Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

Between Haarlem and the sea the dunes rise into a belt several kilometres wide, and this park protects most of it: bare sand ridges, damp valleys, scrub, old estate woodland and a beach at the western end. The unusual residents are European bison, released into a fenced section to graze the vegetation back, with Highland cattle and konik horses doing the same work in the open dunes. A marked trail crosses the bison area for part of the year and is closed the rest. From the higher ridges you can see the sea on one side and the church tower of Haarlem on the other, with dune lakes in between. Trains from Amsterdam reach the edge of the park in about half an hour.

What you actually see

• The bison reserve - a fenced grazing area with a walking trail open outside the calving season.
• Dune ridges and valleys - open sand, moss and scrub with views to the sea and inland over the city.
• Estate woods - the old country estates on the inland edge, with ponds, avenues and shade.
• The beach at Bloemendaal - the western edge of the park, reached on foot through the dunes.

When to go

April to June for orchids, breeding birds and green dune valleys, and September for warm sand without the summer crowds. The bison trail opens only for part of the year, so check before planning around it. Summer weekends bring heavy beach traffic through the park, and midsummer midday leaves you fully exposed with no shade.

Honest expectations

Bison are rarely seen: the enclosure is large, the animals avoid people, and many walkers finish the trail without a sighting. Walking on loose sand is harder than the flat map suggests. The beach clubs at the western end are packed and expensive in summer, dogs are restricted across much of the park, and aircraft noise from the west drifts over on some days.

Nearby

Haarlem sits directly inland, and the North Sea beaches continue north towards IJmuiden.