Renesse

Renesse sits on the north coast of Schouwen-Duiveland behind a broad dune belt and it is the main beach resort in Zeeland - a wide sandy beach running several kilometres, beach clubs, a village centre given over to bars and shops, and an enormous concentration of campsites and holiday parks in the dunes behind. For decades it has had a particular role in Dutch life as the place teenagers go camping without their parents for the first time, which shaped its summer character and its reputation, and the municipality has worked to shift that with mixed success. Outside July and August it is a different place, quiet, with the Zeeland light and a dune reserve. Slot Moermond, a moated castle in the village, and the wooded dune area of the Zeepeduinen are behind, and the Brouwersdam watersports water is a few kilometres east.

History

The village is first mentioned in 1244 as Rietnesse, from "headland" and "reed", and is a ring village around its church near the dunes; the church tower dates from the early 15th century and was never completed. Moermond Castle was first built in 1229, and its gatehouse of around 1400, made into a summer residence in 1513, became the core of the present castle, restored between 1958 and 1960 after the North Sea flood of 1953 (Wikipedia, Renesse).

What to look for

• A wide dune beach - several kilometres of sand with clubs along it.
• The main Zeeland resort - campsites and holiday parks through the dunes behind.
• A teenage summer tradition - the reputation the municipality has tried to shift.
• Slot Moermond - a moated castle in the village behind the dunes.

When to go

May to September; June or September for quiet. A day.

Practical notes

July and August are extremely busy and the nightlife is loud. Parking is charged and fills. The North Sea is cold with rip currents. Out of season most of the resort closes.

Nearby

The Brouwersdam is east; the Plompe Toren and Zierikzee are south.