Nature reserves in Southwest Friesland

De Wolvetinte

De Wolvetinte is a beautiful nature reserve near Aent Lieuwespolder that provides ideal habitat for waders and several types of ducks. The quality of the habitat is preserved by the local bird protection agency Fûgelûntwyk It Heidenskip and its partners.

Steile Bank

De rust op de zandplaat en het ondiepe water eromheen zorgt ervoor dat dit een paradijs is voor vogels. Het hele jaar is de Steile Bank in trek bij gr...

Oudemirdumer Klif (cliff at Oudemirdum)

The cliff at Oudemirdum is 6 metres high. It was formed during the last ice age but one when the land was pushed up by enormous glaciers that advanced from Scandinavia and deposited large boulders in Gaasterland.

Natuureiland De Gouden Boaiem

Bancopolder

“De rietzanger laat zich geregeld horen en de kleine karekiet vindt hier broedgelegenheid.”<br /> De Bancopolder is een laagveengebied. De kade rondom...

Aeltsjemeerpolder

The Aeltsjemeerpolder is an area of peatland near the town of Workum that was reclaimed from a lake in 1877.

Blauhúster Poelen Nature Reserve

The Blauhúster Poelen (in Frisian Blauhúster Puollen) nature reserve encompasses three small reservoirs - It Fliet, Reidmar and Sipkemar - and the former natural drainage area of Tsjesskar.

Teroelster Sipen

Met ruim 18 hectare moeras- en rietland is het een waardevol broedgebied voor vogels die van moeras en riet houden.<br /> “Onvermoeibaar zingen de rie...

Buismanskoai and Dyksfearten Nature Reserves

The old sea dike on the shore of Lake IJsselmeer runs through spectacular natural scenery. The Dyksfearten are a series of waterways that run parallel to the road. Today they serve mainly as ecological connecting zones.

Makkumernoordwaard Nature Reserve

Along the shore of Lake IJsselmeer there are three nature reserves on the sandflats outside the dykes. When Lake IJsselmeer was still the Zuiderzee, these coastal sandflats were flooded by the tides.

Wilhelmina-oard

De grote eiken en beuken geven het bos karakter en stilletjes heeft de das het bos tot zijn thuis verklaard. Al zal je dit bijzondere nachtdier niet s...

Blokslootpolder Nature Reserve

The Blokslootpolder nature reserve is near Sneekermeer Lake.

Dunegeaster- en Follegeasterpolder

Het begon als een boezemland en is uitgegroeid tot een aaneengesloten moerascomplex. Hoe dit kan? Tijdens een ruilverkavelingproject is een aaneengesl...

Skrok Meadow Bird Reserve

The Skrok meadow bird reserve between the villages of Wommels and Easterein is a protected area where many birds come to forage and roost. In the spring, the flower-filled grasslands are perfect for nesting.

Het Zwin Nature Reserve

The Het Zwin (in Frisian It Swin) nature reserve in Gaasterland lies between Lake Fluessen and Lake Slotermeer. The reserve has its own polder lake. Here grassland and reed beds provide habitat for rare marshland species and water birds.

Polder Cornwerd Nature Reserve

The Polder Cornwerd (in Frisian Koarnwert) nature reserve is an area of reclaimed land that provides excellent habitat for meadow birds. The nature here is unusual because the meadows are fertilised with farmyard manure that is rich in straw.

Vegelinbossen Forests

The Vegelinbossen forests were planted on the sand ridge on which the village of St Nicolaasga sits. Mayor Johan Vegilin van Claerbergen arranged for the forests to be planted in 1722. Today this is a beautiful place to go walking, cycling, horse riding.

Wyldemerk

The Wyldemerk is a nature reserve with an idyllic lake. It is connected to the Slotermeer and the Fluessen.

Potschar Nature Reserve and Groene Dijk Cycle Track and Footpath

The Groene Dijk cycle track and footpath along the bank of Sneekermeer Lake and through the Potschar nature reserve leads past bird observation points, a roost used by bats and sand martins and a canoeing route.

Workumerwaard

Along the IJsselmeer coast, near Workum, nature reserve the Workumerwaard is situated.

Grote Brekken Nature Reserve

The Grote Brekken (in Frisian Grutte Brekken) nature reserve is also known as Lemster Brekken. The reserve is on reclaimed land near the town of Lemmer. Certain parts of the reserve can be accessed by a special path.

Flietsterbosk Forest

Flietsterbosk is a small but varied recreational forest full of hawthorn, willow, beech, poplar and alder trees. This delightful woodland near the village of Witmarsum attracts a wide variety of birdlife, small mammals, butterflies and insects.

Park Jongemastate

“Ik voel mij soms net een schatzoeker, zegt vrijwilligster Alice Jongbloed. Elk voorjaar word ik weer verrast door de mooie stinzenplanten. Is het nie...

Gaasterland Forests

Gaasterland is a patchwork landscape of low hills (gaasten), cliffs and magnificent forests. Including the Rijsterbos forest, which grows down to the edge of Lake IJsselmeer. This is a wonderful area for walking, cycling, horse riding and mountain biking.