Vinkeveense Plassen

The Vinkeveense Plassen were peat lakes like the others in this region until the mid-twentieth century, when sand was extracted from the bed for construction and road building, which deepened parts to around fifty metres and, crucially, changed the water: the sand pits are clear rather than the murky brown of shallow peat water, which made Vinkeveen one of the main inland dive sites in the Netherlands, with marked entry points, sunken objects placed for training and dive schools on the bank. The spoil from the extraction was used to build a chain of small islands - the Zandeilanden - which are now moorings, holiday plots and beaches, reached by boat. Swimming, sailing and windsurfing use the rest. The legakkers and reed on the northern side are protected and hold birds. It is close enough to Amsterdam to be crowded on any hot day.

What you actually see

• Deep clear water - sand extraction pits to around fifty metres, unusually clear.
• A main inland dive site - marked entries and objects placed for training.
• Built islands - the Zandeilanden made from extraction spoil, reached by boat.
• Protected reed on the north side - legakkers and bird habitat.

When to go

May to September. A day.

Honest expectations

Extremely busy on hot weekends given the proximity to Amsterdam, with paid parking that fills early. Diving needs qualification - the deep pits are cold and dark below the thermocline. Islands are reachable only by boat.

Nearby

Amsterdam is twenty kilometres north; the Loosdrecht lakes are east.