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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.