Ameland

Ameland is one of the Dutch Wadden islands, about twenty-five kilometres long and never more than a few wide, with the North Sea and a continuous beach on one side, dunes through the middle, and the Wadden Sea mudflats on the other - the Wadden Sea on that side is on the UNESCO list as the largest unbroken intertidal sand and mud flat in the world. There are four villages, Hollum, Ballum, Nes and Buren, with commanders' houses built by whaling captains in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when Ameland men crewed the Greenland fleets. The lighthouse at Hollum, cast iron and red, is climbable. Hollum also keeps a lifeboat launched by a team of ten horses driven into the surf, the last such rescue system in the world, demonstrated several times a year. Bicycles are how the island is used; cars need a permit.

History

The island is first mentioned as Ambla in the 8th century. It paid tribute to the county of Holland until 1424, when its lord, Ritske Jelmera, declared it a free lordship, and despite challenges from Holland and Friesland it kept that quasi-independent status (Wikipedia, Ameland).

The landscape

• Beach, dunes and mudflats - the Wadden island profile from sea to Wadden Sea.
• Commanders' houses - built by whaling captains in the villages.
• A cast-iron lighthouse - red, at Hollum, climbable.
• A horse-drawn lifeboat - the last in the world, demonstrated several times a year.

When to go

May to September. Two days.

What to expect

The ferry runs to a tidal timetable and books up for vehicles; cars need a permit and are unnecessary. Lifeboat demonstrations are on set dates only. Wind is constant. Accommodation books far ahead in summer.

Nearby

Terschelling and Schiermonnikoog are the neighbouring Wadden islands.