Island without farmers
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Island without farmers
Vlieland has all of the landscape you would expect on a Wadden island. But there are no pastures. Vlieland is an island without farmers.
Oost-Vlieland
You might not notice it right away but there is not a single farmer on Vlieland. You'll find no farmland or pastures here. Yet the inhabitants of Vlieland are called ‘goats’, a nickname from a not-so-distant past.
There is only one village on Vlieland: Oost-Vlieland. The inhabitants kept cows and sheep, but mainly goats. At night these were kept in stables in the gloppen (narrow alleys). In the morning the entire herd would run through the Dorpstraat (main street) straight to the dunes. The island consisted mostly of dunes until about a hundred years ago. Not ideal for agriculture. The dunes were quite barren and the grazing animals only contributed to this of course. The wind had free rein and blew the sand up quite high. This resulted in beautiful outlook points like the Kikkerbult and the Poterslid. Or climb the 42-metre high Vuurboetsduin, the highest dune in the Wadden.
Sandfield
More and more sand started blowing into the streets and houses. The Forestry Commission remedied this by planting sand reed and trees; quite a difficult task considering the barren soil. Planting trees was done with the help of peat moistened in ponds. The Klaas Douwers Vijver, a quiet spot in the forest, easily accessible on foot from campground Stortemelk is an example of this. To protect the new plants the animals were no longer allowed to graze freely and when tourism began to take off it ended entirely. Animals now only graze on Vlieland to aid in nature preservation.
At one time there was some farming on the other side of the island. But the suitable farming land disappeared into the sea along with the village of West-Vlieland. Although the western part of Vlieland is now one vast sandy plain where nothing grows or grazes, it is quite a magnificent place to take a walk, when there are no military exercises going on. If you’re lucky you might see a poem in the sand, left behind by the tires of the Vliehors Express.
Route: Round trip to Vlieland with viewpoints
Cycle across the island of tranquillity and open space, along the sea, through forests and across dunes.
Distance: 23,6 kilometers | Length: 2 hours and 10 minutes
View the route
Discover more? - The nicest places in Vlieland
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Fortuna Vlieland
Fortuna Vlieland
Fortuna Vlieland makes traditional beer and sparkling water. We have our own water and energy source. We work with island...
Fortuna Vlieland
Fortweg 10
8899 CC Oost-Vlieland -
Museum Tromp's Huys
Museum Tromp's Huys
Halfway the Dorpsstraat is the oldest building of Vlieland. It was built shortly after 1575. Museum Tromp's Huys is located...
Dorpsstraat 99
8899 AD Oost-Vlieland -
De Vlielander Kaasbunker
De Vlielander Kaasbunker
Op het hoogste punt van Vlieland, vlakbij de vuurtoren, ligt diep onder de grond een oude bunker. De Vlielander kaasmaker...
De Vlielander Kaasbunker
Vuurboetsduin 5
8899 AT Oost-Vlieland -
Boshuisjes kampeerterrein Stortemelk
Boshuisjes kampeerterrein Stortemelk
Verscholen in het bos langs kampeerterrein Stortemelk en vlakbij het Noordzeestrand staan prachtige, duurzaam gebouwde houten...
Kampweg 1
8899BX Vlieland -
Het Posthuys
Het Posthuys
Het Posthuys was jarenlang een schakel in de postroute Amsterdam-Vlieland. Nu kun je op één van de mooiste plekken van het...
Postweg 4
8899BZ Vlieland -
Podium Vlieland
Podium Vlieland
Podium Vlieland programmeert boeiende gebeurtenissen voor gasten met een brede belangstelling. Dat kan van alles zijn: film,...
Dorpsstraat 84
8899 AK Vlieland -
Hotelletje de Veerman
Hotelletje de Veerman
Onderaan de Waddenzeedijk en aan de voet van de vuurtoren, ligt een gastvrij en vooral knus hotel. Hotelletje de Veerman...
Dorpsstraat 173
8899AG Vlieland
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