Burgh-Haamstede: Dunes, Hiking Trails and Cultural History

When planning a stay in Burgh-Haamstede, you can consider nature, hiking and culture as distinct areas of focus. The Zeepeduinen, two named hiking routes and several historical or museum-related subjects offer different starting points for planning. Consider whether you would rather explore landscape features and routes, or learn about the history of Schouwen and its exhibitions.

Dune landscape and hiking trails

The Zeepeduinen are a varied dune area featuring open sand, dune valleys, dune lakes, woodland and shrubs. Open and vegetated areas, as well as bodies of water, are among the different elements of the landscape. If you want to focus on nature when planning your trip, this combination offers several specific points of interest rather than focusing on just one type of landscape.

The red Zeepeduinen and Slot Haamstede hiking route is 5.5 kilometres long, passes Slot Haamstede and takes you through ’t Zeepe, with its freshwater lakes. You can therefore assess the route based on its stated length and the named points of interest. The oldest part of what is now Slot Haamstede dates back to the 13th century, adding a historical point of interest to the route.

The hiking route around the Plompe Toren near Burgh-Haamstede offers a different point of reference: it runs between the Oosterschelde to the south and the centuries-old inlagen and karrevelden to the north. The two route descriptions have different areas of focus. For the Zeepeduinen and Slot Haamstede route, the length and named destinations are specified; for the route around the Plompe Toren, the landscape features to the south and north take centre stage.

History and exhibitions

The Vleugelbunker, also known as the Walvisbunker, is a Type 117a command bunker. German troops commanded all the defences on Schouwen from there. Together with the medieval origins of the oldest part of Slot Haamstede, the bunker offers a different historical perspective: one focuses on military command, the other on the building history of a castle.

The Plompe Toren is the only surviving remnant of Koudekerke, a village that was submerged by the water. The tower houses a small information centre run by Natuurmonumenten. The surviving tower and the story of the vanished village are therefore part of the same subject; the information centre offers another point of interest at this historic site.

The de Burghse Schoole Museum tells the story of the Kop van Schouwen, its people and its nature. It has three exhibition rooms, including a classroom from 1920 and a room about the Carolingian ring rampart. A regional perspective and specific subjects from the past thus come together in a museum visit.

In Burgh-Haamstede, the Bewaerschole is an exhibition space for experimental and contemporary art, housed in a distinctive historic building. The building on Weststraat was constructed in 1873/1874 as a Bewahrschule, or former nursery school. Its current use as an art space thus sits alongside the building’s original function. This makes the Bewaerschole a different cultural subject from the history exhibitions at the Burghse Schoole.

Another type of activity

Klimbos Zeeuwse Helden has six climbing courses with zip lines, rope ladders, wobbly bridges and other climbing elements. This offers a different type of activity from the hiking trails described above: here, the focus is on courses and climbing elements. You can take these different areas of focus into account when planning your trip, depending on whether you would rather explore a route, landscape and history, or climbing elements.

Discover more destinations: Noordgouwe, Oosterland, Bruinisse, Zierikzee, Scharendijke, Westenschouwen, Dreischor, Nieuwerkerk

For the overview of the wider area: Schouwen-Duiveland.