Farewell trip for Henny
To Schiermonnikoog |
On Wednesday, July 4, 2012, we made a farewell trip to Schiermonnikoog, on the occasion of Henny Klein's retirement.
Schiermonnikoog is one of the Wadden Islands. The island is 16 km long and 4 km wide and is the site of the Netherlands' first national park. The only village on the island is also called Schiermonnikoog. Just under 1,000 people permanently reside on the island, making the municipality the least densely populated in the Netherlands. Because the island is small and flat, only 200 islanders have taken out the special licence allowing them to keep their own car, with the result that the few streets are virtually car-free. Tourists are not allowed to bring their cars with them on the ferry. Buses connect the village with the ferry. The most common form of transport is by bicycle; a network of cycle paths criss-crosses the island.
Schiermonnikoog is an excellent example of a nature island. The variation in landscape includes salt marshes (the Binnenkwelder and the Oosterkwelder), dunes, forest, the Westerplas, one of the widest beaches in the wadden region, the 'Strandvlakte', sandbanks and tidal flats. During a two-day inventory in 2005, more than 500 different species of plants were found, of which several dozen were new for the island.
Schiermonnikoog is an attractive location for birds all year round. Besides the tidal flats with their many birds searching for food, the salt marsh with its colonies of gulls, terns and spoonbills, and the dunes with their abundant population of songbirds, the polder and the village often harbour a large number of birds.
If you are not into nature, Schiermonnikoog is also famous for sunbathing on the beach, swimming in the sea, and walking or cycling through the dunes.
If you are interested in birds, follow Johan who will make a tour around the Westerplas (this is a walk of about 6 kilometers).
If you are interested in wild flowers, follow Gertjan who will make a tour through the dunes (another walk of about 6 kilometers).
If you prefer to bike, you can either rent bikes at the ferry, or in the village. Renting bikes is cheap.
If you are interested to fly a kite ("vliegeren"), follow Nynke to the beach!
For geocaching, make sure you stay in contact with Daniel.
If you prefer to come to Lauwersoog by car, please let me know, so
I can buy the best combination of tickets. I suggest that the only
"obligatory" part of the above programme is the lunch (location will be
announced later).
Some suggestions, depending on the weather:
List of participants:
Email: G.J.M.van.Noord@rug.nl |