Feel the salty sea air tickle your nose as you trudge through the muddy creeks, salt marshes, and mud flats of Tholen. An adventurous yet calming journey where you shouldn't be afraid of getting wet feet. This area is flooded by salt water twice a day. At the edges of the Oosterschelde, the salt tide of ebb and flow sets the rhythm. Discover this unique offshore coastal nature on a global scale, which is different every day. Join this surprising journey.

Best to visit: the tide is crucial. At low tide, you see and experience the most, but this has been taken into account when determining the tour timings.

 

The Richly Laid Table of Tholen

Ready to get to know the outer dike area of the Zeeland island of Tholen like the back of your hand? Always take a guide with you. He will point out the most exciting paths where your waterproof shoes or boots will get the least wet. Due to its special natural values, the area is not freely accessible. The guide is your key to this salty wonder world.

Along the way, you will pass plants such as glasswort and sea aster; Zeeland delicacies that grow on the higher silts and salt marshes. The salt in the soil of these marshes provides the unique, salty taste of the plants. But there is more life to discover in the coastal nature. In the muddy silts, there is an abundance of worms, shellfish, and small crustaceans. A paradise for birds that flock en masse to this richly laid table of the exposed seabed during low tide. A great moment for you to spot the different bird species.

Nationaal Park Oosterschelde
Fotograaf: Ellen van den Doel

Authentic Piece of the Netherlands

The island of Tholen originated from five smaller islands that gradually merged together through damming and land reclamation. Above the meadows of this expansive polder landscape, the salty scent of the sea is ever-present. Here you will mainly find agricultural areas with dikes, windmills, farmhouses, and authentic village centers. A beautiful Dutch scene.

Outside the dikes lie the extensive sandbanks and mudflats that are flooded twice a day by the tide. A tide in which the difference between high and low water is the highest in Zeeland. The difference in water levels averages 3.5 meters, but this can be more or less due to the influence of the wind and the moon's position.

Eendenkooi - Zeeland
Stichting Het Zeeuwse Landschap

The Secret of the Duck Decoy

Only a few times a year do you get the chance to visit the Duck Decoy in Sint Philipsland. Once a place of commercial significance, today it is a cultural-historical heritage site in a quiet area with great natural value. Get acquainted with the typical practices surrounding the decoy, such as the use of the Kooikerhondje, the capture pipes, the nesting baskets, and the various species of ducks.

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Taste the region

In the Thoolse Sint-Annaland you will find the potato auction, the only one in the Netherlands. Traders here buy their products through 'auctioning off'. In July and August, you too can take a seat in the authentic benches of the auction every Wednesday morning and afternoon, and operate the clock to strike a good price. Not only for the tastiest potatoes but also for apples, strawberries, cherries, and other red fruits. The salty regional products such as samphire and sea lavender are also featured. You might even manage to get hold of real Thoolse fish. Enjoy!

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