Drowned Land of Saeftinghe

Saeftinghe was a prosperous polder with several villages until 1570, when the All Saints' Flood damaged the dykes, and 1584, when they were deliberately cut during the Dutch Revolt to hold back Spanish troops; the sea came in and never left. What is there now is about forty-five square kilometres of brackish tidal marsh on the Westerschelde - the largest of its kind in Europe - cut by deep creeks that fill and empty twice a day, with glasswort, sea aster and sea lavender, huge numbers of geese and waders, and seals on the sandbanks. It is genuinely dangerous ground: the creeks fill fast, the mud is deep, fog comes in, and people have died. Access to the marsh proper is on guided excursions only, booked through the visitor centre, wearing boots that will be ruined. The Antwerp petrochemical skyline stands on the far bank.

What you actually see

• A drowned polder - villages lost in 1584 when the dykes were cut in war.
• Forty-five square kilometres of marsh - the largest brackish tidal marsh in Europe.
• Creeks filling twice a day - the tide running deep and fast through the mud.
• Antwerp opposite - the petrochemical skyline across the Westerschelde.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Honest expectations

Do not walk into the marsh alone - the creeks fill quickly, the mud is deep, and people have drowned here. Guided excursions only, booked ahead, and boots are ruined. Excursions are cancelled at spring tides.

Nearby

Hulst is west; the Belgian border and Antwerp are south.