A relatively short walk through the Kop van Noord-Holland, but it is
one with a lot of variation: this tour takes you through dunes, forests and a
park-like neighborhood on the west side of Den Helder. With Fort Kijkduin on the route
you also walk into a special part of Dutch history.
If you want to cool your feet after walking, you will of course walk
just to the beach. Especially in good weather it is tempting to stay here
stick around and enjoy the beach life.

From the dunes you walk into the Mariëndal nature reserve after a few kilometers. Here, the former bulb soil has been converted into low dunes, dune grasslands and water features. With a little right, you will spot one in the early or late hours during its search for a rabbit or hare. A little easier to spot the geese, snipe and oyster catchers. Just outside Den Helder you walk into the Grasduinerpolder. The brackish influence of the North Sea water is noticeable in the polder: salt-loving plants such as milkweed and strawberry clover grow there. Special bird puddles have been dug to make the area even more attractive to passing waders. During high tide, large numbers of curlews, sandpipers and oystercatchers are on the land in the spring and autumn. Brent geese, snow buntings and moorhens forage for food in winter. On the south side of this area, Lange Jaap towers above the horizon, a lighthouse that was lit in 1878. At almost 64 meters, it is the highest cast iron lighthouse in Europe.