egmond – Loslopen.net

To the left of the main road on the way to the beach and about 20 minutes from Alkmaar, is a secret little spot that only the locals seem to know about, despite it being in plain sight as you drive by!

While it is not a massive area, it is certainly good enough for an hour long stroll, and is perfect if you want to just get away from the constant tourism at the beach or in the popular dunes areas. Having said that, do not expect to have the space to yourself here, the tourists may miss this area but the locals do not.

The off leash area is the section between the Bloedweg bike path and Egmonderstraatweg, west of the Van Oldenborgweg. There is a fence with closable entrance-gates running parallel to the main road, making it safe to let your pup run free without risk of accidents but access to the other sides of the area are not fenced off.

The landscape here is a lovely mix of a large open field, uncharacteristically hilly pathways through the trees and a bit of dunescape. It may not be huge in square metres but the pathways slalom around the trees which means you can make the walk longer than simply walking around the perimeter. At one point the walking area ends with a clearly placed wire fence, and that will lead you down to the Bloedweg bike path, but you only need to walk along it for a few minutes until you find a way back into the forest area. Of course you can simply turn back the way you came if you want to avoid the bike path completely.

The views are lovely when you climb up to the top of the dunes part, you can look over Egmond to the sea and catch some of the sea breeze. Definitely worth the effort!

This area is connected to an official hiking area, so look out for dog-free walkers who may not appreciate being greeted by your four-footer. Also horse paths are numerous in the area.

There is no water here, unless it has been raining and left puddles then there is not even a quick sip, so do bring a water bottle with you for you and your pup on a hot day.

Parking is possible in the Van Oldenborghweg where there are a few parking bays to choose from.

Pros:

Varied landscape
Lovely views from the high points
Not too busy

Cons:

No water
Busy bike path (but avoidable)

Location:

Van Oldenborghweg

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: