Den Helder is located at the very tip of the northernmost point of North Holland. You can easily spend a whole day at this most important naval base in the Netherlands. The history here dates back to Napoleon, who had four large forts built just before he was exiled to Elba. You can still visit this Den Helder Defence Line.
The Den Helder Dunes and nature
Further along lies the Mariëndal recreation area, which consists of over 50 hectares of natural wilderness. Bulb fields have been converted here into low dunes, dune grasslands, and water features. Perfect for nature lovers. The Helderse Duinen also feature many small lakes and forests. The area is an Eldorado for protected plants and animals. Redshanks, spoonbills, common snipe, and plovers find everything they need here. The nature in these dunes is so valuable that, together with the nearby Noordduinen, they are protected at the European level. More information about the nature around Den Helder can be found on Landschap Noord-Holland.
Walking on the beach
If you head towards Julianadorp, at junction 90 you can choose a variant along the coast. Julianadorp is known for its beautiful fields of flower bulbs. During the season, you should definitely choose the original route. There is nothing quite as beautiful as walking among fields of blooming bulbs. Outside the season, there is a variant along the coast. Just before Julianadorp, at junction 90, you turn off towards the beach. You walk past Julianadorp along the beach and rejoin the original route at junction 46. By then, you are already well into stage 4 towards Wieringerwaard. The variant is 14.5 km.
Julianadorp
If you choose to walk to Julianadorp, you will end up in an oasis of greenery at Noorderhaven, a residential environment for people with intellectual disabilities. Julianadorp was once a small town; now it is an important tourist center due to the holiday parks and the beautiful golf course.
