The highest point of Wieringen - Westerland

The rolling hills you see and feel here are a tangible reminder of the penultimate Ice Age. A massive ice sheet pushed the ground upwards. What remained was a core of boulder clay and a landscape full of elevation differences.

Unlike the neat patterns of the polders, the land division here is irregular and shaped by nature. Winding roads, uneven plots and scattered stolp farms tell the story of a landscape that adapted to the elements for centuries.

Look up at the farm on the hill: this is the highest point of Wieringen. From boulder clay ridges like this, you have sweeping views of the surroundings on clear days.

Along roads like the Gemeenelandseweg and the Koningsweg, villages such as Den Oever and Hippolytushoef were established. On the southern side, locals built the Wierdijk using sea grass – an inventive solution born of necessity, to once again hold back the water, just like in so many other places in the Netherlands.

Photo: ©Oudestafkaarten.nl