Netherlands > Walking around Oostkapelle

At quarter to nine, there is a knock on the door. Breakfast is ready on a trolley. We wheel the breakfast inside. The breakfast is very well prepared. Shortly after, there is another knock. They ask if they can take the trolley back. Of course. It was probably not intended that we would wheel the entire trolley inside. After breakfast, we leave the hotel for a vigorous walk through the nature around Oostkapelle. We follow the Groene Wissel circular route. We decide not to first walk to the starting point at the Oostkapelle church, but to pick up the route near our hotel. For this, we walk about 800 meters toward the beach. Along the road, we pass two large estates. Huize Duinbeek and Huize Berkenbosch are former country estates and are now privately owned. It is allowed to walk along the edges of the estates. Before we realize it, four little deer jump across the road right in front of us. They look at us in surprise. At the dunes, the Groene Wissel walk begins. We follow the shell path through the dunes. A little further on, we continue along the beach. Again today, there is a strong wind. We walk straight into it. Luckily, we are accompanied by a timid sun. After three kilometers, we reach the beach pavilion Aloha Beach. A large beach pavilion that looks deserted due to the corona closure.

Netherlands - The sand dunes of Oostkapelle

Just past the pavilion is a beach access point and we leave the beach. We walk into the nature reserve Oranjezon. Until 1995, this area was used for water extraction for Walcheren. Nowadays, the nature reserve is managed by the Zeeland Landscape Foundation. We walk past campsite Oranjezon and leave the dune area. The route description leads us over the farmyard of the farm shop Loverendale. That we can and may walk right between the stables. Without the description, we would never have walked here. Behind the stables, the route continues along the edges of the fields. We take our lunch on a bench. Through meadows and orchards, we eventually return to Oostkapelle. At the little square by the church, we order something to drink. On the south side of the village, we walk through the meadows. Campsites are everywhere. In the summer months, it must be very busy here. We notice that most guests are German. Even during the corona lockdown. After four hours of walking, we arrive at Westhove Castle. The castle was first mentioned in a deed of Floris V in 1277. Exactly how old the castle is remains unclear. Nowadays, a hostel is located in the castle.

Netherlands - Westhove Castle is a castle from 1277

In the park around the castle, it is busy with day visitors. Many people are walking. Through the dunes of the Manteling nature reserve, we return to our hotel. We have walked exactly twenty kilometers around Oostkapelle. In the afternoon, we drive to Domburg. In Domburg, the route to the center is closed. A traffic controller points us to a parking lot. The Markt and Weststraat are busy. Many horeca businesses sell at the door. It is not easy to keep the distance rules. We follow the Mondriaan route through Domburg. Piet Mondriaan regularly stayed in the village in the early twentieth century. The route starts at the windmill on Roosjesweg. A grateful subject for the artist to paint. The Reformed church dates from the 14th century. The nave of the church burned down in 1848 and was rebuilt in the following years. On the North Sea coast lies the Hoge Hil. A viewing hill in the dunes where Mondriaan was often found. From the hill, we have a view of Domburg on one side and the North Sea and dunes on the other. We return to the center. We order a beer. The beer may not be drunk on the terrace but can be consumed on the public bench next to it. We don’t even try anymore to understand the corona rules. On the way back, we get food again from the same restaurant as yesterday. They already recognize us.

Netherlands - The Mondrian Bench with Nehalennia in the dunes of Domburg