Geestmerambacht – Loslopen.net

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 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: