard and we go there sometimes twice a day. It offers everything you want for a dog walk in a compact area: a number of nice circular forest walks that you can stretch to 15-20 minutes each, a huge grassy field for playing and socialising, and it is surrounded by…
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