Tiengemeten

Tiengemeten is a river island in the Haringvliet that was reclaimed in the seventeenth century and farmed for three hundred years by a small community. In the 1990s the decision was taken to give it back to the water: the farms were bought out, the last residents left, and from 2007 the dykes were breached and channels dug so that the island became tidal marsh, creek and rough grazing again, in one of the larger Dutch rewilding projects. Highland cattle and Konik horses graze it and the bird list has grown quickly - white-tailed eagles, spoonbills, geese in winter. It is car-free and reached by a small ferry; walking and cycling routes cross it, there is a farm museum in one of the surviving buildings, a nature centre, and a couple of places to stay. Winter storms and high water can close parts of it.

What you actually see

• Dykes breached on purpose - farmland returned to tidal marsh from 2007.
• Grazing herds - Highland cattle and Konik horses keeping the ground open.
• A car-free island - reached by a small ferry, walked and cycled.
• A farm museum - in one of the buildings left from the farming community.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Honest expectations

The ferry runs a limited seasonal timetable and stops in bad weather - check before setting out. There are no cars and few facilities. Paths flood at high water. Bring what you need for the day.

Nearby

The Haringvliet dam is west; Rotterdam is north-east.