Ouddorp

Ouddorp sits at the western tip of Goeree-Overflakkee, and the beaches on that corner are among the widest and least built-up in the country - the dunes run for kilometres with beach clubs at intervals and long stretches with nothing at all between them, which is unusual on a coast this developed. The Kwade Hoek nature reserve at the northern end is a young dune and saltmarsh system still forming, with the Haringvliet dam beside it. Between Goeree and Schouwen the Brouwersdam encloses the Grevelingen, and the combination of open sea on one side and flat sheltered water on the other has made this the main kitesurfing and windsurfing area in the Netherlands. The village behind is Reformed and Sunday observance is real - shops and much else close, which catches visitors out. There is a working corn mill of 1845 and a church whose choir dates from 1348.

History

The village is first mentioned in 1551 as "Outdorp in Westvoirne", and the name means "old village", old meaning land not reclaimed by poldering. It grew up in the Middle Ages as a ring village around its church, whose choir dates from 1348; the nave was rebuilt smaller in 1734, leaving the tower standing free, and the grist mill De Hoop was built in 1845 (Wikipedia, Ouddorp).

The main sights

• Wide undeveloped beach - kilometres of dune with long stretches empty between clubs.
• Kwade Hoek - a young dune and saltmarsh system still forming at the north end.
• The main Dutch kitesurfing water - open sea one side, sheltered lake the other.
• A Reformed village - with Sunday observance that closes most of it.

When to go

May to September. A day.

What to expect

Sunday closes shops and much else in the village - plan around it. The North Sea is cold with rip currents. Parking at the beach entrances is charged and fills. Public transport is slow.

Nearby

The Brouwersdam is south-west; Renesse is across it on Schouwen.